West Seattle, Washington
10 Sunday
In a normal year, it would seem a bit too early to talk about Thanksgiving. But … well, it’s 2020. The Hall at Fauntleroy, which usually presents a free sit-down community feast, has announced its plan for this year, and how you can help:
The 22nd annual Hall at Fauntleroy Community Thanksgiving meal will be on Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 26th – from 11 am to 2 pm.
This year’s feast will be Take-out style.
We will be in front of the Hall at Fauntleroy handing out fully prepared Thanksgiving meals and totes with other essentials.
The Hall at Fauntleroy is located at 9131 California Ave SW.
To our amazing volunteers, we can’t wait to gather for full service dining next year!
For now, we invite you to breathe deeply into this pause and come on by to pick up a meal for you, a friend, family member or a neighbor.
We are accepting, and would truly appreciate, donations:
~ Reusable grocery/tote bags
~ Masks
~ Hand sanitizer
~ New blankets
~ Hand warmers
~ Cash donations
Please call Meg Haggerty 206-353-8382 to arrange for drop off of donations by Friday November 20th.
In the spirit of our core mission of gathering to feed the heart, soul and bellies of the community, we would like to put out a special thank you and invitation to our colleagues in the hard hit hospitality and arts industries.
We hope to see all of you as we navigate this different kind of year ~ even if it is just a drive by with a honk and wave!
Brought you to by Seeds of Love, the Haggerty Family, and from the generous donations of our neighbors and community.
Meg & David Haggerty
Reed Haggerty
David Meckstroth
Thanks to those who let us know last night about error messages they were getting when trying to access WSB. This started happening yesterday afternoon and worsened into the early-morning hours, but our tech person has fixed the problem and things should be back to normal now. We always appreciate heads-up on problems like that – sometimes they’re obvious to us too (this one was affecting the production side as well) but sometimes they’re not – keep our number handy for calls/texts, 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Tonight’s pandemic-related toplines:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Now, here’s today’s daily summary from Public Health – the cumulative totals:
*25,367 people have tested positive, 98 more than yesterday’s total
*785 people have died, unchanged since Saturday
*2,508 people have been hospitalized, 10 more than yesterday’s total
*510,947 people have been tested, 3,281 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 24,330/779/2,458/486,967.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
NATIONAL/WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 40.7 million cases worldwide, 8.2 million of them in the U.S. – see other nation-by-nation stats by going here.
‘FALL SURGE’: The state Health Department warns that this is starting, and action is needed to reverse the trend. Case numbers in Western Washington are of particular concern. In short, the state says, this is no time to let up on protective measures.
GOVERNOR’S BRIEFING: At his media briefing this afternoon, Gov. Inslee announced new safety rules to try to stop the outbreaks reported at college campuses. You can watch the briefing video here.
BRIEFING TOMORROW: State health officials’ weekly briefing is Wednesday at 2 pm; you can watch the livestream (or, later, the archived video) here.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
(Alki Lighthouse – photo by David Hutchinson)
One month into fall, a hint of winter is on the way. The forecast for this weekend brings the first low-30s lows, and even a mention of frost Sunday morning.
(Lincoln Park – photo by Susan Romanenghi)
The big cooldown starts tomorrow – highs might not get out of the 40s again until next Tuesday. Last October, we didn’t get to freezing, but we got close – a 33-degree low on October 30th.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Just released by SDOT, here’s the Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) meant to help inform the city’s decision of what to do about the seven-months-closed West Seattle Bridge:
(It’s also on the city website. Added 10/26: Here’s a link to the 628 pages of appendices.)
Though it looks at six options for repairing or replacing the bridge, the renderings and costs are NOT by any means the final set of options – they’re what was roughed out for comparison purposes. It should also be noted that the CBA does NOT address the newly emerged option that some have nicknamed “rapid replacement” – though that will be explained at tomorrow’s West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force meeting, along with the CBA. But if you just want to skip ahead to the bottom line, those estimates are on page 68 of the 89-page document, with basic up-front construction cost rough estimates from $47 million for repairs to $1.9 billion for an immersed-tube tunnel.
Stolen in North Admiral, on 42nd Avenue SW between Ferry and Walker: 2000 white Passat, license plate number BVZ3761, police have been notified; please call Nicole at 720-635-1604 if you find or see it – after you report it to 911.
UPDATE: Found – see comment.
(Reminder – you’re invited to bring community crime/safety concerns to tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, 7 pm online – here’s the link (via Teams) to attend.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Once the Lowman Beach Park seawall and tennis court are removed, will a new sport court be installed elsewhere in the park?
More than 50 people attended last night’s online community meeting, the next step in the process. They saw four “concepts” – a full-size court that could accommodate tennis and more, two versions of a “medium-size” court, and a court-less option with “amenities.”
The community group advocating for a new court, the Seattle Sports Complex Foundation, obtained a city grant for planning and schematic design, but funding would have to be found beyond that to actually install something. With that in mind, the project team – led by HBB Landscape Architecture – is on track to complete a schematic design by year’s end.
For the meeting, on hand from the project team were Aaron Luoma and Rachel Dotson from HBB, as well as Pamela Kliment from Parks and Lisa Uemoto from the Department of Neighborhoods.
Luoma recapped the plan that’s leading to the removal of the existing tennis court – the removal of the failing seawall and transform the area into something more natural, with an expanded beach and daylighted Pelly Creek. It’s going out to bid soon. With that and other existing features including underground utilities led to the designation of an “opportunity area” in the southeast part of the park for this potential project.
(Early-morning photo by Tony Welch)
West Seattle Bridge notes, three days shy of 7 months since the bridge was closed:
AWAITING THE COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS: This much-awaited document, prepared to play a key role in the repair-or-replace dedision, was supposed to be made public Monday; SDOT sent it to Community Task Force members late last night and is expected to release it more widely later today. We’ll publish a separate report once it’s out.
TASK FORCE MEETING TOMORROW: As previously reported here, the original plan for Mayor Jenny Durkan to announce her repair-or-replace decision to the CTF tomorrow is now off (no new date yet) – the task force will instead be discussing the CBA when they meet online at noon Wednesday (October 21st). They’re also going to hear more details on the “rapid replacement” proposal that suddenly emerged earlier this month. Here’s the draft agenda; here’s the link (UPDATED) for the YouTube stream of the meeting. If you have questions, the email address remains WestSeattleBridge@seattle.gov.
STABILIZATION WORK: SDOT’s weekly update says the release of the stuck bearing on Pier 18 could happen by the end of this week.
PORT COMMISSION CHAIR’S COMMENTS: During a media briefing this morning on monthly cargo volumes, Seattle Port Commission chair Peter Steinbrueck – who’s also one of the elected officials on the CTF – spoke briefly about the impending repair-or-replace decision. He said he feels there’s not enough information yet for the port to support one option or the other, so both pathways should continue to be studied. The port’s biggest stake in the game is low-bridge accessibility, with the low bridge under extra strain because of the high-bridge closure.
Thanks to John for the photo and tip: That truck got stuck trying to U-turn under the West Seattle Bridge and is now blocking part of Spokane St. just east of Harbor/Avalon. Avoid that area for a while.
(Today’s sunrise, photographed by Carolyn Newman)
Notes for the day/night ahead:
CITY COUNCIL BUDGET CHANGES: The council is now in the “issue identification” round, which means talking about ways they might change the mayor’s plan. They’ll be meeting all day, in sessions starting at 9:30 am and 2 pm. They’re looking at the Parks and SDOT budgets in the morning, SPD in the afternoon. There’s a public-comment period at the start of the morning meeting. Info on how to sign up to comment, and how to watch the meeting, is all on the agenda.
DEMONSTRATION: Scott‘s twice-weekly events continue into the fall:
Black Lives Matter sign waving
Tuesday Oct 20, 4 to 6 pm, corner of 16th SW and SW Holden
Thursday, Oct 22, 4 to 6 p,, 16th and Holden
Come show support for BLM and ending systemic racism. Hold signs, meet neighbors, and stand for racial justice. Scott at PR Cohousing, endorsed by Hate-Free Delridge. Signs available.
SEATTLE LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL INFO NIGHT/VIRTUAL TOUR: 6 pm, prospective families are invited to learn more about West Seattle’s only independent high school. Email dmeyer@seattlelutheran.org to get the link. (Preview video here.)
WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: 7 pm 6:30 pm online, hear from and talk with local police – crime trends, neighborhood concerns. All welcome. Here’s the link (via Teams) to attend. (Note: Apologies for the inaccurate time – this meeting has been at 7 pm for years but apparently has now changed.)
TENANT-RIGHTS BOOTCAMP: 7 pm 4 pm online, presented by Be:Seattle, co-sponsored by the South Park Neighborhood Association, “a neighborhood-by-neighborhood series teaching renters how to to assert their rights, find solutions to various issues, and fight for more renter protections.” Register here to get the participation info.
6:21 AM: Welcome to Tuesday – the 211th morning without the West Seattle Bridge.
ROAD WORK, ETC.
*Delridge project: Here are the weekly highlights.
*Tunnel closure: Friday night-Saturday morning (October 23-24), the Highway 99 tunnel will close both ways for maintenance, 10 pm-6 am.
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.
12:09 AM: A driver crashed at 59th/Admiral less than an hour ago, damaging the bus stop. Thanks to Paul for the photo; he reports that after hearing the crash, he found a woman who said her boyfriend had been driving and fled the scene; then, he says, she left the scene. Police at last report were still trying to sort it all out.
10:01 AM: Checked with SPD media relations. The full report isn’t in but ‘notes on the call” indicate that police did eventually find and talk with the people who were in the car. Information on whether the driver was cited is not yet available.
On Sunday, we reported on another visit by Southern Resident Killer Whales. No visuals, though, until tonight:
That video is by Hannah Schuh, a seventh-grader at Madison Middle School. Her mom Liz Schuh sent us the clip, recorded at Point Robinson on Maury Island (a popular whale-watching spot since Puget Sound’s main channel narrows there and you have a better chance of a close pass). Viewing advice from Liz: “After the breaching whale, another group surfaces, including one of the babies.”
The babies are part of J-Pod, which may have another calf soon – we also received photos tonight from Brittany Philbin of PNW Orca Pod Squad Photography – a pregnant orca, also photographed from Point Robinson:
The photographer explains, “During their close pass, J46 Star breached just offshore and luckily I was in the right place at the right time and captured a photo at just the right angle to see her heavily pregnant abdomen. She has been confirmed by researchers to be pregnant. I just thought residents of West Seattle would love to see these photos of J46 Star. They are so beloved throughout the Pacific Northwest.”
J46 was born in November 2009.
Here are tonight’s local pandemic-related toplines:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here’s today’s daily summary from Public Health – the cumulative countywide totals:
*25,269 people have tested positive, 172 more than yesterday’s total
*785 people have died, unchanged since Saturday
*2,498 people have been hospitalized, 18 more than yesterday’s total
*507,666 people have been tested, 22,372 more than yesterday’s total (apparently a correction of yesterday’s “data corrections”)
One week ago, the totals were 24.205/776/2,441/483,132.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here … but with this caveat.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
TRICK-OR-TREATING CANCELED: Now all three of West Seattle’s usual business-district trick-or-treating events are off for this year, with Westwood Village‘s announcement today.
NEED FOOD? Again this week, Food Lifeline will distribute free emergency boxes of food to anyone who shows up, 2-5 pm Friday (October 23rd) at its South Park HQ, 815 S. 96th.
GIVING: Meantime, those who can give, are doing so abundantly – Pack 799‘s Scouting for Food door-to-door drive brought in triple the usual total!
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
8:59 PM: Thanks to Ron from that photo from the High Point Library ballot drop box, where he turned in his ballot today. As you know if you check WSB on the weekend, Saturday was an unusual day at the drop box in The Junction for multiple reasons, and King County Elections had other reports of very busy boxes. Even though the actual vote announcements don’t start until Election Night (November 3rd), KCE is out tonight with a count of how many ballots it had received by 6 pm: 86,156. They said over the weekend that the first five days in 2016 brought in 10,000+ (via drop boxes). Of this year’s total so far, 35,302 are from Seattle. The closest breakout we have to West Seattle is that 6,469 are from the 34th Legislative District (West Seattle, White Center, Vashon, and a bit of Burien). KC Elections updates the ballot-return numbers daily at noon and 6 pm.
HOW TO RETURN YOUR BALLOT: No stamp needed, no matter how you do it – USPS mail, as long as it’s postmarked by November 3rd; any official King County drop box (70+ around the county, including three in West Seattle, one in White Center, one in South Park, all listed/mapped here), as long as it’s in by 8 pm November 3rd.
P.S. If your ballot has not arrived yet, call 206-296-VOTE.
ADDED 8:50 AM TUESDAY: Thanks to Susan for the tip – the county offers box-by-box stats, too, updated on a different schedule (each morning), and on an apparent lag – the update for this morning only goes through Sunday. Nonetheless, by means of comparison, it shows The Junction dropbox with 4,100+ ballots in the first few days, High Point with 2,400, the new SSC box with 225.
7:40 PM: Thanks for the texts. Guardian One was circling South Delridge/White Center for a while earlier this evening; just as we were headed out to look on the ground for any signs of a related response, the online flight tracker showed that the helicopter moved on. Then Mike saved the day by tweeting that he’d seen a sizable response in the O’Reilly Auto Parts lot at 17th/Roxbury. We were able to talk briefly to a King County Sheriff’s Office sergeant there; he told us they’re looking for a “fugitive” but would not elaborate further, aside from confirming that the helicopter presence was indeed related. We’re trying to find out more and will update if we do.
9:09 PM: KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Ryan Abbott says the person they were seeking is “a homicide suspect wanted out of Seattle.”
5:52 PM: Seattle Fire has a water-rescue response headed by land and sea to a report of a sailboat in trouble north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock. Updates to come.
5:56 PM: The callout is being canceled – per scanner, a resident says the sailor is a neighbor and is already safely out of the water.
If you feel like going off-peninsula now and then, without having to cross the river, ‘Say Hello to Burien.’ That’s the new invitation from the Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce, sponsoring WSB right now to get the word out. Here’s their video and announcement:
The Seattle Southside Chamber announced the public launch of the “Say Hello to Burien” campaign, which is focused on inviting people from throughout the Puget Sound region to experience the best this small, diverse city on the sound has to offer.
“As a life-long resident of King County and a transplant to Burien from Seattle, I definitely had my own preconceived notions about Burien,” offered Andrea Reay, President/CEO of the Seattle Southside Chamber. “However, once I took the time to “say hello” personally to this amazing community, I fell in love. I am so proud to live in and work for a community that is rich in both culture and opportunity.”
The campaign is an open invitation for all to “Say Hello to Burien” and come experience the best Burien has to offer. Whether it’s dining and experiencing authentic cuisine from around the world, shopping in family-owned boutiques and independent bookstores, or getting outside for a hike in Seahurst beach or kayaking on the sound, you’ll be glad you made the trip. Come say hello to Burien—just south of Seattle and miles from ordinary.
If you would like dining, shopping, or activity suggestions, please don’t hesitate to send us an email at Staff@SeattleSouthsideChamber.com or give us a call at 206-575-1633 and we’d be happy to help you say hello to Burien.
We thank Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
With Halloween now less than two weeks away, we’re continuing to spotlight what is, and isn’t, happening:
WESTWOOD VILLAGE: As with The Junction and The Admiral District, this annual business trick-or-treating is canceled, the center’s management announced today. They’re having an online photo contest instead – details here.
GRACE CHURCH: The church at 10323 28th SW is having a Fall Festival on Halloween, with afternoon drive-thru trunk-or-treating followed by a drive-in movie:
Grace Church Fall Festival – Trunk or Treat and Drive-In Movie Showing of Monsters, Inc.
3 pm – 5 pm, Drive Thru Trunk or Treat, 5 pm – 7:30 pm Drive-In Movie
Join us for the 2020 Grace Church Fall Festival! Stop by the Drive Thru Trunk or Treat for candy and spooky delights and then come back for a fun, family-friendly drive-in movie experience at 5 pm! The People’s Burger food truck will be on site providing food for purchase beginning at 4pm.
Price: Free – Grace Church will be collecting non-perishable food for donation to the White Center Food Bank upon arrival.
Where do I get tickets? Tickets are required for the Drive-In Movie and can be reserved here. No tickets required for drive-thru Trunk or Treat
Other details and safety measures:
Food for purchase will be available from The People’s Burger food truck. Masks are required when you are outside of our vehicle.
Candy will be available via a socially distant car drop-off. Trick or Treat!
P.S. We’re still collecting decoration locations to launch a list later this week! westseattleblog@gmail.com with or without a photo – thank you!
Four notes:
ALLEY HOLDUP: From the SPD “significant incident reports” file – this happened Thursday night in Arbor Heights, in the 4300 block of SW 100th::
On 10-15-2020 at 1924 hours, the victim was in his alley taking out his trash when the suspect came up behind him and pressed something in his back (believed to be a gun). The suspect demanded his cell phone or he would shoot him. He didn’t have his cell on him so the suspect told him to turn out his pockets. The victim had nothing in his pockets. The suspect told the victim to run down the alley and not look back or he’d shoot. The suspect left the area in a vehicle.
No description or other details, but we’re requesting the report. (TUESDAY UPDATE: Police say the victim believes he knows the would-be robber, and that it’s related to an ongoing dispute.)
STOLEN CAR: From Byron, just south of the city-limits line:
Our red 2007 Honda Civic 4-door, license plate 867WSD, was stolen from our driveway. Sometime between 9pm last night and 11:15 am this morning. (10600 block of) 27th Ave. SW. There’s a car seat in the back and a brand new Yakima rack and kayak carrier on the roof.
If you see it, call 911.
LICENSE PLATE FOUND: From the “possibly stolen/dumped” file, Desiree spotted this plate in the greenery alongside the front parking at Junction TrueValue (44th/Edmunds):
CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY: Got crime/safety concerns, or questions for police? Tomorrow (Tuesday, October 20th) night at 7 pm online, the next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting is your chance for updates from, and Q&A with, local police. Here’s the link (via Teams).
Looking for some good news? Despite the COVID-19 economic crunch, generosity is running rampant. We have an update on Arbor Heights-based Cub Scout Pack 799‘s recent Scouting for Food door-to-door drive, courtesy of parent Jason T.:
Please let everyone in West Seattle know that Pack 799 has concluded its food drive, including returning for any initially missed pickups as we were notified.
We are sincerely grateful for the broad support we experienced in performing our service activity, and look forward to sustaining and improving the health of West Seattle in our own small way in the future. According to Karla and all the extremely helpful folks at the West Seattle Food Bank, Pack 799 was able to facilitate the collection of 3,221 pounds of food and household goods — nearly three times the amounts we’ve collected in past drives!
(One of the participating Scouts)
It is really heartwarming to have that level of community support, which gives solid encouragement to our young Scouts who chose to serve their communities in the midst of all the challenges, through a little adaptation and innovation.
You can of course contribute to local food banks at any time – the WSFB’s donation info is here, and info for the White Center Food Bank (whose service area includes south West Seattle) is here.
Wednesday’s the day for that 10-establishment food fundraiser organized as a fundraiser for the West Seattle High School Class of 2021, which made this video as a reminder.
On October 21st, these are the 10 establishments sharing part of the profits with the senior class:
Circa (2605 California SW)
Bebop Waffle Shop (2600 California SW)
Arthur’s (2311 California SW)
Mission Cantina (2325 California SW)
Admiral Pub (2306 California SW)
Ampersand Café (2536 Alki SW)
Lady Jaye (4523 California SW)
Peel and Press (6503 California SW)
The Westy (7908 35th SW)
Dream Dinners* (4701 41st SW)
Three notes: First, Dream Dinners-West Seattle (WSB sponsor) is unique – place your order for tomorrow, to pick up the you-cook meal on Thursday, using this link. Second: You’ll also be able to buy raffle tickets at dinner time. Third: 4 pm-4:45 pm Wednesday, the band Aurora Avenue plans a “live COVID-friendly performance:” at Lady Jaye. The students – and businesses – appreciate your support.
One West Seattle event of note tonight: The second community meeting about a proposed sport court at Lowman Beach Park. The upcoming seawall-removal project will also take out the current tennis court; though there’s no replacement in the plan, a community group is pursuing a proposal to build a sport court – not necessarily tennis, or just tennis – elsewhere in the park (see the “opportunity area” above). That group got a grant for a survey and community meeting (here’s our August coverage here), and plans to announce the results and next steps tonight, 6:30 pm online. To attend:
Meeting number: 146 733 7298
Password: lowmanbeach
(Link here)
Join by phone – 206-207-1700
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