More West Seattle repaving: 16th SW work finally set

April 30, 2009 11:43 am

|      12 COMMENTS

 |   Puget Ridge | Transportation | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from fall 2008)>
What just might be the most teeth-rattling stretch of road in West Seattle, on 16th SW north of South Seattle Community College, is now back on the SDOT schedule for repaving. This was supposed to happen last year – then, as reported here in November, it was put on hold. But now it’s officially set for repaving and widening between Findlay and Brandon (map) this summer – this SDOT webpage has details, including:

Work includes:

* pavement removal and replacement
* drainage improvements
* curb ramp construction
* sidewalk repaving

Construction work is scheduled to begin in mid June and continue for approximately six weeks.

Note that the city’s page also says that while southbound traffic will continue during the project, northbound traffic will be detoured “via Dumar Way SW/SW Orchard St and Delridge Way SW.”

Share This

Crime Watch update: More on the “house shot at” report

January 18, 2009 12:44 pm

|      5 COMMENTS

 |   Crime | Puget Ridge | West Seattle news

As pointed out in comments on our report about several West Seattle incidents police investigated early today, SPDBlotter now has an item on the “shots fired at house” case in the 1800 block of SW Dawson (map). No injuries, no arrest(s) reported so far. (An automated feed of the newest WS items from SPDBlotter is part of the WSB Crime Watch page, so whatever they post will go there first.)

Share This

The bumps near the bumpiness: 16th SW update

December 12, 2008 5:42 pm

|      2 COMMENTS

 |   Puget Ridge | Transportation | West Seattle news

Thanks to several WSB’ers for e-mailing us in the past day and a half or so to point out that those speed bumps have just gone in on 16th SW north of South Seattle Community College. The ironic and head-scratch-inducing aspect of the installation, however, is that they are very close to the massively pitted stretch of 16th SW that was supposed to be repaved this year (but as we reported last month is now on hold till 2009). So what’s up with that? we were asked. We in turn relayed the question to SDOT, whose communications chief Rick Sheridan managed to track down the vacationing project engineer to retrieve this explanation:

The speed cushions installed by SDOT on 16th Avenue SW are part of a series requested and approved as a small Neighborhood Street Fund (NSF) project. After the community requested them through the NSF process, SDOT studied vehicle speeds in the area and determined that speeding could be controlled with these devices. Speed cushions will be installed on 16th Avenue SW, SW Dawson Street and 21st Avenue SW.

When the work is complete, 16th Avenue SW will have two sets to help address speeding. The first set, reported by your readers, was installed in an area that is not scheduled for repaving. The second set will be installed in an area of 16th Avenue SW that, funds permitting, will be repaved and so we are waiting until that work is accomplished.

Got questions? We do our best to get answers, so we’re always glad to get notes about sightings like this … we don’t say “thanks” often enough. Any time: editor@westseattleblog.com (or if you’re on Twitter, @westseattleblog)

Share This

A big job for little kids: Invitation to Wednesday event

November 3, 2008 8:17 pm

|    Comments Off on A big job for little kids: Invitation to Wednesday event

 |   Environment | How to help | Puget Ridge

That’s the West Duwamish Greenbelt trailhead at 14th SW/SW Holly (map), where toddlers, preschoolers, and the grownups caring for them are invited to meet at 10 am Wednesday for a child-friendly tree-planting event. Lisa Corbin from the Nature Consortium elaborates:

Join us for a toddler and preschool age-friendly tree planting in the West Duwamish Greenbelt, Seattle’s largest remaining forest. We will plant (and name!) tree saplings in an area recently cleared of invasive blackberries, discover other hidden treasures of this amazing natural wonder, and hear about the history and the future of the forest from Mark (buphalo) Tomkiewicz, Forest Restoration Director for Nature Consortium. We provide tools (for adults) and will be accommodating of the little ones! Feel free to bring kid-sized shovels. Dress for the weather, and wear appropriate footwear (some parts of the trail are muddy) Extreme rain cancels. Be ready for inspiration! Call 206/923-0853 or e-mail Lisa@naturec.org to reserve your spot. RSVP today!

Lisa says the tree-planting should run from 10 am-noon.

Share This

West Seattle weekend scenes: Trails kickoff, WCFB fundraiser

October 18, 2008 11:56 pm

|    Comments Off on West Seattle weekend scenes: Trails kickoff, WCFB fundraiser

 |   How to help | Puget Ridge | West Seattle news

Saturday morning at Camp Long, Chas Redmond (right) led the kickoff event for the West Seattle Wayfinding and Kiosk Development program. There’s no denying West Seattle is a great place to walk; the goal of this program – which has received a $100,000 matching-funds city grant — is to make it better, with kiosks and signs to help guide the way. Exactly where they should go — that’s part of the job that starts now; attendees focused in on the south side of western WS, perhaps Fauntleroy. Another meeting is expected in November, no date set up, but even if you couldn’t make it to Saturday’s kickoff, you can still jump in to help; e-mail Chas at credmond@mac.com. Speaking of helping – that’s what hundreds of people did by showing up at South Seattle Community College‘s Brockey Center for the White Center Food Bank‘s annual Harvest Dinner and Auction, with donated auction items like these:

Fundraisers like this have never been more important — just a few weeks ago, WCFB executive director Rick Jump told us the number of people served this September was up 50% from a year earlier. If you couldn’t make it to the event, you can still help the White Center Food Bank — which also serves part of West Seattle — by donating online here. (The West Seattle Food Bank accepts online donations too – start here.)

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: Does this car look familiar?

October 8, 2008 10:37 am

|    Comments Off on West Seattle Crime Watch: Does this car look familiar?

 |   Crime | Puget Ridge | West Seattle news

That photo comes from Helen, who wonders if anybody happens to be “missing” this abandoned car, which turned up overnight (open trunk and all):

I live in the 5900 block of 18th Avenue SW (map), and as I set out to go to work, I saw a car in front of my house this morning. Turns out that my neighbor across the street and 3 or 4 houses south of me had his van stolen around 5 am today. A police officer was there taking a report, and told me he’d run the plates on the car in front of my house, but we all felt it was highly likely that it was stolen.

No word on that yet, but we thought we’d run the pic in case you or somebody you know is looking for that car.

Share This

The drill before the storm: They’ll be there when all else fails

October 5, 2008 11:21 am

|      1 COMMENT

 |   Puget Ridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

Inside Olympic Hall Room 101 at the south end of South Seattle Community College on Puget Ridge, those ham-radio operators and others spent several hours Saturday morning making sure they’re ready for something they hope to never have to do: Relaying emergency help needs, status information, and more to the city Emergency Operations Center when all other means of communication are out of commission. Coincidentally, the test, which was meant to simulate “a major catastrophic winter wind storm,” happened just a few hours before the first hint of fall wind blew through the area. Involved were two trained ham-radio communications teams, all volunteers, from the Seattle Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) that serves the city’s Office of Emergency Management, and the Seattle Sub-Group of the Western Washington Medical Services Team. From outside Olympic Hall, these portable antennas hinted at what was going on inside:

The radio operators can use antennas like those to transmit directly or to relay the signal via one of four “repeaters” around the area, one of which is in West Seattle. Meantime, some of the gear inside was marked with the scenario for which it was being used; the storm simulation focused on communicating with Seattle Public Utilities regarding two areas of (hypothetical) trouble, the Madison Valley area where flooding killed a woman in the December 2006 pre-windstorm deluge, and the Perkins Lane area of Magnolia, a waterfront strip beset by mudslides over the years:

You probably won’t be surprised to hear that computers are part of the scenario these days too – one team was using battery-powered laptops to feed digital messages into radio equipment (sort of like wireless Internet), and Mark Sheppard from the city was at a computer-equipped command post overseeing the test, explaining where these volunteers would be dispatched to if disaster actually struck:

Spokesperson Dave Mann tells WSB that Seattle ACS members do drills like this about four times a year, to make sure they’re ready … just in case. More than 100 communicators belong to the Seattle ACS but there’s definitely room for more — considering they might have to assist the entire city in a time of trouble; find out more about them at their website (which also details exactly how many people are involved right now and what they’re ready to do) at seattleacs.com.

Share This

• Prev
• 1
• …
• 12
• 13
• 14
• 15
• Next