West Seattle, Washington
05 Thursday
Across the street and up the embankment from the Fauntleroy ferry dock is a semi-hidden gem – the Fauntleroy Creek fish-ladder viewpoint. It’s been there since the restoration project 15+ years ago, and right now it’s getting a little bit of TLC – Judy Pickens shares the photo and the following description of what’s happening in it:
Al Zurowski prepares the promontory at the viewpoint above Fauntleroy Creek for new decking. He and fellow carpenter Bill Miller with Seattle Public Utilities are replacing deteriorating decking installed when the viewpoint and fish ladder below it opened in 1998. The viewpoint will be busy starting Thursday as 600+ students come to the creek during May to release coho fry.
Judy is a watershed steward and devoted volunteer who will be busy during salmon-release season too, and she says the viewpoint work – expected to last all week – should “give everyone a much-safer platform for viewing the fish ladder.”
12:41 PM: Seattle Police have just reopened Walnut Avenue between Stevens and Forest after debris and wreckage was cleaned up from that crash on the east side of West Seattle High School/Hiawatha park. The driver hit a tree, according to Antonio, who sent the photo. We are checking with Seattle Fire, which had a two-unit medic response, regarding the age/condition of the driver; we don’t believe this involved major injuries, since the unit that investigates that type of crash was not called out. We’ll update with whatever we find out from SFD.
2:56 PM UPDATE: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore tells us that the person driving the car was a man in his 60s “who suffered a head injury after his SUV hit a tree. The air bags did not deploy.” He was taken to Harborview Medical Center.
Also coming up tomorrow: The free “Warrior Woman Self-Defense Seminar” at Straight Blast Gym of Seattle (5050 Delridge Way SW; WSB sponsor). Gym proprietor Sonia Sillan explains, “Life is unpredictable, and you never know what’s going to happen. This is why we’ve been planning this event – we believe that every woman should have access to proper life-saving awareness and self-defense strategies to protect themselves, and their families. As women, we have to learn that we are worth fighting for. We are worth every bit of effort that we can put into being strong, smart, and skilled in self-defense.” The seminar will run noon-3 pm, and you’re asked to e-mail to register – welcome@sbgseattle.com. Sonia says more than 40 women are already signed up, but there’s room for more. And they’ll be collecting donations for New Beginnings, a Seattle-based organization serving those whose lives have been affected by domestic violence.
Two months after our first report on Steps at Stevens, a community-proposed plan including a safer walking route into West Seattle High School from California/Stevens, it’s design time, and one of the project organizers, Janet Jones, shares the invitation for you to join in:
Steps at Stevens: A neighborhood connectivity project located at SW Stevens and California Ave SW.
You’re invited to join us for the planning and design of the Admiral District’s Steps at Stevens Project at West Seattle High School.
Help us create a …
*Safe and useful pedestrian route
*Public place of interest and comfortHelp us to …
*Incorporate art and historic architecture
*Reflect the character of the neighborhoodMark your calendar!
Community Design Workshop #1
Tues April 29th 2014 7-9 pm
West Seattle HS Commons
Participate in the Design Game!Community Design Workshop #2
Wed May 21st 2014 5-7 pm
West Seattle HS Commons
Review and Critique 3 conceptual designs!Community Design Workshop #3
Mon June 9th 2014 7-9 pm
West Seattle HS Commons
Review and Critique Final Preferred Design!
A grant is funding the design process; fundraising is planned to get it built.
Refreshments will be provided.
(SPD Mounted Patrol officers photographed by Faith on Barton by Westwood/Roxhill last week)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Roxhill Park/Westwood Village, a more-troubled area than ever lately, is getting beefed-up SPD attention, Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske told the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network last night.
In his briefing at the start of their monthly meeting, he addressed both current problems and concerns about the approaching summer.
Regarding the latter, the area is one of three at the heart of the summertime emphasis plan he has drafted, along with Alki (for the usual reasons) and Lincoln Park (primarily for its car-prowling problems). “Exactly how much (of the requested resources) I’m going to get in terms of what I’m asking for, because it’s fairly significant, I haven’t heard that yet,” he said. He’s said before that he is hoping for Mounted Patrol resources and added on Tuesday night that he hopes some officers will be able to patrol the area on bicycles.
As for the current situation at Westwood Village, where incidents have ranged from recurring shoplifting to an assault on an officer, Capt. Wilske says officers are assigned to be in the area more regularly so that if a call comes in, they can get to it quicker than ever. Community Police Team Officer Jonathan Kiehn added that right now there’s a strategy of working on a big-picture fix for a “lot of little things” that require increased communications, security, and procedures on businesses’ part at Westwood, as well as help from police.
ALSO COMING UP THIS SUMMER: “We’re going to be doing traffic emphasis along 35th SW for the summer,” looking for “speed and distracted driving,” said Capt. Wilske. “If you are driving on 35th SW you probably want to be driving the speed limit and you want to be using your hands-free devices.”
Ahead (if you’re reading this from the home page), updates on notable incidents, plus the night’s featured guest:
If you have medicine around the house that’s expired or no longer needed, this Saturday (April 26) is the next Drug Take-Back Day, and you’ll be able to drop it off, anonymously, at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster), 10 am-2 pm. That’s the only dropoff spot listed in West Seattle; here’s a regional list.
Lots of work in recent years on making the streets and sidewalks safer around West Seattle schools. Maybe you’d like to formalize that by being part of the Seattle School Traffic Safety Committee? The search is on for new members – read on for the announcement:
10:15 AM: We’ve just received two reports of a hazard on the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct – near the I-5 ramps on the east end of the West Seattle Bridge: It’s described as a protruding “metal plate,” in the left lane between the 1st and 4th Avenue exits, and one texter reports seeing people pulled over with flat tires. We’ve advised people to call 911 to report it since it sounds like it needs urgent repair work; on weekdays, the SDOT hotline 206-684-ROAD would be the place to call.
10:22 AM: The texting tipster says 911 promised to get someone out to fix it.
(School-zone beacon near Boren, now fully operational; photo courtesy Robin Graham)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Next school year, the former Louisa May Boren Junior High School on Delridge will be home to two schools – ongoing permanent home to K-5 (future K-8) STEM, and starting its two-year status as temporary home to Arbor Heights Elementary while AH is rebuilt.
That’s 800 or so students filling the campus, plus their teachers and other staffers.
Space in the building is not much at issue. Safety is – specifically, safely getting all those students to and from school, which fronts one of West Seattle’s main arterials, Delridge Way, a much-used route to and from the two bridges across the Duwamish River connecting the peninsula with downtown.
Though this is the second year K-5 STEM has occupied the building, it is only now getting something as simple as flashing beacons to catch drivers’ attention in the 20-mph zone. The beacons just began operation, and SDOT’s Brian Dougherty says that when Arbor Heights moves in this fall, the lights will be programmed to reflect the staggered times both schools will be in session on the campus.
The lights are welcome, but nowhere near a full solution.
It was canceled fairly quickly, but it was so big that it caught a lot of attention, so here’s what emergency-radio traffic said about that big callout at Avalon/Bradford this past hour, in the Luna Park business district near the West Seattle Bridge: Someone reported that people were coughing inside a Metro bus because of some substance someone released – possibly mace or something like it. A “hazmat multiple casualty incident” response, with many units, ensued, but didn’t last long. Apparently the person who did it got off the bus, and the substance dissipated, and the bus continued on to 35th SW; no contamination was found. Seattle Police were reported to be looking for the person responsible.
Chris McCall is rounding up some help for a neighborhood problem – and that broken glass is one of the symptoms:
We are starting a block watch because of vandalism and theft that has resulted from teens hanging out on the Hanford St. Stairs one block north of Madison Middle School.
Teens meet there to buy or sell pot, smoke pot, and drink liquor (that is probably stolen from parents, such as the smashed bottle of dragon fruit-infused SKY vodka currently there).
Some neighbors are scared to use the stairs at any time, and little children have to be careful of broken glass.
If you would like to help make these stairs safer and cleaner, please join us for a block watch meeting.
When: Tuesday, March 11th at 7 pm
Where: At the top of the stairs – 4516 SW Hanford St. (map)
Who: Mark Solomon from the Seattle Police Department will meet with us to discuss issues and how to solve them.
After Chris sent the announcement, we asked about a photo – and received the top photo showing broken glass, with the explanation, “Over the weekend, a mother and her young kids cleaned much of the litter as an act of kindness. I also put a broom on the stairs for people to use to clear broken glass.”
Later this afternoon – before we published this – Chris had a new photo to share, and an epilogue:
Walking home from school just now, I see that somebody broke the broom that I put out.
If you didn’t make it to the second meeting tonight about the project to make SW Roxbury safer between 35th SW and its east end at 4th/Olson, you’re not out of chances yet, but time is finite.
As with the first meeting earlier this month in White Center, this meeting was led by SDOT’s Jim Curtin and Brian Dougherty, though it was an interactive discussion much more than a “sit down and listen” meeting. Curtin did have a new, brief slide deck – that’s him at left, below, on the Roxhill Elementary stage with Chris Stripinis from the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Neighborhood Council, who had explained backstory about WWRHAH and other groups asking the city to “do something about Roxbury Street.”
Thanks to Joe Szilagyi from WWRHAH, among tonight’s attendees, for that photo. Meantime, here’s the SDOT slide deck, shared by Curtin:
If you can’t see the Scribd document above, click here for the PDF version. After the presentation, with key points including the fact that Roxbury – classified as “a principal arterial” – has “a very high rate” of collisions, 223 in the last three years, including 11 pedestrians and two bicyclists being hit. Traffic volumes rise from 13,000 vehicles daily on the west end to 25,000 daily on the east end, “a pretty busy road.” The collision hot spots are all along the stretch.
The most collision-plagued intersection is at that busy east end, Olson/4th/Roxbury, and one suggestion was for a roundabout there – that would take money and time, Curtin said, not ruling it out, but for starters they’re considering reducing the spinout factor there by roughing up the pavement.
Other suggestions written on sticky notes and left along the multi-table rendering of Roxbury included working on the turn lanes at the intersection by Safeway, so people are clearer on which way vehicles are turning. All the suggestions are being collected, along with those to come at upcoming events such as these (from the slide deck):
WHAT’S NEXT: Early projects will include pavement repair near Roxbury Safeway – that will be fixed “very soon,” Curtin promised. Photo-enforcement cameras, as already announced, will be installed in Roxhill and Holy Family school zones. This entire project is being made possible by photo-enforcement revenue, he added. Longer-term – recommendations for the corridor are expected to be out in July.
This morning, an invitation-only design charrette downtown is devoted to taking a fresh look (as explained here) at one of West Seattle’s more-problematic intersections, and it was preceded by a walking tour on Tuesday afternoon. The intersection is the five-way meeting of Chelan, Spokane, Delridge, and West Marginal Way SW, just west of the “low bridge.” West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen was among those on hand for a firsthand look and discussion of its challenges and its potential.
Among the stops – a bus lane that wasn’t serving its originally intended purpose, because of route changes.
The bicycling/walking/running trail was scrutinized too; there’s already a project in the works just to the south at 23rd/Delridge to improve connectivity (as mentioned in our coverage of the most recent West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting).
This morning’s design event was billed as for “stakeholders”; we’ll be checking back to find out what’s next.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 8:57 PM TUESDAY: That photo is from Christopher Boffoli, who is just back from 45th and Glenn (map) on the west side of The Junction, where there was a sizable Seattle Fire medical callout after a pedestrian was hit by a driver. Christopher says the driver’s Prius was apparently headed north onto 45th from Glenn. The pedestrian’s injuries turned out not to be life-threatening, so SFD called for a private ambulance to take him to the hospital.
ADDED 1:39 PM WEDNESDAY: We have also confirmed that an incident near Westwood last night was also a case of a driver hitting a pedestrian. SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore says the victim was a 17-year-old girl, who did not suffer life-threatening injuries. Medics transported her to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition. Moore also says the victim in the Junction crash was a 45-year-old man who was in serious condition when transported.
Know your nearest Emergency Communication Hub! That map shows the 11 community-volunteer-powered spots in West Seattle that would be activated in case of major disaster – someplace you could go to find out what’s going on when other communication channels are down. And this week, anniversaries remind us that the most likely disaster around here – earthquake – can hit at any time; three years ago today, the Christchurch quake in New Zealand killed almost 200 people; next Friday (February 28th) will be the 13th anniversary of the Nisqually earthquake here in Western Washington, which left hundreds hurt. So while quakes are top of mind again, it’s a great time to get involved with the Hubs – which have now gone citywide – and to get ready for a big citywide drill that’s about three months away.
On May 17, between 9:00 am and noon, community groups and emergency volunteers from throughout Seattle will be participating in a disaster drill to test neighborhood emergency preparedness.
The groups, known as the Seattle Emergency Communications Hubs, will join the City’s Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) ham volunteers to simulate a volcanic explosion and it’s impact on Seattle, especially if the wind blows ash towards Seattle and resulting lahars (mud flows) impact infrastructure. “It’s all about neighbors helping neighbors” said Carl Leon, one of the drill organizers. “We set up neighborhood hubs where people can come to get information and share resources or skills to help those who have been affected.”
The ACS volunteers will practice sending situation reports of conditions in each neighborhood from the Hubs into the City’s Emergency Operations Center. In a real event, that information could be used by City response planners to assess conditions throughout the city and develop response plans.
Participating Hub locations in addition to West Seattle include Broadview, Capitol Hill, Kirke Park, Lake City, Loyal Heights, Magnolia, Maple Leaf, Queen Anne, Rainier Beach, Shilshole. All Hub locations will welcome visitors and people who would like to learn and participate in the Hubs.
For more information about becoming a Hub volunteer, contact Cindi Barker, cbarker@qwest.net, 206-933-6968.
For information about becoming a Ham radio operator or member of ACS, contact Carl Leon at
N7KUW@arrl.net.
And in the meantime, browse westseattlebeprepared.org for information that could someday save your life.
We start this West Seattle Crime Watch report 
with toplines from the crime-trends update presented at last night’s WS Crime Prevention Council meeting by new precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske (right): Residential and nonresidential burglaries are below average this past month, he said, attributing that to arrests of juvenile-burglary suspects as well as the Anti-Crime Team’s work. Car prowls “have been low the past four months.” But auto thefts are up, “and that’s the one category where we’re up, and up pretty significantly,” he said. However, he said, two “very active auto thieves” who have been in custody since January 28th are blamed for much of the month’s spike – he says it’s dropped since they were arrested. Asked about violent crimes, “there’s nothing that really strikes me” as unusual, he said. He was asked about but did not have updates on West Seattle’s two unsolved 2013 murders.
(Most of the rest of the WSCPC meeting dealt with the ongoing Ryan Cox case and what turned out to be the synergistic pre-scheduled presentation about the city’s Mental Health Court – that’s all coming up in a separate story.)
Now, read on for our most recent reader reports – including prowlers, suspicious behavior at a playground, a stolen car found by a WSB reader, and a stolen truck reported just over the city-limit line in White Center (could turn up here, so we’ll publish those reports when we get them):
We didn’t get to the first SW Roxbury Safety Project meeting last night because of breaking news, but Joe Szilagyi from the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council did, and you can see his report on the WWRHAH website. He says the SDOT team got “tons of feedback” and provided new details on what happens next.
Jim & Brian from @seattledot, seemed to be a very productive Roxbury feedback event. More coming! pic.twitter.com/aR66Gz45y8
— WWRHAH Council (@WWRHAH) February 14, 2014
In the immediate future, the previously announced February 26th meeting at Roxhill Elementary is the next step, but after that, as you’ll see in Joe’s report, there’s a further timetable for conversations and implementation.
(January WSB photo: Temporary speed trailers on 35th SW south of Graham)
After years of discussions about safety improvements on 35th – and less than two months after the most recent deadly crash – the city is now committing to action. Just in:
Today Mayor Ed Murray and Councilmember Tom Rasmussen announced that the City will launch a multi-year traffic safety corridor project for 35th Avenue SW. The mayor and councilmember both committed to improving safety for all users on streets like 35th Avenue SW by reducing speeding and collisions.
“Reducing speeds is the single most effective way to decrease collisions and prevent future tragedies on Seattle’s streets,” said Mayor Murray. “Through thoughtful traffic safety corridor work we can help make 35th Avenue SW safer for everyone.”
With safety projects already underway for Lake City Way and SW Roxbury Street, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will launch a 35th Avenue SW Corridor Safety Project in fall 2014 to help enhance safety. The project will focus on the three mile segment between Fauntleroy Way SW and SW Roxbury Street. Early implementation efforts will begin in March 2014 and will include pedestrian focused education, especially for older residents, and enforcement targeting speeding, distraction and failure to yield.
“Continuing our efforts to improve safety on the 35th Ave SW corridor is important,” said Councilmember Rasmussen. “A traffic safety corridor study will engage the community and help build on the improvements made in the past several years.”
Traffic safety corridor projects address roadway safety through data-driven engineering, enforcement and education efforts that reduce speeding and collisions while improving pedestrian crossings. These projects are guided by an extensive SDOT public outreach effort where the department shares traffic data and reviews recommendations from modal plans with the community. SDOT then works collaboratively to develop solutions, identify priorities and establish a timeline to implement short and long term improvements.
Potential engineering measures to be considered during this process would include traffic signal installation and enhancements, channelization modifications, pavement repair, arterial traffic calming, lighting and pedestrian crossing improvements.
Previous corridor safety projects in Seattle have achieved significant safety enhancements. The Aurora Traffic Safety Project (2009-2011) reduced fatal and serious collisions by 28 percent and total collisions by 21 percent. In spite of an increase in traffic volumes, the Fauntleroy Way SW Project (2009) reduced injury collisions by 73 percent.
In addition to numerous earlier discussions of 35th SW problems and potential solutions, this time, neighborhood and advocacy groups launched an online petition.
From the Madison Middle School PTSA, an invitation to a presentation tomorrow night:
Madison Middle School has invited Ralph Fascitelli, President of Washington Ceasefire, to present on February 11 at 7:15 pm at our General PTSA Meeting. Ralph will talk about the ASK-Washington Campaign, a public health and safety campaign dedicated to reducing accidental injury and death to children.
Asking Saves Kids (ASK) – Washington is a public safety education campaign aimed at encouraging inquiry by parents and neighbors about guns in homes where their children play. Our goal is to persuade parents that this conversation—to ensure that their kids play in a gun safe environment — is an essential parental responsibility.
The initiative is explained here. Madison is at 45th/Spokane.
(July 2010 crash at 8th/Roxbury, WSB/White Center Now photo)
Want to see SW Roxbury a whole lot safer than it is now? You’ll recall the campaign launched by the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council with the support of other area neighborhood advocates. Now, it’s announced that the city has scheduled two meetings about the improvements to follow:
*6:30 pm Thursday, February 13th in White Center’s Greenbridge neighborhood, 9800 8th SW
*6 pm Wednesday, February 26th, at Roxhill Elementary School, 30th/Roxbury
The city’s official project page is here. And you can expect to hear about this at tonight’s WWRHAH meeting, 6:15 pm at Southwest Branch Library (meeting preview here).
As part of safety improvements near Roxhill Elementary, SDOT is building a curb bulb by the school next week, which that means some restrictions for drivers Tuesday, February 11th, through Thursday, February 13th. Here’s the announcement:
As part of the Safe Routes to School Project for Roxhill Elementary School, the Seattle Department of Transportation will be installing a pedestrian improvement at the intersection of Southwest Roxbury Street and 30th Avenue Southwest. The construction will require restricting northbound turns from SW Roxbury to 30th Avenue SW beginning Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 7 am, weather permitting. This restriction will remain in effect 24 hours per day until 5 pm Thursday, Feb. 13. Southbound travel on 30th Avenue SW will not be affected.
This restriction will allow crews to build a curb bulb on the northeast corner of 30th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Roxbury Street. This curb bulb will shorten the pedestrian crossing distance and provide a calmer pedestrian environment.
Those wishing to travel north on 30th Avenue Southwest should continue west on Southwest Roxbury Street to 35th Avenue Southwest, north on 35th Avenue Southwest to Southwest Barton Street, and east Southwest Barton Street to 30th Avenue Southwest.
Safe Routes to School is a national program that makes it safer and easier to walk and bike to school. This project also includes building a new concrete sidewalk and planting strip on the west side of 30th Avenue Southwest between Southwest Roxbury Street and Southwest 97th Street. New trees will be added, as well as ground cover and additional street lighting. Work is expected to be complete in March.
We’ve talked a lot about road safety here – and this week, new signage in multiple areas of West Seattle is being noticed. First, in the wake of the most recent discussions about 35th Avenue SW, temporary signage has been brought in. SDOT‘s Jim Curtin explains:
Two Speed Watch Trailers were recently deployed to 35th Avenue SW in an effort to reduce speeds on the corridor. These devices detect and display the speed of oncoming vehicles and provide direct feedback to drivers about their speed. They do not record data but raise awareness about speeds on this principal arterial roadway. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) studies show that these signs generally result in speed reductions in the range of 1 to 7 mph. In Seattle, our experiences with these devices typically result in speed reductions of 3 to 5 mph and significant reductions in the number of people traveling 10+ miles per hour over the speed limit. These function in a similar manner to the permanent radar speed signs that exist in four locations on 35th Avenue SW.
The portable speed watch trailers will remain in place for the next week or two and will be deployed periodically on the corridor. At this point, we are evaluating other measures that might help address speeding and other safety concerns on 35th.
Meantime, the online petition launched by neighborhood advocates on Tuesday passed 500 signatures today.
SCHOOL-ZONE BEACONS: We’ve been working on a closer look at safety concerns on Delridge by the Boren school building, which houses K-5 STEM now and will also be temporary home to Arbor Heights Elementary for the next school year. Halfway through the second year of classes there, Boren is finally getting flashing lights – “beacons” – to warn drivers about the school zone.
Robin Graham from the K-5 STEM PTA shared that photo of installation that was under way today. After hearing from a reader about an installation under way on California SW near Gatewood Elementary, we checked with SDOT’s Brian Dougherty to ask for the big picture:
There are three new sets of flashing school zone beacons being installed this month in West Seattle. They are located at:
· Delridge Way SW approaching SW Juneau St for the STEM (and future Arbor Heights) School
· SW Thistle approaching 26th Ave SW for Denny Middle School and Chief Sealth High School
· California Ave SW approaching SW Frontenac St for Gatewood ElementaryNone of these will include permanent automated speed-enforcement cameras at this time. The beacons have all been installed and there is some sign work that needs to occur before the beacons can be turned on. The sign work is scheduled to occur in February and I expect the beacons will be fully functional sometime around March 1st. This spring, we will ask Seattle Police to conduct targeted enforcement to remind drivers not to exceed 20 mph when the lights are flashing.
There are two other spots where speed cameras ARE on the way – as previously reported – on SW Roxbury by Roxhill Elementary and Holy Family School. As of our most recent check, those are not expected to be in operation until this fall, as the next school year begins.
That photo is from Sunday night – another crash on 35th Avenue SW, this time a motorcycle rider waiting to turn, rear-ended by a driver. Just eight days earlier, a memorial walk organized by local transportation-safety advocates called for action by the city, following the death of James St. Clair, hit by a driver while crossing 35th. As reported in our story about the post-walk discussion, similar calls had resounded for years – so far, none bringing much action.
So today, an online petition drive has launched to amplify the call for change. As its introduction notes, a deadly crash brought fast action in a north-end neighborhood last year, so why not, after five deaths in seven years and dozens of other crashes, here?
West Seattle cannot wait any longer – we need safe streets now! We the undersigned ask the Mayor, City Council, and Seattle Department of Transportation to fund and construct rapid improvements as they did in the case of the NE 75th St tragedy.
If you want to sign the online petition, go here.
| 1 COMMENT