West Seattle, Washington
25 Wednesday
An update from SDOT as Phase 3 of the Delridge Way repaving project proceeds – the next intersection closure is tentatively scheduled to start at the end of next week:
May 31 – June 3: Delridge Way SW & SW Holden Street Intersection Closure
All work is weather-dependent
Most of the intersection of Delridge Way SW and SW Holden Street will be closed from 7 p.m. Friday, May 31, until 6 a.m. Monday, June 3, for roadway restoration and storm drain installation. This work is part of the Seattle Department of Transportation’s Delridge Way SW Paving Project that is rebuilding much of Delridge Way SW between SW Orchard and SW Roxbury streets.
For the closure of the Delridge/Holden intersection, the detour will be as follows (see attached map):
· Northbound traffic on Delridge Way SW – Take SW Thistle Street to 35th Avenue SW to SW Morgan Street/ Sylvan Way SW/ SW Orchard Street to Delridge Way SW
· Southbound traffic on Delridge Way SW – Take SW Holden Street to 35th Avenue SW to SW Thistle Street to Delridge Way SW
During the week of June 3, the roadway will be striped between SW Henderson and SW Thistle streets, the areas of Phases 1 and 2. Street parking will be eliminated and lanes will be temporarily shifted for up to four days while striping is completed
This year’s Delridge Day festival is three months away – but planning is in full swing, and we’ve been asked to share this call for musicians:
2012 was the first year Delridge Day had a music stage and helped to showcase some the best local talent! This year, the plans are no different and the community planners for Delridge Day are hard at work in search for some great musical talent to help fill out time slots and show the community what they have to offer.
Delridge Day is planned for Saturday, August 17th from 11 AM-4 PM at Delridge Community Center and Park. If you’ve got a voice, guitar, drum set or even a drumbot, then we want to hear what you have to offer! We have time slots ranging from 11 AM-3 PM and are looking to fill them immediately. Interested musicians can e-mail Chas Redmond at credmond@mac.com and provide links to their music. We’re looking for solo artists and groups that are ready to entertain the local community!
This year’s Delridge Day co-sponsors include WSB – and they’re still seeking more; here’s the info packet for prospective sponsors.
As announced last week, SDOT plans to shift the Delridge Way repaving work to Phase 3, Thistle to Trenton, this Wednesday. The section of Delridge that will have a southbound detour during that time will be between Thistle and Holden. Above, the map; below, the update:
Beginning May 15, southbound traffic on Delridge Way Southwest in West Seattle will be detoured at Southwest Holden Street and the currently detoured stretch from Southwest Thistle to Southwest Trenton streets will be reopened. The closure will allow the contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation to reconstruct the roadway and install storm drains. The new detour, from Holden to Thistle streets, is expected to remain in place through mid July. This work is Phase 3 of the project that is rebuilding much of Delridge Way Southwest.
Traffic will be redirected (see attached map):
· West on SW Holden Street
· South on 35th Avenue S
· East on SW Thistle Street
· South on Delridge Way SWDelridge will remain open to northbound traffic except for intersection work. Local access to businesses and residents will be maintained.
This is a five-phase project. At the end of Phase 3, construction activity will move north to Phase 4, between SW Orchard and SW Holden streets.
Another “spot repair” project just announced for a stretch of West Seattle roadway:
Seattle Department of Transportation’s paving crews will replace concrete roadway panels on Delridge Way Southwest at 23rd Avenue Southwest (near SW Graham Street) on Wednesday, May 15th. Two-way traffic will be maintained. Drivers may encounter some congestion in this area during the work.
This project is being funded by SDOT’s annual paving program and the Bridging the Gap transportation initiative approved by Seattle voters.
Tonight during the monthly West Seattle Art Walk, the new North Delridge apartment building Youngstown Flats not only will be open to visitors, it’ll host a reception for the 14 artists whose work can be seen around the complex. Youngstown Flats, now open to leasing and already home to its first tenants, is a new WSB sponsor; we toured recently to give you a peek inside. The art is not only outdoors, , but also in the public hallways of each floor, including the work shown above, and in the main lobby:
More ahead:
Thanks to the people who tipped us about some kind of police operation under way in the vicinity of the Super 24 store along Delridge. WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand arrived and found SWAT officers, guns drawn, and someone apparently in custody. No one is commenting at the scene so we are trying to find out more. Traffic was stopped on Delridge for a while but Patrick says it’s just been allowed to resume.
Shortly after we took that photo, a tow-truck crew righted the car, which had flipped onto the south side of the 20th/Henderson intersection, just east of Delridge Way. No official information on circumstances at this point but police told us one person had been taken to a hospital.
5:15 PM UPDATE: This was a two-car crash, according to Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore, whose department does not investigate the cause but does treat the victims, so he was able to tell us that the person taken to the hospital as a precaution was the 28-year-old woman driving the flipped PT cruiser. She got herself and a 3-week-old baby girl out of the vehicle before Engine 11 arrived; the 25-year-old woman and 4-year-old in the other vehicle were not hurt.
8:02 PM UPDATE: A commenter who lives nearby says the 4-year-old was actually in the flipped PT cruiser and the baby in the other car.
(February photo of Delridge Way work, from SDOT via Flickr)
The second phase of the Delridge Way SW repaving project is almost over, with the third phase expected to start next week. So says SDOT in this advisory just out of the WSB inbox:
The Seattle Department of Transportation expects paving work on Delridge Way Southwest to progress to the next phase on Wednesday, May 15. The contractor will detour southbound traffic on Delridge from Southwest Holden to Southwest Thistle streets, and reopen the stretch from Southwest Thistle to Southwest Trenton streets. The new detour, from Holden to Thistle, is expected to remain in place through mid July. This work is Phase 3 of the project that is rebuilding much of Delridge Way Southwest.
Delridge will remain open to northbound traffic except for intersection work. Local access to businesses and residents will be maintained. SDOT will release a map and details of the new detour as the date approaches.
After the contractor completes work between Thistle and Trenton, Delridge will be striped between Thistle and Henderson streets. Also, crews expect to return by late May to the stretch between Trenton and Henderson for weather-dependent crack seal work.
This is a five-phase project. At the end of Phase 3, construction activity will move north to Phase 4, between SW Orchard and SW Holden streets.
Lisa Taylor-Whitley heads up the North Delridge Neighborhood Council Beautification Committee, and every month, whether 3 people show up or 30, she and helpers are out cleaning up another corner of the neighborhood. This morning, it was the walking/biking path that leads from the Skylark Café and Club parking lot down to the bus stop at SW Spokane St. (where buses and other vehicles are detoured today and tomorrow because of repaving, remember). Before we caught up with Lisa on the path, we found other members of today’s cleanup crew wrapping up outside Skylark – Tom, Oliver, Nancy, and Jackson the dog:
They all explained that the path was in pretty good shape this time, so they only needed to work for a little more than an hour, half of the time allotted. Keep an eye on the NDNC’s website for info on upcoming cleanups – and/or send Lisa a note if you have a site to suggest (lisataylorwhitley@gmail.com).
After Seattle Parks announced last week that thieves had stolen almost a quarter-mile of copper wiring from the Delridge Playfield lighting system, they thought it might take two weeks to repair. Instead, the lights are already back on, after a fix that took just days. After a couple reader tips, we followed up with Parks, and spokesperson Joelle Hammerstad told WSB today that “After discovering an electrical contractor could not do the work (there), our Electric Shop team put together a plan and worked straight through the weekend to restore lights by Monday night, just one week after the problem was reported. On Tuesday night, normal activities resumed.” No arrests reported yet.
This time last year, the first families to seek enrollment at K-5 STEM at Boren were getting word of their assignments. Now, as the trailblazing public school goes into the final months of its first year, the K-5 STEM school community is ready to look ahead at its strategic plan, to be presented by staff members, with time for feedback to follow. If yours is a K-5 STEM family now – or planning to be next fall – you’re invited; 6:45-8:15 pm at the school (5950 Delridge Way SW); more info here.
A two-part announcement from Delridge Grocery – first, it’s their regular monthly meeting on Monday (April 22nd), 6:30 pm at Delridge Library (5423 Delridge Way SW), with a call for volunteers – people to help at a community event, talk with their neighbors, and otherwise help as the DG team works toward its future storefront. They’re also putting out a call for donated items to sell at their benefit sale on West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, which is three weeks from tomorrow. You can arrange for pickup or dropoff by contacting them at delridgegrocery@gmail.com (and/or, go to Monday’s meeting and connect with DG leadership there).
This is NOT affecting traffic now, but might later when it’s time for repairs – a car hit a streetlight pole (above left) on southbound Delridge Way SW across from the Boren/K-5 STEM parking lot, and veered off the road, onto the slope leading down toward Longfellow Creek:
City Light‘s been notified – one of its employees actually called in the crash – we’ll check on the repair timetable later; here’s the pole’s damaged base:
Police hadn’t yet sorted out why the driver – who was not seriously hurt – hit the pole and went off the road.
(Photos courtesy Seattle Parks and Recreation)
Followup today on the huge copper-wire theft that has put Delridge Playfield out of commission for many events until further notice, as reported here last night. Today, Parks says its electricians estimate the repairs will cost up to $20,000 and take up to two weeks. They were at the parks today, as were police, trying to find out more about the theft of 1,200 feet of wire. An update from Parks today explains how it happened:
The copper wiring was accessed from the junction boxes under light poles around the perimeter of the field. After cutting the wires between each junction box, thieves brought in a vehicle (likely a truck), hooked up the wire to the vehicle and pulled out the wiring. Parks staff believe the theft was conceived and executed over several nights, as it appears other junction boxes with wire still inside were prepared for theft.
Parks’ update quotes acting superintendent Christopher Williams as saying, “This is a significant theft … and we want to catch the person or people who did it because this creates a needless expense for taxpayers and an unnecessary loss of playing time for park users. … We are asking anyone who is a neighbor to a Seattle Parks and Recreation ballfield to help us keep eyes on our parks. We need neighbors’ help to deter criminal activity.” Call Seattle Police if you have any information about the theft – or any time you spot suspicious activity. Parks also says you can report suspicious behavior to the Park Rangers’ office at 206-255-8325.
(One more reminder about crime concerns/trends in general – the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets at 7 tonight, Southwest Precinct meeting room, SW Webster just west of Delridge Way SW.)
Delridge Playfield nighttime events have been canceled/relocated TFN because “someone has stolen a very large amount of copper wiring,” 
according to Seattle Parks spokesperson Joelle Hammerstad. How large? At least 1,200 feet of wiring – which, according to Parks, ran between poles at the playfield. They also believe that the thief/thieves were planning to return – because they had, according to a Parks report, “dismantled more of the system than they were able to take in one session and had broken into other areas preparing to pull even more wire out.” Hammerstad says Parks is asking anyone with information about the theft to call Seattle Police; meantime, the Parks electrical shop is assembling a plan to get the playfield lighting back in operation, but it won’t be easy, says one manager – “this will require research and then a bunch or work to trace and then reinstall this much wire.” No cost estimate yet – we expect to find out more tomorrow.
(Delridge Day 2012 photo by Nick Adams for WSB)
After a day dominated by headlines about what’s NOT happening this summer – it’s time for a reminder about what IS. West Seattle’s summer festivals and events are all in full planning swing, as we’ve mentioned in neighborhood coverage throughout the fall and winter, and now that spring is really here, everything is starting to gel. Tonight, the North Delridge Neighborhood Council is getting out the word that Delridge Day is already recruiting vendors, sponsors, and musicians, while working on the overall plan:
The 2013 Delridge Day Festival is planned for Saturday, August 17th, from 11 am-4 pm at Delridge Community Center and Park. This year’s festival will feature a large vendor area, highlighting some of the best local businesses in the area, local savory and sweet food trucks where you can grab a bite to eat, kids and family style picnic games, bouncy house, face painting, and much more! Again this year, we’ll have our music stage with plenty of local live music and entertainment. Interested music groups and talent can e-mail Chas Redmond at credmond@mac.com and provide links to their music.
The planning committee is working on securing sponsors and vendors to make this year’s event happen. We encourage local businesses to submit an application to be a part of our local event! The sponsorship and vendor fees not only support the festival but all give back to the community, as 15 percent of all fees are donated to the ARC (Associated Recreation Council), which provides scholarships for Community Center classes at Delridge Community Center. Over the last two years, Delridge Day has donated nearly $2,000 to the ARC!
Vendor and Sponsor packets are available online at:
ndnc.org/delridgeday or by e-mailing the planning committee at delridgeday@ndnc.orgTo keep updated on the festival plans, visit the festival web page: www.ndnc.org/delridgeday or check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/delridgeday.
Here’s our full coverage from last year, if you want to get a closer look at how it all unfolded.
(Click image to get full-size PDF of map)
That’s the detour map just in from SDOT, one week after they announced that the Delridge-Thistle intersection will close this weekend – 7 pm April 12th till 6 am April 15th – as part of the second phase of the Delridge Way repaving project. As shown on the map, here’s the detour plan – note there’s also a nearby closure that starts earlier, first thing THURSDAY morning:
· Northbound traffic on Delridge Way SW – Take SW Trenton Street to 35th Avenue SW to SW Holden Street to Delridge Way SW
· Southbound traffic on Delridge Way SW – Take SW Holden Street to 35th Avenue SW to SW Trenton Street to Delridge Way SW
· Westbound traffic on SW Thistle Street – Take 16th Avenue SW to SW Henderson Street to Delridge Way SW
· Eastbound traffic on SW Thistle Street – Take 35th Avenue SW to SW Holden Street or SW Trenton Street to Delridge Way SW
Additionally, there will be a partial closure of the SW Cloverdale Street and Delridge Way SW intersection from 7 a.m. Thursday, April 11, to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 13. This intersection will be closed to eastbound traffic on SW Cloverdale Street on these days. Through traffic will be directed to use a signed detour; local access will be maintained.
When community groups were originally briefed two years ago on upgrades for West Seattle’s Fire Station 36 – on the north end of Delridge, alongside the bridge – they were told the station’s operations would remain on the site while the work was done. (Here’s our February 2011 report from the briefing at the North Delridge Neighborhood Council.) With the work now months away, we’ve learned that plan has changed, and Station 36 will now be moving into temporary quarters near Harbor Avenue and SW Florida (map), on Port of Seattle property across from the Harbor Ave. 7-11, as described by city spokesperson Julie Moore, who explains that those 2011 briefings preceded design work on the upgrades:
Early in the design process, it became apparent that it was not optimal to have the firefighters and the contractor on site at the same time. We decided that locating the temporary station away from the current site during construction would have the least impact on Seattle Fire Department operations, which of course, is the priority. Having the firefighters off site during construction also reduces construction time. … We will build a temporary station that includes two trailers and a tent, similar to what we have done for other temporary stations around the city.
The $3.6 million Station 36 upgrade includes earthquake-safety features and additional building space. According to the city’s latest schedule update for Fire Levy projects including this one, it’s expected to go out to bid in about two weeks, and construction is likely to start in late summer, lasting a little more than a year.
West Seattle has three other fire-station projects in the works – upgrades for Highland Park’s Station 11 (scheduled to start construction in November) and Admiral’s Station 29 (no date yet since it’s in pre-design), and a 2015 rebuild for Station 32 in The Triangle (here’s our recent report on that).
12:05 PM: Till 1 pm, you can drop by Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way) and enjoy a light lunch while joining in on preparations for West Seattle’s new Delridge Grocery. You knew the organizers originally as Delridge Produce Cooperative – now, meet them under the new name as they get ready to open a grocery store in the under-construction DESC Supportive Housing building (5400 block of Delridge) next year. You can talk with DG board members, check out their business plan, enjoy fresh local food, and sign up to start your membership – look for the table in the corner of the room, where we found Casey and Ariana:
If you’re out and about with kids today, bring them too – there’s an arts-and-crafts table. To connect with Delridge Grocery online, here’s their Facebook page. No online signups yet for membership, but DG tells us that’s part of the plan. P.S. While you won’t have to be a member to shop there, membership will have its benefits – as well as being an investment in the neighborhood – organizers say.
ADDED 12:48 PM: DG has shared a drawing of the grocery store’s floor plan (click the image for a larger view):
Also, you can read the “executive summary” of their business plan here (PDF).
Just noticed this new commercial real-estate listing: The 16,000-square-foot South Delridge site approved for 45 apartments and live-work units at 20th and Barton is up for sale, listed at $850,000. The two vacant, graffiti-covered homes that had been on the site were demolished some weeks back, and the listing points out that the land-use permit has been granted, “building permit in process.” The project required three design-review meetings last year because the concept changed between the first and second meetings. But it drew no controversy along the way – as noted in our October report, your editor here was the only person at the last design review meeting besides board members, project team, and the city planner assigned to the project.
Another followup as the Delridge-repaving project moves from Phase 1 to Phase 2: SDOT announced today that the new southbound detour around the shifted work zone (Thistle to Trenton) is expected to take effect Wednesday (March 20th). We published a revised detour map in this story two nights ago.
Don’t know how many days ago this happened, but we just noticed it today while turning around in the SW Yancy dead-end adjacent to Longfellow Creek, across from Allstar Fitness – the asphalt-topped parking lot installed after an old industrial facility was torn down has been torn out. Now the lot is just dirt. Checking the city’s online file, repeated violation notices were issued because the parking lot (“more than 2,000 square feet of impervious surface”), the city says, was installed without a permit. The removal was done with a permit, which was “finaled” by a city inspector yesterday (and there also was a permit for last year’s demolition of the buildings on the site). There have been previous proposals for new commercial buildings on the site, but none appears to be active right now.
That’s an updated detour map for Phase 2 of the Delridge Way repaving project, scheduled to take effect sometime next week – probably not before Wednesday, according to SDOT’s LeAnne Nelson, who thanks commenter Jim P for pointing out a problem with the map sent yesterday:
Your readers bring up a good point regarding the map. It shows the right-of-way routes for both 25th and 26th Avenue SW even though parts of what would be the roadway are unimproved. Attached is an updated map. Thank you to your readers for pointing out the issue!
Nelson also addresses an issue that commenter Breeze brought up:
Comments to your Phase 2 story include a question about why we detour to 35th Avenue SW. We strive to detour traffic along arterials, and the only consistent arterials flanking Delridge are the west sides of Trenton and Thistle (east sides of those streets are not arterials) and 35th Avenue SW to link them north/south.
We cannot disallow vehicles from utilizing public streets, but we can encourage arterial use. If speeding is witnessed repeatedly on the street, let us know, and we could place speed tubes to track the problem and potentially request more enforcement in the area. We also strongly suggest neighbors partner with our Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program team to apply for roadway assessment and possible traffic calming measures. Details are at: seattle.gov/transportation/ntcp_calming.htm
Again, provided weather doesn’t get in the way of Phase 1’s completion between SW Trenton and Henderson, Phase 2 of the repaving will start sometime next week along Delridge between Trenton and Thistle, and that’s when the – revised! – detour map will apply. This phase of the project is expected to last about 2 1/2 months.
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