By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

If you want to pack the room for your next community meeting, put a wildlife presentation on the agenda.

HPAC invited Pamela Adams of BeaverInsights to come to its first 2025 meeting Wednesday night, and she enchanted the house with her observations about Longfellow Creek‘s beavers.

We’ll get to those shortly. But first, here’s how the meeting of the Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge community coalition – held in person at Delridge Library – began – facilitated by co-chair Kay Kirkpatrick, who observed that it’s great to have a sizable turnout about “positive things happening in the neighborhood.”

CARE DEPARTMENT UPDATE: Sean Blackwell from the city’s “third public safety department” spoke briefly, saying the CARE Community Crisis Response team is expected to expand into West Seattle in the second quarter of this year; by March 7, they hope to have 27 responders, as they staff up with the funding in this year’s budget.

MILLION GALLON STORAGE TANK PROJECT UPDATE & SURVEY: Daniel Arauz was there from King County Wastewater Treatment, with an update on the West Duwamish Wet Weather Storage combined-sewer-overflow-reduction project that’s about to be built near the 1st Avenue South Bridge. He began by explaining the problem it’s intended to solve – overflows of combined rainwater and wastewater in major storm situations. Currently when those overflows happen, the sewage/water goes into the Duwamish River from an outfall, “operating as intended, but that doesn’t mean we can’t improve the system.” The “big storage tank” is one way to do it – it holds what would be overflow water until the storm subsides and it can be sent to a treatment plant. If the project works as designed, the annual average of “four or five” overflows will be cut to one. This will be a below-ground 1.25-million-gallon tank, “just an empty lot” right now, with only a small hint above ground – and landscaping – of what’s going on below. Arauz said a lot of “sustainability features” suggested by community members, such as raingardens and climate-friendly concrete, were incorporated, along with art panels planned for the facility’s side, explaining aspects of the river.

Construction of the $50 million project – which might actually hold up to 2 million gallons, Arauz noted – is expected to start this summer; it’ll go out to bid in the next month or so. Construction will involve some street closures and other traffic impacts, but the extent won’t be known until a contractor is chosen. He noted that KCWTD has just opened a survey, mostly about how their engagement/informational efforts have gone so far. You’re urged to participate – do that by going here.

SOUTHWEST PRECINCT POLICE: Next up, a brief appearance by Southwest Precinct police. Officer German Barreto introduced the two new officers who had been mentioned (but not in attendance) at last week’s community-coalition meetings, Officer Hoang and Officer Kepler. They didn’t speak to the group, but Officer Barreto presented a few crime stats, comparing 2024 to 2023 in the HPAC coverage area – thefts, robbery, and gunfire are all up year-to-year; motor-vehicle theft and aggravated assaults are down.

BEAVERS! Then came the guest almost everyone seemed to be waiting for, Pamela Adams. She is a beaver expert working in multiple areas, but the focus of her presentation was eastern West Seattle’s Longfellow Creek.

(2023 photo by Kersti Muul)

If you weren’t aware we had beavers, Adams explained they had a two-century history in the area until they were hunted pretty much out of existence locally – then they started reappearing on the creek around the turn of the millennium (Adams noted a 1992 city report on the watershed that found no sign of them). They’re continuing to make dams and she says that contrary to what some believe, that’s a good thing – the dams are filtering the creek’s water, holding back pollutants, and more fish are showing up, with coho spawners increasing in the past few years. Juvenile coho grow under some of the dams, she explained.

She showed video (“these are OUR beavers!” Adams exclaimed, to ensure attendees understood the video was from Longfellow Creek). She said she’s found evidence of at least 30 beavers and 28 dams. Longfellow Creek is undergrounded in some spots and she said they swim in and out of some of those pipes, such as the one that goes under Genesee to and from the golf course.

Then a mini-Beaver 101 – she said the species has a 7-million-year history, and a 5,000-year history co-evolving with salmon. They are a “keystone species,” she elaborated, meaning that if you remove them, other species will be affected. She showed examples of the biodiversity in the creek, such as crawfish.

Beavers’ resurgence locally followed a ban on “kill traps.” She explained that beavers mate for life and procreate annually, raising their young for one to two years. They are “100 percent herbivores” – no fish in their diet. Their incisor teeth are “self-sharpening chisels” with “an orange layer of iron enamel on the front, a softer layer of dentin on the back.” Their tails are flat, scaly, and act like flippers, kickstands, even “danger whistles.” They build not only dams, burrows/dens, and “bank lodges,” they also build “side channels” for foraging food, as well as “scent mounds” to communicate with other beavers. What they’re doing is “stuff we might not think an animal can do” – essentially, engineering! she said.

Adams noted certain spots along Longfellow Creek, such as what she called its widest part, the “Graham floodplain,” as well as detention ponds. The features of the watershed – whether natural, man-made, or beaver-made! – are intertwined, she explained, telling the story of how water levels were affected when High Point Pond was drained for maintenance.

Her presentation was full of video – of salmon and other wildlife as well as the beavers – and we don’t have that to share, only words (though there are some clips on her website). But she refuted more of the myths about beaver dams – she showed proof that salmon can leap over them, for example. And she urged everyone to “be a beaver detective … when you follow beavers, you follow a whole ecosystem.” An independent filmmaker is in fact making a film about Adams called “The Freelance Beaver Detective” – a bit of her video is in the trailer:

They’re adapting to our world, so we should adapt to theirs and live in harmony, she suggested, adding that “beavers are like a probiotic – a naturally occcurring medicine for our sick and dehydrated urban waterways.” The beneficial effects of their presence include a “fish-friendly temperature” in water that they’ve dammed, she added, helping fight temperature rise in urban creeks.

In all, she says. people should “have less anxiety” about beavers.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR HPAC: The group meets fourth Wednesdays most months – start time depends on the venue; this one started earlier because the library closes at 8 pm and needs groups out by 7:45. Watch the HPAC website next month for info on the February 26th meeting.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

In the fourth of this week’s four community-coalition meetings in West Seattle – the Alki Community Council‘s meeting last night – the biggest news came from an attendee, toward the end.

(WSB photo, December)

Harbor Avenue resident Steve Pumphrey, a leader of the neighborhood group that’s been advocating for safety improvements and other changes in east Alki, told ACC leaders and attendees that SDOT has told him work on one will start soon – removing the Duwamish Head angled-parking zone (above). District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka got $175,000 for the change included in this year’s budget. Pumphrey read from email sent by SDOT staffer Bill LaBorde, saying design is under way, to be followed by outreach and “work-order writing,” and construction (which SDOT says “includes grinding angled parking stalls, installing barrier, updated channelization and signs”) likely in May/June: “We will do our best to implement the conversion as soon as possible but there are several variables, including weather and emergencies that can impact crew schedules between now spring; design variables include time to construct, sign production and procurement of materials. However, the project is definitely underway and appears to be straightforward enough that it should be relatively fast to design and deliver.” Pumphrey explained to attendees that the angled parking is “like bleachers” for spectators when racing and other driving stunts are happening on the street. He also advised that to get city leaders to respond and take action, “you have to stay on them.”

Here’s what else happened at the meeting facilitated by ACC president Charlotte Starck, with more than two dozen attendees in-person at Alki UCC and online.

POLICE/CRIME/SAFETY: Officer German Barreto and crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Satterwhite were in attendance online. Barreto noted that the precinct has two new officers (as noted at two other community meetings this week), working third watch (late night). Will that enable patroling Alki as needed? Starck wondered. “If there’s a hot spot there, they’ll send officers to patrol,” he said. A representative from an area building lauded Satterwhite for “being amazing” and “responsive” in two visits to the building. Satterwhite also brought stats – first the precinct as a whole ended the year with an 8 percent decrease in crime: “That’s 300 fewer incidents of crime.” Motor-vehicle thefts were down 30 percent – after a historically higher 2023. What do you attribute that to? asked Starck. A big 2024 emphasis in trying to prevent auto theft is probably at least partly to thank. Alki stats: For the year, 21 percent crime decrease – 1 homicide, compared to 2 in 2023 – auto theft was down (38 percent decrease – 52 incidents, compared to 84 in 2023).

2025 OVERVIEW: Starck said, “We’re super excited about the momentum we have with more and more people coming into the Alki Community Council,” especially because of events such as Alki Trick or Treat and Alki Holiday Lights. “The goal is to keep our momentum going – we’re seeing a lot of interest in young families” among others. How much time can you give? What skillset can you contribute? She mentioned the ACC’s long-running Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza maintenance acountabilities – not the bricks but cleaning the benches, ensuring the statue’s light stays lit, etc. Starck mentioned David Hutchinson‘s “unsung hero” contributions. Safety is ACC’s first priority, then connecting people, with the recent natural disasters around the country reminding Starck of the importance. “We’re in this place where I think social connection is valuable and needed.”

BOARD: Springboarding off the volunteering discussion, Starck talked about roles they’d like to have people fill, such as a safety chair – a role Starck has been bridging, talking with city officials, precinct police, etc. “This is an amazing neighborhood. it’s worth fighting for,” she said, and that includes communication between neighbors. While acknowsledging “the president is the spokesperson for the organization,” Starck said, “I just need help. … We just need the voice in front of city leadership,” in addition to individual neighborhood and building reps who’ve been advocating too.” A volunteer to take over the business committee also spoke up, as well as a potential volunteer to take over from longtime treasurer Kathy Olson. Starck hopes the board will expand so that it increases sustainability.

EXPENSES: So what does money have to be spent on, to run and grow the ACC? One example Starck detailed – efforts to raise the ACC’s profile, with big standup banners, featuring a QR code, which has helped increase their newsletter subscriptions, among other things, about 350, up from 80. They’re paying for web hosting. There’s a budget for “special events” too. Where does the money come from? asked one attendee. Paid memberships (which start at $10) and donations, said Starck – noting that other local neighborhood groups are also trying to figure out how to cover rising expenses (they add up – even at seemingly low rates for a do-it-yourself website, a meeting room, etc.). Volunteering is of major value, added operations chair Kevin Kramer. A discussion ensued, with various attendees speaking up about skills they might lend to the effort.

BYLAWS: They’re being revised after almost 20 years – Kramer noted they even mention “things that are no longer in the neighborhood.” The ACC will vote on new proposed bylaws once they’re drafted.

ALKI HOLIDAY LIGHTS: The eventt aligned with the Christmas Ship’s Alki visit was organized at the last minute but “it was great!” enthused Starck. Wyatt Carlock, who organized it, gave a recap with Kramer, who assisted: They brought lights, Christmas gear, swag to give away; businesses were excited about all the customers it brought in – the Log House Museum had hundreds of visitors, Fire Tacos ran out of 15 gallons of hot chocolate, Argosy Cruises gave ACC a shoutout, people were asking about opening up the Bathhouse in future years (but that might take away from the businesses, Kramer observed). So for next December – more lights, more publicity, more everything, said Carlock. How about putting Christmas lights on the business sponsors’ buildings? suggested one attendees. “Wherever there is a roof, fence, something with a line, I see an opportunity for lights!” he enthused.

Before the meeting ended, more from attendees:

(June photo by Don Brubeck)

ALKI POINT HEALTHY STREET: An Alki Point resident spoke about the Healthy Street and the recently released SDOT survey results. “The report was much the way we as neighbors expected it to be, reinforced our observations that the street has experienced an increase by walkers, bike riders, and car drivers, and there’s plenty of parking at all times. He cited that 71 percent of users felt safe in the “new lane,” and that more than half the respondents said it makes them more likely to use Alki Point. He mentioned the new plans for safety improvements at the 63rd/Beach Drive crossing, and the reason for the city’s delay in extending the walking/biking/rolling lane in the last block, because of the forthcoming work on the pump station at the south end, which will include a trench to be dug 63rd to 64th, this summer, George said. He says they believe the work will start this spring.

ANOTHER TROUBLE SPOT: An attendee said there’s been so much racing on 63rd, he wants the city to put in speed cushions, and needs to know how to advocate for them. Pumphrey offered to provide advice.

NEXT MEETING: The ACC meets third Thursdays most months, 7 pm at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds) and online, so next month that’ll be February 20.

”

Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Admiral neighbors met on Tuesday night for a general gathering of the Admiral Neighborhood Association to hear from special guests, discuss community issues and get a preview of events for 2025. The meeting was facilitated by president Joanie Jacobs, at Admiral Church. 

After approval of meeting minutes and opening business, the agenda kicked off with an update from SPD Officer German Barreto, representing the Southwest Precinct: 

Barreto shared some crime trends for Admiral, for the prior calendar year: Decreases in motor vehicle theft, sexual crime offenses, and robberies, and increases in aggravated assaults, burglaries and theft. Barreto said that he didn’t have isolated data available for just the past month (which he often does have), but that SW Precinct staff are working hard on the key areas of concern. He then took questions from attendees:

•  Q: What about the issue of copper wire theft? While doing neighborhood cleanups under the West Seattle Bridge, it’s clear that thieves are doing wire-stripping in that area to prepare the wire for sale, and it’s frustrating because they wouldn’t bother doing this if there wasn’t financial incentive (namely, being able to take it to West Seattle Recycling).  A, from Barreto: Others have also mentioned that, including neighbors from Pigeon Point. But the reality is that for us to be able to do anything about it, we have to catch them in the act. We are short-staffed, and usually by the time we’re able to respond, the thief is gone. Follow-up Q: Isn’t there more that can be done when the theft causes local utilities (such as internet service) to go down? A: It would be up to the company (such as Comcast, or other provider) to call it in as a 911 theft call, but yes, that would potentially be a way to handle it. 
• Q: For unhoused people living outside – what can we do? If people are somewhere they aren’t supposed to be, sometimes they will move if asked, but is it appropriate for that to be a 911 call? A from Barreto: Yes, if there is a crime occurring such as open drug use.  If you feel like you’re not getting the response that you want when you use 911 services, ask to speak to a supervisor, and (Barreto put major emphasis on this) be sure to make note of the case number (aka event number) that you’re given during the call. You can also follow up afterward via e-mail to care_info@seattle.gov or directly to him at german.barreto@seattle.gov, and provide the case number, and they’ll try to look more deeply into the issue.  Barreto added that when you call 911, you also have the option of having an officer call you back.

Next on the agenda was Joe Everett, board president of West Seattle Food Bank, which was also accepting donations onsite on the night of the meeting: 

Everett is a native of the Pacific Northwest and has lived in West Seattle with his family since 2013, and had been vice president of the board for West Seattle Helpline when it merged with the Food Bank in 2020.  

He said that the food bank’s goal is to “meet people where they’re at” and to be a positive force for neighbors helping each other. “We run off of community support,” he said, with a holistic approach that involves food, clothing and financial assistance. 

Everett provided some statistics, but emphasized that “behind all of these numbers are real people that we’re helping:”

• Food: Last year the food bank provided more than 2 million pounds of food to 25,000 individuals, and was able to help target issues with “food deserts” in areas like High Point and Delridge.  Everett said they try to innovate and provide access to everyone, with 8 mobile-food-bank sites, 400 households that receive home delivery, and assistance for the homeless and disabled.  The group also partnered with 13 schools to provide 9,000 “weekend packs” of food for families who need extra support when school isn’t in session. He said the group takes donations at their main site at 3419 SW Morgan St. on Monday-Friday from 9 am-3 pm (until 7 pm on Wednesdays) or by appointment, and donors can also find a list of non-perishable donation sites (such as grocery stores) on the food bank’s website. 
• Clothing: The group distributed 84,000 clothing items last year, including about 500 items per day when the Clothesline facility is open. The goal is to not only provide clothes to help people stay dry and warm, but also to provide quality clothes to support things like job interviews.  The Clothesline is located at 4425 41^st Ave SW and is open Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am-1 pm, or people can drop items off at the main food bank location. Everett said that during winter, unsurprisingly, gathering warm coats is a big priority. 
• Rent and utility assistance: This is part of the WS Helpline effort, providing $1 million annually to help provide help and stability for families in the form of rent, utilities and preventing eviciions. Everett said that statistics show that preventing homelessness is much more efficient than trying to help people reverse course after they’re already homeless.

Everett said the group is seeing an increase in need, in recent years, such as a 65% increase in demand for food, and that state statistics show that 1 in 4 households rely on food assistance.  How can the community help, and do the most good? Everett said that in the new year, their primary goal is to get financial donations (typically via their website or via mail), but that of course they’ll accept physical food donations as well. 

The group’s annual gala and primary fundraiser (called “Nourish and Flourish,” formerly “Instruments of Change”) will be May 3rd, and Everett said they need sponsors and auction donations. He encouraged ANA and other neighborhood groups to consider sponsoring tables and challenging each other to make donations. 

Everett then took questions from attendees:

• Q: Do you take donations of household goods?  A from Everett: We mostly take food, clothing and financial donations. We do have a pet corner, for pet food and supplies. If you have items that you think families may really need, you can bring them in to see if we can take them, or give us a call.  Follow-up question: What about children’s books?  A: Generally speaking, items for kids and pets could be of interest, particularly at the Clothesline facility.
• Q: Do you get assistance from grocery stores? A: Absolutely, we have great relationships with the grocery stores in West Seattle, and with community partners like Nucor. We are so lucky to live in such a generous community. Even during the pandemic, we were pleased and astonished which how much donations increased. 
• Q: Is it true that giving you money is most helpful because you can purchase in bulk and get discounts? A: Yes, definitely, this has been carried over from our longtime executive director Fran Yeatts, who did strategic food pricing and helped stretch every dollar.  We still welcome physical donations, of course. For finanical gifts, there are ways to sign up for recurring donations to us, and we really like those because it helps us with planning.
• Q: What can a small business do to support the food bank? I don’t have space for a big food bin, at my business, but a small container for cash and sign on my counter could help. Everett said that business can feel free to collect donations however they’d like, but encouraged them to reach out to development director Robbin Peterson, who helps lots of businesses with doing that.

Next on the agenda was ANA business such as the treasurer’s report, followed by introductions of the group’s leaders for 2025:

• President: Joanie Jacobs
• Vice President: Cheryl Lea
• Secretary: Meagan Loftin
• Treasurer: Bridgett Markille
• At Large: Phil Frick
• ​Communications: Dan Jacobs
• Placemaking: Ryan Crompton
• Fundraising and Programming: Mike Adams

Jacobs offered special thanks to the community for its support during the year. This was followed by an overview of ANA’s 2025 calendar of events (and brief remarks about each event), which includes:

• Saturday, May 17th: Adopt-A-Street Cleanup, same day as One Seattle Day of Service cleanup.  
• Friday, July 4th Kids Parade in North Admiral. The group is still looking for a volunteer coordinator for this popular annual event. Please reach out to ANA if you’re interested!
• AMP concert series. These will be held on three consecutive Thursday evenings in July. They were a big hit last year, and although the format of “rotating locations” as opposed to having all of the concerts at Hiawatha was initially a concern, the group said it turned out to be “a blessing in disguise” because it helped raise visibility for area park like Belvedere and California Place that many neighbors weren’t familiar with.  
  • July 17th: Belvedere Park
  • July 24th: California Place Park
  • July 31st: Hamilton Viewpoint Park 
• Saturday, August 23rd: Admiral Block Party.  Was bigger last year than the year before, and keeps growing.
• Friday, October 24th: Admiral Business Trick or Treating.  The addition of having crossing guards was very popular last year.
• Saturday, December 13th: Winter Wonderland  Very successful last year, with plans to keep growing.

Dan Jacobs then discussed ANA’s efforts to increase membership, which are described on their Become a Member web page. There are various tiers of membership for households and for businesses, and Jacobs encouraged attendees to promote the benefits of membership to neighbors they meet.  Because all ANA leaders are volunteers, every dollar of membership fees goes toward funding ANA’s activities. 

Joanie Jacobs then reminded attendees that ANA will bestow a 2025 neighborhood service award in honor of WSB co-founder Patrick Sand. She said that the criteria for choosing the winner is still being finalized, and that the group is looking for help with identifying great candidates: If you’d like to help, please contact info@connecttoadmiral.org.  Jacobs said that the winner will likely be announced and presented at one of the AMP concerts or at the Admiral Block Party. 

Then, attendee Cindi Barker, known for her work with West Seattle’s emergency communication hubs, gave a plug for that organization’s work in helping neighbors prepare for a natural disaster response in the region. She volunteered to speak with the ANA group at a future meeting regarding how Admiral neighbors can get involved.  

The group closed the meeting with a raffle, and thanked attendees for coming. 

The next general gathering of the Admiral Neighborhood Association will be held Tuesday, February March 11, at 7 pm at Admiral Church. The group can be contacted at connecttoadmiral.org.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Another neighborhood organization launched for the new year last night – this time the Morgan Community Association, with its first quarterly hybrid meeting of 2025, held at Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Gatewood and online, facilitated by MoCA president Deb Barker.

CRIME/SAFETY: The meeting began with crime/police information. Southwest Precinct Officer German Barreto, attending online, brought year-end data for the Morgan Junction area: Sexual assaults were up (3 last year, 1 the year before), gunfire unchanged (3 each year), aggravated assaults were down (14 last year from 19 in 2023), robberies were unchanged (10 each year), burglaries were down (62 in 2023, 52 in 2024), motor vehicle thefts were down (185 in 2023 to 120 in 2024). Officer Barreto noted that they’re not able to access “last 30 days” stats any more, just “year to year.” One attendee asked about the recent 35th and Barton gunfire (though outside the Morgan Junction boundaries) – how can people keep the community safer? “Stay vigilant,” advised Officer Barreto. “I will look at people to be sure they see me,” in other words, don’t be oblivious to your surroundings, glued to your phone, etc. Side note, he added that if you have trouble with 911 – or a good experience for that matter – let CARE_info@seattle.gov know, he added. And please do file online reports of even seemingly minor crimes like car break-ins with nothing taken. Question: Have they made any arrests for drug use? He mentioned the operation that targeted the former RV encampment by Westwood Village, with more than half a dozen arrests. Another question: Any progress in solving the High Point shooting death of Sudaysi Ida and preventing more violence? “We are monitoring the area,” and Gun Violence Reduction Unit detectives are too, Barreto said.

A first-time attendee wondered about the point of the briefing. He said that some of the stats were such low rates, it would be interesting to compare to other neighborhoods. (You can do that via SPD’s online dashboard.)

The owner of the Zeeks Pizza/Whisky West building at Fauntleroy/Californis said he’d done a walk with crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Satterwhite to identify ways to increase safety – and among other things, a streetlight is now working. Meantime, Barreto also mentioned what Satterwhite had told the Fauntleroy Community Association the previous evening (WSB coverage here) – that there are two new officers at the Southwest Precinct.

(WSB file photo)

VEHICLE CHARGING LOT: The project at 42nd/Morgan/Fauntleroy is still a work in progress. Barker said City Light will send a rep to the April meeting for a detailed update, and then read aloud what SCL had told her via email: “Our goal is to be energized by 4th quarter of 2025, The project has faced various challenges” – one supplier went out of business, others had yearlong lead times, contracting delays … but they’re finalizing the plan after some “design changes” and it’s about to go out to bid – find updates online here.

MORGAN JUNCTION PARK ADDITION PROJECT: The excavation hole for the contaminated soil was bigger than originally planned and that required more permit review – a situation which hasn’t changed in 3 months, Barker said, adding that a new planner has been assigned to the project by Parks. Meantime, SDOT has not issued the permit for filling its part of the hole. MoCA board member Michael Brunner observed the project is nearing its 10th anniversary.

MOCA FUND: MoCA attendees voted to approve the group’s request to use $8,000 of $13,750 that it has left over from a $25,000 gift of sorts (explained here) a decade ago. The money would be used to cover the organization’s operational costs, which include Zoom, web hosting, city/state fees, insurance, about $1,400/year total; they also have some expenses for running the Morgan Community Festival each summer. The grant application was approved unanimously.

MORGAN COMMUNITY FESTIVAL: Picking a date for this cozy little festival was the subject of another vote. June 14, 2025, was chosen as the date for the next edition of this one-day festival at Morgan Junction Park and behind the adjacent commercial building (whose owner was in attendance).

SCHOOL FUNDING AND ‘BILLION-DOLLAR BAKE SALE’: Megan from the Gatewood Elementary PTA talked about a statewide advocacy campany they started called the Billion Dollar Bake Sale, with a big advocacy day two weeks from tomorrow. The amount of Seattle Public Schools‘ budget deficit is equal to the amount by which the state is underfunding its special ed – so that might account for the entirety of the local deficit, she noted. Legislators were pollled and ranked education 8th or lower on their priority list – despite “paramount duty” being written into the state Constitution. “We’re trying to get as many bodies down to Olympia as possible on January 30,” gathering at the Tivoli Fountain. They’re already expecting more than 500 people, including students on field trips (Gatewood 5th graders are going, Megan said). She was there earlier in the day for planning. Then there’s “Wealth Tax Wednesday,” trying to put more pressure on Gov. Bob Ferguson to find ways to raise money to fund education, despite his stated disinterest in a wealth tax for that purpose. They’re hoping to get baked goods donated for a real bake-sale component, in-kind donations for stickers and buttons. Slogans like “no more half-baked solutions,” “students deserve a bigger piece of the pie,” etc. Get everybody involved, she urged, “we need tons of people to rally for public education.” Next Thursday Gatewood will have a bake sale during Literacy Night. Megan also talked about the January 28 parental event on social media and “playborhoods,” noted here last night.

‘ONE SEATTLE PLAN’ MEETING AND WHAT’S NEXT: Back on December 12, more than 50 people crowded into the High Point Library meeting room to for MoCA’s unofficial informational meeting about the city’s proposed rezoning/Comprehensive Plan updates. Morgan then sent a letter to the city (see it here) with suggestions and concerns. No responses from city reps yet. Two attendees reminded all that the council is having public meetings (including one earlier Wednesday) and an official public-hearing-only meeting February 5. They noted the city had not reached out to all residents to let them know about this – supposedly the city said it didn’t have money for that but “there’s a 20-year plan they’re making, and they don’t have the money to let everybody know?” Barker said she had organized the informational meeting – as she’s done with other matters – just to help people learn (the meeting was, as we showed in this report, largely Q&A amid a room ringed by posted city maps).

SPINOFF TOPIC – EMERGENCY HUBS: A musing about the California fires and density led to a mention of Seattle’s biggest disaster threat – earthquake – and a reminder about the Emergency Communication Hubs. That’s where you’ll go for info about what’s going on in the aftermath of catastrophe. Know where yours is, at the very least!

(See the map fullscreen here.) Morgan’s hub is at Morgan Junction Park.

REMEMBERING WSB CO-FOUNDER: Barker noted WSB co-founder Patrick Sand‘s arrival at the previous MoCA meeting on what turned out to be the last night of his life, October 16 (arriving a bit early to pick up your editor for the short ride home). She recalled Patrick’s insistence every year that WSB get dibs on sponsoring a Morgan Community Festival act, and his willing to jump into meeting discussion with information if somebody got stumped. In closing, she recalled a memory from the Highland Park Improvement Club‘s group photo before demolition of their fire-ravaged building last summer; from across SW Holden, between cars, he shouted at the participants, “Get closer! Get closer!” That’s what he did, Barker concluded – “brought us closer.”

NEXT MEETING: Third Wednesday in April – so that’s April 16.

If you have a question for local police, one good place to catch up with somebody from the Southwest Precinct is at a neighborhood group meeting – there’s almost always someone from SPD on the agenda. The groups of course address many other issues too, but often we’ve seen a police rep be at a meeting, offer to answer questions, and none follow, so it’s an opportunity to take advantage of. Here’s next week’s schedule:

6 pm Tuesday (January 14) – Fauntleroy Community Association (no agenda yet but here’s how to attend, in person – Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, 9141 California SW – or remotely)

7 pm Tuesday – Admiral Neighborhood Association (agenda toplines here, including a request to bring food-bank donations; in-person meeting at Admiral Church, 4320 SW Hill)

7 pm Wednesday (January 15) – Morgan Community Association (agenda here; attend in person at WSUU, 7141 California SW, or remotely)

7 pm Thursday (January 16) – Alki Community Council (no agenda yet; here’s how to attend, in person at Alki UCC – 6115 SW Hinds – or remotely)

You don’t have to be a member, or even a resident of the focus neighborhood, to attend any of these meetings.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The Alki Community Council is bringing holiday cheer to the beach on Saturday night, a big topic at last night’s monthly meeting.

Vice president Lindsey Pearsall facilitated the meeting in-person at Alki UCC, with president Charlotte Starck co-facilitating online, as it was a hybrid meeting. She opened the meeting by asking attendees to share one word about what they’re grateful for. (With the windstorm still fresh in memories, “electricity” got several mentions.)

Starck mentioned highlights from the budget just approved by the City Council (WSB coverage here) – including the noise-enforcement technology (which had first been brought to the ACC’s attention years ago) and the Duwamish Head parking changes. She then talked about how Alki had dodged windstorm-related problems (though some lost power), but needed to be prepared for the fall and winter ahead, introducing Sean Blackwell from the city’s CARE Department.

Though Blackwell is not affiliated with the Office of Emergency Management, he did acknowledge the important of city services during situations like the storm – CARE 911 call volumes pick up, for example. Starck stressed the role that alert.seattle.gov plays – with a variety of alerts you can sign up for – and Officer German Barreto from SPD urged people to call 911 if they happen onto electric hazards. If you happen onto a live wire, don’t get out of your car – it might be dangerous. And beware of dark/flashing-light intersections; Barreto spoke of responding to a three-vehicle crash the other day. And don’t try to drive over a downed branch, or under a tree that seems in danger of falling – which can be fatal if the tree falls onto your vehicle.

Starck asked him next about crime stats. Barreto said sexual assaults are up year-to-date, but in the past 28 days, thefts and other categories have gone down in the Alki area.

Blackwell then offered CARE Team crisis-responder updates. The team’s been launched for a year now, and Amy (Smith) Barden is now the permanent department (the team plus 911 operations) chief. He urged attendees to sign up for the department’s newsletter (email them at CARE_info@seattle.gov). He also noted the work toward expanding the CARE Response Team since the mayor’s announcement in June, and said the Southwest Precinct (West Seattle/South Park) expansion is expected before the end of the first quarter, with space being evaluated for them in the precinct. New hires are set for training by February so they can start responding in March. Blackwell explained that responders can now refer directly to the Crisis Solution Center. They plan to implement more.

Two SPD Community Service Officers talked to the group about a program meant for kids they help – the Courageous Lions program. (In fact, they said, they just had been to the scene of a crash where they had to help two juveniles.) The program’s in partnership with Harborview, which means there’s trauma counseling available for kids going through tough situations. The Seattle Police Foundation funds it (it’s a nonprofit, so you can donate to support it). The CSO’s also are doing a warm-clothing drive on December 7, 11 am-3 pm, at the precinct (2300 SW Webster). Sweat pants are very helpful, for example, and other clothing, mostly for adults, but they’ll take whatever they receive (and “find good homes” for anything they can’t use). The CSOs will be working later starting in the New Year, they added – up until 10 pm.

ALKI LIGHTS EVENT ON SATURDAY: Rudolph (aka Stacy Bass-Walden) joined ACC for the update on this Saturday’s big event, hoping to bring back the crowds that often attended the Christmas Ship event pre-pandemic. ACC will have an info booth east of the Bathhouse, and more than half a dozen Alki Avenue businesses are participating, as well as the Log House Museum, for the event 7 pm-9 pm. Some freebies will be offered (from candy canes to cocoa to baklava to chowder to free arcade prize tickets), as well as three dropoff spots for a West Seattle Food Bank donation drive (listed on the event page). As Starck noted, the first stop has moved – on the west side of Seacrest (1660 Harbor SW) instead of off Don Armeni or Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor). Wyatt from the ACC said three bonfire pits will be activated by the accessibility ramp, so that’s where to gather. Elizabeth Rudrud from the LHM said they’ll have a bake sale, too, to raise $ for the SWSHS, while also offering free cider and crafts. They plan to set up 50 luminarias along the edge of the beach, added Rudolph (Walden), and an attendee offered to fill the volunteer slot for that.

NEW YEAR’S POLAR BEAR SWIM: Organizer Mark Ufkes spoke to the ACC about the genesis of the swim at Alki Beach, which will happen again on New Year’s Day 2025. It was first announced on WSB, he recalled, in a year with 35 attendees, and “it just kept getting bigger and bigger.” Ufkes noted that he’s tried to keep it a “simple family event … it’s over fast, and you get in the water quick … everybody holds hands …” and Alki’s space has kept it from feeling crowded, even now with many hundreds of people – he counted 1,500 people last year. (One in Norway has 35,000 participants, he noted.)

(1/1/22 photo by Scott Nelson)

Ufkes said his main job is to send out the invitation and show up with a megaphone and lead a countdown. “I’ve had so many people tell me they’ve always wanted to do it.” 10 am sharp again this year. People don’t tend to show up early – they just materialize by swim time. Starck said the ACC would love to support the swim in any way they can. Ufkes said he appreciates that, having been involved with community councils before. Still not sure you want to give it a try? The water’s usually warmer than the air, Ufkes said spiritedly.

BIG GIFT, AND A MEMBERSHIP DRIVE: The ACC recently received a $2,500 donation and Starck said they’re hoping to work on a membership/donation drive, using this as a match, “so we can move into 2025 stronger than ever.” Pearsall urged attendees to tell their friends and family about ACC; you can use its website to sign up for membership.

SAFETY: On this ongoing topic, Starck wondered if neon-bright flags would be a way to discourage unsafe driving that threatsns kids. Two attendees thought “there are enough signs already”; one said it’s more a matter of parents paying attention to their kids. What about cameras? Starck said they’re hoping to have City Councilmember Rob Saka back at a future meeting to talk about where traffic and noise cameras stand post-budget vote. There was some state funding to study noise cameras, Starck noted, but only one eastside municipality took advantage of that. This segued into a discussion of what’s been effective – the speed humps/cushions had some voicing support, for one. Alki’s section of Admiral, and safety on it, came up as a topic too. “Isn’t this a conversation for SDOT and the mayor’s office” – which had a representative at the meeting – asked one person. (The rep, external affairs liaison Catherine Gerlach, volunteered later to do what she could do to be a liaison between the neighborhood group and agencies/departments such as SDOT.) Starck suggested people send their ideas to hello@alkicommunitycouncil.org so they could aggregate trouble spots/ideas – and possibly creation of a safety committee within the ACC so there could be a smaller working group focused on the issue. Overall, Pearsall said, “if you have something you’re passionate about … safety, events …” email hello@alkicommunitycouncil.org to “grow the team” and “figure out the best place to use our time, money, and energy.” Speaking of money, they’ll be working on a budget for next year in a post-Thanksgiving Executive Board meeting.

WHAT’S NEXT: Saturday night’s Holiday Lights, of course – 7 pm November 23, with the Christmas Ship arriving just after 8:30 – and the Polar Bear Swim (Wednesday, January 1, 2025). No general ACC meeting in December, so the next one will be the third Thursday in January (that’s January 16).

Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Neighbors gathered earlier this week for a general gathering of the Admiral Neighborhood Association to hear from guest speakers and discuss community issues and upcoming holiday events. The meeting was held at Admiral Church on Tuesday and was facilitated by president Joanie Jacobs, and here’s a recap: 

First on the agenda (bumped to the top because she needed to attend to a family commitment) was city attorney Ann Davison, who gave an update to the group and answered questions. She had spoken last month to the Alki Community Council (WSB coverage here) and provided a similar update for the Admiral group. 

Davison reiterated the importance of neighborhood meetings like this being a crucial part of her job, and how much she appreciates people coming out to attend.

Davison cited her partnership with the Seattle City Council in September’s 8-1 council approval of the creation of Stay Out of Drug Areas (SODA) areas, which target drug-related criminal activity in key areas of the city (such as portions of Belltown and the International District) and authorizing the courts to prohibit an individual from entering those areas if they have committed a drug-related criminal offense in those zones. Davison said she is optimistic that the zones are small and targeted enough to really make a difference, saying that past efforts to identify priority areas of the city involved about 40% of the city’s 83 square miles (“simply too big”) but that the current SODA areas make up only .5% of the city. “These areas are a tool for officers to protect the public space and provide predictability,” she said, so the general public “can get where they need to go and do what they need to do.” She added that because prior booking restrictions for King County Jail were lifted on November 1st, this will also help officers be more responsive for the community. “That was a missing piece; an instrumental change,” she said.

Davison then took some questions from attendees:

• Q: Can you help stop the proposed removal of the road divider on Delridge near the RapidRide stop on Delridge that Rob Saka has added to the budget? A: As a lawyer for the city, I can’t take litigation action “against myself,” but please continue raising your concerns. 
• Q: Regarding the SODA zones, do you find that people moving out of those neighborhoods simply go somewhere else and cause similar problems?  A: It’s difficult to track, but we’ll do what we can to monitor that. I recently attended an Alaska Junction meeting in which this general topic came up, and we want to keep an eye on it — do the people who aren’t allowed to be in those areas simply move just outside the boundaries?
• Q: What about the King County Jail space that’s opened up? A: The contract was for 135 beds; we had 70 beds previously, so we’ve almost doubled the capacity to help officers be responsive. It should help; previously the officers likely didn’t even take the person to jail because they knew they wouldn’t be booked. 
• Q: I was at a D1 council meeting a few years ago, and a woman was there who said she was hired by city to revamp 911 – what’s the status?  A: That was likely Chief Amy (Smith) Barden from the city’s CARE Department (Community Assisted Response and Engagement), which is working to expand those services, but that’s the extent of what I know.
• Q: I’m an Admiral Junction business owner and have been struggling with people involved with a nearby apartment building who have been using their dumpsters to block the sidewalk and block cars in, and have been threatening me. There are 3 existing police reports on this, but officers have said they can’t do anything unless there is an actual assault. What can I do? A: Very sorry you’re having to deal with that — please do contact my office.
  At that point, SPD officer German Barreto (who was also in attendance, representing the SW Precinct) also offered to follow-up and help, and provided his card and contact information to the business owner.

Davison then needed to leave the meeting for a family obligation, and encouraged attendees to reach out to her office with questions and concerns. She said that she lives in north Seattle and thus isn’t in West Seattle every day, but she wants to hear from citizens.  Jacobs thanked Davison for the extra effort to attend the meeting and make the time. 

The group discussed and approved the minutes of their prior meeting, and then invited officer Barreto to provide some updates: 

Barreto said that, from a crime-stats perspective in the Admiral area, most of the crime numbers are down, with the exception of aggravated assault and burglaries.  Some attendees noted that this wasn’t particularly comforting news, which Barreto acknowledged, but said that the relative number of incidents was still low, thus any data change one way or another is going to result in a significant “percentage change.” Barreto noted that crime data is published online and is readily available. 

Barreto then answered questions from attendees:

• Q: Just to reiterate the prior 911 question that we asked Davison, what changes are being made? A: That’s under the CARE department. What I can say is, always call 911 if you see something. Generally, don’t use the non-emergency line. 
• Q: What’s the current staffing level? A: We just got two more officers; getting staffing slowly but surely. Another Q: There seem to be a lot more police patrols (which is great), has there been a change in routes?  A: I can’t say the exact reason but I know that Lt. Shopay (referring to SW Precinct Operations Lt. Nathan Shopay) is working hard to get more officers out and about. The visual presence does deter criminal activity.
• Q: Are there issues with staffing and getting recruits, contracts etc? Or are you seeing more recruits coming in?  A: Yes, we had 50+ people at a hiring event last weekend, which is nice to see — obviously they would still need to go through training to determine if they’re the right fit (maybe we get 10 of them to be officers?) I can take people on ride-alongs.  Follow-up Q: Is there increased morale?  A: Yes, SPD feels very supported, which makes things better.
• Q: I was here a year ago and asked about traffic enforcement; what’s the status? A: That’s a different division, there are a small number of traffic-enforcement cars for the city.  If we can get more staffing (especially motorcycle officers) that’s helpful, because they are less visible and can help with enforcement.  (one attendee confirmed that it seems like he’s noticed more motorcycles around).  Follow-up Q: What about officers on bikes? I saw a big group of them recently. A: Yes, we’re trying to get more trained bike officers, and we promote that training department-wide; you may see groups of them riding across I-90 and back as part of training. Another follow-up Q: Would having more traffic officers end up being revenue-positive?  A: I would think so, but some traffic stops just result in warnings — when I was in academy, we learned that “traffic enforcement is education,” with the primary goal being to ensure that motorists aren’t harming other people.
• Q: With the “Belltown Hellcat” (aka Miles Hudson) being a nuisance, has there been copycats?  A: Perhaps some, but although we can pull people over if we think their exhaust noise is too loud, we’re unlikely to win in court unless the officer has a decibel meter (which we typically don’t).   Follow-up Q:  What about general reckless driving and lawlessness in cars? A: After we make an arrest, it goes to the courts. Yes, better and more drivers’ education could help.  Follow-up Q:  I think criminals know that there is very little enforcement, so the chances of them being deterred are slim. Another follow-up Q: The removal of “qualified immunity” 5+ years ago may play a factor.  A: We do what we can; we do have emphasis patrols in high-traffic areas like Alki in the summer, but staffing can be an issue. We have to weigh the risk/reward: if we see a person doing donuts with their car in an intersection, we can stop them, but if they take off then we have to weigh the risk of pursuing.  Our #1 job is helping with quality-of-life. 
• Q: Is parking enforcement people under a different department? A: Currently have a different supervisor, yes (this has changed over the years).  Follow-up Q: Can these people also enforce things like missing plates, excessive shading/tinting? A: No, it’s just parking. Follow-up Q: To report parking enforcement issues, what would you recommend.  A: Use the Find-It-Fix-It app. The info goes into a city-wide queue where it’s sent specifically to the area and to the appropriate agency. 
• Comment from an attendee: Good to hear that there are 2 more officers. Calling 911 does make a difference because officer resourcing is all data-driven — call volume helps determine staffing. 
• Comment/Q: My back hurts just looking at you (see the photo above, with Barreto’s “front pack” of gear), how much does that pack weigh? A: Yes, it’s a lot but we get used to it! (30-40 pounds)

Next was a report from treasurer Bridgett Markille, who reported that the group’s finances are strong, due to great support from small businesses and members, despite considerable expenses this past year on marquee events such as the Admiral Music in the Parks (AMP) series, the July 4th parade and the Admiral Funktion block party. She encouraged residents to support those small businesses. 

Next up was an update from communications chair ​Dan Jacobs, who reported that ANA has been graciously gifted a software program called MonkeyPod that will be the group’s new platform for management of financing, communications, donations etc.  The donation is being facilitated by MonkeyPod’s Mike Depew, who lives in the Admiral area and wanted to get involved with what ANA is doing. 

The ANA group then elected officers, and attendees approved the continuation of the 4 existing officers to remain in their positions:

President: Joanie Jacobs 
Vice President: Cheryl Lea
Secretary: Meagan Loftin
Treasurer: Bridgett Markille

Jacobs expressed support for Admiral Church and its staff, saying that the church lets ANA meet there for free, helped host one of the AMP concerts, and has been a great partner. 

She added that ANA needs a team leader to head up the group’s annual 4^th of July parade (WSB coverage here).  Megan Erb led it for about 10 years, but she is stepping down and they need a new leader for this popular local event. Jacobs emphasized that it’s not a “solo effort,” it takes many volunteers, but there does need to be a coordinator in order for the event to keep going. Interested? Contact the group via connecttoadmiral.org.

Jacobs acknowledged the recent unexpected death of WSB co-founder Patrick Sand, calling him “an amazing person; a force for good in our community,” and a great friend. She said that different neighborhood associations have been working on ways to honor his legacy, and ANA has decided that they’ll be starting a “Patrick Sand ANA Advocate Award,” and will accept applications in the near future, with the winner chosen by a group that will include WSB editor/publisher Tracy Record. 

Jacobs then acknowledged the volunteers who helped put together the group’s successful Admiral trick-or-treating event (WSB coverage here), saying that the group received very positive feedback about the event, particularly regarding the ANA-coordinated crossing guards (the first year for that). 

Some upcoming events, which Jacobs and the team talked about:

• Admiral Church Christmas Market (see our calendar listing, and the official event page). Enjoy a “German-style Christmas market.” Saturday, November 23^rd from 10 am-4 pm.  
• ANA’s new Winter Wonderland (see our calendar listing, and other details on ANA website homepage). Saturday, December 14^th from 10 am-2 pm at multiple Admiral locations.

The group closed the meeting with some raffle items, and thanked attendees for coming.

The next general gathering of the Admiral Neighborhood Association will be held in the new year: Tuesday January 14th at 7pm at Admiral Church.

Big week ahead for community meetings. Among them: The Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s next general gathering, in person. at 7 pm Tuesday (November 12) at Admiral Church (4320 SW Hill). This month, ANA will hear from city attorney Ann Davison, who spoke to the Alki Community Council last month (WSB coverage here). They’ll also talk with police, elect leadership, and talk about upcoming events including December 14th’s “Winter Wonderland.” All welcome if you live, work, study, and/or play in the Admiral area.

By Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

The Alki Community Council gathered last week for their October meeting, to talk about upcoming events and neighborhood concerns, with a visit from Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison.

The meeting was held in “hybrid” format, with attendees in-person at Alki UCC as well as online via Zoom, and was facilitated by president Charlotte Starck:

Starck credited Kevin Kramer (the group’s new Board Chair of Operations) with facilitating the technology for the hybrid meeting, to make things run smoothly.  Starck thanked attendees for being there, noting the mix of neighbors, group leaders, business owners, city staff, and law enforcement (including two SPD community-service officers who were there in-person). 

SPD Officer German Barreto from the Southwest Precinct provided an update via Zoom. He said that for the Alki area, looking at the past month compared to 2023, there has been an increase in sexual assault reports, but everything else (including thefts) is down. He noted the previously reported drive-by shootings on Alki on July 29th, September 6th and 14th, as well as an earlier incident on the 2100 block of Harbor SW. He said it was good news that detectives were able to thoroughly investigate where appropriate. He reminded attendees that the precinct has a new leader, in Captain Krista Bair (who took the position in June). An attendee asked about the “boundaries” related to the crime stats, and how much of West Seattle is included in those. Baretto confirmed that for the stats he cites in each community group meeting he attends, he tries to use data relevant to that specific area of town — in the case of the Alki group, it’s basically the 98116 zip code.

SW Precinct Operations Lt. Nathan Shopay (also attending online) said that for the upcoming weekend, they would be conducting “an experiment” in which dedicated officers would be patrolling the Alki/Harbor area specifically during the “hot time” (9 pm and later) and “won’t be pulled off Alki to go anywhere else.”  He said that the precinct with gather data and findings from the experiment to help inform future patrol assignments. Several meeting attendees thanked Shopay for this, and one noted that “I walk on Alki multiple times a day, and have noticed an increased law enforcement presence every day. I really appreciate it!”

Next up were remarks from Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison, who attended in-person, and is in the third year of her term:

She had talked to the Alki group just over a year ago, and referenced that visit several times during her remarks (she had to cancel a follow-up visit in May 2024), and thanked attendees for being there and for getting involved. She said that it’s important for civic leaders to “be knowledgeable on a local level, where the rubber meets the road” and that the strives to “make myself accessible and take the ‘front desk’ on the road.”

Davison said she has a staff of more than 100 and is the only elected city attorney in Washington (most others in the state and across the country are appointed to their positions). She said that she takes that responsibility seriously as an elected official and an independent prosecutor. 

From the “civil side,” she cited her efforts in suing the carmakers as part of ongoing issues with Kia/Hyundai vehicles being easy targets for theft because the manufacturers “knowingly sold vehicles” that were prone to theft, thus “promoting criminal activity.” She said she was the first in the country to file suit, and now 16 other government entities across the US have joined in. “We want manufacturers to recall the cars and put in anti-theft technology,” she said, noting that such requirements were already being met in Canada and Europe but the carmakers declined to do it here. She said the suit is a “strategic move to help law enforcement partners, who are already too busy” and that customers have been losing their car insurance and a whole host of other problems. 

She also noted her office’s work with the $160mm Monsanto settlement announced in July, the highest for any municipality in the country, as being a major win for public health and the community. She also cited her work as part of an amicus brief for the Grants Pass v Johnson case dealing with urban homelessness, saying that she wants to “let local policy makers make their choices” for these difficult issues. 

From the “public safety side,” Davison said her office has made huge progress dealing with the backlog of roughly 5,000 criminal cases that she faced when taking the job three years ago. She said her office’s goal is to close new cases within five business days, and they’re currently at seven days “and should meet the goal within a week or two” — and that they’re “staying on top of things.”

She said that she’s a big advocate of “data transparency” and providing the public with lots of information. “It’s cutting edge,” she said, “and not what most prosecutors want to do.” She said this is crucial to help her and other leaders make informed decisions — “we don’t want it to be anecdotal” — and that everything gets published to her office’s website including annual and quarterly reports. 

Davison cited her partnership with the Seattle City Council in last month’s 8-1 council approval of the creation of Stay Out of Drug Areas (SODA) areas, targeting drug-related criminal activity in key areas (such as parts of Belltown and the International District) and authorizing courts to prohibit someone from entering those areas if they commit a drug-related criminal offense in those zones. She said that she lives in the north end and has had hard conversations with her kids while driving through areas like north Aurora Ave. “Public areas need to be protected; the anti-drug zones should help,” she said, noting that October 23 (one month after passage) would be the effective date for the new law. After it goes into effect, “I’ll see what the referrals are like. I’m the second leg of the process; SPD is first, then I get referral and can act accordingly.”

Davison closed her remarks by saying she’s lived in the city since 1996, when she first started working for the Seattle Supersonics basketball team “the year we went to the NBA Finals!” and is proud to have gotten involved with public service. “I never thought I’d be doing this kind of work,” she said, but that she’s been drawn to taking action on behalf of the community, and doing her part. 

Some Q&A from attendees:

• Q: How about the legality of city surveillance video being used in cases? Davison: I’m not the decision maker; as a lawyer if it’s challenged then our lawyers would defend it.
• Q:  Regarding State Senate Bill 5444 (prohibiting firearms in certain areas), the bill didn’t include parks and playgrounds. Will your office seek to amend the bill to include them?  Davison: I would support that, but would only get involved if my office gets involved. I’m not totally familiar with the specifics of the bill, but my office can follow up if contacted. I’m very aware of the disparity in penalties (364 days for a gross misdemeanor, 90 days for misdemeanor).
• Q: What about jail capacity? We’ve reported things in the past but officers told us they couldn’t book for most crimes, meaning that officers would try to take them to jail and nothing would happen, leaving me and public saying “why should we call?”  Davison: As SPD has said, we definitely need you to continue calling 911 so they have that data to help inform staff levels.  Booking restrictions are getting lifted (as announced last month) and when officers have probable cause for arrest then they should be able to book them.  My office believes they shouldn’t have those restrictions.  
• Q: Does your office deal with financial crimes like wire fraud?  Davison: No, my office doesn’t. 
• Comment from neighbor Barb Richter regarding the Alki Point Healthy Street revision that was installed last June:  We’ve been happy with this, it’s resulted in a 76% reduction of 911 calls. Great example of city working with community to reduce crime in the area.  Davison: I’m very glad to hear that, but can’t really take credit. Anne I can only take small credit. It’s nice to hear these things. I recently attended an event with builders and realtors, and they say it’s a different sense right now because everyone is working together, unlike some years prior. My approach when we need to get something done is to ask “are you a problem solver” and to gravitate toward those people. 
• Q: What about jail time and enforcement of home monitoring, instead of giving constant reprieves to offenders?  Davison: My prosecutors make recommendations. I’m the first woman to hold this office (of the 10 people who have held it), I take domestic violence very seriously, if you’re a kid exposed to violence at home, then you’re much more likely to commit those crimes. My office’s role is to make recommendations to the judge, if the judge isn’t convinced then we can’t force them, but we certainly do what we can.

Davison thanked attendees for coming and departed for another commitment, and the group took a break for some raffles. Then, group vice president Lindsey Pearsall (attending via Zoom) talked with the group about a new idea that came out of discussions with the Alki Elementary PTA, regarding the creation of a partnership to display student artwork in local businesses. Such a program existed years ago, and they’d like to bring it back, ideally by the beginning of 2025. Attendees agreed that this was a great idea and they were “all in,” and Lindsey encouraged anyone interested in helping to contact her at lindsey@alkicommunitycouncil.org. 

Next, board member Robyn Fritz (the board’s Chair of Parks) encouraged attendees to do what they can to help Seattle Parks staff to keep the area beautiful and safe. She said she has lived on Alki since 1987, and is out every day walking her dog. She plans to create and manage an online list of projects (such as broken park benches, areas of overgrown or unhealthy greenery, etc) that people can contribute to, and she’ll take the lead on working with Parks staff to get things done. She encouraged neighbors to ask themselves: “What do we need to do to make Alki even better than it is?”

Attendee Steve Pumphrey, who is an organizer of an Alki/Harbor neighborhood group (focused on the three blocks around Don Armeni and Duwamish Head), then talked about safety issues relevant to that area. He said he lives across from the diagonal parking and boat launch, in the apartments on Harbor Ave. He said the area is a popular place for groups to meet and then go to Alki Beach and back. He said that his group was pleased to recently get a group from the city to come out and walk the area, and that the group included SPD leaders and someone from mayor’s office. He said they walked between the parking lot area and the boat launch, and talked about the problems, and were able to show the broken glass and tire-burn marks, and that he expects a status report from the group soon. Pumphrey encouraged attendees to attend the budget meeting on Nov 12^th at 5pm at the council offices city hall, at which Councilmember Rob Saka will propose speed-activated cameras and a study for addressing diagonal parking. “We need a big crowd to testify in favor of these things,” Pumphrey said.  He added that typically the signups open at 4pm and then the meeting starts at 5pm.  Robin Fritz noted that big crowds were on the beach recently for the northern lights, walking around, and Pumphrey said the area is always crowded but usually for no good reason. “Between 930-10pm it’s mostly people racing around; at 11pm it’s supposed to be ‘no parking’ but nobody pays attention to that.” 

The next portion of the meeting was a quick update from Sean Blackwell from the city’s CARE Department (Community Assisted Response and Engagement), who confirmed that the program plans to expand its number of Community Crisis Responders (CCRs) from 11 currently to 28 eventually, which will include an expansion into the South Precinct and into West Seattle’s Southwest Precinct in the first quarter of 2025.  He said the CCRs aim to support and complement police and fire responders, and to focus on crisis mitigation including connecting people to necessary services. 

The group then highlighted two upcoming events:

• Saturday Oct 26^th  Alki Beach trick-or-treating, from noon-2pm. This spans the business district along the beach, from 57th to 63rd. Info is online at alkitrickortreat.com. The Alki council will have booths near Ampersand Coffee with coffee and donuts.
• Saturday Nov 23^rd Alki Holiday Lights from 7-9pm (along with the Argosy Christmas Ships visit).  During the meeting, group member Stacy Bass-Walden (co-founder of Alki Pride, which just celebrated its 10th year) and other members turned off the overhead room lights and gave a preview of festive holiday lights, reminding everyone that the Christmas Ships visit is very early in the season this year (just one month from now! The ships will be at Don Armeni on Sat Nov 23rd from 5:35-5:55pm, and at Alki from 8:35-8:55pm; full schedule here).  Bass-Walden said that they want to bring back some of the “shore festivities” that accompanied the ships’ visits in past years, which have waned recently.  They’re getting local business involved and want to have cocoa and fun activities. This is a “trial event” to help set the stage for future years, and they plan to have a booth with a survey to gather feedback about what residents would want to have in future years — “we want to ‘glow-up’ Alki!” they said.  

Have you been impacted by power outages in West Seattle in recent years? If so, group member Wyatt Carlock wants to hear from you, he is a design intern for a startup called PwrOn whose mission is to improve residents’ experiences during power outages (particularly for refrigeration and internet service). He said that areas like Alki are susceptible to this.  If you’re interested in getting involved and sharing your experiences, contact him at: wyattcarlock@gmail.com.  

As the meeting came to an end, members noted that their annual election of officers will occur in next month’s meeting, and they’ll need to identify candidates and renew memberships. They’ll be doing their budget as well (yes, the group is a 5013c), and they’ve been talking with other neighborhood groups like Fauntleroy to get ideas. 

The Alki Community Council can be contacted at hello@alkicommunitycouncil.org. The group meets on the third Thursday of each month, with upcoming meetings as follows:

• Thu Nov 21 at 7pm – hybrid format, Zoom and onsite at Alki UCC
• December – No member meeting

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Lots of info as usual at the quarterly Morgan Community Association meeting, facilitated last night in Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation‘s downstairs meeting room by MoCA president Deb Barker.

POLICE: “Making a lot of progress in hiring,” said precinct operations Lt. Nate Shopay. As the chief herself said in a recent interview, she’s probably staying on a while longer. He said the new commander Capt. Krista Bair is “an exciting person to work for” and they’ve been switching up their strategy. We asked if there’s anything at all they can say about the most recent homicide, at Shree’s Truck Stop on SW Detroit last Sunday; in short, no (Lt. Shopay then told us today on followup that detectives are pursuing several leads). Barker asked if any traffic control is planned for ballot boxes around the deadline on Election Night; Lt. Shopay said he hadn’t heard of anything but could certainly consider a request. Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Satterwhite noted the annual Seattle Public Safety Survey is open for the next six weeks, and reminded everyone that it informs community-policing plans for the neighborhoods. She also showed the crime-data dashboard you can access any time on the SPD website; for Morgan, for example, August had far fewer crimes reported than a year earlier, and September stats should be available soon.

PARK-ADDITION SITE CLEANUP: The toxic soil left over from the gas station and dry cleaner on the Morgan Junction Park Addition site has been dug up and hauled away by a licensed hazardous-waste transporter. Barker said the contractor told her the soils were more contaminated than expected, so they had to excavate a bigger area, 850 square feet more. She was told the expansion was determined by results of testing as they worked. Soil testing was done on site. Now Parks has Department of Ecology clearance. The hole is still awaiting being filled because a permit is needed for filling SDOT right-of-way in the extra excavation area, Barker said. Once they’re ready to start filling, it won’t take long – maybe two weeks or so.

ALL-WHEELS AREA DESIGN: Josh Radick from Morgan Junction All-Wheels Area said it’s been a very fruitful summer with grant-funded design work as well as volunteer work. MJAWA’s Matthew Johnston said they made it through first level of Parks’ internal ProView review; next level is Pro View Tech, scheduled for October 29 – “if we clear that gate, Grindline will start drafting construction documents, that should take 4 to 6 weeks, we hand those over and MJAWA moves on to an advisory role.” You can see the approved website on their website – that’s the one going to ProView Tech. Johnston said Parks asked them to engage in more fundraising – MJAWA’s contention is that all the grant-funded and volunteer-powered contribution they’ve made are plenty. “We’re not adding a lot to the project – we paid for the design.” They got feedback in support of “a plaza design with a little bit of everything” – 6′ x 3′ wide, 12″ ledge, quarter pipe with a hip, seated ledge for spectating or skating – front piece on California with Morgan Junction lettering – existing elements are all going to be reused – Johnston says part of it is inspired by Duwamish River running under the West Seattle Bridge. Radick says the Morgan all-wheels area is going to be a learning space, as compared to the skateparks at Delridge and Roxhill, “much smaller, much less intimidating, something anybody can learn on.” Parks is still projecting construction for next year.

NEW BIZ: Annalise Johnson from Charcuterie by Annalise was introduced. As reported here, the lifelong West Seattleite recently opened a storefront after operating her business – creating “beautiful and delicious charcuterie spreads for any occasion” – as a mobile business. She’s hoping to launch her lunch sandwiches by December.

(WSB photos, 2015 crash at 49th/Graham)

49th/GRAHAM: Zelma Zieman has long been working on safety at this uncontrolled intersection – after getting hit and going sideways in 2015, with SFD having to extricate her and her son. She tried working with SDOT on safety improvements, “didn’t work out.” Then this May, a neighbor also got hit and injured. “The neighborhood is very concerned about this intersection.” Her She said her neighbor’s crash got no police response so is not on the record, but: “This is the only uncontrolled four-way for a number of blocks around it.” They managed to get an SDOT visit but they haven’t heard much since. “We don’t know what the answer is, but we know we need to do something to make it safer.” She’s been trying to research how many of Seattle’s intersections are uncontrolled – and has found thousands. “We know we’re the tip of an iceberg.” She challenged everyone to drive through that intersection and see for themselves = ‘take your time.’ She also challenged everybody to talk to friends and relatives about ‘uncontrolled intersections.’ Longer term, she thinks there needs to be more education about uncontrolled intersections, which folks from other areas might not fully understand.

SDOT: Talking about other intersections, SDOT’s Ching Chan was a guest via video connection. First, an update on Fauntleroy/Rose – the crossing improvements are “moving forward” and they’re working with consultants on the “design concept … evaluating the different treatment options” – they’re hoping to have a concept soon, with construction sometime nect year. Might be a rapid flashing beacon, might be a signal. Is lighting being considered? Chan said she’d find out and get back to the group. Meantime, she reiterated that, as noted earlier this year, Fauntleroy/California is not a good candidate for a walk-all-ways treatment – it might lead to unacceptable wait times for all users, among other problems. Attendees continued offering reasons why safety improvements are needed, including bus-related backups from the RapidRide stops on California NB north of the intersection and westbound Fauntleroy west of the intersection.

HIGHLAND PARK WAY: MoCA joined in the multi-group

letter offering alternatives to the proposed elimination of a downhill lane on Highland Park Way SW, expressing concern that it is important to keep at full width in case it’s needed again as a relief valve for getting traffic off the peninsula. They’re meeting at 4 pm Oct, 29 to walk from the top to the bottom. “This is such a key corridor for West Seattle, so MoCA decided that articulating some concerns” was called for. West Seattle Bike Connections and the Highland Park Action Committee are involved too.

ZONING MAPS: As reported here earlier in the day, the city has come out with new proposals for zoning.

CITY COUNCIL RACE: Neither candidate for the citywide Position 8 seat was available – appointed incumbent Tanya Woo had to be at the council budget hearing (which ran past 10 pm); challenger Alexis Mercedes Rinck was ailing. So their campaign managers spoke in their stead.

NEXT MEETING: Watch MoCA’s website for word of the next meeting, third Wednesday in January.

This week brings several community meetings of note – including the Morgan Community Association‘s quarterly gathering, 7 pm Wednesday (October 16), in person at the Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation‘s lower-level community room (7141 California SW) or online.
This meeting is always wall-to-wall with important community info, so if you’re interested in Morgan Junction (and often lower Gatewood) matters, be there. The agenda says discussion topics will include what’s next for the Morgan Junction Park expansion, where contaminated dirt was recently dug up, and plans to add an “all-wheel area” to the park (here’s our most-recent update). Traffic safety, police updates, and a new business will get some time too, as will the race for City Council citywide Position 8 beteen Tanya Woo and Alexis Mercedes Rinck. All are welcome, no RSVP or membership required – just show up or click in!

By Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

The Alki Community Council met online last week for their September meeting, with an abbreviated agenda as the group winds up its summer activities and prepares for the fall.  

The meeting was facilitated by president Charlotte Starck, and began with an introduction of the group’s two newest leaders: Kevin Kramer (Board Chair of Operations) and Robyn Fritz (Board Chair of Parks).  Kramer has a background in technology and operations, and will help the council ramp up their efforts in those areas. Fritz will help foster the council’s partnerships with Seattle Parks, and she joked that she is best known for walking her dog in the area, and meeting people (including Parks representatives) in that way. 

Next on the agenda was a police update from SPD’s Southwest Precinct, with Officer German Barreto and Captain Krista Bair (who became the precinct’s leader in June) both in attendance.  They discussed recent events such as the RV sweeps near Westwood Village, the Alki shootout on September 6 and an incident on the 2100 block of Harbor SW. Barreto gave an overall update similar to what he presented at last week’s meeting at the Admiral Neighborhood Association, and emphasized that citizens should call 911 (not the SPD non-emergency number) if they see anything suspicious. Bair talked about the challenges related to “encampment sweeps” on the peninsula, and commended Barreto for his ongoing work on that. For Alki specifically, Bair also noted that she recently talked to a long-time Alki resident who said that while increased traffic and “cruising” has always caused added issues on Alki in the summertime, in recent years the activities have often been more “destructive” and invasive in the summer months, and Bair agreed that it takes a strong partnership between the community and the police in order to make things better. 

The next portion of the regular meeting was an update from Sean Blackwell from the city’s CARE Department (Community Assisted Response and Engagement), which includes a team of community crisis responders as well as a 911 call center, as we’ve reported previously. The department’s leader, Chief Amy (Smith) Barden, had attended and participated in the Alki council’s May meeting, and Blackwell provided some additional context in last week’s meeting regarding the department’s mission. He said that the team has their own mobile units and can respond promptly to calls, and because team members have expertise in social work and community engagement, they can be a resource to free up time for SPD officers to handle more urgent calls. Blackwell said that in the time since the team launched in October 2023, it has handled 767 call events (with an average of 40 minutes per visit), with 37% of those resulting in the team transporting someone to get needed services.  The team started with 6 officers, and based on current plans will be expanding to 18 officers and 9 response vehicles, eventually serving West Seattle (their current focus is downtown). 

To close out the regular meeting, attendee and neighbor Barb Richter gave a quick update on the Alki Point Healthy Street revision that was installed last June, saying that it’s been successful in reducing speeding and other issues, giving residents and visitors “a safe place to walk, ride and roll.” She acknowledged that there have been some concerns about parking (some of which we reported on in August, as it relates to the northern portion of the street) but she said that in her observation, legal parking was readily available during the summer months. 

Following some closing remarks, the ACC group then transitioned into a virtual “executive board working session” to discuss organizational growth, strategy and other updates.

The Alki Community Council can be contacted at hello@alkicommunitycouncil.org. The group meets on the third Thursday of each month, with upcoming meetings as follows:

• Oct 17 at 7 pm – hybrid format, Zoom and onsite at Alki UCC
• Nov 21 at 7pm – hybrid format, Zoom and onsite at Alki UCC
• December – No member meeting

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

For the first time since May, the Admiral Neighborhood Association had a general gathering, with president Joanie Jacobs facilitating. Here’s what was discussed during last Tuesday’s meeting at Admiral Church:

AUTO THEFT DOWN & OTHER POLICE UPDATES: Officer German Barreto, the precinct’s community liaison, brought updates. Two crime categories have gone up in Admiral year to year – burglaries, aggravated assaults – and auto thefts are down. For shots-fired incidents, he mentioned the September 6 Alki shootout and an incident in the 2100 block of Harbor SW. One attendee asked for more context about the increase in aggravated assaults; Officer Barreto didn’t have specific incident info as to whether they were random or not. Another question was about the collision that injured a pedestrian at 42nd/Admiral; he had no updates on that. What’s behind the drop in auto theft? The increase was in no small part due to the Kia/Hyundai social-media-how-to trend, so the decrease seems to be because those models’ owners are figuring out how to thwart that, he said. What’s up with officer hiring? Barreto said, “I’m hearing we are getting people” but no specific stats. The nature of the work keeps evolving, he observed, and “about 90 percent is knowing how to talk to people.” How about the CARE responders? asked Jacobs. They’re supposed to go citywide at some point, Barreto noted. He also reminded people, regarding the other part of CARE, the 911 center – don’t EVER call the SPD non-emergency number. The 911 center operates differently now that it’s civilianized, he said, leading to “a problem” with police not getting dispatched to things they should be – “if there’s something that you see, and they try to send you to the non-emergency number, hang up and call back (on 911)” he said. And do call, it was stressed, to get everything on record. “And if you call 911 and don’t get the service you want to, email” to point that out. Also “be sure you get an event number or case number” when you call 911. Also, if you want to be contacted by an officer, you can ask for them to call you instead of coming to your door – though sometimes that might mean your phone rings a few hours later.

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Neighborhood-group meetings in West Seattleare usually scattered throughout the month but due to two reschedulings, this week has three:

FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Monthly meeting, postponed one week because of the presidential debate last Tuesday. 6 pm Tuesday (September 17), conference room at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW). The agenda is in our calendar listing.

ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: Every-other-month meeting, postponed one week to give participants more time to “settle in” with the back-to-school routine. 7 pm Tuesday, Admiral Church (4320 SW Hill). Agenda highlights:

We will have reps from the SW Precinct, Department of Neighborhoods and the Seattle Emergency Communications Hub. We will also be recapping an amazing Summer as well as previewing upcoming Fall and Holiday events.

And ANA will be collecting gently used winter coats for the West Seattle Food Bank Clothesline – bring one (or more) to the meeting if you can!

ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: Usual meeting night, third Thursday (September 19), 7 pm. This time it’ll be online, with a short general meeting followed by a work session for executive-board members. The general meeting will include updates from SPD and CARE. Full details and the attendance link are in our calendar listing.