West Seattle, Washington
10 Tuesday
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Meet next year’s Admiral Neighborhood Association leadership:
Left to right, Becky Crompton is the new treasurer; staying on are secretary Meagan Loftin, president Joanie Jacobs and vice president Cheryl Lea. The vote came during Tuesday night’s every-other-month ANA gathering, this time
held at West Seattle Realty (WSB sponsor).
Seattle Police didn’t send a rep this time, so that meant no crime/safety discussion to open the meeting. But there were two other topics of note:
ANA’S WINTER WONDERLAND: The business-district holiday celebration will be back for a third year on Saturday, December 13; Loftin is overseeing it. The night’s meeting venue also will play a major role during Winter Wonderland – West Seattle Realty (2715 California SW) will be the scene of a disco-dance party with Santa! Other businesses – mostly along California, between Walker and Charlestown, will host holiday activities, plus the Admiral Church choir will carol, and West Seattle High School students will have an arts pop-up. Watch for details and a map here next week. The festivities are all intended to “encourage everybody to shop small” this holiday season. (And if your Admiral business isn’t already signed up to participate, you can still jump in – Friday’s the deadline!)
(Schmitz Park, in the center of pilot/photographer Long Bach Nguyen‘s 2012 image)
SCHMITZ PARK CREEK RESTORE: Tim DiMarco and Dan Nye came with an update on the vision for Schmitz Preserve Park, 53 acres of largely untouched forest with a lot of history. (Here’s our original report from when the organization went public a year and a half ago.) Nye is a forest steward and talked briefly about Parks’ light touch on clearing some trees that fell during recent storms, leaving much of the wood to rot. He also talked about investigating why the creek doesn’t flow beyond the park, which “is a very important place for the indigenous people … the ravine was saved as a sacred space.” The ravine is likely the result of glaciers and Seattle Fault earthquake activity: “We want to preserve (the ravine).” He talked about the site’s history, with even President Roosevelt visiting. He shared the history of how they got to this point, talking with the city, with tribes, with schools “about how the park had been used and how it might be uded in the future.”
One big problem: Invasive specied – ivy, holly, blackberries, laurel. Everyone is welcome to come volunteer digging up invasives “and we have a blast – you really make a difference.” They had a big planting party at 51st/Orleans last weekend planting native species. (Another one is planned 10 am this Saturday, November 22.) They think what they’re doing can inspire other neighborhoods.
They also talked about the UW students who did a presentation a year ago of what concept plans might look like (WSB coverage here) – they’re still interested in feedback – they’re hoping the students will revisit what they did – they’re hoping to replant part of the park into native species, which would nurture salmon.
“This all of course will cost money,” said Nye, so they’ve formed a 501(c)3 nonprofit – they continue working on the possibility of restoring and daylighting the stream and bringing back the salmon. Their first grant is from a foundation (updated) associated with the estate of Patsy Bullitt. They say Parks plans to establish an endowment fund.
They periodically lead what is actually a historic tour – you can see where this brook comes down into the forest – “it’s a gorgeous stream,” says DiMarco, and it pops out of the hillsides. As they troop up, they talk about the history and the people who would come over here from other parts of the city. “It’s a huge beautiful forest; it’s amazing,” said Nye, “and it’s right here at your doorstep.” They hope to be able to rename it Alki Creek someday.
What’s the timeline for their project? 10 years or so, Nye replied.
NEXT MEETING: January 13, at Admiral HUB (4320 SW Hill).
BONUS QUESTION: There was a round of Admiral trivia to determine winners of the door prizes. First one: Who was the admiral after who Admiral was named?
After 2 1/2 months, Westwood Village has a drive-up/ride-up/walk-up mailbox again. It was damaged beyond usability in an early-September break-in; every time we’ve passed through WWV, we’ve been looking for a replacement to appear. Went through the center tonight for the first time in at least a few days, and just noticed the replacement is in place. It’s still a lot quicker than the year and a half the USPS took to replace its counterpart in The Junction,
(WSB photo, West Seattle Eagles, Thanksgiving 2024)
Thanksgiving Day 2025 is exactly one week away. The WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide has the full T-Day and pre-T-Day list; three highlights are these free community dinners in West Seattle on the holiday – all welcome, not just those who might go hungry otherwise:
THE HALL AT FAUNTLEROY, NOON-3 PM: For more than 20 years. Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering parent company D-Squared has cooked and served a full sit-down holiday dinner at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW). All are welcome. If you’d like to contribute, bring dessert – and/or gently used warm clothing, new blankets, and socks, for those who might need them. Our calendar listing explains how, when, and where to donate.
WEST SEATTLE EAGLES, 2 PM-6 PM: Also a longtime tradition – the Eagles open their doors (4426 California SW) to everyone on Thanksgiving for a full traditional dinner. All ages, membership not required.
ADMIRAL PUB, 6 PM: The pub proprietors annually welcome the community (21+) for a free Friendsgiving dinner with traditional Thanksgiving food. This year, they’re adding live music after dinner, at 9 pm. (2306 Calfornia SW)
The report was sent by Melinda:
Stolen 11/19 in West Seattle. This was my brother’s work van. He spent the night visiting and it was taken overnight from 5600 block of 44th Ave SW. ALL his tools were in there too. SIMILAR to the one in photo (a little different).
Plate B337292
1999 Chevrolet Astro Van
Vin # ——–3888
Call 911 if you find it. We’ll add the police report # when we get it.
(WSB photo, October)
West Seattle’s only emergency shelter for unhoused people is about to resume overnight operation, for the first time since shelter operators, police, and neighbors began working together following contentious public discussions about area street disorder. The announcement we received this afternoon explains how operations are changing:
Westside Neighbors Shelter, the cold-weather emergency shelter at the American Legion Hall in West Seattle, will open in the evenings for overnight stays on Saturday, November 22 at 6 pm.
People familiar with Westside Neighbors Shelter will notice some differences compared to how it has operated in the past.
This year, Burien Severe Weather Shelter, operated by Highline United Methodist Church (13015 1st Ave South), will work in cooperation with Westside Neighbors Shelter to provide overnight staffing and security for the 2025-2026 winter season. BSWS has provided overnight shelter with trained staff at HUMC during severe weather events for the past seven winters in Burien.
Unlike larger numbers in past years, only thirty-five individuals will be allowed to sleep inside the Legion Hall each night. This number increases to 45 when “severe weather” criteria is met according to King County Regional Homelessness Association. (Tier 3 severe weather is defined as daily high temperatures predicted at 35°F or below for a single day, daily low temperatures predicted at 30°F or below, and snow/rain accumulation greater than four inches.)
Client registration is required, and begins at 6 pm. Cots are assigned first-come, first-served for 35 beds. After that, a waitlist is kept for people who arrive at the shelter requesting a bed. A returning guest must show up by the time the doors close for the night at 10 pm, or their bed will be given to the next person on the waitlist. Dinner will be available only for those sleeping at the shelter that night.
Another change this season is that Westside Neighbors Shelter recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Southwest Precinct of the Seattle Police Department, giving officers the authority to act on behalf of the owner to enforce trespassing on shelter property without requiring prior approval from shelter leadership. This enables officers to go on property immediately to address harassment. Enforcement follows a clear three-step process: Verbal Warning → Citation → Arrest (if necessary).
SPD has also increased patrol visibility, including parking a patrol car on site at key times (such as after breakfast) to ensure guests leave the property once services conclude. The precinct has also increased their speed to remove offenders and response time to calls both around the shelter and in the surrounding Triangle.
This support is a big step forward and a direct result of community engagement. We appreciate the quick support from the SPD, and anticipate that the community will see a decrease in loitering on the property and in the immediate area.
The Westside Neighbors Shelter is hosted in the American Legion Hall at 3620 SW Alaska Street. To learn more about the shelter, visit westsideneighborsshelter.org
The shelter is powered by volunteers and donations.
The string of garage break-ins in the Admiral/Belvedere area continues. Whitney sent this report and security-camera image.
Early morning of Nov 20, at 3:42 AM, one of the glass panels in our garage door was broken, and a man, driving a Prius, entered and stole a set of golf clubs before opening our garage door and exiting.
Whitney adds that a neighbor’s garage was broken into two weeks ago; that’s close to when we published this previous reader report.
(SPS-TV video of last night’s School Board meeting – superintendent contract vote is 2 hours, 4 minutes in)
New Seattle Public Schools superintendent Ben Shuldiner will start work February 1, 2026. That’s part of what’s in the contract approved by the SPS School Board last night, two weeks after the board announced the current Lansing, MI, superintendent was their lone finalist for the job. As first reported on the Save Seattle Schools website, Shuldiner’s starting salary will be $365,000, plus a $60,000 Tax-Sheltered Annuity contribution, and if he stays for four years, he would get a $40,000 retention bonus. This contract is actually for two and a half years; board president Gina Topp – who negotiated it along with board VP Shawn Briggs – says that’s the longest state law would allow, spanning all or part of three school years. Other contract details include reimbursement for up to $17,000 in moving expenses, and $1,000 a month for using his own car on district business. The contract was approved unanimously; you can read it here. (For comparison, now-ex-superintendent Dr. Brent Jones was reported to have a base salary just under $350,000 as of a year ago.)
SIDE NOTE: If you missed it, here’s our recent report on a conversation with the superintendent-to-be.
(Wednesday sunrise – photo by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
We’re continuing to update the Highway 99 tunnel closure here (11 am update: it’s open again), but otherwise, time to move on – belatedly – to what’s happening on the peninsula for the rest of today/tonight – mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (where you’ll find even more for today/tonight/days and weeks ahead) and Holiday Guide:
FREE PLAYSPACE: West Seattle Church of the Nazarene is opening its free community playspace two mornings a week, 9 am-noon Tuesdays and Thursdays. (42nd/Juneau)
CITY COUNCIL BUDGET MEETING: 9:30 am budget-committee meeting under way for councilmembers as they get close to approving next year’s budget – info’s on the agenda; watch via Seattle Channel.
GATHERING AT THE VOID: Get out of the home office for a couple hours! “Work, Game, Craft or Chat! At The Void ” hangout at The Void, 10 am-noon Tuesdays. (5048 California SW)
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER: The ground hasn’t frozen (yet), so it’s the perfect time to plant! Explore the possibilities – the center is open Thursdays-Saturdays 10 am-3 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.
SSC FOOD TRUCK: Also at the college today – 10:30 am-12:30 pm at campus clock tower (6000 16th SW), serving community members as well as students, Polynesian-inspired menu again today.
PRESCHOOL STORY TIME IN ADMIRAL: 10:30 am at West Seattle Library (2306 42nd SW).
TODDLER STORY TIME IN WESTWOOD: Southwest Library story time is canceled today.
TURKEY TAKE-OUT: The week-early High Point Community Center Thanksgiving feast has dine-in or take-out options, noon-3 pm. (6920 34th SW)
WEST SEATTLE UKULELE PLAYERS: All levels welcome at this weekly 1 pm gathering. Email westseattleukuleleplayerswsup@gmail.com to see where they’re playing today. (Even if you just want to know so you can go listen!)
DROP-IN CHESS: High Point Library‘s weekly event is back today, 4-5:30 pm for players under 18. (3411 SW Raymond)
HPCS FOOD-TRUCK VISIT: First of two regular Thursday night events at HPCS – every Thursday, 4-8 pm, Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) gets a food-truck visit. Tonight it’s Impeckable Chicken.
WINE TASTING WITH CLARK: Another regular Thursday event at HPCS, 5-7:30 pm – info here.
HALLELUJAH LIGHTS: 4:30-5:30 pm outdoor gathering at Providence Mount St. Vincent (WSB sponsor) with lights, candlelight, and music, to remember and celebrate loved ones. (4831 35th SW)
RAT CITY ART AND FOOD WALK: More than two dozen venues are participating tonight, 5-8 pm – here’s the list of who’s where.
VISCON CELLARS: This West Seattle winery’s friendly tasting room/wine bar is open Thursdays, 5-9 pm (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor), for wine by the glass or bottle!
ASTRA LUMINA: The light-and-sound show at the Seattle Chinese Garden (6000 16th SW) continues. First admission is 5 pm; tickets and info here.
WASHINGTON STATE BLACK LEGACY INSTITUTE FUNDRAISER: 6 pm – check our calendar listing to see if there’s still space. (2656 42nd SW)
THE DUSTY 45s: 6 pm, featuring Rod Cook & Toast at Tim’s Tavern. (16th/98th, White Center)
WEST SEATTLE MONTESSORI OPEN HOUSE: 6-7 pm, prospective families invited to visit. (11215 15th SW, White Center)
WESTIES RUN CLUB: 6 pm, now starting at Future Primitive Beach Bar (2536 Alki SW), you’re welcome to join the Westies Run Club‘s Thursday night community run!
WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: This one’s for walkers! Meet at 6 pm at 47th/Fauntleroy for tonight’s group walk – details in our calendar listing.
ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: 7 pm at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds), your chance to come hear and talk about what’s happening in the neighborhood.
MORBIDLY CURIOUS BOOK CLUB: “Nine Pints” is this month’s book – come talk about it at Beveridge Place Pub (6413 California SW), 7 pm.
TRIVIA: 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), 21+.
CONSCIOUS CONNECTIONS: 7:15 pm at Revitalize Spa (8142 15th SW), monthly gathering to connect in a disconnected era.
‘THE CRUCIBLE’ AT WSHS: Second week for new student production at West Seattle High School (3000 California SW), as previewed here, 7:30 pm curtain.
DJ NIGHT: Extended-weekend spinning starts tonight at Revelry Room (4547 California SW), with DJ Buttnaked, 8 pm.
Are you planning an event that should be on our calendar and in our daily preview lists? Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
8:00 AM: The 99 tunnel is closed both ways because of a power outage.
8:20 AM: WSDOT has no estimate for reopening.
9:09 AM: Don’t even try to head toward downtown (unless it’s by bike or Water Taxi). One reader tried and finally gave up after little progress: “All roads leading in are at a standstill.”
9:23 AM: We haven’t heard a cause for the outage but for the record, here’s its footprint, from the City Light outage map, where it’s listed as 167 customers despite the outage zone’s extensive sprawl:
9:49 AM: Note that 99 access is closed far before the tunnel – for example, the ramp from the eastbound, West Seattle Bridge, and also to the south, SDOT just tweeted: “NB SR 99 is closed north of S Idaho St. All vehicles must exit at S Spokane St.” The main problem for the tunnel, per an AlertSeattle message, is that the outage is affecting its ventilation.
9:56 AM: City Light map shows most of the outage has just been resolved. We’re watching to see how soon the tunnel will reopen and will continue updating here until resolved.
10:30 AM: Still closed.
10:47 AM: WSDOT has just announced that the tunnel has reopened.
11:51 AM: We are following up on some questions raised by this. For the simple one – what caused the outage – SCL spokesperson Jenn Strang says it was “a wire that came down at 4th S and S Hanford this morning.”
1:05 PM: We also asked WSDOT about why the tunnel didn’t have backup systems. Spokesperson RB McKeon said, “There is redundancy in the system and we would normally receive power from the north end. That switch gear has failed and although our emergency generators kicked on, they are not designed to run the ventilation and some of the other systems.” McKeon added that “… we are also in touch with the manufacturer of our switch gear and have asked them for an assessment and recommendations. We are not aware of any other occasion where this has occurred.”
Earlier:
6:03 AM: Good morning! It’s Thursday, November 20, 2025.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET
The forecast for today: Chance of more rain, then cloudy, eventually clearing, high in the low 50s. Sunrise will be at 7:22 am; sunset will be at 4:27 pm.
SPEED BUMP FOLLOWUP
(WSB photo, 62nd Avenue SW)
After a reader report that the latest wave of Alki speed bumps were finally all done, we went over to confirm; the view above is a speed hump (the type without a break in the middle – those are speed cushions) on 62nd SW.
TRANSIT TODAY
Washington State Ferries – The Triangle Route is on a three-boat schedule, with M/V Cathlamet, M/V Kittitas, and M/V Sealth. Vessel Watch will show you which boat is where; ferry alerts will update with any changes.
Metro buses – On regular schedule and routes.
Water Taxi – regular West Seattle service, fall/winter schedule.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:
Low Bridge – Here’s the view looking west. Also note, maritime-opening info is again available via X (ex-Twitter):
1st Avenue South Bridge:
Delridge cameras: In addition to the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page.
See a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
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