West Seattle, Washington
29 Monday
(SDOT camera image, eastbound Spokane St. Viaduct lanes at left)
You might recall that SDOT has closed the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct -that’s the continuation of the West Seattle Bridge east of Highway 99 – a few times this year for pothole repair. Before the first closure, we reported on SDOT’s big-picture plans, pursuing grant funding for more-extensive repair. Today, the city announced that grant has been secured – one of three city bridges to each get at least $4.5 million “from the Federal Highway Administration Bridge Improvement Program, which is funded in part by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and then passed to WSDOT‘s Local Bridge Program,” and on down to the city from there. The announcement said only that the Spokane Street Viaduct’s $5 million grant would be used for “repairs to the existing deck,” so we asked SDOT for a few more details about what would be done and when. Spokesperson Mariam Ali‘s reply:
The federal funding is to support the replacement of the overlay for the south half of the bridge that carries the eastbound lanes of traffic. The existing concrete deck overlay exhibits significant signs of “alligator skin” cracking and damage. The project will replace the existing overlay and fix any concrete deck distress. We are currently in the design phase for this project and have not yet determined the construction timeline, which would likely occur in the next few years.
The eastbound (south) side of the SSV is its older section – the westbound (north) side includes what was built a decade ago. The other two city bridges getting federal grants announced today are the Jose Rizal Bridge to Beacon Hill ($5 million for paint) and the 15th/Leary bridge in Ballard ($4.5 million for earthquake safety).
(Sunday photo sent by Eddie, “ghost bike” memorial at collision site)
6:32 PM: Still no word of an arrest in Friday night’s hit-run death of a man riding a bicycle, but we now know more about the victim: The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified him today as 63-year-old Robert Mason. A reader tells us they were notified today of Mr. Mason’s death because he was their massage therapist, who commuted to West Seattle by bicycle from another area of the city. The texter said, “He was kind and funny with a great ‘bedside’ manner. Kept doing the work after he could have retired because he helped so many people.” So far, police have not made any additional information public beyond what was released the night of the crash, that he was hit by the “driver of a white or silver sedan” that had been going eastbound on SW Spokane Street east of the low bridge, and fled that way. If you have any information, the SPD tip line is 206-233-5000.
Meantime, another reader reported seeing an SDOT crew at/near the site early this morning. So far SDOT’s media office has been unable to tell us what that crew was doing or whether it was related to the crash, but spokesperson Ethan Bergerson notes, “It is our standard practice to send a traffic engineer out to the site of every fatal crash to investigate the site from an engineering perspective and determine if there are any short or long-term safety improvements that can be made. My understanding is that this evaluation will be occurring at this location soon.”
10:09 PM: Two notes – first, we’ve just heard from someone via email and Twitter saying Seattle Critical Mass will ride to the scene on Friday, July 29th, at 7 pm, for a memorial. Second, city traffic engineer Venu Nemani is among the guests for Wednesday night’s online Morgan Community Association meeting; he’s scheduled to talk about the California/Findlay improvements announced after the collision that killed a pedestrian there, but may also be asked about the Spokane Street collision.
Police were just dispatched to the Jefferson Square Safeway to investigate what’s described as a shoplift-turned-robbery. Dispatch told officers the shoplifter took about $90 in merchandise and, when confronted, pulled a gun – that’s what turned it into an armed robbery. Initial description is a Hispanic man in his 20s, wearing a gray T-shirt with a Seahawks logo, tattooed arms, who left in a dark-blue Subaru hatchback, last seen eastbound on SW Edmunds. No injuries reported.
(Friday night photo by Kersti Muul)
As discussed in comments following coverage of last Friday’s hit-run that killed a bicyclist, another West Seattle hit-run at almost the same time Friday night sent a pedestrian to the hospital – a woman pregnant with twins. Today we heard from the victim’s brother-in-law, Matt, who was there when it happened at 34th/Myrtle:
On Friday evening, between 7:15 and 7:30, myself, my wife, our baby, and my sister-in-law were going for a walk. My sister-in-law is 30 weeks pregnant with twins. We were walking up 34th Ave by Hundley park and were crossing the intersection of 34th and Myrtle street, where there is a roundabout. While we were in the crosswalk, we heard a car come speeding up 34th. The car cut the roundabout and made an illegal left. The car was going at least 50 mph or more would be my guess. My sister in law was just behind us as we were walking. My wife ran forward with our baby to avoid being hit, but the car ended up hitting my sister in law and she flipped over the hood and landed on the ground. Some of the passengers got out but then jumped back in and the car sped off. The ended up stealing her phone that had fallen on the ground. Emergency services quickly got there and took my sister-in-law to the hospital. She has sustained injuries. The twin babies seem to be okay for now.
It was a black car, smaller sedan … The windows were tinted extremely dark, so you could not see inside at all. The men that got out were all Black, late teens or early 20s. The license plate of the car is CDM3—. The police were given all the details, but I’m still waiting for a detective to be assigned to the case. The incident number is 2022-183326.
Matt says his sister-in-law is still in the hospital, transferred to OB care after initial trauma care at Harborview.
SDOT says the West Seattle Bridge remains on track to reopen the week of September 12th, as announced almost six weeks ago. If you’re on the SDOT mailing list for the bridge and/or City Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s newsletter list, you’ve probably seen the Friday updates on what’s been happening with bridge work. The last paragraph of last Friday’s SDOT update caught our attention:
… As we move through these final phases of repairs, we continuously inspect the bridge and check our work. Earlier this month during a routine crack inspection, we discovered a spall area that was about 2 by 9 feet. Spalling is when a part of the concrete surface naturally weathers, chips or breaks away. After looking into the spall, it’s clear that it is not related to the issues that are currently being repaired and it does not indicate any structural or systemic issues. We will be able to repair this spall with no impact to the bridge reopening schedule.
We asked for more information about that and photos if available. Here’s what we received:
(The spall) is the area on the exterior surface of the bridge that looks like flaking or separating concrete. To fix it, we will remove the unsound concrete, and then place forms and fill the void with grout. Once the grout has cured we will apply carbon-fiber wrapping, similar to other locations on the bridge.
As for what’s happening with the overall repairs, SDOT says crews have “finished installing the nearly 250,000 feet of steel cable needed for the new post-tensioning system inside the bridge (and) started the process of tightening the post-tensioning system by pulling on the cables with hydraulic equipment.” An additional note about current work comes from Councilmember Herbold’s Friday update, and it relates to this photo we recently received from a reader:
Herbold’s update explains:
The first two of six deck overlay pours are scheduled this week for the Fauntleroy Expressway leading up to the bridge. The first 10 of the 60 concrete panels being replaced are being poured this week as well.
The Fauntleroy Expressway is the southwest end of the bridge – and technically a separate structure.
Despite its name, the Senior Center of West Seattle is about far more than serving seniors. It’s also a public gathering and event space, a community service provider, and it has ground-floor business space, too. Now the center is at the crossroads of envisioning its future, and would like your thoughts on both what it’s doing now and what it should do in the future, via a strategic-planning process. Explains center executive director Amy Lee Derenthal, “Our board and staff are thinking big and long-term as we imagine the future of our organization and the community as a whole.” We previewed the survey, and it has open-ended questions, not just checkboxes; when you have a few moments, consider participating – the survey starts here.
(Lincoln Park photo by Susan Romanenghi)
Here’s what’s happening for the rest of your West Seattle Tuesday:
WADING POOLS & SPRAYPARK OPEN: Sunny, warm day means the city will open wading pools. That means EC Hughes (2805 SW Holden) and Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW); both will be open noon-7 pm. Also, Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale) is open 11 am-8 pm.
COLMAN POOL: The outdoor pool at Lincoln Park will be open to the public today as its 7-days-a-week schedule continues, noon-7 pm.
CITY COUNCIL MEETING: Hybrid meeting (online and in-person at City Hall) at 2 pm; here’s the agenda. Watch live here.
DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Longstanding weekly 4:30-6 pm sign-waving demonstration at 16th/Holden. Signs available if you don’t have your own.
PLAY-ALONG IN THE PARK: The West Seattle Community Orchestras welcome musicians of all skill levels to play with them at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) tonight, 6-8 pm – details in our calendar listing.
SCRABBLE NIGHT: 6-10 pm, you are invited to come play Scrabble at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW).
FAMILY GAME NIGHT: Meeples Games (3727 California SW) welcomes families 6-8 pm to this weekly hosted game-playing night.
BIG BAND CONCERT IN THE PARK: Free concert at High Point Commons Park (3201 SW Graham, the park that’s north of Neighborhood House), 7 pm, with the West Seattle Big Band. Bring your own chairs/blankets and enjoy the music!
TRIVIA X 3: Three of the venues where you can play tonight – 7 pm at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW), 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!
See more on our calendar – and if you have something to add for the future, please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
A first-time feature at last weekend’s West Seattle Summer Fest was The Whale Trail‘s scavenger hunt and presentations to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the rescue of Springer the orca. We asked Whale Trail executive director Donna Sandstrom how the weekend of “orca sightings in The Junction” went:
Celebrate Springer at Summer Fest was a big success! Kids loved looking for the orcas, and merchants loved hosting them. The West Seattle Junction Association handed out more than 500 maps. Kids had to work hard to find some of the orcas!
About 70 people attended the Springer presentations, where the prizes were handed out. Everyone who participated got a Springer card and a marine mammal sighting chart, that will help them spot whales in the wild. Six grand-prize winners also received a copy of Orca Rescue! and an orca plushie.
Big thanks to the West Seattle Junction Association, the Senior Center of West Seattle, Husky Deli, participating merchants, and especially our volunteers, who made it all possible.
She says this was a first for The Whale Trail and they’d like to try it again, “maybe when we Welcome the Orcas in the Fall. In the meantime we are heading up to British Columbia this weekend to celebrate Springer with her team. We are hoping the guest of honor makes an appearance too!” She adds that you can “watch northern resident orcas – sometimes including Springer and her calves – at explore.org/orcalab. You can eavesdrop as they swim through Blackfish Sound, or watch as they visit the rubbing beaches in Johnstone Strait. The A54 pod is at the rubbing beaches now!” She was joined at the Summer Fest presentations by “members of Springer’s team, including Mark Sears, the local researcher who first spotted her; Joe Olson, who took the first hydrophone recordings of her calls; Dr. Dave Bain, who recognized the calls that helped identify her; and Lynne Barre, NOAA’s Branch Chief, who came to the northwest originally to help with Springer and now leads recovery efforts for the endangered southern residents. The audience was especially excited to see one of Springer’s sticks! Mark brought one of the small logs that was used to bring her close to the boat for early monitoring and assessments.”
Last weekend, we mentioned the West Seattle Baseball 10U Red All-Stars were headed to the Battle of the Bats Tournament in Tacoma, 16 teams from around the state. They returned home as champions! Here’s the update:
The West Seattle Baseball 10U Red All-Stars went 5-0 over the weekend and brought home the championship. They had a cumulative score of 58 to 8 over those 5 games.
Back row L to R: Coaches Josh Menashe, Edgar Rodriguez, Michael Ninburg, Danny Sizemore
Middle row L to R: Players Mac Waskowitz, Bryant Rodriguez, Theo Ninburg, Beckham Sizemore, Cooper Beman, Liam McAuliffe, Isaiah Williams, Joseph Menashe, Sam Weymueller
Front Row kneeling: L to R: Malcolm Lindsey, Oliver Busey
P.S. Watch for West Seattle Baseball in the WS Grand Parade, 11 am Saturday (July 23rd) from California/Lander southbound to California/Edmunds.
9:25 AM: SFD and SPD are headed to what’s reported as a two-car crash blocking traffic on Highland Park Way hill near Othello.
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Earlier:
6:03 AM: Good morning; welcome to Tuesday, July 19th.
WEATHER
The forecast has sunshine all day, and temperatures could get into the 80s. (Monday’s high was 74, only four degrees below normal.)
BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES
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.
Ferries: WSF continues on the two-boat schedule for Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth – and WSF says that probably won’t change before next spring. Check here for alerts/updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
849th 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 (one of four recently installed cameras):
Highland Park Way/Holden:
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; 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.
The West Seattle Grand Parade is back this Saturday and so is a tradition that accompanies it – choosing someone to honor with the Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Service to the Community.
(WSB photo from March)
This year, the trophy goes to Deb Barker, whose current community-service roles include president of the Morgan Community Association, board member of the West Seattle Transportation Coalition, and member of the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force – but that’s only the latest in a long, long list spanning more than 30 years. Here’s a biography of Deb Barker, provided by parade organizers:
Barker is perhaps best known locally in three roles — as president of the Morgan Community Association (MoCA) since 2009, as one of a three-member LLC to save the iconic Stone Cottage on Harbor Avenue and as an active voice on the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force since its inception in 2020.
However, Barker’s West Seattle involvement extends back more than three decades, starting in 1989, when she was one of three steering committee members of the Save the Admiral Theater Task Force of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which led the successful drive to secure city landmark status for the peninsula’s only movie house. She also served on the historical society’s board from 1989 to 1992, helping coordinate the organization’s initial “Homes with History” tours.
Barker’s preservation focus resurfaced in West Seattle when she was part of the multi-organizational steering committee for the 4Culture-funded study, “What Makes the West Seattle Junction Special?” This became the foundation of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s successful 2016-2017 campaign to landmark the business district’s cornerstone Campbell and Hamm buildings.
Her West Seattle activism has extended beyond heritage preservation. She served on the Southwest Design Review Board from 2004 to 2009, as the board steered architects toward human-scale elements for such projects as The Spruce complex, Admiral Safeway rebuild and the California at Charlestown mixed use buildings.
Transportation planning became another local emphasis for Barker when in 2013 she became a founding member of the West Seattle Transportation Coalition, which became a unified peninsula voice for equitable transportation and mobility issues.
Starting in 2018, Barker went further, joining Sound Transit advisory boards to help educate the community about light rail proposals while educating Sound Transit about West Seattle.
As part of such service, she has participated in countless online meetings to provide public comments on the routing of a light-rail extension in West Seattle. When the proposed ST3 “preferred above ground alignment” was to end in the Junction, she created a scale model of the plan and became an advocate of a tunnel alternative.
Also in 2018, Barker also helped organize the peninsula’s District 1 Community Network. The only organization of its kind in the city, the network encourages various neighborhood voices to remain active.
As MoCA president, Barker has kept Morgan Junction residents informed about issues and celebrated its businesses. She helped guide the community through recent upzoning and affordable housing challenges, advocating for quality design as the density increases. She also has presides over the Morgan Junction Community Festival, held each June at Morgan Junction Park at California Avenue and Southwest Eddy Street.
Her participation on the LLC for the Save the Stone Cottage Committee since 2019 helped execute a successful overnight move of the building in 2021 to Port of Seattle property along Harbor Avenue, where the stone-studded structure awaits a permanent move to a site
where it can be restored and opened to the public.Although the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force has completed its meetings, Barker looks forward to the projected September reopening of the West Seattle Bridge. Barker, 65, was born in Illinois into a Navy family that moved frequently, mostly on the West Coast. She and her husband, Mark Shaw, live in the Seaview neighborhood of Morgan Junction.
Originally a theatrical costumer, Barker moved to Seattle in 1985, working as a shopper and rental agent in the Seattle Repertory Theater costume shop. As a freelancer, she coordinated costumes for the 1990 Seattle-based Goodwill Games opening ceremonies, and eventually joined the local wardrobe union, becoming president of IATSE Local 887.
Her mainstay career, however, became civics. She obtained a master’s degree in urban design and planning from the University of Washington, and in 1990 she was hired as the first land-use intern at the newly incorporated city of Federal Way. There, she worked as a planner, reviewing and approving development proposals, briefing the city council and assisting the public. She retired in 2012.
Barker’s ardor for West Seattle issues has been mirrored by similarly passionate citywide involvement. She joined the board of Historic Seattle from 1986 to 1992, aiding in development of the Bel-Boy (Belmont-Boylston) affordable-housing complex on First Hill and in the growth of the organization’s Good Shepherd Center.
Her citywide service resumed in 2013, when Barker began a seven-year stint on the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board. She co-chaired the board from 2015 to 2020, a span during which the board conferred landmark status for prominent buildings such as Climate Pledge Arena (the former Coliseum and Key Arena), the Federal Reserve Bank Building and the ASUW Shell House, made famous by the book “The Boys in the Boat.”
Vivid memories emerge as Barker reflects on her West Seattle activism, from “sailing” along with the Admiral Theater float in the 1989 West Seattle Grand Parade to knocking on doors and “approaching total strangers” to seek permission for their residences to become part of a Homes with History tour.
Barker plans to stay involved in local concerns, including seeking landmark status for other West Seattle Junction buildings. She says her array of interests reflects her deep love of the city as a whole and especially the Duwamish peninsula: “My business card reads, ‘I Love West Seattle.’ It’s a good icebreaker because people enjoy sharing their West Seattle memories, but I also tend to wear my heart on my sleeve. I just love giving back to my community.”
The West Seattle Grand Parade starts at California/Lander at 11 am Saturday (July 23rd) and proceeds south on California to Edmunds – you can watch from anywhere along the route. We’ll have previews all week leading up to the big day.
ABOUT THE ORVILLE RUMMEL AWARD: It’s named after the man who founded the West Seattle parade in 1934, Orville Rummel – lots of background in the story we published the year we were honored with the trophy, 2010. The award was first presented in 1984. Here’s the full list of recipients along the way:
1984: Charles and Ann Gage
1985: RB Chris Crisler Jr.
1986: Morgan and Carol McBride
1987: Margaret Miaullis
1988: Charles Jung
1989: Aurlo Bonney
1990: Katie Thorburn
1991: Dorothy Poplawski
1992: Dan Wiseman
1993: Virgil Sheppard
1994: Dorene Smith
1995: Doris Richards
1996: John Kelly
1997: Dick Kennedy
1998: Jim Edwards and Barbara Edwards
1999: Lt. David E. Cass
2000: Husky Deli/Miller Family
2001: Stephanie Haskins
2002: Forest Lawn
2003: Sue Lindblom
2004: Edgar and Ann Phipps
2005: Karen Sisson
2006: Walt DeLong
2007: David and Doreen Vague
2008: Tim St. Clair
2009: Morey Skaret
2010: West Seattle Blog
2011: Cindi Barker
2012: Shirley Vradenburgh
2013: Judy Pickens
2014: Earl Cruzen
2015: Donn Weaver
2016: Clay Eals
2017: Keith Hughes
2018: Velko Vitalich
2019: Adah Cruzen
(WSB photo, 2018 Concert in the Park)>
Another beautiful evening is forecast for Tuesday – clear and warm. Spend part of it outside enjoying live, lively music from the West Seattle Big Band, bringing back its annual Concert in the Park. New location this year – High Point Commons Park (3201 SW Graham) – since Hiawatha’s closure means it’s out of the mix as a concert venue this year, even for outdoor shows. This is an annual free concert that the WSBB performs for the community – you’ll see and hear about 20 musicians, directed by Jim Edwards, performing classic songs, both instrumental and vocal arrangements. (Never seen them? Check out video of past concerts.) The WSBB is celebrating its 25th anniversary, founded by West Seattle High School alumni in 1996 (here’s the backstory). They donate their time at other shows throughout the year to support local students – this one, however, is free, so bring a picnic dinner, blankets and/or chairs, and enjoy the Concert in the Park starting at 7 pm Tuesday.
The public phase of the Fauntleroy ferry terminal replacement project is in a summer lull – next milestone, Washington State Ferries spokesperson Hadley Rodero tells WSB, is that in “September, we will share the results of the next round of screening for the remaining project alternatives. Community advocacy efforts are active, however, including a new group focused on saving Cove Park to the north of the existing dock. The group has launched a website spelling out its concerns. First, some background on Cove Park:
(WSB photo, July 18, 2015)
Exactly seven years ago – on July 18, 2015 – the small beachfront park reopened to the public after a three-year closure for a pump-station upgrade. It’s officially a city street-end, not a Seattle Parks property, transformed by community members in the ’90s. The new group is worried about possible options for the ferry terminal/dock rebuild that could expand its footprint. One of the volunteers involved in the Save Cove Park effort, Diana Spence, explains, “We are trying to bring awareness to the community that they can get involved to protect Fauntleroy Cove. We don’t support any option that would include expanding the ferry terminal footprint to the north.” Spence says they’re awaiting more public involvement before taking a position on any particular alternative that’s currently into play. Right now, they’re working on awareness and are distributing yard signs – more than 50 so far – as well as supporting a letter-writing campaign – more info is on the group’s website.
5:43 PM: Seattle Fire and Police are responding to the 3000 block of 34th SW [map] for a gas leak, and the response may cause traffic issues on the uphill (northbound) side of the Admiral Way hill, north of the bridge. The leak is described as having been caused when somebody doing work at the house hit a pipe; Puget Sound Energy is reported to be on the way.
5:46 PM: Firefighters have told dispatch that they’ve evacuated the houses on either side of the leak site, as a precaution.
6:04 PM: Firefighters report that PSE has arrived.
6:30 PM: The situation has been handled and SFD has told dispatch that all units will be clearing the scene.
(WSB photo, October 2021)
Less than two weeks after fire gutted that building at 16th and Barton last fall, the site was put up for sale – and now it has a development proposal: A 67-unit microapartment (small efficiency dwelling units) building. The proposal has just appeared in the city’s “early design community outreach” pipeline. It would be a four-story building with no offstreet parking, spanning this site and one on its north side. Records show this site sold for $612,000 (original listing price was $700,000) two months ago, about the same time the same ownership LLC also bought the north parcel. Online records for the microapartment project indicate the developers are Sound Real Estate Development and the architects are SHW.
2:24 PM: Thanks for the tips and photo. 35th SW is blocked northbound between Cloverdale and Trenton because of a crash. A witness told us at the scene that the driver hit a parked car and wound up across the lane. No serious injuries.
2:46 PM: Scene has cleared.
ORIGINAL MONDAY REPORT: For the second time this month, Public Health – Seattle & King County has announced that it’s shut down three unlicensed food vendors at Alki Beach for “operating without a valid food business permit.” The announcement says the closures happened Sunday afternoon. The agency also announced previously that it had closed three unlicensed food vendors at Alki on July 1st for the same reason, but doesn’t say whether any or all of the new closures involve the same operators, nor does it name them. We’re following up to see if any of that information is available. (Here’s how to get a permit.)
ADDED TUESDAY AFTERNOON: Here’s how PHSKC answered our followup questions: “Generally speaking, it is difficult to determine a business name when there has been no formal permit application in the first place. Not all food vendors would have a prominent business name displayed on a stand/cart/whatever structure they are vending food from. Of the three unlicensed food carts most recently closed by Public Health, one appears to be the same as a cart previously closed by Public Health on July 1.”
If you’re missing a backpack full of photographic equipment – the photo is from Charline, who says it was “found by my neighbor’s boat left by a transient.” This was by Me-Kwa-Mooks; the bag’s brand name was covered for the photo, and it contained other personal items; if it’s yours, email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – and we’ll connect you.
(Saturday photo sent by Carol)
Two days after the afternoon fire that damaged an unfinished townhouse building in the 9400 block of 20th SW, just north of SW Roxbury, Seattle Fire says its investigators have determined that it was arson. SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley tells WSB this morning, “The fire was determined to have been intentionally set (incendiary).” That makes it a Seattle Police investigation. Tinsley says damage is estimated at $195,000. As we reported Saturday, a firefighter was injured (we’re checking back on their condition). If you have information, the SPD incident number is 2022-184155.
(Sea holly, photographed by Brian Michel)
Here’s the list for the rest of your Monday:
WADING POOLS: Three local city-run wading pools will be open today, EC Hughes (above) at 2805 SW Holden noon-7 pm; same hours for South Park at 8319 8th Ave. S. And Lincoln Park at 8011 Fauntleroy Way SW, noon-7 too.
COLMAN POOL: Colman Pool on the Lincoln Park shore is also open noon-7 pm.
(added) POSTCARDING POP-UP: From local Postcards to Voters organizers, “We’re writing in support of #TrustKansasWomen, to defeat a state constitutional amendment banning abortion.” They’re meeting 5:30-7 pm at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).
CRAFTING AND CREATIVITY NIGHT: 6-10 pm at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), explained in our calendar listing.
MEDITATION: Free weekly Zen sitting/meditation event at the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm.
PLAY PINBALL, FREE! The Admiral Pub‘s 16 pinball machines are open for free play 7-10 pm Mondays. (2306 California SW)
PLAY TRIVIA! 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)
Have something that should be listed on our calendar and in our daily preview lists? Please send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
6:01 AM: Good morning; welcome to Monday, July 18th.
WEATHER
The forecast says mostly cloudy this morning, partly sunny by afternoon, high 70ish. (Sunday’s high was 69, nine degrees below normal.)
BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES
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.
Ferries: WSF continues on the two-boat schedule for Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth – and WSF says that probably won’t change before next spring. Check here for alerts/updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
848th 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 (one of four recently installed cameras):
Highland Park Way/Holden:
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; 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.
Toward the end of every weekend, we check numbers from the Public Health – Seattle/King County dashboard, so here’s our weekly look at countywide and West Seattle-specific COVID numbers:
*17 percent more cases countywide in the past week than the week before
*Currently averaging 1,052 new daily cases countywide (up from 956 when we checked a week ago)
*0 percent change in hospitalizations countywide in the past week, compared to the week before
*Currently averaging 19 new hospitalizations daily (down from 2- a week ago)
*3 percent more deaths countywide in the past two weeks than the two previous weeks (the dashboard doesn’t offer a one-week increment)
*Currently averaging 3 deaths daily (same as last week’s two-week average)
For West Seattle, we have two-week comparisons (these are the combined totals from two “health reporting areas,” labeled West Seattle and Delridge):
*751 cases between 6/27 and 7/11, up from 712 between 6/12 and 6/26
*11 hospitalizations between 6/27 and 7/11, down from 13 between 6/12 and 6/26
*3 deaths between 6/27 and 7/11, up from 2 between 6/12 and 6/26
VACCINATION: Checking vaccination rates:
*81.6 percent of all King County residents have completed the initial series (unchanged from a week ago)
*86.4 percent of all King County residents ages 5 and up have completed the initial series (unchanged from a week ago)
*51.4 percent of all King County residents have had the initial series plus a booster (up .2% from a week ago)
*In West Seattle, here are the vaccination rates by ZIP code for ages 5 and up (reminder, 98106 and 98146 are not wholly within WS):
98106 – 88.8% completed initial series (unchanged from a week earlier), 55.5% have had a booster (up .2%)
98116 – 93.6% completed initial series (up .1% from a week earlier), 67.8% have had a booster (up .2%)
98126 – 84.3% completed initial series (up .1% from a week earlier), 57.6% have had a booster (up .2%)
98136 – 94.3% completed initial series (unchanged from a week earlier), 70.7% have had a booster (up .1%)
98146 – 83.6% completed initial series (unchanged from a week earlier), 49.9% have had a booster (up .2%)
VACCINE CLINICS: Look for opportunities here.
TESTING: If you want to get tested and don’t have or want to get a home kit, public testing sites include the city-supported site at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle, 9 am-5:30 pm Monday-Saturday this week) and the Curative kiosk at Don Armeni Boat Ramp (1220 Harbor SW, 9 am-3 pm Monday-Friday this week). … If you need to report self-test results, that’s explained on this page.
Three notes in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:
GUNFIRE INVESTIGATION: Police say witnesses confirmed someone in a car fired shots into the air around 9 pm in the vicinity of the 5400 block of 30th SW. Witnesses told them it was the rear driver-side passenger in a “black Honda Civic” carrying four Black men who appeared to be in their 20s. The car was last seen headed southbound on 29th SW. Officers also told dispatch a witness said this has happened nightly for the past several nights. Incident number is 2022-185472.
HIT-RUN AT 34TH/ROXBURY: The collision that killed a man on a bicycle was not the only hit-and-run that police are investigating. We’ve heard from the victim in another one, a crash at 34th/Roxbury on Saturday afternoon. Alexis writes:
I’d like to thank the multiple calls made on my behalf by the neighbors and especially the woman who lent me her phone as well as the good Samaritan behind me who pulled over and waited until the police came. The other driver asked the good Samaritan for a ride and then ran toward White Center. Mid- to late-twenties. thin, POC wearing red. I had just turned left from 35th onto Roxbury going east. All of a sudden I was hitting his car and pushing him. He was doing at least 50 or more on 34th going south crossing the arterial. Nothing I could do. He was in my space before I even saw him. Both cars are probably totaled. I am banged up but did not need care. His car was full of trash and half eaten food. The ignition had been hotwired. He was slurring his words and appeared to be on something. He left his phone in the car and took off. The police sent two other cars to look for him but couldn’t find him. The car is registered in King County and SPD asked the sheriff to notify the owner.
If you have any information, the incident # is 2022-184113.
CATALYTIC-CONVERTER THEFT: Via text, this was reported early this morning on SW Webster between 32nd nd 33rd; the thieves headed down an alley, southbound toward Roxhill Elementary: “2 white males, one in blue, one in black, both in hats with a backpack.” Incident # 2022-184863.
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