West Seattle, Washington
10 Monday
(2019 photo by Lynn Hall)
Remember that sighting off West Seattle two years ago, as four massive new cranes passed by on their way to Tacoma? As we’ve been reporting in our coverage of briefings on the Terminal 5 project, a similar sighting is expected soon – and this time West Seattle is the destination. Northwest Seaport Alliance project-team members have told local community groups that the cranes’ voyage would take about four weeks, and that they were expected to arrive in June, so we checked in today with NWSA spokesperson Melanie Stambaugh. She says the four new T-5 cranes, also made in China by ZPMC, are expected to ship out later this week, with arrival expected the week of June 14th. Stambaugh says NWSA will announce the departure and plans to track the cranes’ progress. The first of two berths at T-5 is expected to go into service next year.
Progress reports comprised most of this month’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting:
BRIDGE UPDATES: Heather Marx, director of the West Seattle Bridge Safety Program, led the briefing. The schedule hasn’t changed – construction of repairs starting by year’s end, completion by “mid-2022.” As we reported a week and a half ago, they’re reviewing six applicants for the project, “and hope to have a decision we fan announce in May.” The next official schedule/budget update should be in “early July,” Marx added, Monitoring is still going well.
Seattle Port Commissioner Ryan Calkins announced today that he’s running for a second 4-year term. Calkins, who works as a business consultant, says economic recovery from the pandemic-caused hardships will be a priority. He lists job creation as a focus. His announcement also says he “is running to build on his commitment and track record as a climate champion and advocate for mitigation and cleanup in communities that have historically suffered the impacts of pollution, dislocation, and development.” Calkins, an Eastlake resident, holds Position 1 on the commission; so far no one else has registered a campaign for that seat. The formal filing period, however, isn’t until next month. Commissioners are elected in a countywide vote.
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(March photo, sent by James)
Three weeks ago, we reported that the pier at port-owned Jack Block Park in West Seattle [map] – closed for months because of safety concerns – might need to be rebuilt. Our report included the port’s promise that a survey would be launched to get the community’s thoughts about options. Today, that survey is open – starting here. It’s short, asking how often you visit the park, what you do there, and what you would consider important (or not); a potential new pier and/or new boardwalk are on the list. There’s also an open-ended question about what facilities and features you’d like to see. The survey will be open all month, and the port will come up with a proposal after that. Meantime, though the pier at the 15-acre park remains closed, the rest of the park is open, including the overlook with expansive views of Elliott Bay.
Another candidate has announced she’s running for Seattle Port Commission: Toshiko Grace Hasegawa, executive director of the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs, has entered the race for Position 4, currently held by first-term Commissioner Peter Steinbrueck. Hasegawa’s announcement quotes her as saying, āIām running in the wake of economic devastation because I have the values and the experience to meet the dire needs of this moment. The Port is uniquely positioned to be a model for bringing together industry, business, workers and communities to rebuild our economy and be better than it was before. I bring the necessary perspective and sense of urgency to ensure that the next rising tide will lift all of our ships.ā The announcement explains that in her current role leading CAPAA, she “advises the Governor, State Legislature and other agencies on laws, programs, and policies impacting historically marginalized communities.” She also has worked as communications/outreach manager for King Countyās Office of Law Enforcement Oversight and as a legislative assistant to King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles. Her port priorities include “shaping an equitable economic recovery for our region, reducing pollution and carbon emissions from the Port; ensuring safety at the Port for all travelers and workers; and promoting clean & ethical supply chains to address the growing issue of labor trafficking and economic exploitation.” Hasegawa lives on Beacon Hill. Position 4 is one of three commission seats on this year’s ballot; the field won’t be finalized until May, and the primary is August 2nd.
James sent that photo, wondering about the status of the latest closure of that pier at Jack Block Park. Inquiring with the Port of Seattle (which owns and operates the park), we have learned that it isn’t going to reopen any time soon – and might even have to be rebuilt, according to port spokesperson Peter McGraw:
Deficiencies found in the most recent inspection of Jack Block Park pier in late 2020 led to closing the pier to the public out of an abundance of caution.
The Portās goal is to address the present conditions of the pier, preserve public shoreline access and the open space public-use areas it provides; while balancing environmental, financial, and community stewardship goals of the Port of Seattle.
The Port is considering several potential park improvement alternatives to address the pierās closure including its replacement, or shoreline and/or interior enhancements, and will be reaching out to communities and neighbors to gather input. Participation in the Jack Block Park survey will help inform the Port as to what current and potential park features are most important to users of the park.
Following survey analysis, the Port will host a virtual Open House outlining survey results and the proposed modifications for the Park. Stay tuned on further details later this month.
Those details will include how to participate in the survey, which isn’t open yet. The pier was closed in December, at least the third closure in a year and a half. The first of those closures, in 2019, was attributed to damage from an unidentified vessel hitting the pier. The rest of the park (which is at 2130 Harbor SW) remains open.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The biggest signs of Terminal 5‘s future relaunch will arrive in June – the new cranes that will be used for cargo loading once the modernized north berth opens early next year.
That’s one of the updates presented during a District 1 Community Network guest appearance by Port of Seattle/Northwest Seaport Alliance reps last Wednesday. (NWSA is the name for the joint efforts of the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, and the T-5 project is under its umbrella.)
It was an abbreviated version of the full T-5 briefing they had presented one day earlier to the NWSA managing members (Seattle and Tacoma port commissioners) – you can see that here, and you can read the full briefing (including the slide deck) in the agenda from that meeting:
In the week ahead, you have two chances to hear updates on the port:
TUESDAY: The Northwest Seaport Alliance managing members – aka port commissioners from Seattle and Tacoma – will get their quarterly briefing on the Terminal 5 project progress, delayed from last month (just before NWSA announced that the opening of T-5’s first modernized berth would be delayed until early next year). The meeting starts at 11:30 am Tuesday; the agenda, with viewing/listening/commenting info, is here, and the T-5 briefing documents are here.
WEDNESDAY: A Port of Seattle rep will be the guest at the District 1 Community Network‘s monthly meeting, online, 7 pm Wednesday. Community members are welcome to attend and participate. Videoconferencing and dial-in info is in our calendar listing.
The first challenger for Seattle Port Commissioner Stephanie Bowman announced her candidacy today: Hamdi Mohamed. She is currently a King County Office of Equity & Social Justice policy adviser. Her announcement says Mohamed would be “the first-ever woman of color and East African (on) the Port Commission, as well as the only commissioner to live in the airport community.” Her past work includes serving as deputy district director for Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. The announcement says that Mohamed priorities include creating “more living-wage job opportunities for all of our communities at the Port,” expecting that such jobs will play a big role in the post-pandemic recovery, and “prioritizing diversity and access for small businesses in contracting.” She also vows that environmental justice will be at the heart of her campaign. The primary is on August 2nd; the lineup of candidates won’t be finalized until May.
(File photo)
Access to the West Seattle low bridge has been limited, in part, to save space for the port truck traffic expected when Terminal 5 goes back into the cargo business, after the first phase of a $340 million modernization project. That was supposed to happen this June. Then suddenly, late Thursday, the Northwest Seaport Alliance announced T-5’s new north berth won’t open until the first quarter of next year. That means the city is saving space for trucks that won’t need it for a year or so – by which time the high bridge should be close to reopening. So as promised, we followed up with SDOT today to ask what that means to low-bridge access policy. In short: They’re working on it. SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson told WSB, “We plan to address this as part of our update to the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force next week. Weāre developing a staff recommendation now in response to this new development, and would then still plan to work with the Low Bridge subcommittee to formalize any changes to the access policy.” The Community Task Force meets at 4 pm next Thursday (February 11th). Meantime, we also asked NWSA for elaboration on the “unforeseen circumstances” cited as factoring into the T-5 delay; spokesperson Melanie Stambaugh would not comment except to reiterate that details will be provided at the March 2nd meeting of the NWSA’s managing members (Seattle and Tacoma port commissioners).
5:25 PM: The Northwest Seaport Alliance was supposed to present an update on the Terminal 5 modernization plan this past Tuesday, but pulled it from the agenda at the last minute, saying “several recent project changes” had rendered the planned update “outdated.” Here’s a big change: The NWSA just announced that T-5’s opening is being pushed back at least half a year. Here’s the announcement:
Terminal 5 to Open Q1 2022, Revising Earlier Estimates
The Northwest Seaport Alliance Terminal 5 Modernization Project is a critical component to expanding our cargo-handling capabilities. This facility will allow our region to remain globally competitive and grow our local economy. Due to the complex nature of this large infrastructure construction combined with unforeseen circumstances, this project is now seeing schedule impacts. To ensure project quality and a robust facility with construction that will last for decades, the NWSA now expects Phase 1 of the project to be targeted for completion by the end of Q4, 2021, rather than the expected Q2 of 2021.
The NWSA will be providing a full project update during the March Managing Members meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 2nd at 11:30am. This project remains a top priority and alongside our tenant, SSAT, we are committed to delivering the modernized Terminal 5 facility as soon as possible. We continue to believe this project is critical to maintaining economic and industrial diversity in our region and living wage jobs that are key to building an equitable and resilient economy.
At the February 2nd meeting of the Managing Members, commissioners approved three items relating to T5 construction, specifically the South Reefers Repair, Clean Truck Program and Radiation Portal Monitors/U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Booth Power Infrastructure. Piling and other construction work continues on the project.
This has ramifications for other things, such as West Seattle Low Bridge access, which has been reserving capacity for T-5 trucks. We’ll be following up.
6:29 PM: For the record, this is the memo and slide deck for the briefing that was supposed to happen on Tuesday. When the lease was announced – exactly two years ago tomorrow – it was envisioned the north berth could be open as soon as last month.
(Northwest Seaport Alliance photo of earlier pile-driving)
10:21 AM: The next round of pile-driving is ahead for the Terminal 5 project, according to this alert we received from the Port of Seattle this morning:
Contractors will conduct pile driving at Terminal 5 in West Seattle beginning February 8, 2021. Pile driving will continue through March and possibly into April. The activity will include both vibratory and impact hammer pile driving. The vibratory method is relatively quiet and will likely be audible only to businesses and residences close to the terminal. Impact hammer driving will be more audible, and the sound will travel greater distances than the vibratory driving. The schedule calls for three or four days of vibratory driving, followed by three or four days of impact driving.
Under the City of Seattleās Noise Ordinance, pile driving may take place between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays, and between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekends and legal holidays.
As we reported over the weekend, the Northwest Seaport Alliance managing members’ monthly meeting tomorrow will include an in-depth progress report on the T-5 project.
UPDATE: We’re told the vibratory pile-driving has actually already begun.
Those photos are from a presentation that will be given to the Northwest Seaport Alliance managing members – aka commissioners from the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma – during their monthly meeting on Tuesday. This will be their quarterly update on the Terminal 5 modernization project in West Seattle, as it approaches a major milestone – the north berth at T-5 is supposed to go into service by midyear. The meeting is online, starting at 11:30 am Tuesday (February 2nd); here’s the agenda (including call-in and commenting instructions), and here’s where to watch the meeting’s video stream.
Port of Seattle commissioners are elected in a countywide note, but the seats are of special interest here given the port facilities along West Seattle shores, along Elliott Bay and the Duwamish River. 
So we’re noting that Port Commissioner Stephanie Bowman has officially announced she’s running for a third 4-year term. Bowman is a Beacon Hill resident. Her announcement says she plans to “focus on economic recovery in the upcoming year and new term.” As points of pride in recent years, she points to “the work weāve done to build career pathways and apprenticeship programs for young people coming from high school into skilled trades.” She also notes sustainability work and the port’s change in governance from a “traditional CEO” to an executive director, which she calls “a ‘no drama’ approach to Port management.” So far, no one else has registered a campaign for that seat, Position 3, but the primary isn’t until August 3.
P.S. The Port Commission meets twice a month – you can track meeting info here. They also meet monthly with their Port of Tacoma counterparts as managing members of the Northwest Seaport Alliance, the two ports’ partnership.
(Image: Google Maps)
As we continue looking ahead to the first meetings of the new year – a West Seattle item of note is on the Tuesday agenda for the Northwest Seaport Alliance‘s managing members, aka the port commissioners from Seattle and Tacoma – a vote to authorize a new lease for the automated fuel station at Terminal 115, north of the West Marginal Way SW/Highland Park Way intersection. The agenda document says the original 5-year lease ended in 2019 but various factors delayed renegotiation of a new one, so the Associated Petroleum Products station’s been there on “holdover status” for almost two years. The agenda document says the two sides agreed to lease terms a year ago but:
“In March 2020, just prior to the Lease being brought to the April 2020 Managing Members meeting, APP requested a rental rate reduction due to their business being negatively impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic and WA Stateās Stay at Home policy. NWSA Real Estate declined a rental rate reduction but did offer to delay moving forward with the new lease and new rental rate as we interpreted APPās request as potentially falling within Governor Insleeās April 16, 2020 Proclamation 20-19.1 as prohibiting rent increases for commercial tenants when tenants were ‘materially impacted by the COVID-19, . . . whether the business itself was not deemed essential pursuant to Proclamation 20-25 or otherwise lost staff or customers due to the COVID-19 outbreak.’ APP agreed to recommence negotiations in September 2020. Lease drafts were exchanged, and the parties agreed to a final Lease on December 11, 2020. …”
The document says that following an appraisal, the rent is going up from $8,307 a month to $12,065. APP also has the right to keep subleasing space on the site to Portside Coffee and Subway. The vote is part of Tuesday’s 11:30 am meeting; you can listen by calling 253-617-4257 (Id: 467 507 334#), or you can watch the videostream here.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The West Seattle Transportation Coalition moved up its regular fourth-Thursday meeting slot by a week this month because of Thanksgiving – and so, unplanned, that put it at the end of a long day of meetings about the West Seattle Bridge.
The bridge was the WSTC’s first of two main topics (the other was Terminal 5).
SDOT UPDATE: Bridge project leader Heather Marx recapped the day’s big news, Mayor Jenny Durkan‘s announcement that the bridge will be repaired rather than replaced. Marx stressed that they are being very cautious about estimating cost and timelines at this early stage. They won’t have a “full design package” until spring, and then they’ll advertise for a contractor.
(Spotted sandpiper, photographed in 2017 by Mark Wangerin at what was then T-107 Park)
Just announced at the Seattle Port Commission meeting – the six new names for Port of Seattle parks on the Duwamish River. Four are in the Lushootseed language, two are in English. From the meeting-agenda document:
The former T-105 and T-107 parks, now tuŹÉlaltxŹ· Village Park & Shoreline Habitat and hÉŹapus Village Park & Shoreline Habitat, are in West Seattle. ha?apus is the name supported by the Duwamish Tribe, whose Longhouse and Cultural Center is across the street; we reported on their advocacy when the renaming process began in July. At today’s meeting, chair Cecile Hansen and longhouse director Jolene Haas expressed their thanks to community participants in the process, saying of the renaming, “We pray it will create an opportunity to heal our relationship with one another as Indian people and citizens of Seattle.”
Thanks to Roger for the photo (and to others who tipped us too). The two port cranes passing West Seattle on their way out of Elliott Bay this afternoon are from Terminal 46 on the downtown waterfront. We mentioned them 2 1/2 weeks ago; their previously scheduled sail date was in the midst of the wildfire smoke. These cranes are headed to Everett to be scrapped, says port spokesperson Peter McGraw, who also tells us one old crane was left behind at T-46 for longshore-worker training.
Three Port of Seattle notes:
PARK NAMES: After the month-long name-nominating process for its parks on the Duwamish River, the port plans an online event at noon Tuesday (September 15th) to announce the three finalists for each park, and what happens next. Here’s how to watch/listen.
HOW TO REPORT A PARK PROBLEM: Bob recently emailed a photo of extensive tagging at a Jack Block Park restroom building. We checked with the port regarding how to report something like that. Spokesperson Peter McGraw says using the contact form on this webpage is best for vandalism/trash.
MORE CRANES TO BE MOVED: As previously reported, three cranes were recently moved from West Seattle’s Terminal 5 to Tacoma (one on August 26th, two on September 5th). If you’re on the north-facing West Seattle shore, you might see two more cranes go by late in the week – two are being removed from T-46 downtown, to be scrapped. McGraw gave us this schedule:
9/14: Monday…barge arrives and will build temporary rails for transporting the cranes on the barge.
9/16: Wednesday…load first crane on to barge
9/17: Thursday…load second crane into barge
9/18: Friday…barge to sail.
(Not sure where T-46 is? See a port map here.)
(Photo by Stewart L.)
Thanks to all the early risers who sent photos! Two more Terminal 5 cranes were moved out early this morning, on a Tacoma-bound barge.
(Photo by Jim Borrow)
When one of the cranes was moved on August 26th, the Northwest Seaport Alliance/Port of Seattle said two more would be moved this past week. However, when we followed up several days ago about the schedule, in hopes we could share advance news of when to watch, the port told us the move was rescheduled for the week of September 14th. So this is a bit of a surprise.
(Photo by James Bratsanos)
The three cranes’ Tacoma move follows Matson relocating its weekly Hawaii service there after a year at T-5.
(Photo by Chris Frankovich)
The port says the three cranes that aren’t moving will be dismantled before new, bigger cranes arrive at T-5 next year.
One month ago, we reported on the Port of Seattle’s search for new names for some of its parks – and now just a few days are left until the August 31 deadline. Six Port-owned parks and shoreline access sites along the Duwamish River need new names “that reflect the cultural and environmental history of the area.”
The parks to be renamed are:
Terminal 117 Park
Terminal 107 Park
8th Avenue Street End
Turning Basin #3
Terminal 105 Park
Terminal 108 Park
(T-105 and T-107 are in West Seattle.) You can suggest names three ways:
–Online
-By voice mail – 206-385-9064
-Write on a postcard and text a photo to that same number
The port will choose three finalists for each and open a “public scoring period” in September.
As we mentioned last month, the Duwamish Tribe is asking for support to rename T-107 Park as Ha-ah-poos Duwamish Village Park. This video explains the history:
You can support their request by nominating that name, and supporting it in September.
12:02 PM: Thanks for the photo! Last week, we reported that three cranes are moving from West Seattle’s Terminal 5 to Tacoma, now that Matson has moved its weekly Hawaii service there. The first crane is being moved today – it’s just left T-5 by barge, and the Northwest Seaport Alliance says it’ll arrive in Tacoma around 5 pm, passing West Seattle shores along the way. Two more are to be moved next week, says the NWSA. Three others will be dismantled and removed later this year; new cranes will arrive next year in time for the opening of the first expanded berth of the T-5 modernization project.
12:18 PM: Now visible off west-facing West Seattle. (added) Photo sent by Sue in Morgan Junction:
(NW Seaport Alliance photo: Matson Mahimahi docking at Terminal 5 in 2019)
Two changes ahead at Terminal 5 in West Seattle. Temporary tenant Matson will call there for the last time this week; it’s consolidating Hawaii operations with the Alaska operations it runs from the West Sitcum terminal in Tacoma starting August 28th. As a result, three of the cranes at T-5 will be moved there starting next week; the Northwest Seaport Alliance‘s announcement says, “The cranes will be raised with hydraulic jacks and the wheels/trucks rotated 90 degrees and loaded on a barge.” The remaining three will be dismantled and removed later this year; new cranes will arrive next year as the first expanded berth of the T-5 modernization project prepares to open.
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