West Seattle, Washington
17 Saturday
11:43 PM: Seattle Fire has a sizable response in the 9200 block of 20th SW for what’s described as a fire in a “vacant building.”
11:46 PM: The fire was apparently confined to the fireplace, and only four of the originally dispatched ~20 units are still on scene.
11:53 PM: Side note, the property to which this call is logged has a demolition permit and a plan for six townhouses.
11:59 PM: The call is closed.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
If you have something to say about the draft Seattle Transportation Plan, you have one more week to say it – October 23 is the deadline.
One West Seattle man is not only commenting – he’s proposing a neighborhood transportation transformation as his feedback, and he’s inviting you to travel along.
Maybe you’ve seen the flyers Jack Conness has posted in Highland Park and South Delridge, pointing you to his Highland Park Public Transformation Plan website:
After a reader saw one of Jack’s flyers and told us about it, we contacted Jack to find out more, and sat down with him for an early-morning chat at Fresh Flours Bakery in South Delridge. Jack is a relatively new arrival – two years ago – to south Highland Park, a former Californian who is originally from “90 miles west of Chicago.”
While he landed here with the thought that it might be a stepping stone to another area of Seattle, he says he’s “fallen in love with this neighborhood” and that’s why he is proposing a plan to make it safer. “I thought I could put something out there that might sway decisionmakers (and) instead of just submitting a comment myself, I could submit a comment with lots of people.” He also admits he’s a “bit weird and wonky” at heart.
His experience of getting around started with arriving here as a UW graduate student – during the West Seattle Bridge closure – and having to get to UW. That put him in the public transportation system, taking the bus to light rail to get to school. (He’s enamored with how Seattle is expanding its light-rail system, even knowing that’s more because the region is trying to catch up, than leaping ahead.)
He works in climate-change policy, so he’s interested in that aspect of transportation too, aware that to get people onto buses and rail they have to be more safe and available.
But right outside our doors, being able to walk and bike safely in neighborhoods is the first step (literally). So he’s outlined some ideas.
He lives near 14th and Roxbury, and crosses the latter “all the time” to get to the “incredible food and nightlife options” in White Center. “It’s a nightmare” and was even more so when the bridge closure made Roxbury another major detour route, leaving drivers “sitting on the crosswalk in their vehicles.” Another street that factors into his plan, SW Henderson, for which he proposes reconfiguration:
“It splits north and south Highland Park and feels like a freeway – built for speed.” No place to truly safely cross between 9th and 16th, he says, but families in south Highland Park have to cross it to get to Highland Park Elementary on SW Trenton. No kids in his family yet, but he and his wife cross with their dog. “It’s dangerous. Our neighbors have kids – not a fun trek to make. So how do we make it safer and friendlier” for everyone to cross? He also has ideas for Thistle, 16th, Roxbury, and 10th, with some raised crosswalks in the mix too.
Getting to Westcrest Park is another challenge. “It’s a great park but there’s no safe way to get there unless you’re driving.” And to those who are skeptical because they’re not seeing many people walking or biking now, Jack offers a line from a movie about professional baseball (in which he worked): “If you build it, they will come.” And that means more chances to interact with your neighbors.
He started getting the word out via posters because he figured people already walking and biking would be those most interested in his ideas. They had been barely up a week by the time we talked on Friday, and he’d already received almost 50 signatures. The first one, he recalled, “was an incredible feeling – somebody else feels the way I do.” He’s also already met with some interested residents who are “trying to find ways to get involved … I didn’t expect this outcome so quickly, I thought I was the only weird person out there.”
Jack has also talked with people who have long been involved and heard about “the battles they’ve had to fight.” He hopes he can add new energy to the fight. He is also encouraged by the new leadership in SDOT – this is the first year for director Greg Spotts – “I’ve been following what they’re up to … (things) can’t change overnight but I’m very much excited and motivated, so that’s part of why I wanted to get involved.” He’s requested one of the neighborhood walking tours Spotts has promised to attend.
But right now, he wants to find out who else is interested in signing on to his plan before he sends it to the city for consideration before the draft Seattle Transportation Plan becomes the official Seattle Transportation Plan. That won’t be the end of his efforts, though, but just the beginning. “The intent is, low-cost, low-barrier moves that can be made. This is step one of many more.”
We ask, if just one part of your plan can become reality for starters, what would it be? SW Henderson, Jack replies, seeing it as a “simple fix” with stop signs and bicycle infrastructure.
His plan also suggests a bike path araund Highland Park Elementary and the park next to it – “imagine if you could safely send your kid out on that bike path … It’s an incredible community that’s continuing to grow (and) invite more people in.”
And the people, he believes, is who should take precedence on the streets – it’s not good enough, in his view, to have “greenways” which are supposed to be shared streets where “you have to trust drivers” so the signage confers “a false sense of security.” Other halfway measures aren’t enough, either: “Crosswalks with a flag are a policy failure.”
You can see Jack’s full proposal here. Here’s where you can sign on, if you support it. (Or if you want to submit your own comment on the draft Seattle Transportation Plan, you can go here.) Wherever his ideas go, he’s optimistic: “The future is bright.”
As we continue spotlighting West Seattle Halloween-decoration displays, tonight’s photos are from Ryan, who announces:
The light show at 4040 47th Ave. SW (4040 House) is once again live for Halloween.
The show will run nightly from 6 pm-9 pm.
We have all-new music and some new lights. There is a new feature “the haunted jukebox”. Those watching can request songs from a playlist. More information can be found at 4040house.com.
We ask people remember to keep the noise down and if you do drive, please park along Dakota or Andover.
Big thanks again to everyone who’s sending tips, with and without photos – westseattleblog@gmail.com – and see what we’ve already showcased by scrolling through our Halloween archive, here!
It was a day full of off-on rain … but also multiple rainbow sightings. Thanks to everyone who sent photos! Above, an end-of-day Alki photo from Lisa Murphy; below, from Robin Sinner:
Stewart L. captured the downtown skyline beneath a rainbow:
And Manuel photographed the meeting of rainbow, state ferry, and cruise ship:
Still a chance of more showers through tomorrow, and then the forecast clears up for a while, possibly sunny and near 70 degrees on Thursday!
Another one-car crash toward the west end of the westbound West Seattle Bridge. The driver was apparently unhurt but their Jeep Liberty is reported to be partly blocking traffic as it approaches the Fauntleroy end of the bridge. One caller, according to dispatch, reported the vehicle had flipped; this is out of camera range so we haven’t confirmed that.
SDOT sent an update today on the Highland Park Way/Holden project – paving is done, installation of the art piece is weeks away, and the new signal will follow:
(SDOT photo, west side of Highland Park Way SW)
We recently finished pouring concrete and asphalt for the Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden St Safety Project. There are now new sidewalks, curb bulbs, and ADA accessible ramps along Highland Park Way SW between SW Holden St and SW Portland St. These improvements will make this intersection safer and more accessible for people living, working, and traveling through the area. …
Last week, we moved most of the equipment and materials out of the area. We also hydroseeded the new topsoil, a process where we spread a mixture of grass seed, fertilizer, mulch, and water. You should see grass sprouting soon. We will return briefly over the next few months to complete the following:
*Remove old roadway markings and paint new ones. This is tentatively scheduled for late October but could shift based on weather.
*Install a new public art piece in early November. (Artist Matthew Mazzotta‘s rendering of “Where’s the party?” is a larger than life Steller’s jay that will perch at the SW corner of Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden St.)
*Install permanent metal traffic signals and poles at the Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden St intersection in December or January. You’ll notice there are orange barrels at the four corners of the intersection. These are protecting the exposed anchor bolts for the future poles.
The permanent signals will replace temporary signals that were hastily installed right after the West Seattle Bridge’s sudden shutdown in March 2020, after SW Holden and Highland Park Way SW became a major detour route to get to the 1st Avenue South Bridge. Community members had been lobbying for safety improvements to the intersection for many years before that.
West Seattle’s Camp Long (5200 35th SW) has two special events ahead – and multiple ways for you to be part of them. One is the first “Trail or Treat” since 2005! This is set for 4-8 pm Saturday, October 28. Camp Long’s Matt Kostle explains:
The idea is to have community organizations and members “adopt” a cabin, which simply means they would volunteer to provide people to decorate the cabin however they want (and can totally include info about their organization/programs/etc.) and have someone or several people there during the event to hand out goodies of their choice (we are recommending more natural items like fruit leathers or things like that as opposed to the standard trick or treat candy)! Dressing up is of course encouraged as well but not required!
We will create a pathway with lights that goes to all the respective cabins for folks to stop at for goodies and will end at one of our shelters for activities from our Naturalists, a campfire with smores goodies and some story telling!
With that we have an ask of the community and that is that we need organizations to adopt these cabins! We have a few already spoken for but would love more from the community! We would also love to have support in the form of anyone who wants to volunteer helping set up on the day of the event! Camp Long feels like such a perfect place for this type of family friendly event but we would love to spruce it up even more so in addition to people, if anybody has any décor they would be willing to donate to this event please let us know! I am attaching a photo (above) all the way back from 2005 which might have been the last time we did an event like this to showcase some decoration ideas! We would also love lighting for the pathways if anyone is able to help with that! We will share the final lighted pathway that we will map out based on how many cabins we have participating. We are hoping to wrap up getting volunteers signed up by the 19th! Please reach out to us at camp.long@seattle.gov or 206-684-7434 to sign up for volunteering or adopting a cabin for the event!
Camp Long is also planning a Día de Muertos Ofrenda! Above is a photo of last year’s ofrenda.
The Seattle Parks & Rec Environmental Education Team would like to invite our neighbors and community to participate in this beautiful Mexican tradition. The altar will be located on the north side of the lodge and available for viewing beginning October 28 at Camp Long’s Trail or Treat event. The installation will be available until Nov 10 and we would love for the public to participate by adding pictures, nameplates, or special items to our community ofrenda. This is a way to celebrate and honor the life of loved ones who have passed. For more information, you can reach out to Nicolasa Hernandez, Seattle Parks & Rec Community Naturalist, at Nicolasa.Hernandez@seattle.gov
While a formal plan isn’t expected until next month, Seattle Public Schools‘ next step toward addressing a budget gap happens at a School Board work session tomorrow (Tuesday, October 17). We heard today from a local teacher who says it’s important for concerned families to turn out for the meeting – at SPS HQ in SODO – because of the recent reconfiguration plans (WSB coverage here) as well as what’s ahead. She writes:
SPS’s management made a mistake. We need families to go to the SPS board budget meeting, TOMORROW. Tuesday October 17, 4:30 pm – in-person at JSCEE. The goal is to get many families in one place to connect and support one another. We URGENTLY need to get currently unaffected schools to support our affected schools because they could become affected schools next.
SPS administrators say they have a budget gap of more than $100 million to cover, and here are some of the possibilities listed in a slide deck for tomorrow’s meeting (part of the agenda documents):
You might recall, the “system of well-resourced schools” is where the possible school closures/consolidations come in, but again, the detailed proposal on that is still a month away. The district collected some community feedback at recent meetings (here’s our coverage of the one in West Seattle), mostly general opinions such as “what do you like about your school?”, and plans a report on the feedback at tomorrow’s work session too. If you’re interested in attending, the district HQ is at 3rd/Lander; if you can’t go, you can watch the livestream here.
P.S. Our area’s school-board member Leslie Harris has her next community Q&A meeting this Saturday (October 21st), 2-5 pm, at West Seattle (Admiral) Library, 2306 42nd SW.
9:48 AM: Two weeks after a 21-year-old man was shot and killed on a Metro bus at 15th/Roxbury, the King County Sheriff’s Office has identified a 17-year-old suspect and is releasing photos, asking for your help in finding him:
King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) Major Crimes Detectives are seeking the community’s help in locating the suspect of a homicide in White Center on October 3rd.
17-year-old Miguel Rivera Dominguez (pictured) has been identified as the suspect who fatally shot Marcel Da’jon Wagner, 21, on a Metro Bus earlier this month.
Rivera Dominguez has strong ties to the Burien area and is known to use public transportation or seek rides from others. It’s likely he will be wearing a mask to conceal his face while in public. Rivera Dominguez is believed to be armed and extremely dangerous.
Anyone with information on the suspect’s whereabouts can submit a tip by calling (206) 263-2090, via email at mcutips@kingcounty.gov, or anonymously via the P3Tips app. If located, call 911 immediately.
We asked KCSO for any additional descriptive information. They tell us he is 6′ tall, 170 pounds.
3:53 PM: A reader just forwarded us an alert sent to the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) community by campus security:
… we are sending this alert because the suspect does have ties to our main campus in West Seattle and could show up here.
There is no known immediate threat to our college or campus at this time. If that changes, we will send emergency alert messaging. Campus security is doing extra patrols to keep an eye out for the suspect and is in contact with authorities investigating the case.
We asked SSC for any further information about the suspect’s “ties”; they had none to provide.
7:09 PM: Commenters noted that it appears Rivera Dominguez is or was a student at Burien’s Highline High School. One reader has since forwarded us a community message from HHS principal Clint Sallee saying he is a former student: “Miguel left HHS in December of 2022 and has not attended our school since that time. Some of our students know Miguel. Hearing this information about a former classmate or friend may impact them. Please contact the counselor if you believe your student needs support.”
When you have a small business, you’re often everything from the CEO to the CTO to the COO to the HR director to the staff. How do you get it all done? Spending just one hour in a free class this Thursday at West Seattle Coworking (WSB sponsor) can pay off – here’s the invitation:
Hello, neighbors and fellow business owners. Following the success of last month’s workshops, we are happy to present another free event for our beloved Business community. There are so many hats to wear as a small-business owner and so little time in the day. Come and learn from this one-hour conversation on how to boost our efforts and regain lost momentum. This Thursday, October 19th, 5-6 pm at West Seattle Coworking HQ, 9030 35th Avenue SW. Find more details and signup link here.
6:03 AM: Good morning! It’s Monday, October 16th.
WEATHER AND SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
More rain, possibly a pm thunderstorm, breezy, high in the low 60s. Sunrise today is at 7:29 am; sunset, 6:19 pm.
ROAD-WORK ALERT
Delridge repaving in the northbound lanes north of Genesee is tentatively scheduled to start today – here’s the announcement from Friday.
TRANSIT TODAY
Water Taxi – Regular schedule today – now on fall/winter schedule, which is still 7 days a week, but no late-night service Fridays/Saturdays.
Metro – Regular schedule today; check advisories here.
Washington State Ferries – 2-boat service on the Triangle Route. Check alerts for changes, and use Vessel Watch to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Henderson), cameras are also at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Oregon.
High Bridge – the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
Low Bridge:
1st Ave. S. Bridge – southeastern route across the river:
Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander:
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges feed on Twitter/X shows whether the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/bay, please text or call us (when you can do that safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if applicable). Thank you!
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