day : 09/02/2022 10 results

VIDEO: What the Community Advisory Group for West Seattle’s light-rail project heard, and asked, at first Draft Environmental Impact Statement briefing

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Part of the Sound Transit-convened West Seattle/Duwamish Community Advisory Group’s role is to help neighbors understand the light-rail project before it’s built – and while the 2032 opening date seems distant, construction could be only four years away.

Now that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement has been out for a week and a half, evaluating the routing and station possibilities, CAG members got a briefing and Q&A on Tuesday night.

Sound Transit’s Cathal Ridge reminded group members that while you’ll have to transfer at SODO in the first few years, by 2042 the system buildout will mean one ride all the way from Seattle to Everett.

Ridge also reminded the group that the Draft EIS includes preferred alternatives and other potential alternatives, to be winnowed by the ST Board in a few months. Ridge stressed. He recommended reading the document itself, not just summaries like this. (Later in the presentation, the list of topics it covers was shown – so if any interest you, that’s another reason to read it:)

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CORONAVIRUS: What the governor announced today, and how local numbers are going

February 9, 2022 8:50 pm

| 20 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news

Pandemic updates:

WHAT THE GOVERNOR ANNOUNCED, AND DIDN’T: As mentioned in our daily preview list, Gov. Jay Inslee had a media briefing/Q&A this afternoon (you can watch it here). He announced that three emergency measures would be allowed to expire next week:

*The Washington National Guard’s deployment to hospitals will end February 17th
*Hospitals will be allowed to resume non-urgent procedures February 18th
*The statewide outdoor-event mask mandate will end February 18th

As for indoor masking, the governor said he’ll have something to say about that next week. State school superintendent Chris Reykdal said today that he supports ending the statewide mask mandate for schools, leaving it up to local districts to set their own policies.

LOCAL NUMBERS: A few readers asked today about local updates. Since the winter wave has clearly peaked, we’re re-evaluating the best way to provide periodic updates. Here are current toplines, from the Public Health – Seattle/King County dashboard:

*44 percent fewer cases countywide in the past week than the week before
*Currently averaging 1,415 new daily cases countywide

*32 percent fewer hospitalizations countywide in the past week than the week before
*Currently averaging 29 new hospitalizations daily

*12 percent fewer deaths countywide in the past week than the week before
*Currently averaging 8 new deaths daily

For West Seattle, we have two-week comparisons:
*1,748 cases between 1/22 and 2/5, down from 2,470 between 1/7 and 1/21
*16 hospitalizations between 1/22 and 2/5, down from 24 between 1/7 and 1/21
*3 deaths in each of those two 2-week periods

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WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: More sunset beauty, with weekend hope on the horizon

February 9, 2022 6:41 pm

| Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: More sunset beauty, with weekend hope on the horizon

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Quick break for sunset beauty before we move on with the rest of the news – Thanks to everyone who sent photos! Tonight’s sunset moved through phases of orange and pink. The photo above is from Chris Goh; below, from Jan Pendergrass:

And below, from James Bratsanos:

Since it’s Wednesday, it’s not too soon to look ahead to the weekend, and that’s where we find hope (for everyone who enjoys sunshine) – Saturday and Sunday are currently forecast to be sunny with highs in the 50s.

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UPDATE: Helicopter-assisted search in Highland Park ends with arrest, gun seizure

February 9, 2022 4:31 pm

| 20 COMMENTS

| Crime | Helicopter | Highland Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

4:31 PM: Thanks to everyone who asked about the helicopter search in Highland Park. Guardian One was assisting Seattle Police with a search. We don’t know yet what incident it’s linked to, but we do know they just took someone into custody in the greenbelt over Highland Park Way/Riverview Playfield. More details when we get them.

5:09 PM: No official info from police yet, and we couldn’t find officers on the ground, but scanner traffic and another reader tip indicates it was related to a stolen car.

6:05 PM: Guardian One confirms via Twitter that the search was for a driver who fled a stolen car.

7:54 PM: Even more details, and a photo, from SPD:

Just after 3:00 p.m., a parkgoer reported a man asleep in a red pickup truck parked on a foot path in the greenbelt area of Riverview Park. When responding officers contacted the man, he fled on foot into the woods. Police quickly discovered the truck had been registered stolen earlier this week in North Seattle, and spotted a rifle in the back seat.

With the help of King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter Guardian One, SPD officers on the ground found the suspect hiding in the greenbelt and arrested him.

Police transported the 26-year-old man to King County Jail to book him for possession of a stolen car and unlawful possession of a firearm. It appears part of the rifle was still being constructed. Nevertheless, the suspect is a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms. However, during the booking process at KCJ, the suspect deliberately punched a concrete pillar, causing injuries which required treatment at Harborview Medical Center. Officers plan to book the man into jail when he is medically cleared at the hospital.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Restaurant robbery

February 9, 2022 4:13 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Thanks for the tip. The Domino’s Pizza in Morgan Junction was held up shortly after noon today. Police say the robber walked into the business, showed a gun, demanded all the cash in the tills, got money, told the employees to lie down, then walked out. Police didn’t find him. No description in the preliminary summary but from archived police-radio audio, we have one: white, male, 5’10”, medium build, black beanie, brown shoulder-length hair, dark blue shirt “with holes in it.” If you have any information, the police incident # is 22-034059.

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WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE: City says concrete strike may push back reopening schedule

February 9, 2022 1:15 pm

| 128 COMMENTS

| West Seattle Bridge Safety Project | West Seattle news

1:15 PM: We’re in White Center at a media briefing led by officials including King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. One bombshell just dropped: If the concrete strike isn’t resolved by February 20th, the West Seattle Bridge repair-completion schedule is going to slide. SDOT says they’ve rearranged various aspects of the project as much as they can but the contractor needs to pour concrete for the blocks and other structures that will hold the post-tensioning steel – interior strengthening that is a key component of the repair project. More details to come, including other affected city and county projects – the briefing is happening at a stalled county RapidRide H Line-related site in WC.

2:41 PM: Back from the briefing, which was originally called to announce a county plan to seek an alternate concrete contract in case this doesn’t get resolved soon. That’s fully explained in this news release (we’ll be adding the announcement video as soon as it’s uploaded). Could that also help with the supply for city projects? “We invite (others) to piggyback on this,” replied Constantine. But in the meantime, here are more details on the bridge situation, per Heather Marx, SDOT’s program director, with whom we spoke at the briefing site.

She says the bridge work that’s in danger of getting delayed doesn’t even need that much concrete – 245 cubic yards (for reference, the average concrete truck carries about 9 yards). But it’s a specialized mix. And due to the nature of concrete – it has to be used within a relatively short time after it’s mixed – they can’t just go out of the region to get some. The bridge-repairs contractor is proceeding with carbon-fiber wrapping and epoxy injection, two other key aspects of the work, but as the mayor put it, February 20th is the “drop-dead” date by which they need access to concrete to stay on schedule. And even if the strike is resolved by then, Marx said, they have other logistics to deal with – typically the bigger jobs would be first in line, so they’re working to try to ensure that they will have access as soon as possible once this is resolved. Further down the road, concrete also will be required for some of the finishing tasks in the repairs as well, but right now the blocks/structures for the post-tensioning are what’s affecting the “critical path” schedule.

The West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force will be briefed further on this at its next scheduled meeting at 4 pm tomorrow (Thursday) – here’s where to watch.

And back to the county projects affected, we talked briefly with Metro’s deputy GM Michelle Allison, who says the strike absolutely could lead to a delay in the RapidRide H Line’s scheduled launch this September, as they are still working on areas from West Seattle to Burien. One other note – both the county and city leaders present stressed that they want to see the strike “equitably and fairly” resolved; they’re not trying to point fingers at one side or another.

3:26 PM: Adding our video from the briefing, which also included Sound Transit‘s CEO.

And here’s the city news release, which among other things lists other potentially affected projects.

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Another dog park for West Seattle? Here’s who’s actually working on it

February 9, 2022 11:33 am

| 80 COMMENTS

| Pets | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The two dogs who share Rachael Morris‘s life, Duggie and Tilly, aren’t into dog parks.

However, Morris is working to get West Seattle a second one for the thousands of peninsula dogs who are.

Right now, the only official off-leash area in West Seattle is at Westcrest Park [map]. Dog owners have long complained that another one is needed, not just for space but for geography, since Westcrest is toward the southeast edge of West Seattle. Now, an organized effort is under way toward making it happen.

Morris leads what’s become the West Seattle Dog Park Coalition (WSDPC). She tells WSB the effort began last spring but really picked up steam when the citywide Citizens for Off-Leash Areas helped connect her with other West Seattleites pursuing the idea. So now they’re working with both COLA and Seattle Parks and Recreation. WSDPC has even come up with a list of five potential sites that it’s submitting to the city for review.

Without much official dog-park space, she says, people are using various spaces as unofficial dog parks, and that creates a “public-safety issue” for both dogs and people. So WSDPC is seeking to be part of the solution rather than perpetuating the problem. The lack of an off-leash area in north West Seattle was even officially recognized almost six years ago, in a city report on the state and future of dog parks citywide (here’s our 2016 report).

There’ll be a lot of hurdles to clear, Morris says – just to get sites reviewed could take a year, and Morris says they are well aware they’ll face opposition from people no matter which site (if any) is identified as feasible, so that’s why they’re going public now, to marshal support from dog owners who like the idea. WSDPC members extensively reviewed possible sites all around the peninsula and are submitting five for potential consideration: Areas at the West Seattle Golf Course (a corner currently primarily used for “seed deliveries,” Morris says), Hamilton Viewpoint, Lincoln Park, Duwamish Head (the inland open space), and Jack Block Park (which is owned by the Port of Seattle rather than the city). The latter site could even include some of the shoreline, which Morris says is appealing because the city only has two offleash beaches.

There’s a long list of criteria that ruled out the many other sites they reviewed. And Morris says the process from here is extensive – if the city does give them a green light to pursue a certain site, much public outreach and comment would follow. (The full city process is explained here.) She stresses that her group “wants to go through all the channels” to try to reach the goal, and they’re going public now at a very early stage. If you’re interested in getting involved, you can email westseattledpc@gmail.com. The group doesn’t have a website yet but is on major social-media channels.

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WEST SEATTLE WEDNESDAY: 6 notes

February 9, 2022 10:37 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Sunset @ Lowman Beach last weekend, photographed by Jerry Simmons)

Here’s what’s up for the rest of today/tonight:

GOVERNOR’S BRIEFING: Will Gov. Jay Inslee join some of his colleagues in announcing the future of mask rules? He has a briefing/media Q&A event planned for 2 pm today. The livestream will be here.

FOOD FUNDRAISER: The West Seattle High School Junior Class ASB benefits from part of the proceeds at West Seattle Chipotle (4730 California SW), 5-9 pm – details in our calendar listing.

DISCOVER SEATTLE COLLEGES: 5:30-6:30 pm tonight, online, learn about culinary, wine, and hospitality studies at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) and its sibling Seattle Colleges. Go here to get the link.

WOMEN, WINE, AND WILLS: Estate-planning discussion with attorney Jenny Ling at Pine Lake Cellars (5405 California SW), 6 pm – details and RSVP info are in our calendar listing.

GONDOLA PROPOSAL @ 34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: Before tonight’s 7:15 pm online 34th District Democrats meeting, you’re invited to a 6:30 pm discussion of the gondola proposal. Our calendar listing has info on how to attend.

SKYLARK OPEN MIC: 7:30 pm signups @ West Seattle’s longest-running open mic – no cover to watch. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

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YOUTH SPORTS: Last call for Southwest Lacrosse signups

February 9, 2022 9:37 am

| Comments Off on YOUTH SPORTS: Last call for Southwest Lacrosse signups

| West Seattle news | WS & Sports

(WSB photo from 2018)

The youth-lacrosse season starts next week, so the Southwest Lacrosse Club has sent one last call for signups:

Are you looking for a fun and fast-paced team sport for your K-8th grader? Registration is currently open for the 2022 Seattle Metro Youth Lacrosse season. The season begins February 16th and runs through May 21st. Check out our website or contact us with any questions at swlctitans@gmail.com.

Founded in 2008, the Southwest Lacrosse Club (SWLC) is dedicated to the promotion, organization, and development of K-8 youth lacrosse from West Seattle to Federal Way. Our mission is to teach lacrosse fundamentals and good sportsmanship while emphasizing the importance of discipline, teamwork, and physical fitness. Players of all skill levels can develop their game, and we will prepare each athlete for the next level of play. No prior lacrosse experience is required, loaner equipment will be available for use. We offer full and partial scholarships based on need.

More info on the league, and the registration link, can be found here.

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TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Welcome to Wednesday

February 9, 2022 6:01 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:01 AM Good morning!

WEATHER

More clouds in today’s forecast, with the high again near 50.

BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES

Metro is on its regular weekday schedule. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of reroutes/cancellations.

West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxi routes are on regular schedules.

Ferries: WSF continues the two-boat schedule for Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth. Check here for alerts/updates.

BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES

687th morning without the West Seattle Bridge.

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.)