West Seattle, Washington
29 Friday
Another way to support local arts/crafts creators, who also have been hard-hit by the pandemic, while doing early holiday shopping – Judy Pickens sends word that what would usually be an in-person event is happening online this year, and it’s already begun!
COVID has edited but not deleted the Fauntleroy Fine Art & Holiday Gift Show from the calendar of community activities at Fauntleroy Church, United Church of Christ. The show that has been an annual fall event for more than a decade is happening online this year, through November 30.
Visit the church website to see samples and details from each of the 13 participants, including SML Design (handcrafted home-decor products), Tom Costantini (below – watercolors), Johanna Lindsay (above – woven earrings/pendants), and Angel Luna (skincare products).
Entries include websites to see more and contact information to purchase directly from the artist or crafter.
12:45 PM: Eastbound Spokane Street just east of the low bridge is blocked by police right now, as shown in the traffic-cam framegrab above, because of a crash. No details but at least one person is reported injured.
12:52 PM: Some Metro buses are backed up, the traffic camera has shown. Here’s a look further east at the crash-response scene:
1:06 PM: The scene has mostly cleared and traffic’s moving in both directions.
1:18 PM: All clear.
Thanks to the texter who sent the photo! That’s the latest signal-box portrait by West Seattle artist Desmond Hansen, this time celebrating local rock superstar Eddie Vedder. It’s at 35th/Webster, on the corner by Best of Hands Barrelhouse (WSB sponsor). You can scroll through our 2 1/2 years of coverage of his other local work here.
P.S. Vedder and his bandmates are featured by The New York Times today for their get-out-the-vote work.
(Seen at Lincoln Park; photographed by Mike Munson)
Welcome to the weekend. Notes for today/tonight:
SCOUTING FOR FOOD: If you got a door-hanger last weekend, put your donation out for Cub Scouts to return and pick up between 9 am and noon today, as explained here.
FREE FOOD: Greater Seattle Filipino-American SDA Church is distributing food boxes again today – all welcome to drive up, ride up, or walk up to the church at 2620 SW Kenyon, 1:30-4 pm.
DUWAMISH TRIBE CELEBRATION: 5-6:30 pm online, you are invited to the Duwamish Tribe‘s Resilience Gala & Native Art Auction. Register here to enjoy “words, song, dance, and other exclusive performances from Duwamish Tribal members and allies.” You also can bid in the art auction through October 17th.
NIGHT OF GIVING: Another virtual gala tonight – this one for Delridge-headquartered Southwest Youth and Family Services. Go here to register for the 6 pm event, which starts with a “cocktail hour” via Zoom and then at 7 pm moves to a YouTube event. (You can also bid now on the silent-auction items.)
(Wednesday sunset, photographed by Chris Frankovich)
SUNSET: 6:29 pm. (Three weeks until we “fall back” an hour.)
12:08 AM – ROBBERY: Police are looking for two people reported to have robbed the Junction 7-11 (California/Erskine) at knifepoint a short time ago. They left in what was described as an older red Cadillac “with damage.” No injuries reported. If we hear anything more, we’ll update.
1:35 AM – GUNFIRE: Nothing new on that, but now there’s a major police response in South Delridge, after multiple reports of gunfire, apparently associated with a crowd of people at 16th/Trenton. Police responding to an initial report said they heard shots too. No injuries reported so far. (1:39 am) They’ve found at least one shell casing.
32 weeks ago tonight – on February 28th – King County announced its first case of COVID-19. Here are tonight’s local toplines:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily summary:
*23,736 people have tested positive, 150 more than yesterday’s total
*776 people have died, 2 more than yesterday’s total
*2,429 people have been hospitalized, 11 more than yesterday’s total
*471,588 people have been tested, 4,502 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 22,788/764/2,382/445,824.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 36.8 million cases, 1,067,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.
NEED TESTING? Another reminder, the city-operated testing site in West Seattle – south side of the Southwest Athletic Complex parking lot (2801 SW Thistle) – is open Saturdays. Go here to choose an appointment time.
NEED FOOD? Greater Seattle Filipino-American SDA Church is distributing food boxes again tomorrow – drive up, ride up, or walk up at 2620 SW Kenyon, 1:30-4 pm.
24/7 FOOD AND SUPPLIES: Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood (39th/Thistle) has a new Little Free Pantry with food and hygiene items available.
DONATION DRIVE SUNDAY: Alki UCC will have another drive 10 am-3 pm Sunday, outside the church at 6115 SW Hinds:
A huge shout-out to all the generous people who filled our lobby with donations of non-perishable food, school supplies and men’s casual/work clothing during our last expanded donations drive. The next Call for Donations is this Sunday, October 11, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, outside Alki UCC’s front entrance at 6115 SW Hinds
Food and basic supplies such as toilet paper and diapers are distributed through the White Center Food Bank. We’re accepting school supplies for all grades on behalf of one or more local schools to be distributed when students are back at in-person learning. Suggestions include backpacks, #2 pencils, black and blue ink pens, crayons, lined paper, glue, small scissors, colored pens, writing notebooks and colored paper.
Donations of clean, new or used men’s casual/work clothing are distributed through the Westside Interfaith Network’s hot lunch program for people experiencing homelessness, The Welcome Table. There is a constant and growing demand for denim apparel, khaki’s, hoodies, tee shirts, sweatshirts, clean underwear, socks, shoes and all kinds of outerwear for the fall and winter. Please … NO dress shirts, sport coats or suits
REOPENING: Two days after the governor announced movie theaters could open at 25 percent capacity in Phase 2 counties, West Seattle’s Admiral Theater says it will open a week from today.
GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Thanks to Gary and Karl at Potter Construction (WSB sponsor) for sending word (and pictures) about the return of the giant pencil that marks their headquarters at 5606 California SW. Gary explains, “We took it down to repair and repaint when they scheduled to paint the building. We just got it back and it looks great!!”
The tune-up was by the 13 1/2-foot-long pencil’s creator, artist Stephen Rock. It was originally created for a juried show in 2010, then installed outside Potter HQ in 2011 .
The family of Beverly J. Thompson will gather tomorrow to remember her; they’re sharing this remembrance with her community tonight:
Beverly J. (Allen) Thompson passed away peacefully at the age of 93 on September 17, 2020.
Beverly was born on April 17, 1927, in Yakima, Washington to Walter and Gladys (Doak) Allen. She was the 4th of 5 children and graduated from Yakima High School with the class of 1945. She was a West Seattle resident most of her life. She married John Saeger in 1950 and they raised three children together. She later married Robert Thompson in 1979.
She was very involved in her West Seattle life. She worked in the medical field at the West Seattle General Hospital for many years, starting out in their Junction location and later on at the location on SW Holden St. She attended West Side Presbyterian for many years and devoted many hours to the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop in the West Seattle Junction. She loved planning the fashion shows and was always recruiting models. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were a huge part of her life, earning her many nicknames over the years. She was fondly known to them and all of their friends as Grabbo, Goggy, or Babbo. She loved playing dress-up, having tea parties, and sleepovers at her house were always a hit.
She had many friends and loved playing cards. She traveled around to many Bridge games and was a ruthless competitor no matter who you were or what card game you were playing. She definitely kept her children and grandchildren on their toes in many a Gin Rummy or a Nertz game.
She was preceded in death by her daughter, Jeanne Saeger, her husband, Robert Thompson, and all of her siblings. She is survived by her daughter, Jill and son-in-law Tony Knapp of Port Orchard; her son, Robert and daughter-in-law Casey Saeger of Las Vegas; five granddaughters, Nichole (Darron) Forsell of West Seattle; Jessica (Dave) Cook of Port Orchard; Julia (Alexander) Rosen of Gig Harbor; Marina and Danica Saeger, both of Las Vegas; nine great-grandchildren, Trevor, Shayne, Haley, Matthew, Alyssa, Brandon, David, Quinn, and Dean; and many very beloved nieces and nephews who knew her as their Auntie Bev.
Due to regulations regarding COVID, a small family service is planned for Saturday, October 10, 2020 at Forest Lawn Cemetery in West Seattle. A larger celebration of her life will be held at a later date. Donations in her memory can be made to the American Cancer Society.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
Back on Tuesday, we published the Washington State Department of Transportation‘s alert about short closures this week and next for “temporary repairs” on the southbound side of the 1st Avenue South Bridge (which is actually two separate bridges, one in each direction). Tonight we have more information on what’s being fixed, and what “permanent repairs” will entail. WSDOT’s Tom Pearce explains here that “our crews noticed wear on the bearings of two piers during a regular inspection of the bridge. These bearings are critical as they allow the bridge deck to move up and down a little when traffic goes over the pier.”
(WSDOT photo – gap created by the worn bearing is shown, with pen inserted in the opening)
Right now, for temporary repairs, Pearce writes, “During each closure, crews jack up the deck a little, put in shims – in this case a piece of metal to close the gap – to counter the settlement, then lower the deck onto the shims.” But that’ll only last a few months, so they’ll have to do permanent repairs next year: “In early 2021, we’ll have a contractor crew replace the worn bearings atop the piers. We’re still designing how this work will take place, so we don’t have all the details yet. Right now we’re looking at a project that will require us to close two of the four lanes, 24 hours a day, for about two weeks to replace cement and grout. This will eliminate the settlement on that side of the bridge. When one side is finished, it will take another roughly two weeks to do the same thing on the other side.” Again, this is the southbound side of the 1st Avenue South Bridge, not the northbound side (which is older and went through a recent project to replace some of its deck panels – for more background on both bridges, see our report from the start of that work). WSDOT says the southbound bridge “remains safe for travel.
In pre-pandemic times, you might have seen Sean Petrie writing poetry on his century-old typewriter at the Farmers’ Market. In 2018, he was in residence at West Seattle Summer Fest, typing in the Southwest Seattle Historical Society/Log House Museum‘s booth, and now that round of live poetry has become a book! In collaboration with SWSHS, Petrie has published “Listen to the Trees: A Poetic Snapshot of West Seattle, Then and Now,” via Documentary Media.
It features some Junction businesses, too, including Husky Deli, Easy Street Records, and Elliott Bay Brewing. You can see and hear him online in a SWSHS presentation at 6 pm next Tuesday (October 13th). There will also be a limited-capacity in-person launch at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW), noon Saturday, October 17th. The publisher says the book will thereafter be available at both of West Seattle’s independent bookstores, Paper Boat and Pegasus Book Exchange (4553 California SW).
If you bought a ticket, you’ve probably already received word, but just FYI, the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce has postponed tonight’s park-and-watch movie to next Friday (October 16th), since we could see rain before dark tonight. The CofC also has a few tickets left for the screening of “Secret Life of Pets” in the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) north lot – go here.
For neighbors in need, Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood now has a Little Free Pantry, stocked with food and hygiene items, built with volunteers, donations, and grant money. It’s on the open patio by the church’s lower-level doors at the corner of 39th SW and SW Thistle. The church’s youth/family director Nicole Klinemeier emailed to share the news, explaining, “The top has food items, and on the bottom there is a bin with hygiene items such as diapers, menstruation supplies, deodorant, etc.” She also says the church grounds will soon feature a prayer walk focusing on hunger, similar to the Black Lives Matter prayer walk we featured in June.
(SDOT recording of Wednesday’s meeting)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Without grocery stores and other major services in Delridge, the area’s few east-west connections are lifelines.
But placing “diverters” at two spots along the 26th SW greenway would hamper residents’ access to two of those connections.
That’s a message SDOT heard repeatedly during Wednesday night’s meeting to explain, and hear opinions on, the revived proposal for installing the diverters, with two additional options – banning through traffic to make that section of 26th SW a “Stay Healthy Street,” or something else to be determined.
Until the governor announced new guidelines on Wednesday, movie theaters were not allowed to open in Phase 2 counties. Now that’s changed, and West Seattle’s Admiral Theater has just announced it will reopen under the new guidelines – 25 percent capacity – one week from today, on Friday, October 16th. Masks will be required “while in the auditorium and until you’re seated at a safe distance from other patrons,” but you can take yours off to consume concessions while seated. The Admiral’s parent company Far Away Entertainment explains other policies here (including what “25 percent capacity” means – 3 empty seats away from the next unrelated person). As for what The Admiral will be showing – that’s not on their website yet.
P.S. If you’re not comfortable with going to the theater, you can still support The Admiral by watching movies at home – here’s what’s available right now.
Halloween is three weeks from tomorrow. In this year when so many have already made displays for passersby to enjoy, from chalk art to window-dwelling bears and beyond, we’re already noticing more Halloween decorations than usual. And we’ve received a few requests to provide a Halloween version of what we usually do at Christmastime. “It would be awesome to have a list of houses decked out for Halloween that we could drive by,” suggested Jenny via email. So if you have – or are going to have – or see someone else with – a well-decorated house/yard/apartment window/business … let us know. Photos are great, but if it’s just a tip, please describe whether it’s a lit display (we’ve already seen some excellent ones that aren’t, so people would want to know to go by before dark). westseattleblog@gmail.com or text our hotline, 206-293-6302 – thanks!
6:12 AM: Welcome to Friday – the 200th morning without the West Seattle Bridge.
ROAD WORK, ETC.\
*Southbound 1st Avenue S. Bridge: Short closures for “temporary repairs” may happen again today, between 6 am and 3 pm.
*Delridge project: The SW Oregon closure that was supposed to start this morning is now postponed until next weekend.
*Lander Street Bridge in SODO: This is the third morning that it’s officially open.
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 are two cameras:
The other major bridge across the river is the South Park Bridge (map). Here’s the nearest 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.
TRANSIT
Metro – Fare collection has resumed.
Water Taxi – Also no longer free.
Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
Our nightly pandemic-related roundup:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*23,586 people have tested positive, up 167 from yesterday’s total
*774 people have died, unchanged from yesterday’s total
*2,418 people have been hospitalized, up 8 from yesterday’s total
*467,086 people have been tested, up 10,264 from yesterday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 22,560/758/2,378/441,609.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 36.4 million cases worldwide, 7.6 million of them in the U.S. See the nation-by-nation breakout here.
GOVERNOR’S BRIEFING: Gov. Inslee had another media briefing today, with announcements including an extension of the statewide eviction moratorium to the end of the year, and a new federal grant that’ll fund various business-supporting initiatives. He also urged everyone to “shop locally, shop small business.” You can watch the video here.
CITY HELP FOR IMMIGRANTS: One week from today, applications will open for a city program to provide financial assistance to immigrants who can’t access federal aid. The program is explained here.
NEED FOOD? Free emergency food boxes are available 2-5 pm tomorrow at Food Lifeline HQ (815 S. 96th) and Saturday afternoon at the Greater Seattle Filipino-American Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1:30-4 pm, 2620 SW Kenyon.
GOT PHOTOS/TIPS? 206-293-6302, text or voice, or westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
(WSB file photo, Junction dropbox)
One week from today, on Thursday, October 15th, voting begins – as ballots start arriving the day after King County Elections sends out ballots. That’s also when King County opens its ballot drop boxes. The earlier you vote, the better – among other reasons, early voting means your vote will be part of that first count made public on Election Night (Tuesday, November 3rd). But we know that despite exhortations and plans, many people still vote in the final hours/days. That’s why KC Elections has traffic plans for “every single drop box,” says spokesperson Halei Watkins. We checked on those plans after learning the West Seattle Junction Association had been notified of plans for staffing and traffic control at its drop box (SW Alaska, south side, between California and 44th). That ballot dropbox is one of three in West Seattle, along with South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) on Puget Ridge and the High Point Library. Watkins says the plans will vary by location and typical or projected volume “but the main goal for every single one is to make it accessible and keep traffic moving as much as possible. Every single drop box will also be staffed on the Monday and Tuesday of Election Week by King County Elections staff to help ensure that boxes don’t fill up and there’s someone there who can assist voters as needed. On Monday (11/2), that staffing will largely take place during the day and on Tuesday (11/3) we’ll have someone there all day until boxes close at 8 p.m. sharp.”
While awaiting your ballot, you can preview candidates and ballot measures here.
That’s Natalie Millsap, featured artist at Verity Credit Union (4505 California; WSB sponsor), where you can meet her until 8 pm tonight as part of the West Seattle Art Walk. She’s a painter and printmaker from Bellingham, and Art Walk organizers note, “Her screen-printed clothing has a growing cult following around the U.S., leading to her brand name Cult of Nat.” The Art Walk update on other participating venues is here, from Admiral to Morgan Junction. Look for the sign:
As explained in the WSAW list, some art displays are up all month – so you can enjoy art even if you’re not able to get out tonight.
With rain in the forecast, SDOT says the next Delridge/Oregon closure is postponed – so Oregon west of Delridge will be open tomorrow and this weekend. Provided the weather is favorable, they’re planning to do the work the following Friday-Sunday, October 16-18, instead.
Three weeks ago, we reported on the West Seattle Junction Association‘s plea to the city regarding escalating concerns at Junction Plaza Park (42nd/Alaska). Days later, WSJA received a reply from the city (scroll down this page to read it) that noted cleanup crews and outreach services but did not address public-safety concerns. So next Tuesday (October 13th), at 2 pm, WSJA takes the next step, with a community meeting (online) including city participants. You are invited to watch and/or participate. Panelists confirmed so far include Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Sina Ebinger, Precinct Liaison (City Attorney’s Office) Joe Everett, and Aaron Burkhalter, project manager with LEAD, which will be expanding into parts of West Seattle including The Junction. Connection information is on the WSJA’s webpage about the ongoing park problems.
When we reported in July that West Seattle-based Bee’s Plumbing and Heating had bought and moved onto the former Tug Inn site on SW Orchard west of Delridge, we noted that they planned to redevelop the property with a new building for their growing business. Now, the project is on the drawing board, and they’re asking for feedback in the Early Design Review Outreach process. The West Seattle architecture firm Finch Design and Production is handling the project and explains that the site, 2216 & 2228 SW Orchard St., “includes the former Tug Inn and the vacant lot to the west between it and the Vietnamese Cultural Center. … The project is currently in the early stages of design, but at the moment we’re expecting that the building will be 3-4 stories in height. It will include office space and some warehouse space, with surface parking to the sides and behind the building. Site improvements will include a new sidewalk and curb cuts, site drainage and landscaping.” The project is going through the Administrative Design Review process, which means there won’t be a public meeting, but there is an opportunity for public comment. The early stage of that is happening now via this simple survey – they’re requesting your feedback by October 28th.
Toplines from Tuesday’s online meeting of the Admiral Neighborhood Association:
PREPAREDNESS: Fall is time for reminding us all to be ready for storms … and worse. Disaster preparedness, too. Longtime local preparedness advocate Cindi Barker made a guest appearance at ANA to explain the Emergency Communication Hubs, which are volunteer-led. Admiral needs new point people; so far, there are some possible successors. If you’re interested in helping (whether in Admiral or elsewhere), contact info is here.
POLICE: Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Kevin Grossman said West Seattle crime continues to be down overall, which he attributes to the bridge closure and COVID-19. Admiral is down as part of that, but Alki had a summer uptick. He talked about the department’s staffing changes, mostly a repeat of what he said at last week’s Town Hall (WSB coverage here) – that while Chief Adrian Diaz has reassigned some officers to patrol, that’s resulted in some retirements/departures so it hasn’t yet resulted in a staffing increase at any precinct. He’s hopeful that once the process of public-safety reform brings more definition of department changes, and who should take on certain jobs currently assigned to the police, retention and recruitment will improve. What could be offloaded? He offered examples such as neighbor-conflict resolution and homelessness-related issues. (Also of note with regard to SPD staffing – the department’s announcement of the Community Response Group.)
ANA president David Hancock asked about how racism issues are being addressed. Capt. Grossman replied that there’s ongoing training on bias and institutional racism, adding that it’s important to get out to meetings like this to get community’s input and also find out what issues the neighborhood considers important.
He got a question about when to call 911 vs non-emergency – and offered this link. When in doubt, just call – the call-taker will decide how to route you.
LETTERS: Support for two letters to the city was discussed – one asking for full-time staff people to help organize COVID-19 relief efforts that are currently being coordinated by volunteers, and one asking that a percentage of West Seattle Bridge funding be dedicated to bicycle safety.
NEW LEADERSHIP: The ANA board is looking for new members for next year, including a president to succeed Hancock. Interested? Don’t miss the next meeting – email info@admiralneighborhood.org to be sure you’re on the list for the announcement.
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