West Seattle, Washington
09 Sunday
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“I’ve got another career or two in me.”
That’s how King County Executive Dow Constantine clarified to the Rotary Club of West Seattle that he’s not retiring, just not re-running.
He was guest speaker at Tuesday’s weekly Rotary lunch meeting, which also included presentations in honor of WSB co-founder Patrick Sand.
First:
Exactly two months have passed since Constantine announced at his birthday celebration in West Seattle that his fourth term as County Executive will be his last. He told Rotarians on Tuesday that he’s “ready to do something different,” 30 years after he first ran for office, noting that his personal responsibilities include his 10-year-old daughter and “very aging” parents.
His speech touched on some of his accomplishments, as well as a sore spot or two. Public safety, for example: “There’s been some misinformation circulated about the King County Jail and who is or has been accepted. We are operating under the Hammer settlement” – more than a quarter-century old, mandating a certain jail-staffing level, he said. “During COVID … we couldn’t meet that level – so we couldn’t book for nonviolent misdemeanors,” with, he said, exceptions, such as “a big event like a protest,” or two exceptions in the past year, “everything in downtown Seattle … (and the) entire transit system.” The latter mention seemed intended to stave off questions or criticism about the recent murder of Metro coach driver Shawn Yim; Constantine said “Operation Safe Transit” starting last March has led to more than 350 arrests, and that officers downtown had been focusing on “fentanyl dealers.” He also noted the discontinuation of transit stops near 12th/Jackson on the south side of downtown “because of the street situation there.” He added that they’re working to bring the King County Sheriff’s Office – which includes transit police – up to full staffing, with measures such as a $25,000 bonus for lateral transfers: “So if your cousin in Louisiana wants to work here, now is the moment.”
Constantine segued into the observation that behavioral health is the root of much of the street disorder, and that help is expected from the 2023 voter-approved Crisis Care Centers initiative, meant to create five drop-in centers, one exclusively for youth, 20 mobile teams around the county – plus an investment in northeast cities getting a crisis care center that’s open now – with help plus a “warm handoff” to wherever a person needs to go next — from rehab to the custody of a relative. (It might be five more years, however, before all five are open.)
Behavioral-health challenges play into homelessness, he said, but declared that problem primarily the result of a houing shortage – “safe, affordable housing will be a key factor in” getting it under control, and he said the county is working on thousands of new units. Then he quickly moved to climate change, saying the county’s major water-treatment plant at West Point is better able to withstand “increasingly strong storms” because of its new battery-based system “so when City Light flickers, we don’t lose power – we didn’t in the ‘bomb cyclone’.”
The next segue was into transit, where he declared Metro to be “leading the way toward zero emissions” and said he’d “spent my whole damn adult life trying to make up for” the anti-transit decisions made in the region more than half a century ago. The progress he touted included Sound Transit light rail, for which he (ST’s board chair) declared the region to have an “enormous appetite,” noting the crowd that flocked to its Lynnwood opening. While acknowledging the “runup in construction cost,” he insisted that “we are in a strong. position to deliver what voters approved” and said it’s vital to keep working toward having projects “shovel-ready” for when the financial factors allow. As for West Seattle light rail specifically, he said the federal “record of decision” – the next major planning milestone – is expected by the end of February.
After two more quick topic mentions – arts funding and redevelopment of the King County campus downtown – the Rotary allotted a few minutes for questions. First one was back to light rail: “When is it going to happen?” Constantine replied, “That’s an open question,” adding that “the scope is really the question – do you build the Avalon station or not? … There are 100 questions like that that the board’s going to have to answer.” One thing’s for certain, he reminded everyone, West Seattle remains scheduled to be built before Ballard.
The next questioner voiced some skepticism about transit, seeing empty buses and trains, but Constantine countered that this area saw the nation’s second-largest transit growth last year, and he again vowed to improve safety, while warning that “what’s on sidewalks sometimes spills into buses.”
After that, he was asked, “Why are you giving up work?” Constantine insisted he isn’t: “I need to, want to, continue to work for a long time, but after 16 years of this gig, I’m ready to do something different.”
TRIBUTE TO WSB CO-FOUNDER PATRICK SAND: The county executive also presented a memorial proclamation in honor of WSB co-founder Patrick Sand, who died suddenly in mid-October. That followed a presentation by the Rotary, whose members honored Patrick posthumously as a “Paul Harris Fellow” – after one of the founders of Rotary International – and also announced the creation of an annual Patrick Sand Memorial Award, with the Rotary’s Brian Waid citing WSB’s unofficial motto, referring to our coverage of as much as we can (as noted in this Seattle Times essay) – “We always show up.” Thanks to Clay Eals for recording video of most of the presentation:
The awards – including an eagle trophy for the Paul Harris Fellowship – were accepted on Patrick’s behalf by your editor (his wife and co-founder) and our son Torin.
The Rotary Club of West Seattle has a lunch meeting most weeks at noon Tuesday at the West Seattle Golf Course – see the upcoming speaker schedule here.
Just weeks after two neighboring businesses closed on the south side of Westwood Village – GameStop and Desert Sun Tanning – a replacement is penciled in for what would be their combined spaces: J.Crew Factory, the brand’s “outlet” arm. We noticed a few weeks ago that a placeholder with no supporting documentation had appeared in permit files; then at the end of this week, a full early-stage filing with confirmatory labeling:
The combined space would be 4,600+ square feet, tiny compared to WWV’s Ross (26,000+) and Marshalls (30,000+) stores. J.Crew’s website shows three Factory stores in the metro area – Auburn, Lynnwood, and Marysville – and two “regular” stores in the area – University Village and Bellevue Square. We’ll contact the chain and WWV management tomorrow to see if they’ll comment; to date, the center’s managers have yet to say anything about the two not-yet-open chain businesses that have continued moving through the permit system for months, Total Wine & More (ex-Staples) and Panda Express (ex-Pet Pros).
Thanks for the photos! In case you didn’t have a southwestward view to see this firsthand … Sunday ended beautifully.
(If part of the sky stays clear into the night, you can planet-gaze, too.)
(August 2023 photo by Jamie Kinney)
We’re just under seven months from this year’s Seafair airshow, but the stars of the show – the U.S. Navy Blue Angels – are sending one of their jets to Boeing Field tomorrow (Monday, January 13). The occasion: The winter meetings preparing for Seafair. The Blue Angels FA-18 jet #7 is expected to arrive 1:30-2:30 pm Monday; it’s the two-seater jet, and will be piloted by Navy Lt. Commander Lilly Montana and Marines Major Scott Laux. No public access but we’re mentioning it because you might see/hear the jet, given that tomorrow’s forecast is for partly clear skies.
1:56 PM: Sent by Isabelle:
My husband’s Ford F-250 white 1997 truck was stolen last night, sometime between 10 pm and now.
It was parked in the alley between 40th and 41st/Hudson and Edmunds in our parking pad.
If you see this truck can you please contact 7857642575 or ccubed4@gmail.com
Thank you so much.
Plate # is D09653F; report # is 25-10577.
ADDED 3:01 PM: One more vehicle to report – anyone looking for this blue Honda Odyssey? Adam wonders:
I returned home from work last night at 2:30 am and found this vehicle where I normally park my car. It has obviously been dumped and not a vehicle from this neighborhood that was broken into. It’s on the south east corner of 41st Ave SW and SW Andover. The passenger-side sliding door is open and it looks “lived in” or as if someone spent some time in it.
As of Saturday afternoon, signage was already out for the new “School Street” partial closure of 45th Avenue SW in front of Madison Middle School, which officially starts tomorrow and will be in effect 7 am-5 pm on weekdays per SDOT. We checked it out after a tip from a nearby resident; this sign on the northbound side of the street at SW Spokane is matched by one in the distance at the start of the southbound side at SW Hinds. Madison principal Dr. Robert Gary Jr. reminded the school community in this email on Thursday. As the SDOT program page and the signage both note, the “closure” exception includes drivers who live on the street and drivers making deliveries on the street. Other “School Streets” around the city include SW Dakota in front of Genesee Hill Elementary.
Back in September, dozens of volunteers gathered at Alki for an International Coastal Cleanup event. There are certainly everyday cleanup heroes working in our area year-round – like A Cleaner Alki – but the September event was the first time regional organizations held their flagship event here, and now Puget Soundkeeper has released a report on the regional results:
In an exceptional display of community commitment, more than 741 volunteers removed 2,600 pounds of debris during International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) events across the Puget Sound from August through December 2024. Across 13 cleanup events from Seattle to the San Juan Islands, volunteers collectively tackled the growing impact of litter and plastic pollution, making an impact on the health of Puget Sound.
Since its inception in 1986, the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) movement has been a global initiative by the Ocean Conservancy to document and remove debris from beaches and waterways globally. Every year, Puget Soundkeeper serves as the regional coordinator for ICC events across Puget Sound and works alongside several partner organizations who make these efforts possible.
“In a time where it seems like there’s a lot of negative news spreading over social media, it’s truly inspiring to see so many volunteers and people come out to commit their time and energy toward making our waterways safer and healthier for future generation,” said Tanya Balaji, the Stewardship and Education Manager at Puget Soundkeeper.
2024 was a special year for the ICC movement as for the first time in history, the Ocean Conservancy hosted its flagship ICC event in Seattle and more than 200 volunteers gathered at Alki Beach on September 21st to celebrate the movement. “Despite 2024’s cleanups showing the power of collective action, it highlights the importance of advocating and fighting for legislation that targets pollution at its sources,” added Balaji. For more information about our 2024 ICC report, click here.
Puget Soundkeeper Alliance remains committed to continuing our cleanup efforts while advocating for policies that prevent pollution at its source, including working on the 2025 Recycling Reform Act. Moreover, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, alongside its partner organizations across the state, will also continue organizing ICC events throughout the Fall of 2025.
Though the total weight wasn’t huge, as our September 21 coverage showed, volunteers were encouraged to look for small debris, which post the most harm to marine life from potential ingestion and other risks. The full report, including the list of top types of debris, and how to report what you might find year-round, is embedded at the bottom of this page. Best way you can help reduce the need for this? Use less plastic. Even if you think you’re disposing of it properly, it has a nasty way of ending up as pollution just the same.
(Photo sent by Manuel on Saturday)
Mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, it’s a short list of what’s happening today:
WESTIES RUN CLUB: Meet for today’s run at 9 am at Fresh Flours (9410 Delridge Way SW).
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Open 10 am-2 pm, with winter produce (root vegetables! greens! cabbage!), plus beverages, flowers, cheese, fish, meat, prepared food, nuts, candy, condiments, more. (California SW between SW Alaska and SW Oregon)
DUWAMISH TRIBE LONGHOUSE & CULTURAL CENTER: Open for visitors, 10 am-5 pm. (4705 W. Marginal Way SW)
(added) FISHER SCONE WAGON: For fans of the famous fair-style scones, a telephone tip points out it’s at Metropolitan Market today (41st/Admiral). Schedule says it opens at 10:30 am, though a closing time’s not listed.
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Need a tool to get your project going, or to finish assembling a holiday gift? Borrow it from the Tool Library, open 11 am-4 pm on the northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
FREE CLASSICAL CONCERT: The Ladies’ Musical Club performs at West Seattle (Admiral) Library at 3 pm – program is in our calendar listing.
ASTRA LUMINA: Celestially inspired light show on the grounds of the Seattle Chinese Garden at the north end of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus, 5 pm and later admission times. Tickets and info here.
LIVE MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: Sunday night music with the Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW) – 8-10 pm.
Are you planning, organizing, and/or publicizing something that should be on our community event calendar – one-time or recurring? Please email us the basic details – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
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