West Seattle, Washington
26 Monday
In his first speech, Mayor Bruce Harrell spoke of “listening to communities and to neighborhoods.”
District 1 Community Network, a coalition of West Seattle/South Park advocates, plans to invite him to do exactly that at their March meeting.
That’s part of what was discussed at D1CN’s first meeting of the year last night, online.
INVITING THE MAYOR: Discussion about this focused on hoping to talk with Mayor Harrell about how the city can improve its engagement with neighborhoods. D1CN members are looking for more clarity on what role he envisions for the Department of Neighborhoods. They’re also hoping to offer ideas for how city departments might better coordinate with each other when interacting with neighborhoods.
Other topics:
If you got an online Seattle City Light electricity bill this week, take a good look – you might be one of more than 12,000 customers who were erroneously double-billed. That’s according to an online update from the utility:
City Light became aware of an error in our billing system that resulted in some Seattle City Light residential customers receiving bill notifications on Jan. 4, 2022, that show double charges for the same usage. The error was limited to a subset of approximately 12,500 residential customer bills processed. We have paused all bill processing until we are certain the issue is fixed.
We learned of the issue in time to stop the mailing of the potentially impacted paper bills and prevent payment processing for those customers on autopay. However, customers who are signed up for e-billing may have received an email alert with the erroneous bill information. Customers who received such a bill should not pay it. If a customer already paid the bill due to receiving the email, please contact (206) 684-3000.
We will reprocess all incorrect bills and send revised bills to impacted customers. We expect revised bills will be issued by the end of the week.
The online update was added to an SCL post about rates rising at the start of the year – about two percent.
Thanks for the photos! Another “king tide” high tide this morning just after 8 am … just under 13 feet officially, with tomorrow’s high tide only a bit lower, just before 9 am. The National Weather Service has a Coastal Flood Advisory in effect for 8 am-noon tomorrow – but is only expecting “minor” flooding, like the Alki-seawall slopover that the photos show:
All this at the start of a day that also has set a rainfall record – an inch and a half through about 6 pm.
6:07 PM: If you’re still looking for a 1st or 2nd dose of COVID-19 vaccine, note that the city-sponsored West Seattle clinic has appointments available, for kids, teens, and adults. We just checked after a city department tweeted about the availability. Start here. (Currently, no booster appointments are shown for any age group, though.)
6:28 PM: As pointed out in comments, Sunday’s Pliable-run West Seattle clinic also has appointments open.
Earlier this week, we reported on a burglary at Pathfinder K-8 on Pigeon Point – someone broke into the school music room during winter break. Today, Pathfinder parent Lisa Stencel emailed us to say they’re looking for instrument donations so the students can keep making music: “Most of the instruments were taken, so we are hoping that our West Seattle community can help us out. If anyone has any instruments that are not being used, we would gladly take them.” We asked if any specific types were most needed; her reply, “It was mostly wind and horn instruments, but we’ll take anything.” Donations can be picked up if necessary. If you have an instrument to offer – and/or questions – email Lisa at lisastencel (at) gmail.com.
As promised, we asked Seattle Public Utilities today if Monday and Tuesday residential solid-waste customers who’ve missed two weeks of pickups should just give up until next week. We also asked if Waste Management will be working Saturday to catch up. Here are the responses from SPU spokesperson Shanna Christie:
Monday and Tuesday customers who have been missed twice, should bring their carts in and set out triple volumes next week. These customers also have the option to bring waste to SPU transfer stations for no charge, if they prefer.
Waste Management will be working Saturday to service Friday customers on a one day delay, but this will not impact Mon and Tue West Seattle customers.
We apologize to any customers not serviced this week and appreciate their patience. This service recovery is a significant lift for everyone involved and drivers and operations crews are working long hours with challenging double and holiday volumes.
SPU has subsequently launched an FAQ page which includes info like this and more. Among other things, they are still not planning on any kind of credit for those who’ve missed two weeks, although the city did that in similar post-snow circumstances in 2019.
That’s the sign up at 7142 47th SW [map], where today’s city-circulated Land Use Information Bulletin includes a notice that a comment period has opened for a townhouse proposal. That’s notable because it’s the first of the surrounding parcels sold off by The Kenney to move to the application stage of redevelopment. As we first reported in November 2020, the proposal on this site is for five townhouses. At that time, records didn’t show a completed deal for this site and the others that The Kenney had put up for sale with an asking price of more than $5 million, years after previous ownership scrapped a massive remodel/expansion plan. But now records do show the changes; most of the parcels are now owned by entities related to Seattle Luxury Homes, which we noted in that previous report as the prospective developer. We checked all the sites’ records to see if any other projects are proceeding; the only ones we’ve found are a plan to turn part of 7141 Fauntleroy Way SW into a nine-space parking lot behind an existing house, and to convert the duplex at 7150 46th SW into a three-unit apartment building. Meantime, if you want to comment on the application for the five-townhouse plan at 7142 47th SW, today’s notice explains how; the deadline is January 19th.
Thanks to the texter who sent the photo. We’ve received a few questions about what that crane is doing alongside the Fauntleroy ferry dock. First – no, this is not related to the ongoing planning for future replacement of the dock. The crane is from Pacific Pile & Marine, doing “routine maintenance” on the dock, Washington State Ferries tells us. It’s happening a bit later than originally scheduled because of the weather and should last a few days. The WSF maintenance-updates page notes that the terminal has been scheduled for counterweight-cable replacement.
P.S. If you missed last night’s first session of WSF’s winter community meetings, you have a second chance – 1 pm next Tuesday (January 11th); the registration link is here.
Looking for a way to volunteer on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend? The West Seattle High School Green Team, Friends of Lincoln Park, YMCA, and Green Seattle Partnership invite you to a youth-led urban-restoration event at Lincoln Park, 10 am-1 pm on January 15th. All are welcome – they’ll be meeting near the north map kiosk by Fauntleroy Way SW and SW Rose. Here’s the flyer with the QR code for registration, and contact information if you have questions.
Family and friends will gather Tuesday (January 11th) to remember Frances Ferraro (McIsaac), and are sharing this remembrance:
Frances was born in Morristown, New Jersey to Rose and Dominic Ferraro on May 13, 1922, and passed away on January 4, 2022, in Seattle at 99 years old.
Frances traveled to Seattle by train and married Lloyd McIsaac in 1945. She raised 3 daughters and 2 sons, and made her home in West Seattle. Frances was a wonderful hairdresser for 65 years, and worked at the Pink Rose Salon, where she later became the owner.
She is survived by her 5 children, Jimie Ann Martin, Margaret Rose McGraw, Lloyd F. McIsaac, Floyd A. McIsaac, Connie Adamo; 3 grandchildren; and 4 great-grandchildren.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in West Seattle on Tuesday, January 11th, 2022 at 11 am, with a Graveside Service to follow at Holyrood Catholic Cemetery at 1 pm.
To share your condolences and fond memories of Frances with her Family and Friends, please visit emmickfunerals.com/notices/Frances-Ferraro
Care and Arrangements Entrusted to Emmick Family Funeral Home of West Seattle
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
6:02 AM Good morning!
WEATHER
After a rainy night, the forecast calls for yet more rain, and gusty wind late tonight.
REMINDERS
-Friday (January 7th), Terminal 5‘s first modernized berth gets its first cargo-ship call.
-Sunday (January 9th) is the first of four Sundays this month with low-bridge closures for pre-repair testing.
BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES
West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxi routes are on their regular schedules.
Metro is on its regular weekday schedule. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of trip cancellations.
Ferries: WSF continues a two-boat schedule on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run. Check here for alerts/updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
653rd morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Traffic cams are working again:
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.)
The 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):
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? The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed can tell you; 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings are also tweeted on @wsdot_traffic.
See all local traffic cams (when they’re working) here; locally relevant cameras are also on this WSB page.
Trouble on the streets/paths/bridges/water? Please let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
Throughout the fall, SDOT ran a survey, floating possible designs for the future of the Stay Healthy Street (aka Keep Moving Street) around Alki Point. Tonight at a joint meeting of the city’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Boards, an SDOT rep presented part of the results. SHS program manager Summer Jawson first gave the toplines of how many responses they got, and how people were reached:
She said the results from the Alki Point survey, which closed two weeks ago, are still being “processed,” but two questions relevant to the boards’ focus areas turned out this way:
In both those questions, 40 percent of respondents said they felt safe in the street’s current configuration while getting around a non-motorized way. Another 40 percent said they’d prefer to have separate paths for people walking/running and riding/rolling, Less than 20 percent favored a “multi-use trail” for non-motorized users.
Jawson did not offer a timetable for deciding the future of the Alki Point stretch. She did say that the Stay Healthy Streets program citywide has almost $2 million in funding, from a program earmarked for COVID relief. The rest of West Seattle’s Stay Healthy Streets -the Delridge/Highland Park stretch and the High Point stretch – were mentioned only briefly, but Jawson said that recommendations are expected “soon” regarding what should be made permanent. Some decisions about the east West Seattle SHS were announced last month.
Also shown tonight, the potential gateway/signage for SHS, same renderings shown at this West Seattle meeting in October. (See the full slide deck from tonight’s presentation here.)
The case of the “Halloween shooter” remains unsolved, and the victim asked us to republish the photo in another attempt to see if someone can identify him:
We first reported on the case in early November. It happened on 34th SW in Sunrise Heights; the victim and a neighbor spotted the man prowling their street and called 911 while the man was walking away. An hour later, he was back again, this time with a gun in his hand. The victim yelled at him – then, he says, his wife opened the door of their home, thinking her husband was in trouble, and the man fired at her. Bullets were found lodged in their house, and a casing and unspent bullet outside their house.
The victim tells WSB, “We met with the detective researching the case just prior to Christmas and he thought it would be helpful to see if the story could be posted again since 1) the shooter has yet to be identified and 2) the original story did generate a lot of tips. Any tips should be sent to the detective at spd6864@seattle.gov and the incident number should be referenced — 21-290133.”
(WSB photo – Sylvan Way, this afternoon)
One more post-snow problem – more potholes. So we asked SDOT about what’s planned and what to do if you notice new/renewed potholes. The email reply from SDOT’s Mariam Ali:
SDOT crews work year round to fill potholes, and filled over 14,000 potholes in 2021. But winter storms cause substantial damage to our roads and cause previously filled potholes to reappear throughout Seattle. We are expecting to receive a surge of requests to fill potholes in the coming weeks, and ask for the public’s patience as it will take us longer than usual to respond as our crews continue to work day and night to respond to a large number of storm-related issues.
Last year, we filled 85% of potholes within three business days after they are reported to us, however, with the recent snow and ice this may take longer than usual. The crew members who fill potholes are the same people who have been working day and night for the past 12 days on storm-response activities like driving snow plows and shoveling walkways. We’re still working incredibly hard to deal with multiple challenges and are prioritize our work based on public safety.
Snow and ice causes damage to our roadways as water finds its way into cracks in the pavement. Freezing temperatures causes the trapped water to expand into sharp ice which cuts through the pavement and forces apart fissions in the roadway. When heavy vehicles like trucks and buses drive over these fissures, pieces of pavement break loose and form larger holes.
The weather will continue to be a big challenge all winter long, as future storms may cause more potholes to form. Repairs that we make in weather like this don’t always last because the asphalt won’t bind to the surrounding pavement well when it’s too cold or wet. So many of the potholes we fill today will likely need to be repaired again over the next few months until the weather is warmer.
New potholes appear all the time, and we can only fix potholes that we know about. If you see a pothole, report it on the report it on the FindIt FixIt App, submit an online report, email 684-ROAD@seattle.gov or call us at 206-684-ROAD [7623]. To learn more about where potholes have been reported and filled, check out our interactive Pothole Repair Status map. This map shows the locations of all the potholes which have been filled in the past 90 days (one dot may represent up to 30 potholes on a single block):
4:59 PM: Thanks to Shaun for the tip and photo. That car fire happened at 38th SW and SW Juneau [map] – avoid the area for a while. Seattle Fire is still there, according to the log, 15 minutes after the dispatch. No word on cause or injuries – but no medic unit has been dispatched, suggesting no major injuries.
5:40 PM: The call is now closed, meaning firefighters have left the scene. We’re following up with SFD.
(WSB photo this morning, with tagging pixelated)
What might be the longest-stalled development site in West Seattle has a new plan. At 5249 California SW [map], the small commercial building that was previously on the site was demolished almost a decade ago. The foundation for a new mixed-use building was put in six years ago, and some framing followed. After that, the site went dormant, and as reported here a year and a half ago, the property went up for sale. County records don’t yet show an ownership change, but city records show a new early-stage proposal – nine townhouses, with five offstreet-parking spaces. The site plan shows that two of the townhouses would face California SW, with the other seven lined up in north-south orientation, rowhouse style, behind them, and parking off the alley.
That’s a Waste Management truck seen this past hour in Gatewood. We’ve heard from some readers whose neighborhoods have had solid-waste pickup so far this catch-up week and some who haven’t. We asked Seattle Public Utilities this morning for an update on where things stand – here’s the reply we received from spokesperson Sabrina Register:
Waste Management reports they had good success yesterday picking up scheduled garbage, recycling, and yard waste in West Seattle in neighborhoods, with the exception of customers located on hilly, icy streets where it remained unsafe for 25,000-pound trucks to operate. They also collected approximately 50% of ‘off-week’ recycling in West Seattle.
On all of their routes in different Seattle neighborhoods yesterday and operating on the announced one-day delay, they collected waste from 95% of Monday customers.
For customers in West Seattle who were missed both last week and this week, they can take their garbage, recycling and yard/food waste to one of our transfers station at no charge through January 9. They need to let staff at that transfer station know that they have been missed two times consecutively.
Seattle Public Utilities thanks customers for their patience as we and our contractors, Waste Management and Recology, prioritize safety to staff, customers and private property.
Watch the lower left of that enhanced security video and you’ll see what is reported to be a cougar (aka mountain lion), caught on camera near Westcrest Park in September. The video has just surfaced along with word of other suspected sightings – not on camera this time. We received the video and information via community naturalist Kersti Muul. She tracked down the video and the person who recorded it after first hearing about it earlier this week. After talking with him, she reports, “He has lived there for 40 years and has never seen anything like this. His house backs up to the greenbelt; a good travel route for the cougar.” She added in our email exchange, “I am assuming the cougar has moved on, which is good for all involved. It is my understanding that they don’t stay long when in urban areas. There were a few more sightings in the same area (Olsen Place SW/Westcrest Park/Roxbury) but none recently. To my knowledge, this is the FIRST confirmed Mountain Lion sighting in West Seattle.” Not the first in the city, though – for example, our friends at My Ballard noted one in Discovery Park a year ago. Find out more about mountain lions via the official state Fish and Wildlife Department page about them.
Thanks to the texter who sent that photo from the Alki seawall, taken during this morning’s high tide – highest predicted high tide of the year, as previewed here. Now on to what else is on the calendar for today/tonight:
GOVERNOR’S PANDEMIC UPDATE: The state’s COVID-19 response is part of what Gov. Jay Inslee will discuss in a media briefing at 2:30 pm. You can watch the livestream on TVW.
‘STAY HEALTHY STREETS’ UPDATE: That’s part of what’s on the agenda for tonight’s joint meeting of the city Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Boards, 6 pm online. The agenda explains how to watch/listen/comment.
WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES COMMUNITY MEETING: Also online at 6 pm, the first of two chances to hear Washington State Ferries updates. Viewing/listening information is in our calendar listing.
DISTRICT 1 COMMUNITY NETWORK: This monthly gathering of West Seattle and South Park community advocates is also online, at 7 pm. Our calendar listing has viewing/listening information.
(added) LIVE MUSIC AT C & P: At C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Seattle folk musician Jim Page from 7-9 pm. Note from C & P: “All customers and musicians will be required to show vaccination verification. Dress warmly because some windows are open with fans to circulate the air. We do have HEPA filters in place.”
OPEN MIC: Weekly open mic at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW) – signups start at 7:30 pm.
Event coming up? Email us so we can add to the calendar! westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you.
Family and friends will gather January 15th to remember Helen Neudorfer, and are sharing this remembrance with the community:
Helen G. Neudorfer
5/29/21 – 11/28/21Helen was born May 29, 1929, to William and Gertrude Hensleigh in Jordan, Montana, where she was the youngest of 7 children. Helen attended Carroll College of Nursing, earning her Bachelor of Science degree. After graduation, she moved to Seattle and, while working at Marine Hospital, met the love of her life, Bob Neudorfer, who swept her off her feet – and the rest is history! They were married September 19th, 1953 and raised their four children in West Seattle.
Bob and Helen started Neudorfer Engineers in 1970 and Liberty Bell Quick Print in 1972. Helen continued running the print shop until her retirement. She was a very active member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in West Seattle for over 65 years, being involved in ministering the eucharist to the homebound, volunteering with the soup kitchen, and giving eye and hearing exams to the children of Holy Rosary School. Helen, being a devout Catholic, attended daily Mass and was a faithful woman who loved the Lord, her family, church, and community.
Helen continued living in West Seattle until her recent move to Sequim in 2020. She returned to her heavenly home on November 28, 2021. Her devotion to her family and her firm belief in God, supported her in her illness and ultimately gave her peace. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bob, in 1986 and by her son, Scott, in 2009. She is survived by her sister Marion Shelton of Montana and her children Teresa (Don), Bill (Margaret), Mike (DeAnne), and daughter-in-law, Gail; six grandchildren, Greg, Morgan, Brad, Kelsey, Jenny, and Megan; and two great-grandchildren, McKenna and Wolfgang.
A funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 am Saturday, January 15th at Holy Rosary Church in West Seattle, with a reception to follow at Lanigan Center.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
With the new year here, it’s not that long until spring … and baseball! Starting today, registration is open for West Seattle Baseball. Here’s the announcement:
West Seattle Baseball is excited to announce the opening of player and volunteer registration for the 2022 spring season!
Registration will be open through February 16 at the league’s new website. An early-registration discount is available to all registrations completed by January 20. [UPDATE: If that link doesn’t work, use this one.]
West Seattle Baseball offers six different divisions for players ages 4 through 18, with tee-ball and coach-pitch divisions for younger participants.
Prices start as low as $130 for the season. Registration costs include a ballcap and team jersey for each player, in addition to a full season of baseball with events three times per week from mid-March through early June.
West Seattle Baseball is a 100% volunteer-run, non-profit youth baseball league. Our goal is to provide comprehensive baseball programming which appeals to kids of all levels of enthusiasm and ability. The league prides itself on being a fun and enjoyable program that our players, their families, and their coaches want to participate in again each succeeding season. If you have questions about the league, please contact league president Peter Parker at president.wsbb@gmail.com
We hope to see you at the West Seattle PeeWee Fields soon. For the love of the game . . .
Practices Begin
Practices are set to begin on March 13 for the Pinto, Mustang, Bronco, and Pony divisions. Shetland players will begin practices on April 5.Opening Days
Barring unforeseen delays, league play for Pinto, MuStang, Bronco, and Pony divisions will begin the same day Shetland begins practice, April 5. Shetland will begin on either April 17 or April 24.The Big Pee-Wee Clean-up Day
Every year, volunteers gather at our baseball venue to help get the fields prepared for the season. There is plenty of work needed to have the fields and surrounding area ready for even the start of practices and tasks available for any and all levels of experience and capabilities. So please, if you are able, be ready to come to the fields on March 20th to help in any way you can!
6:01 AM Good morning!
WEATHER
Showers are in the forecast again, maybe with some snow as well as rain.
WEEKEND REMINDER
This Sunday (January 9th) is the first of four Sundays this month with low-bridge closures for pre-repair testing.
BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES
West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxi routes are back on their regular schedules.
Metro is on its regular weekday schedule. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of trip cancellations.
Ferries: WSF continues a two-boat schedule on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run. Check here for alerts/updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
652nd morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Traffic cams are working again:
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.)
The 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):
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? The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed can tell you; 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings are also tweeted on @wsdot_traffic.
See all local traffic cams (when they’re working) here; locally relevant cameras are also on this WSB page.
Trouble on the streets/paths/bridges/water? Please let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
9:31 PM TUESDAY: Two mail-related notes tonight:
STILL MISSING MAIL DELIVERY? Though the snow’s mostly melted, we’re still hearing from some readers that they haven’t seen U.S.Postal Service mail since before Christmas. It may not just be the weather – one reader near The Junction, for example, says a neighbor finally got mail today from a fill-in carrier who said their regular person was out with COVID. Last week, a commenter reported being told about short-staffing. Other reports of skipped deliveries are from all over the peninsula – Fairmount Springs, Gatewood, Westwood, Admiral, Arbor Heights, to name a few; the missing deliveries were mentioned repeatedly in various comment threads this past week, and this week we’ve been getting email reports. We’ve tried repeatedly to get official comment from USPS, but so far, no reply. The last official regional statement was this on December 28th, urging people to help ensure carriers’ winter safety. (ICYMI, one West Seattle neighborhood even rescued a USPS van on Sunday.)
Meantime:
WESTWOOD BOX OUT OF SERVICE AGAIN: Just a few weeks after it was replaced and reopened, the drive-up/ride-up mailbox outside the Westwood Village post office is out of service again.:
A reader mentioned this last week, and we finally got over to check on it today. This is the new, larger box that was installed just two weeks ago, days after the old one was damaged.
1 PM WEDNESDAY: We just visited the Westwood post office and noticed the box is untaped, re-locked, and back in service.
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