West Seattle, Washington
11 Thursday
10:44 PM: After multiple 911 calls about possible gunfire, police have told dispatch they’re finding casings near 15th and Holden. They’re blocking off that section of Holden while they look around more. They have a report that this may have involved someone being shot at, but that person left the scene and police haven’t talked with him yet. The only description so far is that the gunfire might have come from a silvervehicle last seen southbound on 15th.
10:52 PM: Officers have now caught up with the person who says he was shot at. They say he told them he didn’t get a look at the shooter(s), as they fired at his car – which has bullet holes – from behind. They’re also finding other vehicles at 15th/Holden with bullet holes. No report of any injuries.
11:22 PM: Officers just told dispatch they’ve recovered 35 casings in all. At least some of the damaged vehicles will be taken to the SPD evidence room for further analysis. (Police have explained that gunfire evidence goes through testing so that it can potentially be linked to specific guns and suspects.)
11:50 PM: Police say they’re reopening Holden.
(WSB photos/video)
Those are the shore-power outlets for the newly modernized cargo-ship berths at Terminal 5 in West Seattle. Neither outlet was in use when we photographed them during a T-5 tour Tuesday, because no ships were calling at the time. That illustrated a point made by representatives of terminal operator SSA during the tour – Terminal 5 has much more capacity that is currently being used. Its biggest-on-the-West-Coast cranes are serving an average of two ships a week, while the completion of the south berth means they could be serving two per day.
The occasion for the tour was a low-key celebration of the conclusion of most of the quarter-billion-dollar T-5 project. (A few things remain, such as a new gate complex on the dock.) We rode in a van passing several other operational features, like these smaller cranes, used depending on the size, destination, and contents of containers:
Pre-existing rail access was originally cited as a major reason for choosing to modernize T-5, but it’s not being maxed out either; SSA says the on-dock rail has vastly more capacity than is being used. Another major motivation for the modernization was to enable T-5 to handle the bigger ships that are being built now; its client for both berths is MSC, and so far, SSA says, most of the ships calling are 10,000 TEU (20-foot equivalent unit, a measurement of cargo-ship capacity) – a few 15,000 – and they said during the tour that a 19,000-TEU ship, may stop here soon. The Northwest Seaport Alliance, the combined Seattle-Tacoma cargo-port authority, says a big challenge is that this is a “discretionary” port – most of the cargo that arrives here is headed somewhere else, not to this area. But they’re working to make it attractive in a variety of ways. The upgrades, meantime, include on-site stormwater treatment facilities:
The systems are intended to ensure that all the rain that falls on the dock gets treated before draining into the Duwamish River. Technology is also deployed to speed up truck processing, for the majority of containers handled that way, not just for the ships and shippers, but also to reduce truck waiting, in turn reducing the notorious backups on streets and bridges leading to the terminal. The new complex will have 300 truck-queueing spaces; the next step toward building it is to send it out to bid. Another not-yet-done feature – T-5 currently has 640 plugs for refrigerated containers, and that number will expand to 1,500 by the end of next year. (Refrigeration is important for agriculture, in particular. Among other things, we were told that “we export a lot of wine to South America.”) Speaking of containers, during a previous visit to T-5, we were told of a backup of empties; that is no longer a problem, we learned during this visit.
After the relatively short dock tour, it was off to Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), where key players in the project gathered for a reception.
Speakers were from the Northwest Seaport Alliance managing members (Seattle and Tacoma port commissioners) and administration, SSA, MSC, Seattle City Light (which helped with the shore-power part of the project) and the ILWU. First up was Seattle Port Commission vice president Toshiko Hasegawa:
In addition to various words of praise, speakers recalled T-5’s past, only capable of handling ships far smaller than what’s common today. And again, a look to the future: “The upgrades at T-5 ensure we won’t get left behind.” We recorded all the speeches:
The speakers sounded a confident note on T-5’s future growth, often mentioning their own businesses’ growth (such as MSC growing its fleet from 20 to 820 ships): “The investments we made will pay off – it’s a long-term thing.” As NWSA CEO John Wolfe observed, “This was not an easy project” – so perhaps the next phase, business growth, will be easier in comparison.
Dozens of hardy concertgoers brought chairs and blankets to the Seattle Chinese Garden on Puget Ridge tonight for the first of this summer’s two West Seattle visits by the Seattle Chamber Music Society Concert Truck.
Tonight’s musicians for the free concert included Rachel Lee Priday on violin, Susan Zhang and Nick Luby on piano, and Sterling Elliott on cello. The program included compositions by Maurice Ravel, Clara Schumann, Gabriel Fauré, Johannes Brahms, Florence Price, Anton Arensky, and Astor Piazzolla (the full music list is toward the bottom of this page on the SCWS site). Here’s a snippet of tonight’s performance:
Your second chance to see the Concert Truck performance is this Sunday (June 30) at noon outside Alki Bathhouse (60th/Alki)
While local officials are often in the hot seat on issues such as public safety, they sometimes point out that their powers have been to some degree superseded by state law. So – as one speaker at this meeting last night put it – it’s important to pay attention to the Legislature. Here’s an opportunity: One of our area’s three state legislators is having a Town Hall meeting this Saturday morning, and you’re invited, to come listen and/or ask a question. State Senator Joe Nguyễn will be at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor) 9 am to 10 am this Saturday, June 29. Sen. Nguyễn chairs the Environment, Energy & Technology Committee and also serves on the Human Services and Ways & Means Committees – the latter is particularly notable, as it oversees budgeting. No RSVP needed for the Town Hall – just show up.
Their state-championship season is over and the school year is over, but the West Seattle High School baseball program just racked up more honors. Cindy Lockwood sent the report and photos:
West Seattle coaching staff Dylan McLauchlin, Tyler Haggett, and Mike Fahy, with players Caden Fahy and Tristian Buehring, were invited to coach and play at the 2024 WIAA Baseball All-State Games this past weekend in Yakima.
At an awards banquet highlighting player and coach achievements during the 2024 season, Coach Dylan McLauchlin received the WIAA 3A Coach of the Year Award and player Caden Fahy won the WIAA-3A Player of the Year Award.
Congratulations to Coach Dylan and Caden.
WS Players also invited to the All-State Games but unable to attend were Miles Chandler, Bobby Trigg, Matthew Henning.
WSHS won the state 3A championship May 25 in Pasco, beating Mount Vernon, as reported here.
Two weeks from tomorrow, the peninsula’s biggest party of the year begins – West Seattle Summer Fest. In the days ahead we’ll bring you festival previews with what you need to know about this year’s event, Friday, July 12, through Sunday, July 14, in The Junction. First off – this year is the first time Summer Fest goes big with an all-out “zero-waste” initiative, joining forces with Bold Reuse and Seattle Public Utilities for reusable drinkware, dishware, and serviceware at both festival food booths and at the beer garden. Your most important role in this is to properly return those items after use. Collection bins with explanatory signage will be available throughout the festival zone, and people will be standing by to help you know what goes into which bin – reusable, recyclable, compostable, or garbage. Throughout the days and evenings of the festival, the West Seattle Junction Association tells us, Bold Reuse will check in with vendors to be sure they’re stocked up; the company then will inspect, clean, and replenish items for each day. This will not only be a first for West Seattle Summer Fest, but the first festival-reusables program “at this scale” in the city.
(Photo courtesy Bold Reuse)
This is happening in connection with the city’s Reuse Seattle initiative, and in addition to doing your part as a West Seattle Summer Fest food/drink consumer, there’s another way to help: Volunteers are being recruited, to help festivalgoers know what goes where (as mentioned above) and to explain the benefits of reusing. If you’re interested, fill out this online form, and program reps will be in touch about the possibilities. More Summer Fest previews ahead!
(WSB photo of 16th/Holden site, April)
Three weeks have passed since the deadline for proposals to develop the 9,425-square-foot ex-substation site on the southwest corner of 16th and Holden into a mixed-use building with “affordable homeownership” units. The city Office of Housing was seeking proposals for building ~16 for-sale residential units over commercial space at the site, and tells WSB that it received two proposals. They’re not commenting on who the proposals are from, but plan to choose a winner “in August.” This was one of half a dozen area ex-substation sites declared “surplus” by Seattle City Light more than a decade ago; after years of discussion and community advocacy, SCL transferred it to the Office of Housing to get this project off the ground Housing paid the site’s current valuation, $424,000, to SCL, using funding from Mandatory Housing Affordability fees paid by developers in lieu of including affordable housing in their own projects. The units in the eventual project, according to the city, “must be affordable to households with incomes at or below 80% of Area Median Income (AMI) for the Seattle area,” taking into account “a 5% down payment, a monthly payment for housing costs (mortgage principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and other dues) of not more than 35% of income, a household size of one more person than number of bedrooms, and a realistic mortgage interest rate.” Assuming this plan proceeds to fruition, this will be only the second of those six surplus ex-substations to be developed into housing, after these “tiny townhomes” on Pigeon Point.
That photo is from Jordan, who’s organizing a community cleanup at West Seattle’s only official dog park – Westcrest Park Off-Leash Area [map] – this Saturday (June 29). We’re mentioning it here in case you haven’t seen it in our Event Calendar or seen the sign-up sheets at the park. Jordan says advance sign-up is NOT necessary – just show up on Saturday, between 10 am and 2 pm: “We’re looking for volunteers to help clean up the park via trimming bushes, filling holes, moving rocks, cleaning the bulletin board, and picking up trash/poop. We ask that people bring some shovels, racks, clippers, and buckets if they have them but some are available to use at the park. Otherwise, donuts/ muffins/ baked goods and coffee will be available to snack on, and whoever would like to show up is more than welcome to!”
(Surfing gull, photographed at Jack Block Park by Steve Bender)
Here’s the highlight list for the rest of your Thursday, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar!
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER: Still prime time for summer gardening – so if you need plants, the center is open Thursdays-Saturdays 10 am-3 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus. Annuals, perennials, sun, shade, natives, edibles, ground covers … wide variety!
COLMAN POOL CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC: Swim-meet closure today.
WADING POOLS CLOSED: Cool and cloudy, so the city won’t be opening them.
WEST SEATTLE UKULELE PLAYERS: All levels welcome to this weekly 1 pm gathering. Email westseattleukuleleplayerswsup@gmail.com for info on where they’re playing today.
NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY: Tasting room/wine bar now open Thursdays-Saturdays 1 pm-6 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus. Food too – stop by to sip and nosh!
STRONG BODIES, STRONG BONES: 2:30 pm yoga class at what’s now the Center for Active Living (4217 SW Oregon).
HPCS FOOD-TRUCK VISIT: Every Thursday, 4-8 pm, Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) gets a food-truck visit. Tonight it’s Seoul Bowl.
VISCON CELLARS: The West Seattle winery’s tasting room/wine bar is open 5-9 pm (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor) for wine by the glass or bottle.
SEATTLE CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERT TRUCK: Scheduled for a 6 pm visit to bring free chamber music to Seattle Chinese Garden (north end of South Seattle College north lot, 6000 16th SW). We’re checking on how the weather is or isn’t affecting the plan.
WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: Meet at 6 pm at 47th/Fauntleroy to walk in Lincoln Park – details in our calendar listing.
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: A few readers have asked if any bars are planning watch parties for the 6 pm showdown. So far, we haven’t heard of any, but if you have, please let us know and we’ll add them here – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
WESTIES RUN CLUB: Meet at Good Society (California/Lander) at 6 pm for a 3-mile run.
HIGHLAND PARK RUN CLUB: 6:30 pm, meet at Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) for a 3-mile run through the neighborhood. (Walking option, too!)
BLUES NIGHT: 6:30-9 pm at The Spot West Seattle (2920 SW Avalon Way), every Thursday you can listen to the blues.
LIVE AT THE SKYLARK: Apology Wars, Atomic Pines, Silver Shores, doors at 7 pm, music at 8 pm, $10 cover. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
TRIVIA: 7 pm at Burger Planet (9614 14th SW).
‘CLYDE’S’ AT ARTSWEST: 7:30 pm performance as the final week begins for “Clyde’s” at ArtsWest (4711 California SW; WSB sponsor) – “In this 2022 Tony Award®-Nominated Best Play, creating the perfect sandwich is the shared quest of the formerly incarcerated kitchen staff of Clyde’s, a truck-stop cafe.” Find the ticket link and more info in our calendar listing.
Planning an event that should be on our calendar and in our daily preview lists? Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Family and friends are remembering George Felhosi, and sharing this remembrance with the community:
George was born June 6, 1939, in Óbuda, Hungary, a small, unincorporated town north of Budapest.
Born into a small family and the older brother of one sister, George fled Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. He was given two American dollars, so his father told him to run to the neighboring country of Austria with his neighbor.
After three days of arduous travel by foot, George made it to the Austrian border, where a farmer picked up the two young men in his tractor and took them to the Red Cross Refugee camp in Coasetanburg. After weeks in a retired military barracks, he and the other Hungarian men were bussed to Lido, Italy, on December 17th, 1956. There, the Italian consult offered them a choice: volunteer for service in the U.S. military for citizenship or learn Italian. Unfortunately for George, he was not 18; along with three other boys, he lived in Milan until his birthday.
Flying to Frankfurt, Germany, he and 40 other refugees were sworn into service for the U.S. Army. From there, he was sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, where he attended an English language school for six months in 1957. Then, after finishing basic training, he was shipped off to Fort Lewis, Washington. From there, he was sent to Camp Kaiser, Inchon, Korea, where he served as a machine gunner in the primary invasion defense group, enduring 13 months of active conflict without leave. After his tours of duty in Korea, he transferred to the Atomic Fallout Recovery Division, then to the military sports club, where he played soccer for the American team, traveling for two years. Being discharged on June 27th, 1962, he returned to Seattle, getting a job at Bethlehem Steel for six years before becoming a longshoreman in 1969, working for 35 years at the Port of Seattle and retiring in 2004.
George’s love for skiing, Formula One, and Harley-Davidson motorcycles took him all over the world. George was a dedicated and loyal friend who we will all dearly miss.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)
6:00 AM: Good morning! It’s Thursday, June 27.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Rain likely, high around 65. Today’s sunrise was at 5:13 am, while sunset will again be at 9:11 pm (staying there until Saturday).
ROAD WORK
*The Admiral Way Bridge seismic project – including a months-long closure of Fairmount Avenue beneath the bridge – could start as soon as Monday.
*SDOT’s Delridge pedestrian-bridge earthquake-safety project continues, with narrowing at Delridge/Oregon.
*Beach Drive: Gas-pipeline work continues at spots along the southern stretch.
TRANSIT NOTES
Metro today – Regular schedule; check for advisories here.
Water Taxi today – Regular schedule. Check the real-time map if you need to see where the boat is.
Washington State Ferries today – The usual 2 boats on the Triangle Route, but now with the unscheduled “bonus boat” on weekdays when available; check WSF alerts for last-minute changes and use the real-time map to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS (most city cameras were down as of early this morning)
1st Ave. S. Bridge (a state camera:
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges feed on X (ex-Twitter) shows whether the city’s movable bridges are open for vessel traffic.
If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water, please text or call our hotline (when you can do that safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
(WSB video and photos)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The Alki-area community advocates who co-hosted tonight’s public-safety meeting with District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka have long been pushing for as much action against street disorder as the city can muster. Last weekend’s shootings at Duwamish Head were just the latest flashpoint.
Perhaps that’s why the first actions promised tonight by city reps – but, they insisted, not the last – had to do with street design: Lane-narrowing and more speed cushions are on the way, per SDOT managers. The action most requested by attendees, installing speed cameras, isn’t so easy, panelists explained. Same with the matter of “holding people accountable.”
Above is our video from the nearly-two-hour meeting inside the sanctuary at Alki UCC; below, our recap:
(Photo sent by Kevin)
8:52 PM: Police are investigating a shooting inside the Stewart Manor apartment building at 34th/Morgan. A man was taken to the hospital after the shooting was reported inside one of the units around 7 pm. No suspect or circumstances information so far; we’re checking with SFD to find out what condition the victim was in when transported.
11:11 PM: SFD says the victim, in his mid-20s, was in serious condition when transported to Harborview.
ADDED THURSDAY MORNING: SPD has since posted this about the incident; the only specific beyond what we reported already was that the man was found in a hallway.
When we first introduced you to the CARE response team – part of the city’s “third public-safety department” – we noted that their small size limited their response area downtown, but CARE Chief Amy Smith vowed they would make it to West Seattle. Now there’s a commitment, from Mayor Bruce Harrell, who formally announced the CARE RespponseTeam’s planned expansion today. From the announcement:
The expansion plan calls for hiring an additional 18 responders and three supervisors in the coming months and will immediately extend the current service area from Downtown, SODO, and the Chinatown-International District to additional neighborhoods including Capitol Hill, Central Area, First Hill, Judkins Park, Madison Park, Montlake, and upper Pike/Pine. This coverage will align with the Seattle Police Department (SPD) West and East precincts. The phased expansion – based on an analysis of 9-1-1 call volume and requests – targets this fall for expansion into North Seattle, followed by South and Southwest Seattle by the end of 2024.
The proposal for an additional 21 positions will be included in Mayor Harrell’s Mid-Year Supplemental Budget request, with 2024 costs fully funded through $1.9 million in federal funding due to Congressman Adam Smith and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal’s support. The mayor also announced that he will nominate CARE Acting Chief Amy Smith to serve as the department’s permanent Chief, which is subject to City Council approval.
The CARE department includes both the responders and the city’s 911 center. (Here’s more about what the response team does.)
Two more West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports this afternoon:
STOLEN BICYCLES: Sent by Laura in Seaview:
Sometime last night (between 6/25-6/26) thieves forcefully broke into our garage and stole $10k worth of bikes: 2 pedal assist e-bikes and 1 gravel/road bike.
What makes this crime particularly egregious is that the thieves tried multiple points of entry on the garage (crowbar, broken windows, etc.).
The thieves were also in the garage for quite a while because they took the batteries that were stored separately from the 2 e-bikes. … The makes and models of the bikes are:
1. 2020 Yuba Boda Boda pedal assist cargo bike. Bright teal with monkey bars on the back for a child’s seat. Can’t miss it. Serial # (ends in) 019
2. 2021 Canondale Tesoro neo x1 pedal assist. Graphite color. Serial #(ends in) 888
2. 2020 Specialized Diverge e5 gravel/road bike. Dark red with lighter orange Specialized logo. Serial #: (ends in) 87p
We’ll add the police-report number when we get it.
STOLEN WHITE ELANTRA: Sent by a friend of the stolen white 2015 Hyundai Elantra’s owner:
My friend that lives on 60th in Alki came home from work at 1 am last night and parked on the street north of Admiral. After she and a friend came back from lunch … they noticed her car was not there and was stolen. This was around 3 pm today. She filed a police report already and they are investigating.
Just as we finished writing this, we got word that the car’s already been found, in Kent, so consider this a report for neighborhood awareness.
(Slide from SDOT presentation at May 2024 Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting)
One month after the Admiral Neighborhood Association got an update on the Admiral Way Bridge seismic-strengthening project (WSB coverage here), SDOT has just announced that work will start as soon as Monday (July 1). The bridge over Fairmount Ravine is actually two bridges; they’ll have some closures during the project, but, as explained in the ANA meeting, the biggest impact will be under those bridges, with a months-long around-the-clock closure of Fairmount Avenue. Here’s the SDOT announcement:
As early as Monday, July 1, SDOT is set to begin seismic retrofits on the Admiral Way North and South Bridges. These essential improvements will enhance the bridges’ ability to withstand earthquakes. The construction is expected to last approximately 7-8 months, but schedules may change due to factors such as weather and availability of crews and materials.
To ensure the work is completed safely and efficiently, there will be lane closures on SW Admiral Way at the bridge throughout the construction period. Additionally, there will be full 24/7 closures of the bridge on two weekends, with specific dates to be determined. Fairmount Avenue beneath the bridge will be closed to all traffic, including pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, for the duration of the construction.
We understand these closures will impact those who regularly use the bridge and Fairmount Avenue, and we will strive to minimize these disruptions.
This update didn’t mention the specific detour plans for the closures, nor did last month’s briefing, so we’re following up about those.
ADDED FRIDAY: SDOT says they haven’t finalized those plans but that the work potentially starting Monday won’t require “traffic control.”
What you see in the foreground of that photo is new netting for a play structure at Highland Park Elementary. You won’t see it there today – because somebody stole it between 6 pm last night and 6 am today. HPE’s Patti Bunting explains, “Someone cut the lock off the gate and dragged the netting off the playground using some sort of cart.” And that wouldn’t have been easy – she says the plastic-fiber rope is “so heavy the installation company was planning on using their front loader to move it.” That installation WAS supposed to happen within days. If you see the stolen netting, please contact the school – plbunting@seattleschools.org – we’ll add the police-report number when it’s available.
ADDED THURSDAY: The stolen netting is worth $17,000. Police report number is 24-933987.
11:05 AM: Thanks for the tips. Seattle City Light‘s outage map shows 139 homes and businesses out of power in the area shown in the screengrab above, east of Luna Park and on the edge of North Delridge. We haven’t yet heard what might have caused it.
1:35 PM: The map shows the outage has since been resolved. We’re checking with SCL on its cause.
5:23 PM: SCL’s Jenn Strang says it was a “brief unplanned outage” that happened during a “pole transfer.”
(Reader photo, April 2023)
It’s been more than a year since a driver did that damage to the “Welcome to West Seattle” sign near the southwest end of the West Seattle Bridge. A reader recently tipped us that it appeared some repair work is under way. The sign was installed in 2019 by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, thanks to a gift from the late philanthropist Ada Cruzen, so we asked Chamber executive director Rachel Porter about the repair status when we saw her at an event on Tuesday. She confirms that restoration is under way, with the help of an area metal-work firm, and should be complete within a month; other details are yet to come.
(California poppy, photographed by Rosalie Miller)
Here’s our list of what’s happening today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
FOOD DRIVE: The almost-daily summer food-donation drive continues at Admiral Church (4320 SW Hill) – you can drop off nonperishable items until noon.
WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: 10 am walk in Lincoln Park (meet at 47th/Fauntleroy) – info’s in our calendar listing.
TODDLER READING TIME: 10:30 am Wednesdays at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW).
SPRAYPARK: Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale) is open every day, 11 am-8 pm, free.
COLMAN POOL: Third weekday this summer for the outdoor heated-salt-water pool on the shore at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), noon-7 pm – session times are on the Colman Pool webpage.
LINCOLN PARK WADING POOL: Also at Lincoln Park, the 7-day-a-week wading pool is open today noon-7 pm, in the central upper part of the park near the north play area.
DELRIDGE WADING POOL: First day of the season at this pool, noon-5:30 pm. (4501 Delridge Way SW)
FIX-IT WORKSHOP: Fix it, don’t toss it! Weekly event, free (but donations appreciated), 5:30-7:30 pm at West Seattle Tool Library (4408 Delridge Way SW, northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center).
ALKI COMMUNITY-SAFETY MEETING: 6 pm at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds), city leaders and community advocates invite you to a conversation about community safety, after the shootings early Saturday that killed a man and injured another at the Duwamish Head viewpoint where Harbor/Alki Avenues meet. Our preview includes the link to use if you have a question to submit in advance.
FREE ART CLASS: Watercolor mixed-media class, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), 6-8 pm.
FREE GROUP RUNS: The weekly West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) group run welcomes all levels – meet at the shop by 6:15 pm.
TRIVIA x 5: Four places to play tonight. At 6 pm, Locust Cider (2820 Alki SW) offers trivia … Larry’s Tavern (3405 California SW) hosts Wednesday-night trivia starting at 7:30 pm … Quiz Night begins at 8 pm at Beveridge Place Pub (6413 California SW) … and at 8:30 pm, trivia with Phil T at Talarico’s (4718 California SW).
LIVE MUSIC AT THE LOCOL: 6:30 pm. 21+. Rotating performer slate. (7902 35th SW)
MUSIC BINGO: Play weekly at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7 pm.
YOGA IN THE PARK: Two West Seattle teachers lead Wednesday night outdoor-yoga events at Myrtle Reservoir Park (35th/Myrtle), 7:30 pm.
SKYLARK OPEN MIC: 7:30 pm signups for West Seattle’s longest-running open mic. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
If you’re planning a presentation, meeting, performance, reading, tour, fundraiser, sale, discussion, etc., and it’s open to the community, please send us info so we can get it onto West Seattle’s only comprehensive event calendar! westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
6:03 AM: Good morning! It’s Wednesday, June 26.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Cloudy this morning, then clearing, breezy, high near 70. Today’s sunrise was at 5:13 am, while sunset will be at 9:11 pm (and will stay there until Saturday).
ONGOING ROAD WORK
*SDOT’s Delridge pedestrian-bridge earthquake-safety project continues, with narrowing at Delridge/Oregon:
*Beach Drive: Gas-pipeline work continues at spots along the southern stretch.
TRANSIT NOTES
Metro today – Regular schedule; check for advisories here.
Water Taxi today – Regular schedule. Check the real-time map if you need to see where the boat is.
Washington State Ferries today – The usual 2 boats on the Triangle Route, but now with the unscheduled “bonus boat” on weekdays when available; check WSF alerts for last-minute changes and use the real-time map to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS (Sorry about the problems – we’ll report to SDOT if they’re not working by morning’s end)
Low bridge: Here’s the main view:
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Orchard), cameras are also at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
1st Ave. S. Bridge:
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges feed on X (ex-Twitter) shows whether the city’s movable bridges are open for vessel traffic.
If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water, please text or call our hotline (when you can do that safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
Twp items of extra local interest were on the agenda Tuesday for the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, for which District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka serves as vice chair.
First – starting at 20 minutes into the meeting video above – a consulting firm presented results of their commissioned study on waterway safety in Seattle, “a year in the making,” according to Councilmember Dan Strauss, who had advocated for it. You can read the full report here, and see their slide deck here. One major recommendation: More safety education for recreational boaters, who often aren’t aware of rules, laws, and best safety practices. More signage might help, they suggested. The consultants also recommended more synching between Seattle Police and Fire marine resources – they already cooperate and collaborate, but it should be more formalized. Their data could be better utilized, too.
They also noted the need for more marine-focused resources – SFD, for example, wants to build a new fire station on South Lake Union; SPD Harbor Patrol could use more staffing. And they could leverage other city personnel – perhaps the expanded Park Rangers team could help with noise enforcement, they suggested.
While the briefing didn’t touch on any West Seattle waterway-safety specifics, we noted while searching the full report that there are some local mentions – for example, on page 43, “SPD is developing a new map drawn to identify more specific Harbor Patrol ‘beat’ areas, such as Elliott Bay, Lake Union, Duwamish, Alki, and Fauntleroy.” Also mentioned (page 16), Fire Station 36 under the West Seattle Bridge at the north end of Delridge, because it “has the Marine 1 Unit, which provides landside firefighting response for fires on or near the water.”
No action was taken or proposed – the recommendations aren’t at the level of proposed policies or budget items, yet. A slightly different situation for the meeting’s second briefing, billed as the first look at “an ordinance relating to street racing; adding the crime of racing; adding the traffic infraction of vehicle participation in unlawful racing …” What City Attorney Ann Davison (who was at the meeting) announced last week, a new $500 fine for registered owners of participating vehicles, was just part of it. They’re also aligning with some new state laws, as noted in the rather sparse slide deck. Watch the briefing (which starts 54 minutes into the meeting video) for much more elaboration, including SPD Assistant Chief Dan Nelson recounting multiple “takeover” events this past Saturday night around the city, including the one on which we reported, at 2nd/Michigan/West Marginal. This recounting featured a video compilation. Nelson said it was important for SPD to use “targeted enforcement” to keep tracking and breaking up those gatherings, because some result in crime and collisions (shootings were associated with a takeover on MLK Way that same night, he said).
Saka asked why automated cameras couldn’t be more extensively used; a City Attorney’s Office rep explained that technologically, cameras could be used for much more, but state law limits their use, so it would have to change. Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth asked how people participating in driving stunts such as donuts would get ticketed; Nelson said officers would first move in to “triage” life-safety dangers, and then would start gathering plate numbers. Saka wondered where the $500 fine came from. Davison said they felt it would be “meaningful” but not “excessive.”
Before the proposed new laws can take effect, they’ll have to come back to the committee for a vote, and then go to the full council.
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