By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Summer has just begun, but winter fun was part of the discussion when the Alki Community Council met last night. The meeting at Alki UCC was facilitated by ACC president Charlotte Starck, and started with a discussion of public-safety issues.
PUBLIC SAFETY: A member of the SPD Community Service Officers team presented crime stats, with major categories down. Of particular note, she said confirmed-gunfire incidents in West Seattle total 50 so far this year, down three from 2024. Alki has had three such incidents so far this year, down from four in the same time period of 2024. (Our archives show four, the most recent one two weeks ago, so she may have been citing stats through the end of May.)
Concerns voiced by attendees included a perceived uptick in reckless driving by motorcyclists, and “takeover” situations – one attendee said she got trapped in one of the latter at Chelan/Spokane on June 13. We took this traffic-camera screenshot taken as it was breaking up:
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The attendee hadn’t seen a police response but we recall officers showing up that night, as shown on the live camera, as the traffic-stopping gathering was dispersing. Others surfaced concerns about reckless driving on Admiral; Starck wondered what it would take to get that street designated as a “racing zone” in hopes that would boost its eligibility for enforcement.
Also, a resident campaigning for speed humps/cushions on 63rd Avenue SW said he’s been videoing speeders to put together an argument for why the raised pavement is needed.
ALKI ‘NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER’ REVIVED? The ACC isn’t advocating any particular position on the Comprehensive Plan changes before the City Council and hasn’t had a discussion on whether to do that, Starck noted. But one attendee brought up a proposal to amend the current legislation by adding more Neighborhood Centers, possibly to be formally introduced by a councilmember later this summer. A walking tour might precede that. The attendee identified herself as pro-housing and said she has lots of family members in this area and would like them to have more housing options. Another attendee noted that the originally proposed heart of a possible Alki Neighborhood Center was 61st/Stevens, right by the Log House Museum (as we first reported when city leaders unveiled the rezoning proposal last October).
ALKI LIGHT POSTS: Starck said these had rusted hangers on them dating back more than a decade – so 16 posts on Alki Avenue between 55th and 59th are getting repainted by the city over the next few weeks, a small move toward “bringing back the vibrancy.” This is a case of “if you see something, say something,” to get something fixed, she reminded attendees.
ALKI BEACH PRIDE: Starck read a message from Alki Beach Pride co-organizer Stacy Bass-Walden seeking people to help with the flag unfurling on August 10 – much like this one we covered last year:
(WSB photo, August 2024)
The date for Alki Beach Pride this year is August 16. The event time is noon-8 pm; Alki Avenue will be closed to vehicle traffic between 57th and 61st, from early morning until late night.
ALKI CHRISTMAS SHIP VISIT: The ACC got early word of this year’s date: On December 18th, off Salty’s at Alki, 5:50 pm-6:10 pm, and then off Alki Beach that same night, 8:40 pm-9 pm. Last year the ACC synergized an event on Christmas Ship night with lights and other festive touches on shore, including treats at businesses, which saw hundreds of visitors, so this year the ACC plans something even bigger. They’re working on a grant application right now and will likely call for volunteers when fall gets closer. (Side note: The date chosen by Argosy for the Christmas Ship visit is considered good news because last year, you might recall, it happened before Thanksgiving!)
More quick items:
ALKI ART FAIR: Briefly mentioned – it’s coming up July 18-20.
BUSES: In going-around-the-room discussion, there was a mention of interest in two Alki bus-service issues – restoring the 37, and moving the bus stop at Alki/61st (possibly around the corner to 61st south of Alki), an issue that surfaced during the mayor’s tour of Alki businesses last month.
SCHMITZ PARK CREEK RESTORE: A rep of the group who was in attendance said they’ve just received their first grant, and it’s for education. Weed pulling is under way, and tours of the park are also in the current plan.
WHAT’S NEXT? Watch alkicommunitycouncil.org for word of the next meeting, tentatively set to be in person only on the third Thursday in July – July 17.
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