West Seattle, Washington
19 Friday
(WSB photos/video)
Two weeks after her husband was killed by a hit-run driver east of the West Seattle low bridge, Claudia Mason stood near the site tonight, holding his photo, speaking to more than 100 people gathered in his memory.
As shown in our video, most arrived by bicycle, the transportation mode <Robb Mason was using on July 15th to head home from his work as a massage therapist at a West Seattle clinic. Tonight’s monthly Critical Mass activism ride became a memorial, beneath the utility pole that holds a “ghost bike” tribute:
Riders gathered at Westlake Park downtown before heading southwest. At their destination, they were met – and applauded – by Mr. Mason’s widow, friends, and West Seattle bicyclists. Standing along busy Spokane Street, drowned out at times by the evening traffic, Claudia Mason – noting that she’s a rider too – spoke of the need for safety improvements:
Her husband was savvy and hyper-aware, she said, so “if it could happen to Robb, it could happen to anyone.” After she finished speaking, a voice called out, “We’re so sorry.” Bike bells were rung in support. Then riders placed flowers and candles beneath the pole holding the “ghost bike”:
One rider commented on how well-placed the “ghost bike” is, high on the pole; another agreed while lamenting, “I wish they weren’t needed.”
The driver who hit Robb Mason still hasn’t come forward or been found; police have still not said anything beyond that it was believed to have been a white or silver sedan. If you have any information, call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line, 206-233-5000. Meantime, friends have launched crowdfunding to support Claudia Mason, as we reported earlier this week; find that here.
Thanks for the tip. Notices like that one we photographed tonight are posted along SW Juneau in the 25th/26th vicinity, signaling the city’s intent to sweep the area encampment(s) as early as 9 am Monday morning (August 1st). This is the area where 56-year-old Anthony Gonzalez was shot dead in his tent last month. About a week after that, a city rep told us that the encampment would be removed, but wouldn’t say when. The newly posted notices describe the reason for the sweep as that “Materials in this area are an obstruction to the intended use of this property, are in a hazardous location, or present a hazard” and advise that anything left there will be put into storage, accessible for 70 days. Neighbors had circulated photos showing burned debris and what appeared to be fuel containers at the site, after a fire that followed the murder.
(Repaved section completed today, between Findlay and Juneau)
A full repaving of 35th Avenue SW has long been postponed – last major mention in our archives was five years and two SDOT directors ago, suggesting it wouldn’t happen any sooner than 2023. Not on the schedule through 2024 right now, but SDOT’s lately been repaving a block here and a block there. Most of it has been without wide advance announcement – aside from last weekend’s traffic alerts including the plan for repaving 35th between Holly and Morgan. After happening onto another stretch of work today between Juneau and Findlay, we asked SDOT for a list of what’s been done and what’s yet to come. Spokesperson Ethan Bergerson replied:
This is part of our Reconnect West Seattle work. We are working to repair rough spots in the pavement on roads like 35th Ave SW that saw a decrease in traffic when the West Seattle Bridge closed and will likely become more heavily used once the bridge reopens.
Over the last two weeks, we have paved several blocks on 35th Ave SW including:
SW Barton St to SW Trenton St (two blocks)
SW Kenyon St to SW Holden St
SW Myrtle St to SW Willow St
SW Holly St to SW Morgan St
SW Graham St to SW Raymond St
SW Juneau St to SW Findlay St (we are finishing work on this today).In the near future, we also plan to pave one more block of 35th Ave SW from SW Edmunds St to SW Alaska St.
Four West Seattle Crime Watch notes today:
ASSAULTED WHILE WALKING THE DOG: A 34-year-old man remains in jail today after being arrested for assault late last night. According to a preliminary police summary, two people were walking their dog around 11:30 pm in the 4500 block of 38th SW “when they were approached by a (man they didn’t know … who) was agitated and pushed the victim, pressing his finger against the victim’s nose and mouth without provocation; (he then) pointed a box cutter at victim and extended the blade, making threats.”
FIRE-SETTING ARREST: This happened just before 8 am Thursday, according to the police summary, which says SFD was at the High Point Walgreens when they flagged down a passing SPD officer about someone “trying to set propane tanks on fire at the Walgreens. … The suspect then went to the 6400 block of 34 Ave SW and began damaging large windows around the apartment building.” Police by then had called for backup and were able to arrest the 37-year-old man, who the summary notes “has significant criminal history” and remains in jail this afternoon, bail set at $10,000.
STORE BURGLARY: Thanks for the tip on this. The T-Mobile store at The Whittaker (4755 Fauntleroy Way SW) was broken into early Thursday. Police were dispatched around 5:30 am and found that someone had broken the door glass to get in. The alarm was going off, and it appeared that display phones and tablets had been taken after their tether cords were cut. SFD was called to board up the window. If you have any information, the police incident # is 2022-196223.
STOLEN RED ESCAPE: Reader report from Darcy:
My 2010 Ford Escape was stolen from Andover/California sometime between 9pm last night and 2pm today. I have a call-in to the police, waiting for an officer to come and take a report. The license plate number is CAP0573. (The license plate number in the picture is old/incorrect)
It has a Sasquatch/National Park sticker on the left rear window. Police incident # 2022-6309922.
AUGUST 1ST UPDATE: Darcy says her Escape was found, in Everett.
It was initially a “full response” that was dispatched minutes ago to the 3400 block of 40th SW, but arriving crews found “a smoldering deck fire” and the response has been downsized.
West Seattle Coworking is moving out of its longtime Morgan Junction location after tomorrow. But it’s not just going to one new location – the coworking business will have two new locations. On Monday, August 1st, WSC will open what proprietor Ross Bevilacqua calls a “pop-up location” at 4454 California SW, next to Doll Parts Collective. They expect to be there for about a year until the redevelopment project for that site gets started. But in the meantime, around Labor Day, they’ll also open a newly built 3,000-sf space in this almost-complete mixed-use building at 9036 35th SW.
WSC describes this space as:
Class A office (best in class with hard floors, high ceilings, 12 foot windows, LED lighting, AC, phone rooms. a large boardroom, a quiet room. reserved parking, and plenty of unmetered street parking. The building is brand-new construction; it will have covered/secured bike storage and walking distance to Westwood Village. Rooftop access with peek-a-boo views of the water and Mt Rainier views.
Why move? Ross explained to clients in email that if they stayed at 6040 California SW, “our rent would be almost 50% more expensive than before, so it was time for us to find a new home.”
Today we welcome West Seattle Junior Football and Cheer as a new WSB sponsor, advertising to ensure you know that registration is happening now and the season starts soon! Here’s what they would like you to know:
West Seattle Junior Football and Cheer kicks off its season August 8th, starting with practices at Hiawatha Playfield and 8 or 9 games, extending through October.
The program is open to all youth from ages 5 to 14. The youngest division (5-7) plays flag football, while the older divisions play tackle.
We slowly teach the game of football with some life skills along the way; many of our graduates continue to play at our local high schools and beyond.
We are a proud member of the Northwest Junior Football League (NJFL), which emphasizes sportsmanship and player safety, as evidenced by our pre- and post-game meetings of the teams at each and every game.
Here’s how to register. Please contact us with any questions. westseattleswildcats@gmail.com
We thank West Seattle Junior Football and Cheer 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.
Harbor Avenue is lined with no-parking signs on both sides south/east of SW Florida because of another returning-from-pandemic-hiatus tradition, the Seafair Torchlight Parade. No, the parade’s not happening here – it’s downtown as usual on Saturday night. But as we’ve reported in past years, some visiting floats get stored on Port of Seattle land on the south side of Terminal 5; the southbound side of the street is posted for no parking 2 am-10 am tomorrow for the floats’ rollout – which in some past years has happened as a convoy – and 7 pm-2 am on the northbound side for the post-parade return. (No West Seattle community float in the parade, since Hi-Yu disbanded five years ago.)
(Bunny at Lincoln Park, photographed by James Hiersche)
Mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, here’s what’s up for the hours ahead:
WADING POOLS OPEN: The pools that are scheduled for Friday operations in West Seattle are Delridge (4501 Delridge Way SW), noon-5:30 pm, and Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), noon-7 pm. Highland Park Spraypark at 1100 SW Cloverdale is open 11 am-8 pm, too.
COLMAN POOL: The outdoor pool at Lincoln Park is open to the public today, noon-7 pm.
LIBRARIES: Southwest and West Seattle branches are closed through Sunday. Delridge branch (5423 Delridge Way SW) is OPEN today until 6 pm, though it’s otherwise closed Fridays.
FOOD POP-UP: Chef Gino of TheHomeSkillit.com is continuing to raise money to be able to stock enough to vend at Seahawks games. Today he’s by the south entrance to Home Depot (24th/Webster) until 2 pm, “Today’s specials are rib plates for $20 and brisket sandwiches and brisket plates. I have a special on hot dogs today 2 for $15.”
FREE TASTING: From West Seattle Liquor and Wine (4714 42nd SW; WSB sponsor):
West Seattle Liquor and Wine is having a Summer Heat Tasting Friday 4-6 pm.
We will be pouring two Summer wines, Chompton pinot gris from Oregon and Pool Toy Rose from France,
We also have a new Aperitivo from Brovo and a Lemoncello from Vincenzi.
These are perfect for summer.
SANDLOT FUN DAYS: Tonight’s West Seattle Little League pickup game is for 9-12-year-olds interested in softball – details in our calendar listing. At Bar-S Playfield (64th/Admiral).
MUSIC AT WEST SEATTLE GROUNDS: 6-9 pm, Michael Pearsall performs live. (2141 California SW)
MEMORIAL RIDE: The monthly Critical Mass ride is in memory of Robb Mason, the rider killed two weeks ago by a hit-run driver east of the West Seattle low bridge. Riders are planning to leave Westlake Park downtown at 7 pm and gather for a memorial at the crash scene around 7:30 pm, all welcome to join.
SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: 7 pm at Camp Long (5200 35th SW), GreenStage presents “Henry V.” Free!
MUSIC AT C & P COFFEE: 7-9 pm, live music with acoustic trio The Brews Brothers at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).
‘HERE THERE BE DRAGONS’: 7:30 pm performance of ArtsWest‘s new play. (4711 California SW)
MUSIC AT THE SKYLARK: Doors at 7:30, music at 8, with Cherry Ferrari, The Sleepy Haunts, Aurora Ave. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
Have something to add to our calendar? Email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Last weekend, the West Seattle Outdoor Movies series re-launched at Camp Long. Starting this weekend, the series moves to Hotwire Coffee, but Camp Long has other events coming up – and a way to get involved beyond events. From Seattle Parks’ Matt Kostle:
Free Rock Climbing Nights:
We are opening our Rock Climbing program to the public a couple of times this summer for families to take advantage of. The dates are:
August 9
August 16Sign up for slots will start at 4:30 pm and climbing slots will run from 5 pm-6 pm and 6:30 pm-7:30 pm. Folks are welcome to sign up whenever they arrive, but we will be limited to 10 slots each hours on a first come/first served basis. Each participant can expect to climb 1 or 2 times depending on attendance. Youth under 18 will need to have a parent or guardian present to sign their waiver. This is family friendly and even youth as young as toddlers can climb!
Mountain Fest:
Seattle Parks and Recreation invite you and your family to celebrate Camp Long Mountain Fest from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday September 10th. Camp Long Mountain Fest, an annual celebration of Seattle’s climbing and outdoor recreation history and community, was first held in 2014, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the completion of Schurman Rock, constructed between 1938 and 1939 by the Work Progress Administration, and believed to be the first human constructed climbing structure in the country. There is much more than just climbing though. Visitors can challenge themselves on the high ropes course; try climbing Schurman Rock and rappelling on the Glacier Wall; try their hand at a Camp Long Scavenger Hunt and participate in many other activities and events. All events are free.
Advisory Council
We are also still looking for more Advisory Council members.
-Represent and engage the community
-Advocate on behalf of the community
-Advise on programs and activities that meet community needs
-Assist with fundraising and promotions
-Event planning and volunteer participationInquire at camp.long@seattle.gov or call 206-684-7434 for more information if you are interested and have questions.
The park is at 5200 35th SW (35th/Dawson, where there’s now a signal if you’re crossing from west of 35th).
ADDED 9:02 AM: Collision at 2nd/Olson.
Earlier:
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6:01 AM/UPDATED 8:45 AM: Good morning! It’s Friday, July 29th.
WEATHER
Sunny and hot again, with the “excessive heat warning” alert continuing through (updated) Sunday, and a high in the 90s expected (Thursday’s official high was 94, up from Wednesday’s 91).
FERRIES, BUSES, WATER TAXI
Ferries: WSF is back to the two-boat schedule for Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth after Thursday’s crash. down to one boat this morning because of mechanical trouble with M/V Kitsap. Check here for alerts/updates.
Metro buses are on their regular weekday schedules; watch @kcmetroalerts for word of reroutes/trip cancellations.
The West Seattle Water Taxi is on its regular schedule.
WEEKEND ROAD-WORK ALERTS
Here’s what SDOT is announcing:
Starting at 5 PM Saturday, July 30, we’ll close the on-ramp from eastbound SW Spokane St to the Spokane St Viaduct, along with eastbound lanes of the Spokane St Viaduct. A signed detour will be in place along S Spokane St. All lanes will reopen by 5 AM, Monday, August 1. The closure is needed to install signage, striping, and new bridge expansion joints, which allow the bridge to expand and contract during winter and summer months.
On Saturday, asphalt crews will be working in the vicinity of 37th Ave SW and Fauntleroy SW. We anticipate work to begin as early as 6 AM and conclude by 4 PM. There will be minimal traffic impacts; however, you may experience delays in the area.
On Saturday and Sunday, we will be working at 16th Ave SW and SW Cambridge St to update curb bulbs and curb ramps. Traffic will be maintained throughout the work zone however please anticipate delays.
On Sunday, crews will be installing wheel stops on 6th Ave S from Michigan St to Lucile St. We anticipate minimal impact to traffic as the work will mainly be conducted from the shoulder and parking lanes.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
859th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. 44 days until the week SDOT hopes to reopen it.
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 – camera malfunctioning
Highland Park Way/2nd SW (one of four recently installed cameras):
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
Are movable city bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed; 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings are tweeted by @wsdot_traffic.
All city traffic cams can be seen here, many with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are also on this WSB page
Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Please text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
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