(Google Map removed because of technical problems for some site visitors)
Three and a half years have passed since it was the site of a much-publicized deadly crash … but area residents say the Admiral Way crosswalk at 47th is still a place where you take your life into your hands just to cross the street. So the Admiral Neighborhood Association is leading a new push to get the city to install a pedestrian-activated stoplight. The crosswalk goes between two busy businesses – Life Care Center on the north side, Alki Mail and Dispatch on the south side – with residential neighborhoods behind each. Since the fall 2006 death of Tatsuo Nakata, “traffic-calming” measures have gone in nearby – in 2007, the intersection was marked by a “Crosswalk” sign with flashing lights overhead and narrowed by curb bulbs, while more recently, a radar speed sign was placed on the eastbound (uphill) side of Admiral at Garlough. The ANA says that’s not enough. Karl de Jongbrought up the issue at last month’s meeting, and since then, a group also including ANA’s president Katy Walum and Jim Del Ciello has explored the concept, including talking with SDOT. Del Ciello said he’d also spoken with an Alki Community Council rep who suggested they’d be willing to partner on the safety advocacy too. Tonight Walum plans to be at the 34th District Democrats‘ meeting to make the case for a pedestrian-activated light directly to Mayor Mike McGinn.
Meantime, when this was discussed at last night’s ANA meeting, talk also turned to the study on eastern Admiral Way – where SDOT is looking at possible rechannelization, as first reported here May 21st. Walum says SDOT’s study will include measurements of bicycle traffic as well as cars, and then, she says they’re promising a “well-advertised open house” in “early fall” to unveil what the study revealed. She also said SDOT has assigned project manager Virginia Coffman to that Admiral Way study.
We want to stress that we have no other reports on this and it will be difficult if not impossible to confirm with authorities – but given the nature of what Kim Petram says she saw/heard in Lincoln Park this morning, we agree with her that it should be passed along:
I was just walking our dog in Lincoln Park and Animal Control was there looking for reported raw meat that had been left somewhere in the south end of the park. He stated that they had a call about poisoned meat w/ the intent to “poison the dogs.” He didn’t find anything, nor did our dog, who is a cairn terrier with a pretty good sniffer. It was unclear about the report and how they knew dogs were the intended victim.
I think it may be worth a posting though to warn other dog owners in the park to be aware as well as concern for the wild animals in the park.
Story and photos by Karen Berge
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
More than 50 people gathered Thursday night at the High Point Neighborhood Center for a community-safety forum, billed as a follow-up to the emotionally-charged meeting on April 29th, which followed the stabbing of a woman there on April 23rd. This 2-hour meeting began and ended with some short updates and announcements, but the primary focus was to brainstorm solutions for bringing the community together to move ahead.
Jennifer Cobb and Andrew Mead, from the High Point Neighborhood Association (HPNA), started by describing their mission, “to foster community safety” and the objective for this meeting, to keep it “focused on solutions, focused on what we can do going forward.”
Willard Brown from Seattle Housing Authority (SHA), spoke for several minutes; he remarked “the most important thing is to work together on this” and said that SHA “is committed to bringing resources together.”One tangible change that residents will notice is that they have been “working with SPD to increase the police presence in our community.”
She was joined by the mother of a Somali boy who was beaten days later, in the April 29 incident that happened hours before hundreds filled a room at Neighborhood Center for a community safety conversation. At that meeting (WSB coverage here), police and Housing Authority leaders heard many of the same concerns brought forward today.
But this time, it was a much smaller forum. The two women were part of a group of about 30, led by the High Point Somali Residents Council (HPSRC).Read More
What looks like a trash basket attached to a signpole on the east side of California at Dawson (map) is supposed to be a basket of safety flags to be used by pedestrians – at a crossing where someone was hit and killed a year and a half ago. Efram and Kim, who live nearby, e-mailed WSB to say they’ve reported to SDOT multiple times that the flags need to be replenished, but they haven’t been – and the empty basket repeatedly fills with trash. This was one of three baskets of flags placed by SDOT almost two years ago. Right after photographing the Dawson basket Tuesday afternoon, we checked on the other two:
Further north on California, the basket at Dakota (photo above; here’s a map) still had flags, as did the third of the placements, at Avalon/Yancy (photo below; here’s a map):
That intersection, by the way, has a whole separate set of safety concerns, and we’ve been working on a story about that. Back to Dawson/California – Kim says she even spoke to someone with the Walk and Bike Program, but, “More than a month later, nothing. I think the pail was even emptied of its garbage just after I called the Walk and Bike Program! I hoped that flags would soon appear but they never did and the garbage just piled back up.” We suggested to Efram and Kim that they try 684-ROAD, the general SDOT hotline, again; if that doesn’t result in replenishment, we will check with SDOT to see if perhaps there’s been a change in the program. Kim says, “It’s pretty scary crossing the street at the crosswak at California SW and SW Dawson. I thought pedestrians had the right of way at crosswalks but you wouldn’t know that at all at ours.”
A few notes from tonight’s second meeting of the newly formedWest Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network, a community effort to bring together people who are (or want to be) leading Block Watch efforts: About 20 people attended the gathering, held this time at the Southwest Precinct, six weeks after meeting #1. The group is still in its formative stages, and working toward goals such as getting Block Watches in as many West Seattle neighborhoods as possible, so they’re working to figure out which areas have them and which don’t. The more neighborhoods that have Block Watches, the more neighborhoods are available to network and communicate effectively, block to block to block. As for how to efficiently get those groups formed – one idea that gained traction tonight involved organizing a central meeting for those interested in setting up Block Watches, rather than the precinct’s Crime Prevention Coordinator Benjamin Kinlow just going out to individual neighborhoods one at a time. He told the group that’s certainly a possibility. In addition to logistics and outreach, participants also discussed neighborhood concerns such as what to do about alley lighting. If you’re interested in joining the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network, best thing to do is to start with the group’s Facebook page, where you can network with others and help the group’s efforts move ahead.
(P.S. A Q13 tv crew was there to do a story on the new group; don’t know yet if it’s airing tonight or at a future date.)
The preparedness volunteers who gathered at Ercolini Park to join in Saturday’s “Rattle in Seattle” drill (explained here) admit at least one person was a bit startled – walking by and overhearing radio transmissions, incoming and outbound, like this (listen closely – it’s only 10 seconds long):
That particular “catastrophic failure” was supposed to involve the 35th/Myrtle reservoir/water tower site. But that was just one of numerous hypothetical catastrophes reported in the drill, which took on an old-time disaster-movie feel after you’d been watching/listening long enough – gas-station fires, and more. Most important of all – each of these volunteers was tracking what was being reported in her/his neighborhood:
They are the “focals” – key contacts/organizers – for the Emergency Communication Hubs around West Seattle, mapped on the website we’ve told you about many times before, West Seattle Be Prepared. If a true disaster happens and takes out standard lines of communication, overwhelming city services (that line was heard at one point during the drill, “City services are maxed out”), volunteers will set up at the “hubs,” equipped with the radios they used during this drill, to join a communication network that not only will make sure authorities are aware of what’s happening, but also will communicate, neighborhood-to-neighborhood, what’s needed – so that other volunteers can be dispatched where they’re needed, whether their expertise is first aid, search-and-rescue, or something else.
The Communication Hubs are also where you will be able to go to find out what’s happening and to seek help – and that’s why it’s important to have them in all neighborhoods, so that you or someone representing your family/block/etc. wouldn’t have to go far, even if you had to walk or bike. But they only work through volunteer power – and there’s room for lots more help – start by joining the West Seattle Be Prepared Facebook group – if you’re not on FB, there’s contact info on the main WSBP website too.
In the comment section following our original coverage of Thursday’s bicycle-car collision on Admiral Way by The Bridge, Stu Hennessey from Alki Bike and Board wrote that this week’s Sustainable West Seattle Community Forum on bicycling had been told a “road diet” is in the works for that stretch of Admiral – a “rechannelization” as happened last year along Fauntleroy Way between Morgan Junction and The Triangle. We followed up with SDOT, whose communications director Rick Sheridan confirms that a study is under way:
SDOT is currently reviewing SW Admiral Way between SW Olga St and SW Spokane St for a possible reconfiguration of its lanes. Our primary goal is to find a way to make the roadway safer for all users, especially with the high rates of speed currently seen on Admiral. We are seeking to determine whether a rechannelization would enhance safety and also maintain current traffic volumes. Changes to the lane configuration might also provide SDOT the opportunity to better support pedestrians, bicycles and transit along this street.
Our comprehensive study of the roadway should be completed this summer. We will share additional information about this effort with roadway users, area residents and community groups once the study is complete.
If the cross-street names aren’t familiar, that’s the entire stretch that was closed during yesterday’s investigation – the Admiral Way “hill” from The Bridge to just before the hilltop curve.
As of 7:30 am, 209 bicyclists had checked in at Cascade Bicycle Club‘s official Bike-To-Work Day commute station by the west end of the “low bridge” – close to last year’s pace, we’re told. Matt from sponsoring BECU demonstrated the clicker being used to check riders in:
Another reminder to owners who allow their pets outside: Coyotes can be anywhere. And they might see your pet as a snack. That’s what Siobhan thinks happened to her cat:
I live right off of Barton, on 23rd Ave. SW [map] and I went into my backyard this morning to find what was left of my cat. Her body was gone, which is what leads me to believe it was a coyote, that and 2 weeks ago on 22nd Ave. S.W. one darted across the road in front of my car. My neighbors down the road have seen them in the street and have also lost a cat.
A few days ago, Laura Sue e-mailed us about something similar – someone’s cat (microchipped, so the owner has since been notified) dead and partly eaten in her backyard near Duwamish Head. Not to be hysterical about this, but pet owners should be aware of the risks. P.S. Here’s the link we often include with coyote mentions – state info about coyotes, from the “Living With Wildlife” series.
Thanks to the local diver who pointed us to this story on the Northwest Dive Club discussion board. An Automated External Defibrillator is now in place at Seacrest, thanks to more than a year of work by local divers. It’s right inside the door at Alki Fish and Crab, and you’ll notice in the photos accompanying that story that there’s a small symbol above that door. You’ll also see in the photos that it’s dedicated to Jake Koenen, the diver who died in March 2009; his death was blamed on a sudden health problem, one the AED might have been able to correct.
This is it – the end of Disaster Preparedness Month. All but one night this month, we brought you tips, links, recommendations about making sure you and your loved ones are better prepared just in case of the unthinkable. HUGE thanks to the West Seattle preparedness-volunteer crew – including Karen Berge, Deb Greer, Cindi Barker, Ron Zuber, and everyone who works on the Emergency Communication Hubs in neighborhoods around the peninsula. And thanks to you for taking a few minutes to read. These haven’t sparked massive discussions online but they weren’t meant to – they were meant to get you thinking and hopefully preparing, and if at least a few West Seattleites added something to their kit, memorized their nearest Hub, signed up for 3 to Get Ready (left) – that’s what it’s all about. Here are the recap and regular links one more time:
What to do to calm High Point concerns amid what even its Seattle Housing Authority manager acknowledged last night are “tensions between groups amongst our young people”?
There was no consensus among those who spoke emotionally and powerfully at last night’s community meeting, sponsored by the High Point Neighborhood Association, originally meant to address questions and concerns about the stabbing of a 40-year-old woman along a local street last Friday.
But there was one clear message taken from the standing-room-only, even sitting-on-the-floor meeting: Hundreds of High Point neighbors wanted to talk about it – and about the circumstances surrounding the incident that brought police and fire to the neighborhood two hours before the meeting, when a 16-year-old boy, identified during the meeting as Somali, was beaten in a fight near HP Neighborhood Center, site of the meeting.
At the front of the room were HPNA leaders, Southwest Precinct police leaders, and SHA managers. The rest of the room was filled to overflowing with residents and community advocates – at right, that’s the end of the line waiting to get in, before the meeting.
“I know we come here tonight with many emotions,” began HPNA president Jennifer Cobb. Indeed, those emotions permeated the 2-plus hours that followed – the meeting might have run longer, but it was pointed out that some of those in attendance had to get to 8:30 pm prayers.
On this second-to-last night of our Disaster Preparedness Month coverage: Feeling overwhelmed by all the advice and exhortations, knowing there is so much you need to do, but not knowing where to start? Here’s help. Morgan Junction preparedness volunteer (and emergency responder when wearing his professional hat) Ron Zuber shares a calendar created by the Santa Rosa (California) Fire Department, but NOT specific to that locale – every step is absolutely applicable here (among many other places). It is a week-by-week calendar that offers several steps you can take EACH WEEK – at your leisure during that week – for six months. Print it out, put it on the fridge, check off the steps as you take them; every bit of progress you make is progress toward making sure you and your loved ones could make it through a disaster. HERE’S THE DOWNLOAD (Word doc). Meantime, those other regular reminders – tons of resources online at West Seattle Be Prepared, including the map to West Seattle’s Emergency Communication Hubs (memorize yours!); take the extra online step and join the Facebook group that’s part of West Seattle Be Prepared; plus – there’s still time to get in on the “prize pack” for the city’s 3 to Get Ready campaign (sponsoring WSB as part of Disaster Preparedness Month). Again, don’t get overwhelmed – every small step you take, means you’re more prepared than you were before.
Transportation is the focus for this Disaster Preparedness Month “moment” … specifically, how you’d get around if you can’t drive, either because you’re out of fuel or the roads are jammed/impassable. West Seattle Be Prepared webmaster (and more) Karen Berge recalls the scenes from 9/11 in which women were trying to walk with shoes that weren’t made for distance – giving rise to the thought that even if high heels are your preferred business wear, you might keep something more practical handy at your workplace, stashed in a locker or under a desk, and at home, regardless of what you usually wear, know where the sturdiest, most walkable shoes are, in case you have to get out fast. If you’re not fully acquainted with West Seattle’s streets and trails, take some time to learn more about them – the West Seattle Walking Trails maps can help. Know the route to your West Seattle Emergency Communication Hub, at least. And beyond walkability – even if you don’t or can’t regularly ride a bike, you might consider having one around as a matter of preparedness; taking the idea even further, given that we’re surrounded by water, owning watercraft (or having an agreement with a friend who has a boat moored on this side of the bay) could be considered part of preparedness as well.
Now, for the third to last time, our nightly reminders:
–West Seattle Be Prepared (resource-laden, WS-specific website here; Facebook group for more discussion/ideas here)
-Accept the city’s simple 3 To Get Ready challenge (register for prizes!), which is being advertised on WSB through early May
-All of this month’s reports/ideas/links are in the WSB Preparedness archive, newest to oldest – see them here
During this Disaster Preparedness Month, we’ve mentioned the city’s preparedness activities before. Here’s a simple one that you can take advantage of: The monthly newsletter from the Office of Emergency Management. Not quite May yet but the May edition is out – see it here. It lists upcoming classes and drills, in addition to taking a closer look at a specific preparedness topic you might not have heard much about. This edition also has another reminder about the “3 to Get Ready” (WSB sponsor) promotion that’s under way now. Overall, the OEM website has plenty of resources – as does, of course, West Seattle Be Prepared, home of the Emergency Communication Hubs (know YOURS!) P.S. Still need items for your emergency kit? Might be something to look for during West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day – 200+ sales around the peninsula, somebody’s bound to have something you need! (Oh, and don’t forget to join the WSBP Facebook group …)
After our Monday night Disaster Preparedness Month mention, a comment from “Onceachef” pointed out that if you need prescription medication to stay healthy, you need to make sure you have a supply ready to go if you have to evacuate. The federal government has plans to get drugs into disaster-affected zones – read about them here – but the whole point of personal preparedness is the expectation that authorities will not be mobilized to help immediately, so you have to be able to take care of yourself for at least several days. The general advice is that you keep the stockpile in your preparedness kit, and rotate it, rather than just packing it and forgetting about it. What if you need insulin, which is supposed to be kept refrigerated? Here’s a federal infosheet on that. … Got a preparedness question we haven’t addressed, as we get to the final few days of Disaster Preparedness Month? Leave a comment, e-mail us, or take your question, any time, to the West Seattle Be Prepared group on Facebook – where others interested in the topic will help you find the answer!
It’s a two-way story here on the 25th night of our Disaster Preparedness Month coverage: Since the West Seattle peninsula doesn’t have a hospital, what happens if disaster cuts us off from off-peninsula services? First – looking ahead, now is the perfect time to put out the call for volunteers in thePublic Health Reserve Corps, to spring into action if necessary in a crisis. Read all about it here. From that webpage, here’s who PHRC is looking for right now:
Licensed medical volunteer roles:
* Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners
* Clinical Social Workers
* EMT/Paramedics
* Licensed Practical Nurses and Licensed Vocational Nurses
* Marriage and Family Therapist
* Mental Health Counselors – Registered or Licensed
* Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians
* Physicians and Physician Assistants
* Psychiatrist
* Psychologist
* Registered Nurses
* Veterinarians
Non-medical, non-licensed support volunteer roles:
* Administrative Support
* Call Center Operator
* Chaplains/Spiritual Care Worker
* Pastors
* Support Volunteer
The PHRC has formal mobilization protocol, but also, the folks behind West Seattle Be Prepared note that in case of crisis, people with medical skills will also be VERY MUCH WELCOME at the West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs (here’s the map). One other note from the WSBP site: This page is devoted to information about medical and first-aid help, including a link to Google Maps with the nearest hospital and veterinary facilities.
Telling the story in that clip is Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen, who explained that firefighters go through that training annually. But what about you and your family-preparedness plans – how often should you review? At least “every few months” seems to be the consensus. Set a day and time and hold everyone to it. You could alternate practicing earthquake drills, fire evacuation plans, and going over the information about where you would all meet if you weren’t together when disaster struck (this is where West Seattle has an advantage, with the Emergency Communication Hubs – be sure everyone knows “your” location). Don’t just make a plan once, or pack a kit, and forget about it until you realize rustily – oops – should have practiced.
As we have traveled through Disaster Preparedness Month with almost-nightly information since April 1st, we’ve talked a lot about getting ready. What about when – if – something actually happens? That’s the focus of the advice on this city webpage. Some of the advice on that page has to do with earthquakes, which we’ve addressed already this month, but there’s also a one-sheet with information on Sheltering In Place – which is the advice if there is some kind of chemical spill/hazmat/toxic fume problem in the area. To be able to follow that advice, you’ll want to have a roll of plastic sheeting available – something else to add to your preparedness list, for next time you visit a hardware store. But first – have you already taken the 3 steps advised in the city’s “3 to Get Ready” campaign, including making sure 3 other people know about them? Here’s the starting point; 2 more weeks in the campaign, and don’t forget to register for the prize pack! For West Seattle-specific information, the West Seattle Be Prepared website is the place to go, along with its companion Facebook group. And if you do NOTHING else this month toward personal preparedness – at least know where your West Seattle Emergency Communication Hub is, and be certain your family/friends know too.
If you scroll almost all the way down to the bottom of this update just published at SPD Blotter, you’ll see where the rubber meets the road – and the ticket meets the mailbox – for West Seattle drivers: Seattle Police are deploying their “photo speed van” on 35th SW, and while it’s a “warning period” right now, starting next month, you’ll get tickets WITHOUT warning. The speed van’s already been used in a pilot project in local school zones – here’s our story from October 2008, when it was shown off outside Gatewood Elementary(photo above is from that event).
Just in time for Disaster Preparedness Month, the city-run Seattle Channel now offers embedding code for its videos – including the one you can watch above, a Seattle-geared preparedness overview, with practical advice, including what to do in case of earthquake. We found it by following links from the city’s “3 to Get Ready” campaign, which is being advertised on WSB and other news sites around the city to keep preparedness top-of-mind this month. Set aside 15 minutes to watch it – being ready is “everyone’s responsibility,” as the host points out – nobody can do it for you. Then take time to check out West Seattle-specific resources you won’t see in the video, like the info-rich volunteer-created West Seattle Be Prepared website, and its centerpiece, the community-created Emergency Communication Hubs (you know yours by now, right? right?).
We missed our Disaster Preparedness Month report last night – and there was no time to catch up in the early morning, because we started the day covering a sizable West Seattle power outage. So that set the tone for tonight’s advice: First, from the fabulous West Seattle Be Prepared website: What to do (and not to do) when the power goes out. But what you need in case of an outage may be very personal – depending on what you’d need to get along for a while without power – in our case, for example, it’s extra laptop batteries – so think ahead of time about what you’d really need, and have it standing by. It may be something simple, like one suggestion we got – this morning’s outage left people unable to run their coffeemakers, but if they’d had some packets of instant coffee set aside, they could have had something stopgap before leaving the house. As for the practical items, a suggested “lights-out kit” list is here. And here are your must-do get-prepared online assignments: Join the West Seattle Be Prepared group on Facebook; take the “3 to Get Ready” challenge (WSB sponsor – with prizes!); know your Emergency Communication Hub. (WSB photo above from December 2006)
But there was one clear message taken from the standing-room-only, even sitting-on-the-floor meeting: Hundreds of High Point neighbors wanted to talk about it – and about the circumstances surrounding the incident that brought police and fire to the neighborhood two hours before the meeting, when a 16-year-old boy, identified during the meeting as Somali, 
Morgan Junction preparedness volunteer (and emergency responder when wearing his professional hat) Ron Zuber shares a calendar created by the 
During this 
if you need prescription medication to stay healthy, you need to make sure you have a supply ready to go if you have to evacuate. The federal government has plans to get drugs into disaster-affected zones – 
It’s a two-way story here on the 25th night of our 
which is the advice if there is some kind of chemical spill/hazmat/toxic fume problem in the area. To be able to follow that advice, you’ll want to have a roll of plastic sheeting available – something else to add to your preparedness list, for next time you visit a hardware store. But first – have you already taken the 3 steps advised in the city’s “3 to Get Ready” campaign, including making sure 3 other people know about them? 
If you scroll almost all the way down to 
So that set the tone for tonight’s advice: First, from the fabulous
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