West Seattle, Washington
13 Sunday
Quick West Seattle Crime Watch note tonight – Jeri on Pigeon Point asks you to be on the lookout:
Late Sunday night or early Monday morning, March 13th or 14th, a 2003 white Subaru Outback, Washington license plate ACE 4203, was stolen from a driveway near 21st & Charlestown on Pigeon Point.
Seen it? Let police know.
(City graphic of Station 36 site; purple area is right-of-way to be “vacated” for the project)
By Katie Meyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
The Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council was briefed last night about the upcoming work at Fire Station 36 alongside the West Seattle Bridge, one month after a city team visited the North Delridge Neighborhood Council to present a similar update.
Concerns about noise levels from both the planned construction/seismic retrofitting and the new on-site 72-hour-capacity generator were addressed: David Kunselman, Fire Facilities Levy Program Manager, said that construction will follow Seattle’s noise codes as per the zoning, and some weekend work will likely be allowed, but: “Most of the work will be internal, so it should be pretty quiet.”
If you live in, or travel through, northeast West Seattle’s Pigeon Point neighborhood this weekend, you’ll see that sign – another creation by PP Neighborhood Council co-chair Jim Sander, whose signs have told neighborhood stories before – from a traffic detour to a fight against vandalism. The face is that of Vivian McLean, legendary neighborhood advocate/activist (whose 90th birthday was feted last month [WSB coverage here]). According to Pigeon Point’s Pete Spalding, who shared the photo, Vivian is always the hostess of the neighborhood’s holiday party, but had to skip this year because she is recovering from an injury, so Jim created a sign that holds a get-well wish as well as a party invite.
Before we get to the reports on tonight’s neighborhood-council meetings, one more from last night – the Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council. We have toplines from two of the major topics, trees and traffic – read on:Read More
With dozens of students running alongside, that’s Pathfinder K-8 P-E teacher Lou Cutler scoring a strong finish to his annual birthday run this mornin – one lap around the school playfield for each year of his life, raising money for Make-A-Wish Foundation. This is the seventh time Lou’s done this, but a few things were different this year – for one, it’s the first time around the field at Pathfinder’s new Pigeon Point campus; for two, he tacked on an extra lap – 59th birthday, 60 laps. We’ll check later on the fundraising total; you can donate online here.
Out of the WSB inbox, from Crystal:
I noticed that the coyote sightings are being posted on the blog so I just wanted to mention that we saw one tonight. We were walking through the Pigeon Point neighborhood toward the school there and we saw one behind the fence, near the Duwamish trail. It ran away from us because we were walking our dogs, but looked pretty big.
If you missed it – our previous coyote-sighting report included a photo. And as always, we don’t publish these because they’re cause for major alarm, but because some still aren’t aware they’re among us; here’s the “coexisting with coyotes” link frequently shared here.
Remember the saga of the Pigeon Point sign – first poking fun at a road closure, then cut down and stolen, then having its frame replaced? Now, Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council co-chair Jim Sander has created a new two-sided sign – to urge participation in Blockwatch. You can figure out the first photo; in the second one, if you don’t recognize the face, that is local uber-involved Pigeon Point resident (and former PPNC chair) Pete Spalding. Speaking of Blockwatch, dare we remind you again that tonight is the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s monthly meeting, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct, which is also where the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network will have its second meeting one week from tonight – Tuesday, May 25, 6:30 pm (here’s the Facebook invite).
Just in time for next Saturday’s neighborhood Spring Clean event, the people of Pigeon Point have a new signpost. It’s been 3 weeks since someone cut down and stole its predecessor, Braveheart spoof and all, but now, Pigeon Point’s Pete Spalding shared the photo, telling the PP neighborhood list, “A big thank you to Nick for building the new sign post and to Jim for the new Welcome to Pigeon Point sign that tops it.” (Real-estate-shingle-type signposts like this one are routinely used to promote Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council meetings and other major events in West Seattle’s northeasternmost neighborhood.)
Jim Sander and Theresa Hoy led the Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council meeting last night as co-chairs for the first time. Before the meeting was too far along, all 20 or so chairs set up in a circle inside the Pathfinder K-8 cafeteria were filled, one by the night’s special guest, Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Benjamin Kinlow. He’s always busy but has been on an extra-intense tour of neighborhood councils recently, as more groups show interest in helping facilitate the growth of Block Watch activism in their respective areas. Kinlow (who is a civilian SPD employee) stressed, “Get your entire block involved in watching out for each other’s homes. … When you see somebody out on the street or the sidewalks (who looks unfamiliar or out of place), think about them being in your back yard … call your neighbors, have everybody stand in the window and watch … if they see that (and are up to no good), they will leave your neighborhood.” More crime-prevention advice and other Pigeon Point notes, ahead:Read More
Thanks to Jim Sander from the Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council and Mike Dady from the North Delridge Neighborhood Council for the word that 23rd SW reopened today, as promised, after six weeks of work adding utility connections to new homes up the hill from Delridge. (We took the photo at left a short time ago.) Jim reported in e-mail to PPNC members that the much-discussed no-parking signs along 21st SW were being picked up, too. Mike, on behalf of the NDNC Transportation Committee, wants to remind drivers that this means the end of other temporary traffic changes: In particular, it means the return of the temporarily covered “No Left Turn” and “No Right Turn” signs at the corner of 22nd and 23rd Avenues SW, which he says were hard-won after a years-long campaign – those turns are again illegal. And Metro Route 125 is supposed to be back on its regular route this afternoon, according to spokesperson Linda Thielke.
The sign in the above-left photo is one of two that brought a lot of smiles and comments when we published photos sent by their creator, Jim Sander, a month ago. Tonight, Pigeon Point’s Pete Spalding says the sign’s been stolen – along with most of the community signpost that held it (“after” photo, above right):
At some point during the day on Friday some low-life scumbag decided to vandalize one of our Pigeon Point neighborhood signposts. These signposts were donated by residents of the Pigeon Point neighborhood. These sign posts are normally used to notify residents of upcoming meetings and events that are taking place in our neighborhood. Now we will have to come up with the funds to replace this signpost and the Welcome to Pigeon Point sign that was attached to the crossbar on top. These signs have been in place for several years and we have had some occasional damage, but nothing on this scope. If anyone has any information about this vandalism please send an e-mail to pigeonpointcouncil@comcast.net.
Ironically, the road closure/detour that inspired the signs is just a few days from wrapping up.
Two weeks into the North Delridge/Pigeon Point traffic re-routing/parking reduction required by a homebuilder putting in a sewer line along 23rd SW, new signs are up in PP, requesting detouring drivers’ consideration. Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council co-chair Jim Sander made the signs and sent the photos, taken by 6-year-old Tom Sander.
(Yes, Jim says, that second “Braveheart“-inspired sign is tongue-in-cheek.) The signposts are more often used to publicize upcoming neighborhood events such as PPNC meetings, but the slow-down reminders will be handy until the construction work is done, potentially another four weeks.
A quick followup on the Pigeon Point “shots fired?” reports from early Sunday morning: Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James says that officers found “no evidence of gunshots” while investigating – in other words, no shell casings turned up anywhere. The hours-earlier Alki call turned out to be fireworks, according to nearby residents. That’s often the case with “shots fired?” calls, but you never know, so police would rather hear from you, just in case.
As noted here yesterday, Metro and SDOT worked together to make some changes lessening the Pigeon Point effects of the up-to-six-weeks closure of 23rd/22nd. Today, SDOT has sent an official news release summarizing the changes – read on:Read More
For almost two weeks now, we’ve been covering the saga of the 23rd/22nd SW construction-related road closure between North Delridge and Pigeon Point/Puget Ridge. The ripple effects included a bus re-route leading in turn to dozens of lost parking spaces for blocks around. While the homebuilder who has to close 23rd/22nd 
for sewer-line work had been working with the city for months on a “traffic plan,” and followed all the notification rules, it still all came down without advance neighborhood consultation, and that led to a flurry of action last weekend, including two visits from City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, one including an SDOT entourage. Some changes were made but now there’s word of a BIG change: Metro’s Linda Thielke tells WSB that as of the start of service tomorrow morning, Route 125 will “only use 20th SW southbound between Charlestown and Genesee; it will use 21st when northbound between Genesee and Andover.” That means “more than 50 percent of the parking on the east side of 20th will be restored.” Thielke says this wouldn’t be possible without SDOT agreeing to put in a temporary stop sign on 21st at Andover (photo above; here’s a map). She also says no bus stops wll be affected. We’re checking with SDOT to see if they have taken any other steps. Again, this is supposed to take effect tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.
Many who live on Pigeon Point have had this top-of-mind all weekend, but for those who live elsewhere and drive 23rd/22nd SW between Pigeon Point/Puget Ridge/elsewhere and North Delridge – remember that tomorrow’s the day the road closes, along the route shown above (as first reported here February 10th), for up to six weeks. A few new developments today, according to Pigeon Point’s Pete Spalding, one of the neighborhood leaders who’s been in close contact with the city and the developer whose project’s closing the road for sewer-line work: He says the no-parking zones have been reduced somewhat, but they’re hopeful of getting even more parking back by convincing Metro to run the Route 125 bus down 21st SW instead of the currently planned reroute. Any decision on that isn’t expected before tomorrow. Spalding says Councilmember Tom Rasmussen – who chairs the Transportation Committee – returned to the neighborhood for the second afternoon in a row, this time with five SDOT reps, who thought the revised bus re-route would make sense, and promised to request it. Spalding also met with developer Jon Riser this morning, and reports he’s “totally concerned” about the neighborhood impacts. As Riser told us in a conversation last night (last element in this story), he’s been working with the city since November on the “traffic plan” for the project – but city rules don’t require early notification, nor do they require community consultation, which is why no one knew about this until the signs went up a week and a half ago. Many hope this might lead to a change in the rules so that neighborhoods would get earlier warning, in order to participate in the planning process and avoid frantic last-minute maneuvering like this. NOTE: Channel 13 did a story on the situation last night – first TV story that we know of:
(Updated at 6:10 pm after a conversation with the developer whose project’s at the heart of this)
ORIGINAL 4:37 PM REPORT: In the bright jacket, that’s West Seattle-dwelling City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who chairs the council’s Transportation Committee. Rasmussen bicycled up to Pigeon Point this afternoon to listen to neighbors’ concerns about effects of the 6-week road closure that starts on Monday so that a developer can run a sewer line to new-home sites on 23rd SW. First reported here 10 days ago, the closure not only will close a major route between North Delridge and Pigeon Point/Puget Ridge, it also will reroute Metro’s 125 bus (details here), which in turn means parking restrictions on nearby streets that are not in the construction zone. Most galling to neighbors – as noted here last night, when the signs went up yesterday, they covered an even longer stretch of nearby streets than had been announced by SDOT – and that’s what has neighbors most concerned. Jim S wrote in a WSB comment last night:
It’s frustrating to say the least. It feels very much as if the city has sold out Pigeon Point for a developer’s utility upgrade to the arterial. I understand that Riser Homes are paying the full ride on the sewer and storm drains on 23rd and that cost is considerable, but this has affected a far wider swath of neighborhoods than the average street closure. Closing virtually all parking on two of the three major streets in the Pigeon Point neighborhood without consulting the neighborhood is very unfair. It is a thoughtless, cookie cutter fix to a problem that required a more measured equitable solution.
This afternoon, Rasmussen met with about a dozen residents, coordinated on short notice by Pete Spalding (at right, below, with Rasmussen at left – note the “no parking” signs lining the road in the background).
It’s not just a matter of nowhere to park and driving a detour route, neighbors say, it’s also a safety issue – as hundreds of drivers detour, there’s concern they may go racing down streets where there’s not usually heavy traffic. And there’s a big-picture issue here: Notification. Everyone agrees that the homebuilder did what was required – notifying neighbors in the immediate area – but, as discussed at the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting last Wednesday, what’s required, may not be enough. In our video clip, you’ll hear Rasmussen wonder if there’s any way to hold off the project now, so that a meeting can be held with neighbors first:
There was no public word of the impending closure till signs went up on Delridge a week and a half ago; the signs seemed to suggest Delridge was closing for six weeks; a WSB’er named Pete (not Spalding) contacted us to ask what we knew. We checked with SDOT, which explained the developer’s plan – this Feb. 10th story resulted – and got him to add “23rd SW” lettering to the closure signs; the information about bus and parking restrictions followed, and Pigeon Point neighborhood leaders have been working round the clock to try to make sure residents are getting accurate information. They’re expecting SDOT reps to be in the area to monitor the situation on Monday morning, first commute period after the closure is scheduled to happen, if the plan doesn’t change in the meantime. (We also have e-mailed the developer to ask for comment.)
ADDED 6:10 PM: Got a fast response from Jon Riser, the aforementioned developer, who called after receiving our e-mail. He says, “This is a process that’s been going on for a long time. We submitted a traffic control plan back in November – it’s not a small, little, quick, throw-out-a-permit thing to close the road. It’s been a drawn-out (process) that’s involved Metro, city engineers, and my own traffic engineers. This is the plan they came up with that they felt was the safest.” He says he’s talked with Councilmember Rasmussen and that holding off construction isn’t an option – “I don’t see us not starting on Monday” — Riser says this phase of the project will be costing him $10,000 a day; “the contractor’s lined up and this all has been rolling for weeks.” But, he adds: “What I do want to do is, during the first initial closure, try to adjust some of this …” such as, seeing if buses can “turn directly onto 21st,” and adjusting some of the no-parking zone on 23rd for residents who face “some serious parking problems.” He adds, “Adding signs, removing signs … whatever we can do in the first day or so. … (And) we’re trying to get a couple police officers to be on site to help. … I’m trying to do what I can.”
9:04 PM: Pigeon Point residents say the “no parking” warning signs are up but are stretching beyond the areas described in previous communication from SDOT. Neighborhood leaders are working to sort this out, and also hope to talk with city crew members expected to be in the area to check on the situation Monday morning.
EARLIER (ORIGINALLY POSTED 3:18 PM): We’ve been covering this for a week now, but in case you missed it, here’s the official reminder from SDOT of the North Delridge/Pigeon Point/Puget Ridge road closure/detour situation starting Monday – read on:Read More
People who live in, and travel through, North Delridge/Pigeon Point/Puget Ridge are still working to sort out how they’ll get around when a section of 23rd SW, just southeast of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, closes for up to six weeks starting next Monday, so a sewer line can be extended to new homes that are being built in the area. Yesterday, we published the Route 125 bus re-routing information from Metro; today, SDOT confirms the parking restrictions that will be put into place, with signs going up as soon as tomorrow. There’s a pedestrian advisory too. Read on for details:Read More
Quick followup to last week’s reports/discussion about the closure of a section of 23rd SW southeast of Youngstown Arts Center, starting next Monday, related to nearby homebuilding. Many people wondered about the rerouting plan for Metro’s Route 125. Today we’ve received it from King County’s Rochelle Ogershok – it’s way too complicated to cut and paste here, so take a look at the PDF. She adds, “We will also be sending out an alert to Route 125 subscribers when the details are posted online” (sign up here for alerts) – and suggests anyone affected check the Metro website a day or two ahead of time, in case of last-minute revisions.
To follow up on questions raised following our Wednesday afternoon report on the impending closure of a significant section of 23rd SW in North Delridge, we took them to SDOT‘s Marybeth Turner first thing this morning. She’s just replied with what you might call a fact sheet – read on to see it in its entirety (note the part about parking restrictions on other streets):Read More
Got a note this morning from Pete M, who wondered about a sign (photo added 5:57 pm) he had seen while heading north on Delridge near SW Alaska (map) – he thought it suggested a big closure ahead, and wondered if we’d heard anything. We in turn checked with SDOT, whose Marybeth Turner has been investigating. She reports back that there IS a closure ahead, but not what the sign apparently implied:
A contractor for a private developer installed a misleading sign on Delridge Way SW. He is taking it down, and will replace it with a more accurate sign that indicates that SW Oregon Street (which turns into 23rd Ave SW) [map] will be closed. The developer is extending a sewer line for new homes.
Traffic going to South Seattle Community College coming from the north will be detoured to Delridge Way SW. The closure will start at approximately 9 a.m. on Feb 22 and is expected to reopen by Apr 5 (six weeks).
At Delridge, SW Oregon Street (which turns into 23rd SW) will be closed to all traffic. At the other end, 22nd SW (which turns into 23rd SW) will be closed to through traffic where 22nd SW meets 21st SW. 23rd will be closed to all traffic (including local) where it meets 22nd SW (this would be SW Alaska if Alaska cut through at this location).
Hope that all makes sense to area residents. She also included a word of thanks for the heads-up on the sign – so we’ve passed that on to Pete.
Toplines from Monday night’s Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council meeting: Though Andy Worline has stepped down after nine months as PPNC chair, new co-chairs have stepped up: Jim Sander and Theresa Ball. Former chair Pete Spalding ran tonight’s meeting, though. He’d invited David Dockendorf, principal of Pathfinder K-8, which as of this school year is housed in the Cooper School building where PPNC has long met. Dockendorf said about 470 students are now enrolled, with a kindergarten waiting list of about 20. In Q/A, he was asked about school-bus traffic, particularly why buses leave going different ways even though they all arrive along the same route; the principal promised to check. He says Pathfinder is continuing now-discontinued Cooper Elementary‘s tradition of working with the Nature Consortium in the adjacent West Duwamish Greenbelt. Speaking of parkland, PPNC also discussed the application that’s gone out for money to turn the old City Light substation at 21st and Andover (map) into a park, potentially with play equipment and benches.
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