West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
(WSB photo inside the West Seattle Bridge, last Thursday)
The Port of Seattle is giving the city $9 million to help cover the costs of the West Seattle Bridge project – and getting some commitments in return. Details are in a “memorandum of understanding” approved today by port commissioners. Here’s the draft document:
From that document, here’s where the $9 million fits in the funding picture:
Here’s what the port gets: Priority handling of city construction-related permits for the Terminal 5 modernization project, certain levels of access to the West Seattle low bridge, a chance to review the bridge-repair plans “to ensure maritime operations are fully considered.” And the port and city will work together on transportation projects including truck parking to minimize backups, the East Marginal Way corridor, and design of the West Marginal Way 2-way protected bike lane “to maximize safety for all users and minimize freight impacts.” The $9 million is to be paid in three installments, starting “after the City has reopened the West Seattle High Bridge with full access consistent with prior operations (7 lanes) and shown progress satisfactory to the Port on other provisions of the agreement (this is expected in mid-2022).”
Here are the details of the low-bridge access specified in the MOU:
a. SDOT will authorize up to 550 roundtrips per day for workers required to support international marine cargo operations at T5.
• Between 7 am and 3 pm, SSA Marine and ILWU will minimize trips to 100 one-way trips per hour within those daytime hours.
• Outside of those hours, SDOT will authorize up to 200 one-way trips per hourb. In coordination with the Port and the NWSA, while the high bridge remains closed, SSA Marine will provide flex-hours for up to 180 ILWU workers to ensure that they arrive at T5 prior to 7 am as well as provide on-terminal truck queuing starting at 6 am.
c. “T5 Labor” includes ILWU Locals 19, 52 and 98, mechanics and SSA. Each entity and members will follow existing application procedures with applications due by the 15th of each month for authorized low bridge access in the following month.
d. The SSSB is to be used only by T5 Labor only when dispatched across the Duwamish or when traveling across the Duwamish between marine cargo terminals.
e. ILWU trips to terminals other than T5 continue to be authorized when a worker is dispatched across the Duwamish; however, those non-T5 trips are assumed and expected to NOT be higher than as of the date of this MOU (averaging 10 trips per hour maximum). These trips are counted as part of the authorized trip numbers listed above.
f. ILWU and mechanic individual trips are limited to no more than two-round trips per day.
g. ILWU and SSA Marine’s coordination is necessary to enforce the authorized trip target. A pattern of exceeding the authorized trip target will result in the City directly engaging with SSA and ILWU and giving both entities an opportunity to take corrective action with their users.
• Following engagement, any persistent and on-going patterns of excessive use by authorized users could result in a reduction of ILWU/SSA access to the low bridge.h. Once T5 reopens to marine traffic, SDOT, ILWU, SSA Marine and NWSA will regularly communicate to ensure coordinated execution.
i. NWSA will work with SDOT in advance of Terminal 5 opening to develop a terminal data reporting strategy and provide regular terminal data updates to inform low bridge access predictions and management.
For truck access, the MOU says that for one “the City will continue design to rechannelize S Spokane St east of the T-18 main gate entrance to improve traffic flow near the East Waterway Bridge, and will carry out the project at the City’s cost in 2022 after the WSHB opens to traffic.” Also, the port and city will work “to establish multiple drayage truck parking areas … for the benefit of both Duwamish Valley residents and truck drivers serving the marine cargo terminals.” For possible parking area, one on 11th SW with 25 truck-parking spaces, and potentially “near East Marginal Way, under the Spokane St viaduct and nearby areas as depicted in Exhibit E with the intention to develop up to 70 additional parking spots.”
The parking spots are supposed to be ready by the end of 2022, pending City Council approval. Then in early 2023 the city and port would collaborate on a plan for at least 100 more truck-parking spaces at site(s) TBA, possibly on city-owned property along the east side of East Marginal Way between Hanford and Holgate, also noted in Exhibit E.”
Voting in the general election is just over two weeks away – ballots go out October 13th. If you haven’t decided yet who you’re voting for in local races, you have a variety of opportunities coming up to watch candidate forums. Tomorrow (Wednesday) at noon is the next one – mayoral candidates Lorena González and Bruce Harrell will answer questions about homelessness in an online forum presented by the nonprofit Resolution to End Homelessness. Organizers say it will include an audience-question period toward the end, Go here to register for the Zoom link
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
SPRAY-BOTTLE ASSAULT: This happened to Chris in Admiral:
A young (early 20’s), white male, wearing a baseball cap, backpack, and with a milk crate with a rolled-up sleeping bag at the bus stop in front of Circa, sprayed me, the front door, and the bushes in front of Circa. He used a generic household spray bottle that appeared to contain a yellow liquid. There was no smell. I yelled at him to stop and he backed off but he walked forward and sprayed more at my legs and the restaurant.
He sprayed the liquid into his own mouth, laughed, and went back to the bus stop bench. I yelled at him to stop several more times and then a Circa employee unlocked the door. I went inside Circa to pick up my order and saw him get on the 128 bus. I informed the Circa employee and pointed out the liquid drops on the front-door glass.
FENCE-JUMPING PROWLER: From PD:
I thought I’d share vids of a guy that jumped my fence and snooped around my house around 2 am Monday 9/27 – (9200 block of) 21st Ave SW.
(WSB photo along SW Thistle)
After months under a “BUS STOP CLOSED” cover, some of the signs along Route 22 have reappeared, as the suspended route’s return gets closer. Metro‘s fall “service change” is Saturday (October 2nd), and the 22 will return – weekdays only – as part of it. Our breakout of other West Seattle changes is here.
(WSB photo)
Chao is making sandwiches today for the third-to-last day before Sub Shop #9 in Morgan Junction closes permanently. The little sandwich shop has been at 6058 California SW for more than two decades, according to the announcement posted on its door, which says:
… Due to the pandemic and other financial hardships, we have decided to close our shop. Thank you for your loyal patronage for over 22 years; we wish you all the best for a happy and prosperous future.
From our family to yours, we hope you all stay safe and healthy during the pandemic; together we will get through this.
Sincerely, Chao, Jessie, Eric, and Sean
The shop is open until 5 pm (regular hours are 11-5). Thursday will be the last day. (Thanks to Marco for the tip about the impending closure.)
The property is owned by the family that owns O’Neill Plumbing (WSB sponsor) next door. Tim O’Neill tells WSB they haven’t decided yet what’s next for the site, which, he adds, has had past incarnations as a cleaners and real-estate office.
The Alki Elementary PTA is celebrating designation as a National School of Excellence by the national PTA – the only one in Seattle Public Schools, one of seven in the state, 351 around the country. Working to support schools and families is a challenge for all-volunteer groups like this in regular times – but it’s taken extra creativity and perseverance during the pandemic. Mel Spiker from the Alki PTA explains some of what they did – and their message for other school communities:
First, our community of families faced many obstacles during school closures. Families were faced with food insecurities, schools were faced with implementing remote learning, children were facing isolation and social emotional challenges, and our community was exiled from our beloved school building that acts as a hub of activity and support for all our families. I want to congratulate our community and express gratitude to all our families and local business owners for standing shoulder to shoulder supporting children in West Seattle.
We were not able to fundraise as we had been able to in the past, which led to our PTA standing in solidarity with local business owners that so generously gave to our children by donating services and goods for our annual auction. We pivoted our fundraising to support both our families and our local business owners by creating themed ‘pop-up’ family-focused activities. For example, Ampersand Cafe hosted our pumpkin patch last fall, where families purchased donated pumpkins from QFC along with carving kits and Halloween goodies, all locally sourced. We also had this sort of pop-up for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Thanksgiving, and others – each showcasing locally sourced items.
We aggressively pursued grants from National PTA and were awarded Phase I and II cycles of TikTok- and Mathnasium-sponsored COVID Recovery grants ($5k and $2k), allowing us to build a food pantry, offer IXL Math online supports for all students at Alki, purchase supplies to protect staff and students from COVID when schools reopened, and brought a large number of virtual programs into the homes of our families to foster a feeling of connection while we were all apart; some included:
-Cooking classes with a local chef out of Pike Place Market
-Karate lessons with local dojo in West Seattle
-All-school assembly addressing bullying, by a world champion BMX stunt rider
-Game Nights to include BINGO, Wheel of Fortune, and Family Feud
-Yoga hosted by a local yoga studioI’d also like to bring light to the lack of funding for public schools. Our PTA had been paying for our counselor and school nurse but quickly realized the practice is unsustainable to continue. Our advocacy committee worked with WA State PTA and the Seattle Council PTA to bring forward a legislative proposal to fully fund our children’s mental health and to adequately staff schools with school nurses. Alki’s proposal was voted in by PTA delegates as our State’s No. 1 legislative priority for the next two years, and National PTA invited us to take part in their National Convention Healthy Minds Summit to present our advocacy efforts to an audience of PTA leaders across the country.
Second, I hope to inspire other local PTA units to enroll in the School of Excellence program to strengthen family-school partnerships and to guide them toward creating a welcoming school climate where all children are included and regarded as an irreplaceable asset.
Applications for the program are being accepted through October 15th – find out more here.
The pandemic has been a challenge for nonprofits, missing the usual opportunities to gather supporters for celebratory fundraisers. Some have had live events online. Transitional Resources – headquartered in the Luna Park area – has produced an online event you can watch when you have time, to learn about – and potentially support – TR’s work “to stop the cycle of homelessness and institutionalization.” Here’s the announcement:
Transitional Resources serves our neighbors living with the most serious forms of mental illness by pairing behavioral health services and supportive housing to help people get off the streets and live successfully in the community.
We have missed gathering with our community, and we can’t wait until we can safely gather with you once more! But since we aren’t quite there yet, in lieu of an in-person event, we’ve put together a virtual program about what TR has been up to. We invite you to watch and hear more about our work, get inspired by our clients’ stories, and learn how individuals like you can make a difference. This exclusive content will be available through October 7. You can visit TR’s website to view it.
We need our neighbors to know that Transitional Resources is still out here, providing the continuous, community-serving care that our clients need. Like many organizations, the past year and a half has been extraordinarily challenging for us, and the support of our community has been critical to our continued operations. We’ve faced another year of canceled events, enhanced safety protocols, plus the additional challenge of constructing a brand-new building during a pandemic. We are proud to say that TR has been able to support our clients throughout these challenges, keeping people safe and healthy, and our new building will help us to increase our capacity and services to even more people. We depend on the community to help us persevere through these challenges, and we would appreciate your support as we continue to provide services to those who need it most.
You can watch the video here, and/or make a gift to support TR here. P.S, They’re hoping to open their new building on SW Yancy next month.
6:02 AM: Good morning!
WEATHER
Showery, cool again today – with another 60-ish high..
ROAD WORK
26th SW – Final week for northbound 26th SW closure between Roxbury and Barton; King County crews expect to switch to southbound net week.
25th SW & Barton – More county-led RapidRide prep work.
Delridge project – No major work this week, SDOT says.
TRANSIT
Buses are on regular schedules today – except for the rerouting in RapidRide H Line work zones. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of canceled trips. Reminder – the fall “service change” is this Saturday; we previewed the West Seattle changes earlier this month.
For ferries and water taxis, regular schedule today. Doc Maynard is back on the WSWT run. Watch @wsferries for ferry updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
553rd morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here are views of other bridges and routes:
Low Bridge: Automated enforcement cameras remain in use; restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily – except weekends; the bridge is open to all until 8 am Saturday and Sunday mornings. (Access applications are available here for some categories of drivers.)
West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:
Highland Park Way/Holden – Update – we asked SDOT about the camera angle again last week, and it’s been readjusted:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
The 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):
For the South Park Bridge (map), here’s the nearest camera:
Are draw/swing bridges opening for boats or barges? The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed will tell you. (1st Ave. South Bridge openings also are tweeted on @wsdot_traffic.)
See all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also on this WSB page.
Trouble on the streets/paths/bridges/water? Please let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
One last time before leaving office in a few months, Mayor Jenny Durkan gave her annual budget speech tonight.
But what she chose to mention is only a fraction of what’s in the 768-page “budget book.” We read through key department sections of the $7.1 billion budget, as well as the accompanying Capital Improvement Program that spans into 2023 and beyond. Here are notes of (mostly) local interest:
SDOT: Of course the agency’s $718 million plan has all the money expected to be needed to fix and reopen the West Seattle Bridge. It also has $5 million for maintenance on three movable bridges, including the West Seattle low bridge, and the 4th Avenue South bridge. But the most eyecatching West Seattle item is in the Capital Improvement Program – penciling in 35th Avenue SW repaving for 2023, Morgan to Roxbury. Where the $35 million would come from, they haven’t decided yet.
PARKS & REC: West Seattle’s three landbanked park sites – 48th and Charlestown, 40th SW in The Junction, and the addition in Morgan Junction – were put on hold for the pandemic. But the $283 million Parks budget for next year includes money to get them going again. Other named West Seattle projects would include energy-efficiency woork at Hiawatha (which is already closed for renovations) and some money to support closing-time security at Alki Beach.
POLICE: The $365 million plan is slightly more than last year. Here’s what the mayor said about it in her speech:
We’ll also continue to address public safety challenges. Like many of you, I believe it’s a false choice to say we must choose between investing in effective community alternatives OR investing in having enough well trained police officers.
We need both.
This budget ensures we have enough police officers AND alternatives to police interventions, particularly for people in crisis. Like HealthOne, a program I launched before the pandemic that sends medics and social workers instead of police to certain 911 calls.
My budget also adds 125 new officers and one million dollars for officer hiring incentives, and new resources for training and oversight. I hope the City Council joins me to support this approach for true community safety, and not buy into false choices.
The alternatives would include adding six Community Service Officers as well as moving money to “specialized triage” and a Regional Peacekeepers Collective.
Those are just a few sections of the many in the budget – you can browse them section by section by going here. Some departments have started publishing their own summaries – including Parks, SDOT; watch for others here.
WHAT’S NEXT: The City Council, meeting as the Select Budget Committee, will review and amend the mayor’s plan over the next two months. Meetings start Wednesday, with individual department presentations; here’s the agenda for that day (watch for subsequent meetings’ agendas here). Three public hearings are planned – 5:30 pm October 12 and November 10, 9:30 am November 18, all online, so you can comment from wherever you are – go here for more info on how to attend/participate. You can also email councilmembers any time – here’s how.
Did you see the early-evening rainbow? Here are two of the West Seattle photos shared with us via Twitter – above from @kazzmere, below from @karinbeth in Delridge:
Lots of good news in the forecast and weather stats. With 2.31 inches of rain in September, an inch more than normal, we’re catching up from those ultra-dry summer months – now just two-thirds of an inch behind where we should be at this point in the year. More rain is expected off and on through Thursday – and sunshine next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!
Today brought the start of fall quarter at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor). The campus on Puget Ridge is still relatively quiet, though, because most classes this quarter are being held remotely, as explained in this overview on the college website. SSC spokesperson Ty Swenson tells WSB that “our professional-technical and apprenticeship programs continue to offer in-person instruction, and we slightly expanded in-person college transfer courses.” He adds, “We have increased on-campus/in-person student services, currently offered Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Virtual assistance continues to be offered as well, so students have a hybrid support model for fall.” SSC hopes to offer more in-person classes in the winter quarter and beyond.
Thanks to Doug Eglington for the photo. A few people mentioned the odd sight at Don Armeni Boat Ramp over the weekend – an overturned. boat right at the launch. All we could determine was that there was no emergency response logged in connection with it. One texter said they’d reported it to the Harbor Patrol, but Sunday it was still there. Then today the tow truck showed up. We checked with SPD; no report written, but they did note that officers on Saturday “notified the registered owner of the boat that it could be impounded.”
As reported here Sunday morning, an overnight power outage lasted only two hours for 6,000+ affected in North Highline and Burien, but 10 hours for a West Seattle pocket at the east end of the Roxbury corridor. Seattle City Light spokesperson Julie Moore tells WSB what happened:
The cause was a failed cable. We were able to rule out issues along most of the route and restore power to the majority of customers pretty quickly. However, the last 40 took longer because we needed to patrol the overhead feeder that runs through a right of way to rule out other potential issues. Due to the terrain and other environmental conditions in that right of way, we needed to wait for daylight to do that patrol.
Part of the same area was affected by an outage the previous weekend; that one was blamed on a fallen tree.
Three reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STOLEN PICKUP: Just got word today of this theft 4-6 pm Saturday, September 18th, near Fauntleroy/Alaska, a white 2002 Ford F-250:’
Plate C92452S, Glasslite canopy with cracked rear window, BFG K02 tires, yellow/black offroad lights in front, chrome trim missing from front right passenger well. Call 911 if you see it.
CAR WINDOWS SMASHED: Thanks for the tips on this – happened Sunday afternoon but took us until today to get some followup information. Multiple car windows were smashed along Delridge near Juneau – we photographed a few after hearing about it:
The police report says at least eight vehicles were damaged; one witness said he saw many more. Though archived radio transmission had it called in as a man swingiing a “sock full of rocks,” police say the windows were smashed with a chain, and that they seized it when they arrested the 34-year-old suspect. He was booked into jail for investigation of malicious mischief. Jail records show he spent two days in jail earlier this month after another malicious-mischief arrest. He remains in jail this afternoon pending a bail hearing,
GARAGE BREAK-IN: Sanwai reports a parking-garage burglary in the 3700 block of California: “A neighbor’s car window was broken; my car registration and stereo system was stolen.”
The city says it’ll open three new COVID-19 vaccination sites to help with boosters, now that they’re officially recommended for people in some groups. King County has already begun offering them at its sites. From today’s announcement:
Working with health care partners, the City of Seattle will be opening three additional vaccination sites beginning in October that will host weekly clinics to increase access to vaccinations. Sites are expected to serve West Seattle, South Seattle, and Central Seattle with partners, locations, and hours announced in early October. The City of Seattle will also relaunch mobile teams to focus on delivering boosters to older adults. To date, the City of Seattle administered nearly 260,000 vaccinations.
The city closed its West Seattle vaccination hub almost four months ago.
Seattle Public Schools‘ weekly COVID-19 dashboard update shows only about two-thirds as many new cases this past week as a week earlier. The new cumulative total is 276, up from 213 (the weekly total was adjusted downward by 1 at midweek last week, so while it was 214 last Monday as reported here, it fell later in the week to 213). That’s 63 new cases reported districtwide over the course of the week, compared to 96 new cases the previous week. Here are the school-by-school breakouts for our area, and changes from a week earlier – again, the numbers are cumulative for the entire school year this far:
Denny International Middle School – 10, up 4
Highland Park Elementary – 8, up 3
Chief Sealth International High School – 8, unchanged
Lafayette Elementary – 6, down 1
Roxhill Elementary – 6, unchanged
Gatewood Elementary – 4, up 1
Pathfinder K-8 – 3, unchanged
West Seattle High School – 2, unchanged
Madison Middle School – 2, unchanged
West Seattle Elementary – 2, up 1
Fairmount Park Elementary – 2, newly reported this week
Genesee Hill Elementary – 1, unchanged
Louisa Boren STEM K-8 – 1, unchanged
Sanislo Elementary – 1, unchanged
Still no cases reported at Alki, Arbor Heights, or Concord International elementaries, according to the dashboard. The downward adjustment for Lafayette is unexplained, but one parent forwarded us a letter sent by the principal two weeks ago that said the district’s first report of cases at the school “showed cases that occurred during the summer.”
(Morning rainbow, photographed by Karen Leeds)
A quiet start to the new week so far. From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SHOE DRIVE: The Lafayette Elementary PTA “has partnered with Funds2Orgs to raise money for the PTA and repurpose shoes by sending them to developing countries around the world.” You can drop off “gently used” shoes at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) through mid-November; the store is open 10 am-6 pm today..
MAYOR’S BUDGET ADDRESS: Mayor Jenny Durkan sends the City Council her final budget proposal, kicking off a months-long review process. You can watch her address at 5 pm via Seattle Channel.
OPEN D&D: Drop-in play at Meeples Games (3727 California SW), 6:30-10 pm.
SPORTS: Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle) hosts West Seattle HS in volleyball, with the varsity teams playing at 7 pm.
QUIZFIX TRIVIA: 7:30 pm at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), with prizes.
Anything we’re missing today/tonight? Text our hotline at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
6:01 AM: Good morning!
WEATHER
Showery, breezy, cool – high only around 60..
ROAD WORK
26th SW – Final week for northbound 26th SW closure between Roxbury and Barton; King County has set the date for directions to switch – next Monday, October 4th, they expect to reopen northbound and close southbound for about a month.
25th SW & Barton – More county-led RapidRide prep work.
Delridge project – No major work this week, so no roundup, SDOT says.
TRANSIT
Buses are on regular schedules today – except for the rerouting in RapidRide H Line work zones. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of canceled trips.
For ferries and water taxis, regular schedule today. Watch @wsferries for ferry updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
552nd morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here are views of other bridges and routes:
Low Bridge: Automated enforcement cameras remain in use; restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily – except weekends; the bridge is open to all until 8 am Saturday and Sunday mornings. (Access applications are available here for some categories of drivers.)
West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:
Highland Park Way/Holden – Update – we asked SDOT about the camera angle again last week, and it’s been readjusted:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
The 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):
For the South Park Bridge (map), here’s the nearest camera:
Are draw/swing bridges opening for boats or barges? The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed will tell you. (1st Ave. South Bridge openings also are tweeted on @wsdot_traffic.)
See all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also on this WSB page.
Trouble on the streets/paths/bridges/water? Please let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
Here’s our delayed-by-breaking-news weekly collection of local pandemic updates, starting with the newest numbers.
KING COUNTY CUMULATIVE NUMBERS AS OF FRIDAY:
*148,953 people have tested positive – 3,291 more than a week ago (5,300 in West Seattle, up 98)
*7,942 people have been hospitalized – 132 more than a week ago (240 from West Seattle, up 3)
*1,854 people have died – 19 more than a week ago (70 in West Seattle, down 1)
VACCINATION RATE
79.9% of King County residents 12+ have completed their vaccine series (up .7% in the past week)
By West Seattle zip code:
98106 – 81.2%
98116 – 85.9%
98126 – 77.5%
98136 – 87.5%
98146 – 76,9%
(More COVID-related King County stats here)
THE WEEK’S PANDEMIC HEADLINES
Eviction moratorium extended – By order of the mayor, who also told utilities to keep refraining from shutoffs.
Seattle Public Schools cases – The second dashboard update of the school year added almost 100 cases districtwide. Next update should happen later today.
Boosters or not? Here are the new recommendations for certain categories of people who got the Pfizer vaccine (no booster recommendations for the other vaccines so far).
NEED TO GET TESTED IN WEST SEATTLE?
The UW Medicine testing service at the Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex parking lot (2801 SW Thistle) continues to operate; you can make an appointment here, though readers report walk-ups have been accepted. Meantime, the Curative testing kiosk at Don Armeni Boat Ramp (1222 Harbor SW) is also still operating. In addition, both West Seattle Walgreens stores are offering drive-up testing (35th/Morgan and 16th/Roxbury) – more info here.
NOT VACCINATED YET?
Go here to see where you can change that. Also note a clinic next weekend: Chief Sealth International High School next Saturday (flu shots as well as COVID vaccine).
9:56 PM: SFD is sendng a “full response” to 16th/Barton for a structure fire. It’s in what’s reported to be a vacant building. Updates to come.
(Added: Video by Nick Nielson)
10 PM: Firefighters report they’ve “knocked down” the fire. Avoid the area for a while.
(Added: Texted photo)
10:08 PM: SFD is using “derelict building” guidelines. Meantime, the overview photo added above shows this is the old building on the northwest corner – Google Street View shows it with addresses 9059 and 9061 16th SW.
(Added: Photo by Nick Nielson)
10:28 PM: City Light has arrived to shut down power to the building (which is a century old, according to property records). City records show a “notice of violation” was in progress after a recent complaint which said in part, “This vacant building is always full of garbage, rats, covered in graffiti, and poses a fire hazard.”
(Added: Photo by Michael Riedel)
10:50 PM: Sent to us by readers, this Ring security-camera clip shows the fire starting to show from the south side of the building just as someone walks out of one of the front (east-facing) doors.
11:44 PM: All but three SFD units have left the scene.
10:40 AM MONDAY: Still waiting for word of the cause, but we went over this morning for a look at the aftermath.
11:31 AM: From SFD spokesperson David Cuerpo: “Our fire investigators ruled it as undetermined because they were unable to enter the building due to safety concerns. Per procedure for undetermined fires, we have shared this information with SPD’s Arson and Bomb Squad for followup.”
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Changes in the traffic-safety plan for 16th SW were part of what HPAC – the community council for Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge – heard about at its September meeting.
This was HPAC’s first meeting after summer break, led by co-chairs Kay Kirkpatrick and Craig Rankin. Before the updates from SDOT, a port team presented an update:
TERMINAL 5 & PORT OF SEATTLE: From the Northwest Seaport Alliance and/or Port of Seattle, Lindsay Wolpa, Peaches Thomas, Steve Balaski, T-5 program manager Emma Del Vento, and Curtis Stahlecker were all at the meeting. Wolpa gave a presentation, starting with an overview of the NWSA (the ports of Seattle and Tacoma) – 3 million cargo containers each year, 58,000 jobs – then recapped the T-5 project toplines. Balaski explained what the port’s trying to do to help with the worldwide supply-chain jam:
They are “feverishly working” on how to address this, and how to keep their export clients’ goods flowing.
One more reminder: Tuesday morning at 8 am, the Senior Center of West Seattle plans a magic morning for its annual fundraising breakfast – online again this year. The Senior Center (located at 4217 SW Oregon in The Junction) is celebrating 50 years of services to the West Seattle community. You can participate for free and enjoy the talents of world-renowned magician Nash Fung. Donations are of course welcome – you can even make an early donation toward the Senior Center’s goal of raising $100,000 by the end of September. (If you make an advance gift of $250 or more, you’ll get a delicious breakfast delivered to your door to enjoy Tuesday morning.) Register online here for your free ticket. And get inspired to support the Senior Center by listening to the newest episode of the All Ways West Seattle podcast, featuring center leaders, volunteers, and members.
As previewed here Friday, 17-year-old West Seattle High School senior Herman Meyer spent his Saturday swimming, biking, and running a “solo Ironman” triathlon. Family and friends posted as-it-happened updates and photos in the comment thread of the original report, but in case you weren’t following along, he finished in just over 16 and a half hours. Herman’s mom Katherine Meyer reported, “He started just after 8 am and finished strong at 12:40 am! He had to dig deep, and he did.” The day began with more than 2 miles of swimming off Alki:
Then 112 miles of bicycling (in loops around West Seattle):
And finally a marathon run:
That’s friend Riley Nachtrieb running with Herman, in a photo by Riley’s dad Erik Nachtrieb. In her preview of Herman’s “solo Ironman,’ published here Friday, Riley explained that Herman’s feat was simply out of personal motivation – “purely driven by his determination.”
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