West Seattle, Washington
07 Friday
(January 29th photo of Delridge/Holden stairway, after student was robbed)
Back in February, Southwest Precinct Community Police Team Officer Erin Nicholson told the Highland Park Action Committee that the city might bring in goats to clear vegetation along local stairways and make them safer, in the wake of crimes targeting students using them. Now, we have confirmation: SDOT is bringing goats to clear the slopes alongside the SW Holden stairway between Delridge and 20th. Here’s the flyer the city has distributed to nearby residents:
This will be the first time SDOT has used goats in West Seattle, according to SDOT’s David Allen, who says they are from Rent-A-Ruminant.
P.S. While it’s a first for SDOT, it’s certainly not a first for WS; last decade, it was almost common – oldest goat photos in WSB archives are from 2007: Marine View Drive, Admiral, Gatewood …
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
You can complain and explain until you’re out of breath, but few things beat showing a problem spot firsthand to those who can at least help find solutions. That’s the idea behind the classic “walking tour” with community members and government reps.
One in Westwood on Monday afternoon was a sequel/followup to a similar one exactly 15 months earlier (WSB coverage here), from the “wall of buses” on Barton to the one on 25th, and beyond. It showcased what had changed, what hadn’t changed, and what will soon change.
This one, like the one at the end of December 2013, was requested by the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council, represented this time by chair Amanda Kay Helmick and WWRHAH’s Southwest District Council delegate (and SWDC co-chair) Eric Iwamoto. Also like the December 2013, other participants included Metro, SDOT, SPD, Seattle Parks, reps from County Executive Dow Constantine and City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen‘s offices, plus King County Sheriff’s Office transit deputies.
Ahead – what’s changed, what hasn’t, and more:
We don’t know how it happened, but thanks to those who sent photos of this U.S. Postal Service truck crash in Upper Morgan earlier this evening, including this one from Rob. Someone who texted us about the crash says no one was hurt, verified by an absence of an SFD callout on the department’s online log.
(SATURDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Pole fixed, store open)
10:25 AM: Thanks for all the tips (and the photo!). Police and firefighters are at PCC Natural Markets-West Seattle (WSB sponsor) because, we’re told, a utility pole was hit by a truck and is in danger of toppling. The store is still open, we’re told, but Stevens is closed off at California on the south side of the store’s parking lot. We’re en route to find out more.
10:47 AM: Here’s what our crew found out: Until the pole problem (which is on the alley off the west side of the store and its lot) is fixed, much of the parking lot is blocked off, as is Stevens from the alley to 44th SW. Thanks to David Whiting from the Admiral Neighborhood Association for this photo:
The parking that remains open is on the east side (along California). The store itself is not affected otherwise. (Added: Here’s a photo from our crew, showing the entirety of the pole:)
We’ll check back again later.
1:20 PM UPDATE: The store confirmed, when we stopped by a short time ago, what commenter OVR said – they’ll have to close temporarily when the repairs are under way, because power will have to be cut. No ETA for that so far. More of the parking lot is open (about half), in the meantime.
6:23 PM: Went back to check. Store is temporarily closed while pole repair is under way.
6:59 PM: Back at HQ, added the photo of repairs under way. No ETA on reopening but we’re told the store does hope to reopen sometime this evening (midnight is the usual closing time), so we’ll update when there’s word.
8:23 PM: Now that the pole repairs are over, the store’s open, says Melissa via Twitter, but no hot bar/soup for the rest of the night.
Thanks to Cindi for the photo – that tree along the west side of California SW toppled this afternoon, taking some of the surrounding pavement with it, so if you are walking along that part of the street south of The Junction this evening, be careful. Since her photo, a tree crew has been on the scene and, we confirmed with a quick trip that way, turned the branches and trunk into chunks, currently piled between the surviving trees. The pavement in this tree’s vicinity still looks a little precarious.
If you couldn’t make it to Madison Middle School last night for the PTA-organized presentation by/discussion with Seattle Police and Parks personnel, no worries, we recorded it on video. (No slide decks, so you can just listen to it in the background by playing the video, too.)
Starting at about 4 minutes in (after an introduction by PTA president Carla Rogers), the first presenter was SPD’s local Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon, who gave an overview of the situation – since the first of the year, in the Southwest Precinct‘s coverage area (West Seattle/South Park), police have investigated 17 incidents in which youth were targeted. Most of the robbers stole their victims’ cell phones; Solomon stressed the importance of not going around openly using your electronics. Most of them were, like their victims, youths, he said. He answered lots of questions about what advice to give kids, both about prevention and about what to do if something happens. Then at about 32 minutes in, Seattle Parks security supervisor Marlan Teeters spoke. His part of the discussion included community-center lockdown policies. And at about 49 minutes in, Madison principal Dr. Robert Gary spoke about school policies and procedures – including an explanation of “shelter in place” vs. “lockdown,” and also why parents will likely hear about one or the other before the school gets a robo-call or other notification out. Dr. Gary also talked about traffic/pedestrian safety outside the school and said they’re working with SDOT on ways to calm the morning traffic, in particular.
P.S. Find out more about the Madison PTA here.
In case you missed earlier mentions of this, we wanted to publish the reminder with an extra day’s notice:
(Click image to see full-size, full-details flyer)
Tomorrow’s the night the Madison Middle School PTSA is hosting a special meeting with information about keeping kids safe:
Our Children’s Safety and Security is of paramount importance to each of us. If the recent reports of lewd or violent behavior by unknown suspects in West Seattle has you worried about your kids, then you can’t afford to miss the Student Safety Night Event that Madison PTSA has put together for you!
From advice for routine issues like safely crossing busy intersections, social-media pitfalls, to alarming issues like how to respond to and handle a potential threat by an attacker or mugger, we will host experienced experts to share their insights with you!
Join us for this FREE informational event on March 18th at the Madison Middle School Library and learn from our Special Guests like Mark Solomon – Crime Prevention Officer from Seattle Police Department’s South Precinct and Marlan Teeters, Security Supervisor for Hiawatha Park. As usual we will also have our Principal, Dr. Gary, in attendance to represent safety on campus at Madison.
The meeting will be at 7 pm in the library at Madison; the campus is at 45th/Spokane.
When PTAs and PTSAs raise money for their schools, it’s usually for academic and enrichment necessities that just can’t be covered by the school budget. Right now at Denny International Middle School, the PTA finds itself raising money to keep kids safe, in the wake of the recent robberies/assaults against students in their area (and elsewhere in West Seattle).
Denny PTA co-president Catherine Irby Arnold tells WSB that after meeting with police to find out what more could be done, they’re setting up a Block Watch as soon as they can – what’s above is *part* of their roughed-out map showing the coverage area – and are raising money via their Direct Drive to train volunteers, since they need at least 20. Also, she adds, the money will cover buying security vests, flashlights, and Denny sweatshirts for the volunteers. “We will kick this off as soon as possible. We are all fed up with the rash of security issues around our school. Safety of our scholars is our highest priority.”
If you’d like to help, you can donate online – scroll down this page and click the golden button.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Two days after SDOT debuted the 35th SW safety-design options (WSB coverage here), an afternoon encore presentation filled the upstairs meeting room at Southwest Branch Library.
While the information presented by SDOT’s Jim Curtin on Thursday afternoon was the same – most of it in this slide deck – the reaction and questions were not. And that wasn’t surprising, since Curtin asked for a show of hands by those who had already heard something about the proposals.
As we listened to the presentation a second time, different facts jumped out, beyond the big ones (five people killed and more than 1,000 crashes in a decade):
Work will start tomorrow on the 47th/Admiral traffic signal and other pedestrian-safety components.
A week and a half ago, SDOT announced the project could start “as soon as” this week, and now we have the alert with details of what’s ahead:
The Seattle Department of Transportation will begin work to install a new traffic signal, new crosswalks and upgraded curb ramps at the five-leg intersection of 47th Avenue SW and SW Admiral Way at SW Waite Street. Crews will work at this location for up to four months.
Residents, businesses and travelers can expect to see crews and equipment in the area beginning tomorrow, March 10. Construction will begin with survey work and site preparation. Crews will begin saw cutting at the northeast corner of 47th Avenue SW and SW Admiral Way as soon as Wednesday, March 11, with demolition of the northeast corner to follow on Thursday, March 12. “No park” signs will be placed around the work zones prior to the start of work. We will notify adjacent properties prior to the start of work at a given corner.
Crews will begin work to demolish the existing curbs and prepare to set the foundation for new signal equipment. Crews will continue to work in preparation for installation of the signal but there may be a lull of activity between the corner work and installation of the new signal. The existing overhead pedestrian signal will remain in place until the new signal is operational and the crosswalks are marked. No impacts are expected to adjacent Metro bus stops.
During construction you can expect:
· Construction activity from 7 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday to Friday
· Pedestrian and bicycle detours around work areas
· Temporary lane and parking restrictions during off-peak travel times on 47th Avenue SW, SW Admiral Way and SW Waite Street
· Noise, dust and vibration associated with concrete removal and pavingIf you have questions or concerns during construction, contact Rachel McCaffrey, construction outreach lead, at rachel.mccaffrey@seattle.gov or 206-615-0925.
According to the city website, the contractor is CA Carey of Issaquah, awarded the contract for $352,026. That’s close to the projected $350,000 cost, but considerably less than expected when the City Council decided in 2013 to fully fund the signal. SDOT says the work will last about three months.
In case you missed the first announcement a week and a half ago: You have two chances this week to see the “design alternatives” that SDOT is proposing to make 35th SW safer, 6:30 pm Tuesday (March 10th) at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way), and 3:15 pm Thursday (March 12th) at Southwest Branch Library (35th/Henderson). These will be the first standalone community meetings since the project kickoff in October (WSB coverage here), which in turn followed the February 2014 city announcement of a long-sought safety initiative for the arterial, after much talk but no action despite five deaths in seven years. What happens after these meetings? The process is laid out on the project page.
Just two days after the Westwood transit hub took centerstage at the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council meeting, a new illustration of a not-so-new concern presented itself:
(Thursday photo courtesy Joe Szilagyi)
On Thursday, WWRHAH secretary Joe Szilagyi took that photo in the middle of a very recognizable crosswalk on SW Barton between the Roxhill Park bus stop and Westwood Village. He sent the photos to city leaders with this note:
I am writing about the crosswalk from the Rapid Ride terminal site at Westwood Village in West Seattle. At some point overnight or today, a car plowed through the crosswalk and demolished it, while leaving debris all over.
We have asked repeatedly for nearly two years for assistance and budgetary relief to fund proper, full, and safe mitigation for pedestrians crossing here in the form of a controlled crosswalk if possible, and failing that at minimum a user-activated flashing visual beacon. As of yet we have only heard several variations on how this is not feasible, beyond current budget realities, or ‘not proper’ or appropriate for this location due to the nearby streetlights at Barton and 26th for the Westwood Village entrance.
There is a user-controlled full crosswalk one block south on Roxbury adjacent to the intersection of Roxbury and 26th, by the Safeway supermarket. Why is that location appropriate for these controls to service that Rapid Ride C stop, while the full end-of-line terminal a block away on another arterial is not? It’s a miracle that no one was in the crosswalk when this happened.
If this slows traffic down on Barton that is an irrelevant concern to the safety issues. Please advise us with a schedule as soon as possible of when this specific crosswalk’s dangerous conditions will be rectified to the satisfaction of the community.
Please note that we are not asking for assistance or guidance on applying for a grant on our own for this. We are asking for SDOT and the City of Seattle to immediately begin remediation of the dangerous conditions at this location.
We were CC’d on that note, and on several replies so far. Councilmember Tom Rasmussen told Szilagyi that he would ask SDOT to respond. SDOT director Scott Kubly said, “I will have my team work with King County to get the shelter repaired and to evaluate what we can do to improve safety at this location.” One of the people from whom he requested followup, city traffic engineer Dongho Chang, replied this morning that he would get it reviewed, then wrote again this afternoon:
The sign was repaired today. We’ll need to chip out the concrete and install a new post anchor. I had staff review our records and we didn’t have any specific concerns that I was able to find today for the crossing. However, I spent some time observing and walking the area and I have some thoughts that I’d like to have a quick conversation with the community.
We verified before sunset that the sign has indeed been repaired:
(WSB photo taken late today)
But that doesn’t address the ongoing issue. The e-mail chain continued late in the day with WWRHAH co-chair Amanda Kay Helmick pointing out that the safety issue had been discussed with SDOT’s new transit division director Paulo Nunes-Ueno at the last West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting (WSB coverage here) and that she had a walkaround tour set with him for March 30th. All involved are now deciding whether that is soon enough for an assessment, or whether the timetable needs to be accelerated.
The transit-hub-related issues discussed at WWRHAH’s monthly meeting last Tuesday at the Southwest Branch Library involved more than safety. Helmick had already announced that Metro had committed to sidewalk and lighting improvements; Metro’s Paul Roybal was at the meeting to confirm all that, saying the sidewalk work will go from 26th to 29th on the south side of SW Barton, and ADA improvements will be included. Preliminary engineering work is under way, he said, and a survey crew will be out soon; if all goes well, work could start late in the year (which would be two years after WWRHAH’s original walking tour with Metro and other reps).
Also at the meeting, Metro’s Doug Johnson talked about Metro changes that will take effect June 1st as a result of Proposition 1 money. Area residents remain concerned that the 21 isn’t getting much and the previously slashed 22 isn’t getting anything, with Arbor Heights service still suffering as a result. Johnson said this isn’t the only round of improvements; there will be more in the future. Helmick is gathering comments on how the 21/22 reductions have affected riders.
With some other routes – particularly the RapidRide C Line – getting added service, Helmick asked the Metro reps if that meant more layovers and more buses stacking up at the Westwood hub, where the “Wall of Buses” along Roxhill Park has been notorious. Johnson said drivers will still have breaks there but the buses will be moving more frequently to keep up with schedules, so it won’t be that noticeable.
Also at the meeting, Andy Thompson from Westwood Village’s owners, Madison Marquette. WWRHAH told him the center isn’t as walkable as it could be. He said they’re continuing to look into pedestrian safety concerns and questions, but that overall safety has been improved since the Seattle Police bike patrols began.
WWRHAH also talked Tuesday night about Roxhill Bog, one year after its first big discussion; a new report about its issues – particularly, why the bog isn’t much of a bog any more – is out. We’ll publish that part of the March WWRHAH story this weekend.
The Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council meets first Tuesdays, 6:15 pm, SW Branch Library.
For the second day in a row, some local parents are getting a safety-alert message from school administrators. Last night, it was Madison Middle School after a student was harassed; today, it’s the Denny International Middle School/Chief Sealth International High School community after a different type of incident, just east of the Denny campus. Here’s the letter, obtained from Denny principal Jeff Clark:
Dear Denny and Sealth Scholars and Families,
We want to share with you information right away regarding an incident that occurred in our community this morning.
At approximately 7:30 this morning a seventh-grade Denny scholar was walking on SW Kenyon Street from Delridge to 26th Ave SW via the Longfellow Creek Legacy Trail.
When she arrived at the bridge on the trail, a male of mixed race who appeared to be in his 20s or 30s came into view. She was asked for money and then had a picture was taken of her before she ran to school. When the scholar arrived at school, she did the right thing by reporting this to school staff right away. Denny staff immediately notified the Seattle Police Department, and they are actively investigating.
The safety of our scholars is our top priority. Please help us remind your children to walk in pairs, stay on well-lit and streets that can be seen by others, and to report anything suspicious to a trusted adult (school staff and family member).
More tips and information can be found on the Seattle Police Department website: seattle.gov/police/prevention/child/default.htm.
Sincerely,
Jeff Clark, Principal, Denny International MS
Aida Fraser-Hammer, Principal, Chief Sealth International HS
Thanks to the Denny parent who sent us first word of this.
Madison Middle School sent a robo-call safety alert to families tonight. We hadn’t heard about the incident that triggered it until several parents asked about it; so far as we’ve heard, the alert was only sent via robocall, and not via e-mail, but one parent forwarded the audio file and we’ve transcribed it below. The voice was that of assistant principal John McDonald and he described it as “an important safety message regarding an incident that occurred in the community today.” Here’s what follows on the recording:
This morning, we had a Madison student come to school and report an incident involving an unknown individual. The student reported that a male approximately in his early to mid 20s got off a Metro bus at the same time the student got off the Metro bus near the McDonald’s on California Avenue, approached the student, and grabbed the student. After the student went to McDonald’s, the male continued to follow the student, asking for money, and then calling the student names, after the student told him that they didn’t have any money. The student then ran to Madison and immediately reported the incident to school personnel … (then) the Seattle Police Department was contacted.
The message did not have any additional information about the incident, but continued with safety advice for parents to share with children, including walking in well-lit, well-traveled areas, not walking alone, not taking unfamiliar shortcuts, being aware of your surroundings – acknowledge people but don’t “try to stare them down” – don’t display valuable items such as phones or money, and not wearing headphones with music blocking out ambient sound and preventing them of being aware of what’s going on around them.
We’re trying to reach police to find out more about the incident and will add anything more that we find out, though it might take us until tomorrow.
ADDED: Police included this incident in an SPD Blotter post on Friday afternoon.
As of today, interim Fire Station 29 is officially up and running in those temporary structures on the city-owned right-of-way triangle at Ferry/44th/Hill, across from Admiral Congregational Church and down the street from permanent Station 29.
As first reported here in January, this wasn’t in the original plan for where Station 29 would go while its permanent quarters get earthquake-safety upgrades and a bit of other remodeling; for many months, the city had said it would instead be located at the Harbor Avenue site that had been used for interim Station 36, and the neighbors of this site weren’t notified until eight weeks ago, days before site prep began. They voiced safety concerns but ultimately the plan proceeded, and Engine 29 is now operating out of the temporary station; SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore confirmed to WSB that today was moving day. Also: Battalion 7, which had been based at 29, is now at interim Station 32 on 40th SW in The Junction, home to Engine 32 and Ladder 11 while permanent station 32 is rebuilt, and Medic 32, as noted here last month, has moved temporarily to Station 37. Bottom line – for the next year-plus, you’ll see emergency vehicles emerging from places you’re not necessarily used to seeing them.
P.S. The future of the North Admiral site, post-interim Station 29, is on the agenda for next Tuesday’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, 7 pm at The Sanctuary at Admiral (42nd/Lander).
Two Crime Watch notes this afternoon:
STUDENT APPROACHED: This happened in South Park, but the student attends Pathfinder K-8 in West Seattle, and the alert is being circulated among parents in both communities, so we were asked to share it:
My 14 year old daughter was approached by a man on Trenton Street while she walked to her school bus stop this morning. This guy obviously had no good intentions! My daughter describes him as Hispanic, thin with dark hair. His car was a gray 4-door sedan of an older (1990s) model. She believes that he was using or on some sort of substance.
His intent was to get her into his car!!! She avoided his questions, got to her bus stop and called the police. She has since given a statement to police (at her school) and her school has been made aware of what happened this morning.
I want to be clear: My daughter felt threatened by this man and that he was very intent on getting her alone. Please help keep an eye out for this person and help keep our kids safe!!!
Via Twitter, the police log indicates this was near 10th Avenue S./S. Trenton (here’s a map).
CAR PROWL: Two car prowls are on the police log so far this morning. One was reported in the 7300 block of Delridge Way, and we learned of the other one in this reader report from David:
My car was broken into in the Gatewood area just west of 35th sometime between 1100 PM and 0700 AM. A window was broken and some items removed. It has been reported to the police.
SPD shared car-prowl-prevention/deterrence advice a month ago; we published it then but it bears sharing again:
That’s Victor Gonzalez-Arredondo, child-safety expert at Swedish Automotive (WSB sponsor). This Thursday and Friday, 11 am-2 pm, he’ll be front and center offering free safety checks of baby/child car seats – all you have to do is drop by Swedish, 35th/Kenyon. (All makes of vehicles welcome for the safety checks, by the way!)
As mentioned here a week ago, SDOT director Scott Kubly told the City Council Transportation Committee that the 47th/Admiral signal was on the brink of construction – and now, a city alert says construction could be just days away:
As soon as the week of March 9, the Seattle Department of Transportation will begin construction of the project to build a new signal, crosswalks and updated curb ramps at the intersection of 47th Avenue SW and SW Admiral Way in West Seattle.
This project aims to improve the flow of traffic in this area and you can expect to see the following changes at this intersection:
(WSB photo of Murray CSO Control Project pit, from last week)
You’ll see a Seattle Fire Department presence on Saturday at the Murray CSO Control Project site – the million-gallon-tank pit across from Lowman Beach – but it’s just a drill. We mentioned this briefly last weekend, and now have more information, as promised by Doug Marsano from King County, who writes:
The Seattle Fire Department will practice safety drills at the Murray CSO Control Project site from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 28. The drills provide training for fire personnel to practice emergency procedures on construction sites. They are not part of the project work.
The drills are being conducted in cooperation with King County’s contractor. You can expect to see fire trucks and emergency personnel working at the site on Saturday.
For information about the Murray CSO Control Project, please contact the project information hotline available 24 hours a day, 206-205-9186, or visit the project web page.
You might recall that two years ago, firefighter trainees practiced at the residential buildings that were demolished to make way for this project – here’s our photo gallery.
What can you do to try to prevent/deter someone from stealing from you? An informal discussion with SPD was the spotlighted topic as the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network met last night at the Southwest Precinct.
(WSB photo)
Thanks to everyone who tipped us about the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter that appeared to be searching off Alki. We went over to check, and got the photo above, but no information from land, and no city public-safety responders in view; a USCG spokesperson we subsequently reached by phone confirms that it’s indeed a search – starting with “an unconfirmed report of a swimmer struggling in the water.” The person who reported this lost sight of the apparent swimmer, according to the USCG, but they are searching from the air and water until they are sure they’ve done as much looking as they can. No other information so far.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Death and injury on our streets is preventable.
So declares the online overview of the city’s new Vision Zero road-safety initiative, which lays out changes ahead, including reducing speed limits on arterials, with this year’s list including five in West Seattle.
The mayor announced Vision Zero on Thursday in Lake City; the fine print includes a relatively long list of changes ahead for West Seattle. So today, we’re taking a closer look. In addition to what’s in the document made public by SDOT, we’ve also followed up to get more information on the timetable for changes, and along the way we’ve learned of at least one potential new speed-camera location for West Seattle.
First, the plan for lower speed limits. The Vision Zero plan notes that 9 of 10 pedestrians hit by drivers going 20 mph survive – but that survival rate plummets to 1 in 10 if hit at 40 mph. So, a big part of the city’s plan focuses on reducing speed limits on city streets.
20 MPH PROGRAM
(WSB photos by Katie Meyer)
The city-owned triangle of land between 44th, Ferry, and Hill now holds the first structures to arrive for interim Fire Station 29.
They arrived early this morning, as per the city plan announced on Monday. Still to come, the temporary structure for Engine 29 itself. The interim site is expected to be in use for up to a year, while permanent Station 29 undergoes renovations and earthquake-safety upgrades.
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