West Seattle, Washington
23 Saturday
A reminder today from Washington State Ferries, for people who use the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route:
Starting in ONE WEEK, the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route will be operating on a brand new weekday and adjusted weekend schedule! Be sure to make your plans by picking up a green Spring 2019 sailing schedule or going online (here).
Meantime, the Triangle Route will be back to the regular three-boat schedule tomorrow.
(WSB photos)
6:47 PM: Until 8 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW) is abuzz with the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s annual membership meeting and Food Fest. In addition to tastes from local food/drink purveyors, you’ll find info tables from community and government organizations – just stop in! Updates to come.
ADDED EARLY WEDNESDAY: A few more scenes from the event:
The season of school fundraisers continues, and we have two Saturday events to note:
SATURDAY MORNING MOVIE FOR CO-OP PRESCHOOLS: You can start the day at the Admiral Theater, 9:30 am:
South Seattle College Cooperative Preschools will be hosting a screening of “My Neighbor Totoro” at the Admiral Theater (to whom we are incredibly grateful for hosting the
event!). “My Neighbor Totoro” (directed by Hayao Miyazaki) is a beautiful family-friendly animated film about two young sisters and their adventures with friendly forest spirits in rural Japan.Tickets will be available at the door for a suggested donation of $7 each or $25 for a family. Children under 1 are free. We are only able to accept cash or check at the door.
All proceeds go to support the Mary E. Phillips Scholarship Fund, making SSC Cooperative preschool affordable to all. SSC Co-op Preschools have locations throughout West Seattle (Alki, North Admiral, Lincoln Park, White Center, and SSC Campus) and we will have information about our preschools available at the event.
SATURDAY NIGHT PARTY FOR FAUNTLEROY CHILDREN’S CENTER: From Judy Pickens:
The 32nd annual dinner auction on Saturday, March 16, to benefit the Fauntleroy Children’s Center is a three-generation affair for the Nickels family.
Sharon Nickels (left) will be there with husband and former Seattle mayor Greg as he runs the live auction. Their daughter, Carey Nickels, is chairing the auction committee and grandchildren Rowan and Ciaran O’Brien attend the center.
“Moonlight Masquerade” will get under way at 5:30 pm in the Hall @ Fauntleroy. Find details and reserve your seat at fauntleroychildrenscenter.org/annual-auction.
Toplines from last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association board meeting:
CULVERT REPLACEMENT: As noted here last weekend, the Seattle Public Utilities project to replace century-old culverts that take Fauntleroy Creek under 45th SW and California SW is approaching the design phase, and the FCA board meeting was the first of three stops in less than two weeks for project manager Cody Nelson. Construction is likely in multiple phases between 2021 and 2024, each several weeks long, since it has to take into account the windows with least effect on the creek’s fish as well as neighborhood impacts.
Nelson showed images from a video survey of the existing culverts, showing damage and wear. New laws require the culverts to be much wider than the current ones so that fish have fewer barriers to passage. The replacements will still be 30 to 40 feet underground, as are the current ones, but they’ll be at least 11 feet wide as required. SPU is also talking with Fauntleroy Church, as part of the California culvert is on church-owned property, so the work would affect the church/YMCA parking lot as well as the road.
The design process isn’t expected to start before the end of this year, so there’s plenty of time to ask questions and voice concerns, starting with two events next week: SPU will have an informational table at the FCA’s annual Food Fest membership meeting (6-8 pm Tuesday, March 19th, The Hall at Fauntleroy) and then a project-specific open house the next night, also at The Hall, 5-7 pm Wednesday, March 20th.
CRIME/SAFETY UPDATE: Southwest Precinct operations commander Lt. Steve Strand was in attendance. He said SDCI has taken action against the “problem house” across from the main Lincoln Park parking lot, unsafe for occupancy because of a fire a while back, and said those in the house were supposed to be out by last Friday. No reports of trespassers since then. He also mentioned Westwood Village, saying it’s had signs of improvement, with shoplifting starting to drop, but they’re keeping up the pressure, including another attempt at an observation tower/platform on the grounds.
FOOD FEST NEXT WEEK: The FCA’s annual all-community meeting, famous for food samples from local businesses, is next Tuesday (March 19th) at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW). No list yet of participants – the FCA board member organizing that is out of town. This is a night for renewing FCA membership ($25 a year for residents) and for a bit of official business like board elections, which are planned at 7 pm.
11:50 AM: From Washington State Ferries:
The M/V Sealth is out of service due to unscheduled maintenance until further notice. The Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route will operate under the normal 3-boat schedule without the #2 vessel departures and arrivals. Real-time departures and arrivals of the M/V Cathlamet and M/V Chelan can be viewed on www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/vesselwatch.
It was just yesterday that the route returned to 3-boat service after a week with two.
1:30 PM: The problem was brief and the run’s back to three-boat service.
The map is from Seattle Public Utilities, showing Fauntleroy Creek, which has a big project ahead, as explained by SPU:
There are three culverts along Fauntleroy Creek. The culverts located at 45th Avenue SW near SW Wildwood Place and California Avenue SW near SW Brace Point Drive are in extremely poor structural condition. Due to the culverts’ age, condition, and permitting restrictions related to fish passage requirements, the culverts need to be fully replaced.
The third culvert, which is located under Fauntleroy Way and includes a fish ladder, was replaced in the late 1990’s and is not part of this project.
The replacements also would improve conditions for salmon in Fauntleroy Creek, says the city. Right now, SPU is evaluating options for the replacement, before entering the design phase. At this early stage, you have three opportunities this month to hear from and talk with SPU reps:
*Fauntleroy Community Association business meeting, 7 pm Tuesday (March 12th), Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW)
*FCA annual meeting and Food Fest, 6 pm March 19th, The Hall at Fauntleroy (9140 California SW)
*Project-specific open house, 5-7 pm March 20th, The Hall at Fauntleroy
From Washington State Ferries:
The Chelan returns to the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route on Monday, putting three boats back to the run to start the week. We appreciate your patience during this past week while the route was on a two-boat schedule due to unplanned vessel maintenance. Starting on Monday, the vessels will be in the following order: Chelan #1, Sealth #2 and Cathlamet #3.
(WSB photo from February)
Two weeks ago, we reported on a state Department of Natural Resources-contracted crew removing creosote-contaminated logs from the Fauntleroy shore, one of many cleanups they do on shorelines around the state each year, with hopes of doing more. Resident Mike Dey (who also leads the Fauntleroy Commmunity Association) shares word of the final total – “45,960 pounds of contaminated logs from Fauntleroy Cove and another 16,580 pounds from Lincoln Park for a total of 62,540 pounds of creosote laden logs from the beach. (The DNR) said this may be the largest collection they have ever had from a continuous private beach. Quite a haul.”
Big news from Fauntleroy Creek steward Judy Pickens: “(Volunteer) Dennis (Hinton) just spotted six fry zipping around in the lower creek – our first sighting of home hatch from the fall spawning!” That’s two days after volunteers’ “snow-postponed planting party” – here’s Judy’s report:
(Photos by Kersti Muul)
A dozen volunteers came out over the weekend to install 200 native plants on city-owned property in lower Fauntleroy Creek.
The work party was part of a multi-year Green Seattle Partnership project to improve water quality, eliminate invasive species, and benefit wildlife. A contractor has been weeding the 12,550 sf open-space site adjacent to the fish ladder and planting the steep slope.
Forest steward Peggy Cummings organized the planting party for the Fauntleroy Watershed Council.
Back to the salmon: Volunteer creek-watchers counted 18 last fall.
After hours of delays on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run of Washington State Ferries, both ferries are still running up to half an hour late, according to WSF. And another problem in the system has led to a decision to run a two-boat schedule tomorrow (Monday, March 4th). Here’s the WSF announcement:
Because of an unexpected mechanical problem with the M/V Wenatchee and a lack of available standby vessels, the Fauntleroy/Vashon Island/Southworth route must operate on a two-boat schedule with the 124-vehicle capacity Cathlamet in the number 1 position, and the 90-vehicle capacity Sealth in the number 2 position. Drivers are encouraged to plan ahead and consider giving themselves extra time.
We’re told today’s delays, attributed by WSF in part to an “earlier drill,” indeed involved a rescue-boat drill early this morning, with engine trouble for the drill boat resulting to a need for a second rescue boat to be launched to help out.
(Added: Texted photo – thank you!)
4:13 PM: Seattle Fire is sending a “full response” to a possible house fire in the 8400 block of 42nd SW (map). Updates to come.
4:19 PM: Crews on scene report it appears to be just a dryer fire, “confined to the laundry room.” Biggest task ahead – ventilation.
4:23 PM: Fire’s out.
4:40 PM: No injuries reported. Most originally responding units have been dismissed.
(WSB file photo – M/V Tacoma in Elliott Bay, with Duwamish Head in the background)
West Seattle is unique in the Washington State Ferries system as home to the city’s only WSF dock in a residential area (Fauntleroy). So you might be interested in the 2018 ridership report just released:
Thirty-four times the population of the city of Seattle – that’s how many people Washington State Ferries carried in 2018.
Annual ridership on the nation’s largest ferry system increased by more than 225,000 last year to nearly 25 million, its highest level since 2002.
“Our ridership is up 10 percent from five years ago and it’s forecast to grow another 30 percent to all-time highs over the next 20 years,” said WSF Assistant Secretary Amy Scarton. “In order to support this projected demand with reliable service, our recently released 2040 Long Range Plan calls for 16 new vessels by 2040.”
The largest jump in 2018 came on the Southworth/Vashon route, where ridership was up 8.8 percent, or a gain of nearly 17,000 customers over 2017. This is the third year in a row that the biggest percentage increase has been on a route serving Southworth, as people move to more affordable housing in South Kitsap County.
WSF customers took more than 161,000 trips aboard state ferries last year, travelling nearly 1 million miles – enough to circumnavigate the earth 36 times.
2018 route-by-route ridership highlights
· System total: Customers up 0.9 percent from 2017 to 24.7 million, vehicles up 1.1 percent to 10.8 million.
· Seattle/Bainbridge Island and Bremerton: While it remains WSF’s flagship terminal servicing the most customers throughout the system, there was a year-to-year drop of nearly 60,000 total riders (0.6 percent) passing through Colman Dock. Vehicles down 2.3 percent on Bainbridge Island route, up 3 percent for Bremerton.
· Edmonds/Kingston: Second highest total ridership with customers up 2.2 percent. Biggest year-to-year increase in total vehicles, going up nearly 40,000 (1.8 percent).
· Mukilteo/Clinton: Welcomed system’s fourth Olympic class ferry, Suquamish, to the route in the fall. Busiest route for drivers with vehicles up 1.5 percent and customers up 1.7 percent.
· Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth: Customers up 1.4 percent and vehicles up 1.5 percent, led by the Southworth/Vashon segment, which had the largest year-to-year percentage growth with customers up 8.8 percent and vehicles up 6.8 percent.
· Anacortes/San Juan Islands: All-time record ridership with customers up 1.4 percent and vehicles up 1.5 percent.
· Point Defiance/Tahlequah: Customers up 2.9 percent and vehicles up 3.7 percent. Ridership up more than 250,000 from low point in 2008.
· Port Townsend/Coupeville: Customers up 4 percent and vehicles up 3.8 percent. Ten-year ridership increase of more than 350,000.
· Anacortes/Sidney, British Columbia: Slight drop due to a two-week suspension of the route due to vessel breakdowns with customers down 0.7 percent and vehicles down 1.8 percent.
· Route-by-route ridership numbers: Available on the second page of WSF’s Fact Sheet.
· Additional highlights: See more in WSF’s 2018 Year in Review.
Planning to spend more time on the peninsula because of the looming transportation crunch? You might consider checking out your nearest community group. We cover many of them. Here are toplines from the Fauntleroy Community Association meeting this past week:
POLICE UPDATE: Auto thefts dropped off significantly about two weeks ago, said Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Steve Strand in a quick briefing, possibly thanks to a recent arrest. He also mentioned, as he did at another recent meeting, that Automated License Plate Reader technology is being used aggressively – including some stakeouts.
5:13 PM: SFD has a “scenes of violence” response headed to the 3600 block of SW Donovan in Upper Fauntleroy. More info to come.
5:21 PM: Per scanner, SFD reports “a non-injured patient who is refusing treatment” so their response is being downsized. No other information so far on circumstances.
5:25 PM: Our crew is told the original call was that someone had a weapon and might have been injured, but neither has turned out to be the case.
4:51 PM: Washington State Ferries says it’s finished fixing the damage that had Vashon Island down to one slip for 2+ days, so it’s in the process of transitioning back to three-boat service on the “Triangle route.” It’s hoping to have full service restored by about 6:30 pm.
11:15 PM: Update from WSF – “Due to earlier two-boat schedule delays and heavy vehicle traffic, the M/V Cathlamet continues sailing off-schedule. The route will finish the service day on the weekday two-boat schedule, and resumes the regular three-boat schedule on Friday, Dec. 28.”
Tomorrow will be a second day of the two-boat schedule for the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route. Washington State Ferries made that announcement along with word that the damaged slip at Vashon will be repaired starting Thursday morning, “once a barge crane is delivered to the terminal.” Though you can see the two-boat schedule here, you should also keep in mind that both vessels ran behind schedule much of today.
Washington State Ferries says it will run this 2-boat schedule on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route today, but not because of vessel trouble – it’s so repairs can be made on Vashon, which has been down to 1-slip operations because of a problem WSF described as “a bent hangar bar.” The 2 boats on the run will be the Cathlamet and Kitsap, both 124-car vessels.
Eight days after a standing-room-only review of the latest proposed schedule revision for the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route, Washington State Ferries says it’s official. Here it is again, in PDF. It was sent by WSF’s Hadley Rodero, whose e-mail adds:
… During the most recent public comment period that ended on Dec. 18, we heard a wide range of comments on the draft schedule. A major theme was a request for WSF to sit down with the authors of the proposed pendulum schedule. This week our schedule planners did meet with the authors, and while they explained how it does not meet the capacity needs and constraints of the route, our planners committed to monitoring the performance of the schedule going forward and encouraged the pendulum schedule authors and others to continue providing feedback. …
This new schedule will begin on March 31, 2019. Once the new schedule starts, WSF will closely monitor the route’s performance in preparation for the busy summer season and beyond. In 2019, we will also be starting work on the Fauntleroy terminal project and looking at other strategies to improve terminal operations, provide additional travel options, and apply advances in technology or other operational efficiencies. We will share a progress report of the route’s performance and how the schedule is working.
Among other reasons, WSF said the schedule needed an overhaul because it will be adding capacity, expanding to three Issaquah-class vessels.
(WSB photo from August)
Six days after a standing-room-only turnout in Fauntleroy, it’s your last day to comment on the newest proposal for a major change in the Washington State Ferries schedule for the so-called Triangle Route. Here again is the proposal:
Comments can be e-mailed by tonight – WSFPlanning@wsdot.wa.gov. Ferries management has the final say, and plans to put a new schedule in place in March.
P.S. Though it’s not about the schedule, the much-anticipated UW study about improving loading at Fauntleroy is now out – you can read about it here.
(WSB photos)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Waiting in line is something Vashon Islanders are used to.
It’s an unavoidable part of getting on board ferries to get to and from the island.
Wednesday, more than 200 of them spent time in a different kind of line – one to get a seat in a meeting.
The Washington State Ferries Triangle Route Task Force met to review the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth’s first major schedule overhaul in more than a decade.
It was a workshop, not a decision-making meeting – the task force and the Ferry Advisory Committees whose other members participated are advisory, and WSF management has the final say. But tensions with island residents had long been at a high-water mark, dating back to the task force’s initial task of working with WSF on persistent problems with Fauntleroy backups. Vashon riders suggested solutions that weren’t tried. Some feel the schedule-overhaul process has gone the same way. That led to this sign outside Wednesday’s meeting:
Outside is where some would-be attendees had to stay, once the meeting room was at capacity, which was 179 people, per WSF’s meeting facilitator, Hadley Rodero.
For a standing-room-only meeting, it was mostly civil – with just one real flash of fury, and that wasn’t even instigated by attendees. We’ll get there, but first, here’s how it unfolded.
7:02 PM: As previewed here Monday, the Washington State Ferries Triangle Route Task Force meets tomorrow with one hot topic on the agenda – the first major revision to the route’s schedule in years. And on the eve of that meeting, WSF has released a revised version of the proposed schedule change:
(You can also see that here in PDF.) WSF also has just released this summary of comments previously received, and says it’s taking comments on the new revision for one week, through December 18th. Tomorrow’s meeting is at Fauntleroy Church‘s Fellowship Hall (9140 California SW), 4:30-7 pm.
9:33 PM: We asked WSF spokesperson Hadley Rodero for the quick-take version of what’s different:
WSF has made significant adjustments to the schedule to respond to what we heard. Such as:
o Adding a direct sailing from Vashon to Fauntleroy in the evening to avoid layover sailings that would have sent Vashon customers to Southworth on their way to Fauntleroy.
o Adding another morning sailing from Southworth to Fauntleroy during the morning commute period.
o Adding one 4:10 p.m. direct sailing from Fauntleroy to Southworth during the evening commute.
We’ve also asked Steve Stockett, a leader of the Vashon advocacy for a “pendulum” approach, for his thoughts; he’s analyzing the new version.
ADDED 7:53 AM: Stockett’s analysis of the new revision begins:
In trying to advantage Southworth even more while swatting at some symptoms that Vashon and Southworth folks, including me, have pointed out as absurdities in their previous schedule they have made it even worse.
They honestly just don’t understand the concepts of clearing the dock at Fauntleroy via an all stops (Pendulum Schedule). Your can’t have 16 direct Southworth stops, add 5 boats to Southworth and cut runs to Vashon and then do more dual loading during rush hour too. The reason Pendulum results in more, better spaced runs for everyone at every dock is because you are co-loading every boat and thus they leave fuller and have adequate time between boats at each dock to fully load. You can’t mix the 2 concepts.
They have actually reduced average dwell time by an extra couple of minutes at rush at Fauntleroy and added a direct boat for Southworth. They will average 30 or more empty space on every rush hour boat with people spilling on to Fauntleroy – even worse then now. It is so messed up I cannot coherently explain all the problems.
He wants to see the changes put on hold and “a transparent collaborative workshop (to) fix this.”
(WSB photo, Fauntleroy ferry dock, October)
The Washington State Ferries Triangle Route Task Force has been meeting for more than a year in relative serenity. But its next meeting, this Wednesday (December 12), is expected to draw a crowd.
The all-volunteer committee was originally launched almost two years ago to consider potential solutions to the problems that plague the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run, particularly during peak pm outbound periods, backing up traffic along Fauntleroy Way some days, while boats leave without full loads.
The task force’s current focus is on the first major change in the route’s schedule in years. WSF says a change is necessary for a variety of reasons, including an upcoming increase in capacity on the route’s assigned vessels, and faster growth on the west end of the route. After several task-force discussions, the ferry system published and sought comment on a draft revised schedule. But a Vashon citizens’ group is unhappy with the proposal – saying it has a better idea that’s been ignored – and it’s calling for a big show of island residents – and anyone else interested – at Wednesday’s meeting, set for 4:30-7 pm at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW). The schedule change is currently planned to take effect in March.
10:29 PM: This damaged car was the last one left at the scene of a crash tonight outside the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse by the time we were able to get there. Our first tipster reported by text:
Hit and run outside of Fauntleroy Hall. Two cars pushed up on curb. Suspect fled with car. Didn’t get far. Ditched it in the Y parking lot and fled on foot. Called the cops.
Another tipster via Twitter reported seeing an arrest in progress when he went by. When we got there, in addition to the car, we found one officer who told us he was on scene awaiting the last tow truck, but he was able to confirm that three vehicles were involved and that one person had been arrested. No SFD callout logged, so apparently no injuries of note.
2:28 AM FRIDAY: Cross-referencing jail and Municipal Court records, we’ve discovered that the driver who was arrested is a 28-year-old woman booked into King County Jail, under investigation for DUI, driving without an ignition interlock, and driving with a suspended license. Records show a prior DUI, from 2014, also in West Seattle.
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