West Seattle, Washington
15 Friday
4:29 PM: Ever since that fog burned off, the day has been busily fulfilling the promise of above-normal temperatures – 64 degrees at the top of the hour, in hazy sunshine. (Not a record, though – that’s on the books as 71.) But don’t miss the chance to get out and enjoy it tonight while it lasts – tomorrow’s high is due to drop back into the 50s.
6:07 PM: Photo just in says it all – a sea lion basking off Alki Point:
Thanks to Reiner Peery for the photo!
2:29 PM: It’s been six weeks since Mayor Bruce Harrell and County Executive Dow Constantine stood in front of media in White Center and warned that the concrete drivers’ strike was starting to seriously hinder major public projects. Despite Teamsters Local 174 offering to send some drivers back to work at some companies, that apparently hasn’t happened yet. Today Constantine went to the King County Council, in collaboration with other entities including the city, and put forth a new idea: He wants them to approve what a news release describes as “legislation that would study the feasibility of King County and other local entities developing their own concrete manufacturing facilities to ensure the future of critical infrastructure construction in our region.” The study wouldn’t be due until December 1st, so, the county acknowledges, it’s not going to help the current situation. Meantime, we’re checking on the status of the nearer-term idea Constantine announced at that White Center event back in February, seeking alternate suppliers. We’re also checking with SDOT for any update on concrete supplies for the West Seattle Bridge, which has been closed exactly two years ago as of tomorrow.
3:18 PM: KCE spokesperson Chase Gallagher says the Request for Qualifications for alternate concrete suppliers closed March 11th, “no bids received.”
A demolition crew is working right now at 6016 California SW [map] on the north end of Morgan Junction, starting with the house on the alley side of the lot, before moving on to tear down the small mixed-use building in front. The site is to be redeveloped with seven townhouses; the three fronting California will be live-work units. According to city permit files, the project will not include offstreet parking. This is a downsized plan for the site, which had a plan for 30+ microapartments five years ago; that was scrapped two years later.
(Golden-crowned Kinglet in Lincoln Park, photographed by Trileigh Tucker)
Before we get much further into the day, a few notes from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and inbox:
DOUGHNUT DEADLINE: Last day to order Krispy Kreme doughnuts to pick up at Madison MS on Friday, benefiting the PTSA.
BOOK BENEFIT: As noted here, this is the first day you can make a purchase at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW) and help Louisa Boren STEM K-8 by mentioning the school when you check out.
CITY COUNCIL: Their weekly meeting is at 2 pm, online. The agenda explains how to comment; Seattle Channel is where to watch.
DEMONSTRATION FOR RACIAL JUSTICE: 4:30-6 pm at 16th/Holden, Scott leads the weekly demonstration for racial justice. Signs available if you don’t have your own.
NORTH HIGHLINE TOWN HALL: Live in White Center or other points just south of West Seattle? 6-8:30 pm, online, your local government – King County – presents the annual town hall to share information and answer questions about its programs and services. Our calendar listing has attendance info.
FAMILY GAME NIGHT: Meeples Games (3727 California SW) welcomes families 6-8 pm to this weekly hosted game-playing night.
SKYLINK PRESENTATION: Advocates of a gondola as an alternative to Sound Transit light rail in West Seattle have an online presentation tonight, 7 pm. Our calendar listing has info on how to attend.
TRIVIA X 2: Two of the venues where you can play tonight – 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), 7:30 and 8:30 pm at The Lodge (4209 SW Alaska).
BELLE OF THE BALLS BINGO: Play bingo with Cookie Couture at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), 8 pm. Free, all ages!
There’s more on our calendar – and if you have something to add for the future, email us the info at westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
10:10 AM: Two categories of stolen vehicles that we are hearing more about lately are work trucks and classic vans. In the latter, April sent the photos and report this morning:
Our friend Thomas parked his van outside our home in Highland Park last night, 3/21, to carpool to work, and it was stolen.
It’s a 1984 Wofsburg edition Vanagon with lots of character (stickers on the windows, etc.) and her name is Elsa.
1:58 PM: Thanks to the readers who spotted it (see comments below)! April confirms Thomas has it back.
Here are our ways your dollars can go further by helping local schools:
BOOK FAIR FOR BOREN STEM K-8: Today through Sunday, shop at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW) and mention Louisa Boren STEM K-8 at checkout – part of the proceeds will benefit the school. Organizers note, “Paper Boat has a great selection to choose from in stock, and any special orders you make for out-of-stock items can also benefit the school if they are pre-paid during this week.” Store hours are 10 am-6 pm Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 am-5 pm Sunday.
FLOWERS & MORE FOR ROXHILL ELEMENTARY: This one’s for gardeners:
Friends of Roxhill Elementary says, “We are partnering again with Flower Power Fundraising to sell flower bulbs, kitchen garden herbs, sprouts, seeds and more to bring some joy to your home garden or window sill this spring.” Go here to shop. You can support a specific Roxhill student by writing their name in “Give Credit for This Sale to” at checkout. Friends of Roxhill Elementary gets 50% of the profits from every order; deadline is May 15th. Questions? friendsofroxhill@gmail.com
MISSION CANTINA DINE-OUT FOR MADISON MS: This Wednesday (March 23rd), dine in at, get take-out from, or buy a gift card for Mission Cantina (2325 California SW) and part of the proceeds will benefit Madison Middle School – details and links here. Mission Cantina will be open 4 pm-10 pm that day.
MARINATION MA KAI DINE-OUT FOR ALKI CO-OP PRESCHOOL: Here are the details on this benefit:
The wonderful folks at Marination ma kai are hosting a Dine Out to support Alki Co-Op Preschool on Tuesday, March 29th! Come say aloha and enjoy some delicious tacos or kimchi fried rice for lunch and/or dinner (11 am – 8 pm) and Marination will donate a percentage of the day’s total sales to the school. There are food options for the kiddos too. Gift cards and take-away orders also count, but let’s hope for some sun to enjoy a cocktail on the big outdoor patio. Marination ma kai is located at 1660 Harbor Avenue SW.
Got a school or nonprofit fundraiser to share with the community? Let us know – thanks!
6:01 AM: Good morning! Welcome to Tuesday, March 22nd.
WEATHER
Cloudy, maybe some drizzle, high near 60.
ROAD WORK:
The 35th/Findlay sewer work is expected to continue.
BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES TODAY
Metro is on its regular weekday schedule – but, one more reminder, the twice-yearly service change took effect Saturday. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of reroutes/cancellations.
Water Taxi‘s on its regular schedule.
Ferries: WSF continues the two-boat schedule for Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth. Check here for alerts/updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
728th 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.)
1st Avenue South Bridge:
South Park Bridge:
West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:
Highland Park Way/Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
Are movable bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed; 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings are also tweeted by @wsdot_traffic.
All city traffic cams can be seen here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are also on this WSB page
Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
Cheryl hopes you can help find her stolen pickup truck:
Our white 2004 Ford Super Duty pickup truck with a rack on it was stolen from in front of our house today between 4 PM and 4:30 PM. We filed a police report. We are on 4th Ave. SW. close to the dead end below Westcrest Park, in the 9000 block. We just got it back last week after it was in the shop because the catalytic converter was stolen a couple of months ago. The license plate number is C66307J.
The pickup looks like the one in this stock photo.
7:51 PM MONDAY: A year and a half after installing a public electric-vehicle charging station in The Junction, Seattle City Light is proposing another one in West Seattle – this time, at a former substation site in Morgan Junction.
That’s an outline of the proposal, from the city webpage set up for the project. The site is at 4118 SW Morgan, kittycorner from the east side of West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor). As shown, it could hold up to eight charging stations, which SCL says would be accessed from the north side of the site, off Fauntleroy Way SW. The description adds:
Anyone with an electric vehicle will be able to use the charging station. Drivers will need to pay a fee to charge. The fee is designed to pay for the electricity and the cost of building the station.
Construction could begin as soon as the 4th quarter of 2022. The project will take approximately three months to complete.
This is considered a good location for an EV charging station because it is close to neighborhood retail, services, and major arterial roads. There are currently no public EV fast chargers in the Morgan Junction neighborhood.
The substation was decommissioned 20 years ago and the city says the site is planned for cleanup first, with its existing trees to be removed and replaced. For the next month – until April 22nd – the city is running a survey to see what the community thinks about the plan – you can answer it here.
3:57 PM TUESDAY: We asked SCL spokesperson Jenn Strang about the project’s cost. She responded that “at this juncture it would be premature for us to assign a number to costs. There are many variables yet to be determined before we could form a concrete estimate.”
Two notes in West Seattle Crime Watch today:
ATTACKER FOUND GUILTY: Thanks to those who let us know that a case on which we reported in 2020 has gone to trial. Almost two years ago, Abdikadir A. Khalif, then 27, was arrested for sexually assaulting, beating, and robbing a 49-year-old woman in her car in High Point. He was charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, and attempted indecent liberties. He chose to go to trial in the case, and at the end of last week, a jury found him guilty on all charges, after deliberating for less than a day and a half. As we reported in 2020, Khalif’s criminal history went back 13 yeqrs, with more than 20 convictions. He’s been in jail since days after the attack, arrested after he was identified through security video recorded when he used one of the victim’s cards at a local store. King County Superior Court Judge Janet Helson, who presided over the trial, is scheduled to sentence Khalif on April 29th.
WEEKEND GUNFIRE: SPD summaries from the weekend include one local incident:
On (Saturday at 2:09 am), officers responded to the 2200 block of Alki Ave. SW to a report of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers spoke to the complainants, who reported that they were on foot in the area when a dark blue sedan drove by. As the car passed, unknown passenger fired 2 shots into the air. The car drove off and was not located.
3:55 PM: From Metro: “The West Seattle Water Taxi is delayed this evening while crews swap vessels due to a mechanical issue aboard the MV Sally Fox. We hope to resume normal service shortly. Apologies for the inconvenience.”
4:28 PM: Metro’s Al Sanders says the crews are still working this out and he has no update yet on which vessel is taking over which route.
5:18 PM: The Spirit of Kingston is taking over the West Seattle run for the rest of the day and will resume service at 5:25 from Pier 50 downtown.
Just back from checking out a sizable police response outside the Bank of America in Admiral. The situation was already wrapping up when we arrived. Police on scene told us it was a “person in crisis” situation – and the person in question was being taken to Harborview Medical Center via private (AMR) ambulance.
We got a few questions Friday night about a power outage on Avalon Way, but the Seattle City Light map had conflicting information about its start time, extent, and cause – so we didn’t have enough information to report it at the time. We did follow up today with SCL spokesperson Jenn Strang, who explained:
The cause of Friday’s outage was an underground transformer failure. The outage began with a smaller group of customers earlier in the day. When crews arrived to assess the situation, they determined that they would need to de-energize the vault in order to safely access equipment. This caused the outage to grow to 94 customers. The transformer was replaced and power was restored around 10 pm.
The outage was centered in the 3200 block of Avalon.
That’s one of the new signs SDOT has put up as part of a new safety campaign to remind drivers that they need to stop for people crossing the street. As explained here:
… (W)e began unveiling “driver report cards” signs at certain crosswalks to show the percentage of drivers who stop for people waiting to walk or roll across the street. This is the start of a larger $350,000 public-education campaign focused on the benefits of following the speed limit and making sure drivers understand that all intersections are crosswalks – and that state law requires them to stop for pedestrians and people in wheelchairs or other mobility assistive devices who are attempting to cross the street.
Per Washington State law, practically all intersections are legal pedestrian crossings, whether or not there is a painted crosswalk, unless a sign officially says that people are not allowed to cross the street in a certain location. That means drivers are legally required to stop for people crossing the street at nearly every intersection in Seattle and throughout the state.
Two of the first signs, including the one in the top photo, are in High Point, at 34th Ave SW and SW Morgan St (where there’s a painted crosswalk) and at Sylvan Way SW and SW Sylvan Heights Dr (an unpainted crossing). While the former has the 46 percent stop rate – as observed by a high-school-student volunteer, SDOT says – the latter has a 0% rate (out of 25 passing drivers). SDOT plans to use signs like these at 13 intersections around the city, for starters.
ADDED 4:40 PM: We asked SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson for a little more detail on how these signs will be updated: “The data will be collected and updated weekly for a total of six weeks. Typically we would collect data on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and then an SDOT crew member will update the signs on Fridays. The high school students assisting with this have an internship with Delridge Neighborhood Development Association and will receive a stipend for their time. In addition to helping to collect data, they helped us to choose the locations and were involved with other aspects of the exercise in order to make it an enriching experience for them.”
(Look closely for another sign of spring – robins! Photo by John Skerratt)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
PERSONAL SAFETY CLASS: The next free online class is at 11 am today – if you don’t see this reminder in time, our calendar listing has other upcoming dates, as well as registration information.
CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING MEETING: 2 pm online, councilmembers preview the week ahead and recap recent highlights. No public-comment period, but the agenda explains how to watch/listen.
SPORTS: High-school soccer and baseball home games today: 4 pm at Walt Hundley Playfield (34th/Myrtle), West Seattle HS soccer hosts Lakeside; at 4:30 pm, Chief Sealth IHS soccer hosts Cleveland, and at 7 pm, CSIHS baseball hosts Bainbridge, both at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle).
LINE DANCING: 6:15 pm class at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW) – drop-ins welcome. Details are in our calendar listing.
OPEN D&D: Drop in to play 6:30 pm-10 pm Mondays at Meeples Games (3727 California SW).
TRIVIA X 3: Three scheduled options tonight for trivia players – 7 pm at Best of Hands (35th/Webster), 7 pm at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7:30 pm at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)
Something coming up that should be on our calendar and in our daily previews? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Looking for a preschool for your little one(s) this fall? A Child Becomes Preschool (WSB sponsor) in North Admiral has announced it’s still accepting new students for fall:
A Child Becomes Preschool still has openings for preschool this fall!
About Our School
Founded in 1989, A Child Becomes Preschool offers three part-time educational programs for students ages 2 ½-5 years old. Each program is age appropriate and supports the developmental needs of the students. Our self-developed curriculum is rooted in building strong emotional intelligence and social and emotional skills.Caterpillar – ages 2 ½-3. Two day a week program.
Butterfly – ages 3-4. Choice of 3 or 4 day a week program.
Sunbeam – ages 4-5. Choice of 4 or 5 day a week program.
You can see activity highlights by going here; application information is here.
6:02 AM: Good morning! Welcome to Monday, March 21st.
WEATHER
Rainy, high near 50.
ROAD WORK:
The 35th/Findlay sewer work is expected to continue.
BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES TODAY
Metro is on its regular weekday schedule – but remember, the twice-yearly service change took effect Saturday. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of reroutes/cancellations. (NOTE: Saturday is Metro’s next “service change”; here’s our story with West Seattle changes, plus there’s an addition since then.)
Water Taxi‘s on its regular schedule.
Ferries: WSF continues the two-boat schedule for Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth. Check here for alerts/updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
727th 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.)
1st Avenue South Bridge:
South Park Bridge:
West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:
Highland Park Way/Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
Are movable bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed; 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings are also tweeted by @wsdot_traffic.
All city traffic cams can be seen here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are also on this WSB page
Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
Being an astronomer in Seattle means to be ever-hopeful of a break in the clouds, as Alice Enevoldsen observed during her quarterly change-of-seasons sunset watch.
She and a handful of hardy skywatchers gathered at Solstice Park, where, if the setting sun had been in view, it would have lined up with this granite marker:
Despite its absence, Alice proceeded with her traditional interactive demonstration of where the Earth and Sun are at during the equinoxes and solstices.
She’s been doing this quarterly for a dozen years, as part of her volunteer role as a NASA Solar System Ambassador, and in the spirit of her career as an educator. It’s always on the first sunset after the equinox/solstice moment, so tonight’s schedule was determined by spring’s arrival at 8:33 this morning. Along with showing participants the solar-system basics, she’s there for Q&A, and in the pre-pandemic days led other out-of-this-world events from eclipse viewing to impromptu aurora-seeking. She’s online at alicesastroinfo.com and @alicesastroinfo on Twitter.
Southwest Teen Life Center, adjacent to Southwest Pool at 2801 SW Thistle, wants everyone to know it’s open again for activities. “We are just now getting everything back up and running,” says Trina at SWTLC. She tells WSB that right now it’s open 1:30-8 pm Tuesdays through Thursdays, 3 pm-midnight Fridays, 6-10 pm Saturdays, and that’ll expand to 6 pm-midnight Saturdays starting in April. And speaking of April – they’re planning something big for spring-break week:
SWTLC is a Seattle Parks and Recreation facility.
After the first full week of semi-masklessness, here’s our weekly update of key local numbers, from the Public Health – Seattle/King County dashboard.
*25 percent fewer cases countywide in the past week than the week before
*Currently averaging 170 new daily cases countywide (down from 226 when we checked a week ago)
*53 percent fewer hospitalizations countywide in the past week than the week before
*Currently averaging 3 new hospitalizations daily (down from 6 a week ago)
*48 percent fewer deaths countywide in the past two weeks than the two weeks before (the dashboard doesn’t offer a one-week increment)
*Currently averaging 3 deaths daily (down from 4 a week ago)
For West Seattle, we have two-week comparisons (these are the combined totals from two “health reporting areas,” labeled West Seattle and Delridge):
*153 cases between 2/28 and 3/14, down from 254 between 2/13 and 2/27
*1 hospitalization between 2/28 and 3/14, down from 6 between 2/13 and 2/27
*No deaths between 2/28 and 3/14, down from 1 between 2/13 and 2/27
And checking vaccination rates:
*80.2 percent of all King County residents have completed the series (up .1% from a week ago)
*84.9 percent of all King County residents ages 5 and up have completed the series (up .1% from a week ago)
*In West Seattle, here are the zip-code vaccination rates for ages 5 and up (note that 98106 and 98146 are not entirely within WS):
98106 – 87.2% (up .2% from a week earlier)
98116 – 92% (unchanged from a week earlier)
98126 – 82.8% (unchanged from a week earlier)
98136 – 93.1% (up .1% from a week earlier)
98146 – 82% (up .3% from a week earlier)
Although the city’s West Seattle clinic is closed, you can still find vaccination locations via this statewide lookup. Public testing sites include the city-supported site at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle, Mondays-Saturdays), the Curative kiosk at Don Armeni Boat Ramp (1220 Harbor SW, Mondays-Fridays), and the Curative van at Summit Atlas (35th/Roxbury, Mondays-Fridays).
The coterie of artists and poets who have been creating signboard art installations along SW Holden by Highland Park Improvement Club [map] have done it again. They welcomed spring this morning by placing newly painted boards voicing hope – with the flip sides spelling HPIC via bird portraits:
The bird portraits were inspired by David Allen Sibley‘s book “What It’s Like to Be a Bird.” The creators are, from left below, Monica Cavagnaro (lead painter), Judith Camann (poet), Kay Kirkpatrick (themes), and Kelly Lyles (fonts):
Kirkpatrick says, “We just want people to have a good time while sitting in traffic.” The “hope” expressed by the boards this time has multiple meanings – including hope that the West Seattle Bridge will indeed reopen this year, removing some of the detour traffic that’s filled Holden, and hope of a rebirth for the fire-gutted HPIC building. (Next meeting about the rebuilding project is April 6th – watch HPIC’s website for details on that, as well as for word of a community cleanup on the citywide Day of Service April 23rd.)
P.S. It’s been more than a year and a half since the first HPIC streetside-art boards!
Pat sent the report:
An Amazon truck and a police car showed up this morning at 51st and Pritchard to recover a stolen delivery van. The stolen van was found empty. Late Saturday afternoon two white delivery vans drove into the residential neighborhood just northwest of Admiral. Delivery boxes were transferred from one to the other. One van was abandoned; the second van left with the stolen packages and the two drivers. The recovery driver said the Amazon delivery van was stolen from Alki when the driver was making a delivery.
We don’t have an incident number for the original theft but the recovery is logged as 22-0069340. We reported last week on another delivery-vehicle theft, with that one resulting in an arrest and felony charge; the suspect in that case remains in jail.
Congratulations to West Seattle High School baseball player Miles Gosztola, honored by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association as one of its statewide Athletes of the Week. In announcing the honor, WSHS Athletics noted, “Miles earned a WSHS ‘W’ last Saturday in a 3-1 victory at Meadowdale HS. Miles pitched 5 innings, striking out 8 and allowing 0 runs.” That win was the start to an undefeated first week of the season for the Wildcats.
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