West Seattle, Washington
29 Friday
Out of the WSB inbox from Ann; she sent it this morning, but now that night has fallen, it remains relevant for some slushy-sidewalk spots around town:
Folks are exercising (running) in the streets around Admiral – which is fine, we understand that the sidewalks are still dicey – but folks really need to wear light colored clothing. A runner (wearing dark clothing also wearing earphones) just slipped on ice in CA Ave in front of my car, she corrected herself in time and luckily I was going slowly so I didn’t come near her. I’m not sure if there is way to remind people to be safe during the thaw as there is still ice in the streets, even major ones.
Once again this very-early morning, we’re hearing on the scanner that police are being called out to deal with allegedly rowdy sledders and snowmobilers on Charlestown hill (a few blocks west of California SW). That reminded us that the above photos had come in on Monday with the following beef:
OK, so maybe I am getting a bit older these days but having six 4-wheel ATV’s and a snowmobile tearing up Alki at 11:45 pm is a bit much… Loud and obnoxious, will we have to wait until one of them hits a pole or worse yet a person out enjoying the snow for a walk? I get using one to run up to Safeway or the Met, but does Alki Beach have to turn into an obstacle race course if it snows?
Included are pictures of the result of these folks. Unfortunate result of what should have been another beautiful scene from that master artist in the sky… Instead we have dirt kicked up from the doughnuts and loud racing last and previous nights. I doubt this activity is legal, these folks are going way too fast for my comfort level having my car parked on Alki Ave and friends/neighbors out and about.
Sincerely, Concerned at Alki
Before we launch our Sunday night edition of snow coverage, wanted to mention this – since it turned out to be particularly timely: Saturday morning, hours before the snow hit, volunteers from neighborhoods all over West Seattle got together to test emergency radios that could be used for West Seattle-wide info-relaying in case of catastrophe – the photo above shows preliminary results (broken lines are iffy, solid, better) – here are photos taken before participants fanned out for the actual test:
That second photo is Ron Zuber, a radio expert who coordinated the test (and the one we mentioned on Night Out in August) — that test had mixed results, so this time, they tried more powerful radios. Cindi Barker from the Morgan Community Association reports, “Not a perfect result, but there were enough inter-neighborhood connections that we think we can stick with family service style radios, and that way Block Watch and SNAP groups can hear our communications. Alki and Fauntleroy will be our biggest challenges, we may have to get a repeater to boost the signal all the way from end to end.” They’ll meet again next month to further develop the plan.
A West Seattleite who wishes to remain anonymous sent this in to give you a heads-up:
I was shopping at Target (West Seattle) at 4:45 today. I got hot, took my coat off (and my bag), put all in cart, turned my back to it and then – poof – it was gone.
The brazen thing was, even as I was reporting it to security and the police, the thieves were shopping at the store! They spent 682.98 at Target (at 6 pm) and then ran off to Best Buy for another splurge of 635.44.
I cancelled my credit and debit cards and then something I’d never heard of until now – I put fraud alert on all my accounts.
This Seattle Police webpage includes some handy info regarding what to do if (hope not) this happens to you. We’re adding it to the “resources” list at the bottom of the WSB Crime Watch page.
Most mornings, we can just write one roundup that highlights several notable events happening in the ensuing 12 hours or so. Today – so much going on (as listed in our current West Seattle Weekend Lineup), we’re just starting with the morning highlights:
PANCAKES, SANTA, ROYALTY, MORE: 7 am-11 am, Masonic Hall (4736 40th SW – here’s a map), the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s long-awaited Community Pancake Breakfast – a great deal ($6 adults/$3 kids) for good food, and it goes to benefit Kiwanis charitable work – bring an unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots too. Along with breakfast, you can get Santa pix plus meet West Seattle Hi-Yu royalty (and another chance to buy those beautiful glass ornaments they’re selling).
SAFETY: The weather’s been so calm lately, you may have forgotten about the potential treachery of fall/winter rain. Don’t let that keep you away from the city’s landslide-awareness workshop – free! – 10 am-noon at South Seattle Community College (as previewed here last month).
GOLF: As announced back in October, today’s the day for the West Seattle version of the Parks Department open house to update the city’s Golf Master Plan and hear from local course users. Drop by the West Seattle Golf Course between 10:30 am and noon.
HIGHLAND PARK ELEMENTARY HOLIDAY BAZAAR: This isn’t just a chance for holiday shopping, but also an opportunity for family fun – 10 am-3 pm, you’ll find carnival games, raffles, craft items and more at Highland Park Elementary.
More later on what’s ahead tonight – though we have to mention, of course, the top of the ticket is the West Seattle Tree Lighting, with musical and theatrical entertainment as well as a holiday singalong and the first drawings in The Junction’s $5,000 Holiday Giveaway (entered yet?). 5 pm, Farmers’ Market parking lot, we’re helping emcee and we hope to see you there! (Dozens more events are listed here.)
The Seattle City Council and King County Council both took final budget votes today (city news release here, county news release here); no last-minute drama – that was all worked out last week. Many of those councilmembers also send out newsletters, and one of them, Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess (left), followed up his budget note with his thoughts on what should be done to help stop the youth violence that flared in a particularly ugly, and deadly, way this past weekend – in several incidents including the Southcenter shooting. We wanted to share what he has to say – his voice is particularly loud in this matter, as he chairs the council’s Public Safety Committee:Read More
At this past week’s Delridge District Council meeting attendees heard a moving presentation about the Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership — which needs more people power to help keep local kids out of trouble with alcohol and other drugs, not just to keep them safe for now, but also to reduce their chances of lifelong problems – the sooner you start drinking, the more likely you are to struggle with alcohol abuse as an adult. Since knowledge is power, as the saying goes, one simple way to help — if you’re a West Seattle parent — is to complete a new survey – and you can do it online. Here’s how Renae Gaines, a local leader in this fight, explains it:
The Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership is interested in getting feedback from community members about the attitudes and perceptions of underage youth using alcohol and/or other drugs. We realize that you are a valuable source of information and the information will help the coalition to address alcohol and drug use in the community.
In late November, a survey will be sent out to 1233 community members to gather information on attitudes, knowledge and perceptions around this issue. The coalition will use the community information to develop community strategies and solutions. The survey data is important for understanding the issue surrounding underage use of alcohol and other drugs in the community and we strongly encourage community members to participate. The community members were selected randomly and will receive a survey via the United Stated States Postal Service which will include a postage paid return envelope. Or you can have the option of completing this on-line survey:
www.surveymonkey.com/WestSeattleParentSurvey . If you are a West Seattle parent and you haven’t received the survey via US mail or completed it through Madison Middle School, please take it online.The results of the survey will be distributed throughout the community after the data analysis and community members will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the results.
If you have questions about the community survey and/or information about the coalition, please contact the SPF-SIG Community Coordinator, Renaé T. Gaines: (206) 396-2945 or her e-mail: rtgaines@seattleschools.org
Another way for you to join forces with the Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership is to attend the next meeting, coming up Tuesday night — 6-8 pm, Southwest Library branch; here’s a map. (All the group’s meetings through next May are listed now on the WSB Events calendar.)
West Seattle has one official off-leash area for dogs. Go off-leash at any other park, and you’re running a costly risk. When WSB Forum members noticed a city crackdown at Lincoln Park (photo above from park’s southeast entrance), University of Washington News Lab reporter Monique Vague saw the opportunity for a news story. Not only did she find out more about the LP crackdown, but she also discovered the city’s future enforcement-expansion plans:Read More
We’ve been tracking the county budget crunch here and on White Center Now; many components of the county budget affect far more than those in unincorporated areas — it also affects public-safety and other services provided for everyone in King County. Council leaders just announced they’ve found a way to save some of the services that were on the chopping block – here’s the entirety of their (long) announcement (P.S., you can send comments online by going here):Read More
From tonight’s Alki Community Council meeting: Crime prevention was the major topic on the agenda, as the ACC held its last scheduled meeting of the year. Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Benjamin Kinlow had been invited to speak as a followup to a meeting last month with neighbors in the 1500 through 1700 blocks of Alki SW. That in turn was a followup to a late summer wave of break-ins in those two blocks (which spawned this WSB reader report at the time). Kinlow gave an abbreviated version of his standard Block Watch presentation, saying he hoped to return with more detailed information tailored to both the neighborhood and the residences involved. He said the security issues involved in a condo building are very different than those of single-family residences, noting that the neighborhood had both. Also he encouraged the Council to have an informal meeting prior to Night Out next August so that neighbors could meet and share information about what they see going on in their neighborhoods. ALSO: The ACC gave out recognition awards to former board members of their board. Receiving personalized coffee mugs and gift certificates to the Phoenician restaurant were Jackie Ramels, Gary Ogden, Peter Stekel, and Don Wahl.
Two nights of major meetings — you’re invited, indeed encouraged, to attend any and all:
7 PM TONIGHT: Southwest Precinct meeting room — Delridge District Council with a busy agenda including a jail-site update from Highland Park Action Committee and the latest on the Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership (whose online survey will be available shortly).
6:30 PM TOMORROW: West Seattle (Admiral) Library branch — the next Southwest Design Review Board meeting (first mentioned here 10/30) for the proposed Admiral Safeway rebuild (here’s our report on the last one in September).
7 PM TOMORROW: Alki Community Center — the Alki Community Council‘s agenda includes a Block Watch presentation by SW Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Benjamin Kinlow.
That was the scene this morning near 37th and Lander (map). We stopped by after a call from city arborist Nolan Rundquist, who thought some passersby might be interested in why the trees were coming down: He says six big trees there had to go because of Dutch Elm disease — three were dead; the other three were dying and in danger of infecting others if not taken down. (We published a city warning about this disease, with some explanatory details, last August.) Rundquist told us a crew had a two-day window open during work being done for City Light, so they got busy in this neighborhood, at no cost to the homeowners. He added that some Bridging the Gap money might be available to replant in the neighborhood as soon as next spring.
So many times in recent weeks, we’ve seen the power of neighbors banding together to do what needs to be done – including fighting crime – and that task gets easier when you have the latest info on what’s happening in our area. Tonight, it’s your last chance of the year to get that info, and answers to your crime/safety questions, by attending one of the most worth-your-time monthly events in West Seattle, if you’re at all concerned about neighborhood safety: The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct meeting room (Google Street View above shows where you’re going). See you there.
Just found this on the National Weather Service’s Seattle website – they’ve put up the PowerPoint presentation from the official “hazardous weather briefing” delivered a bit earlier today. See it here. (Still awaiting updated forecasts — should be out any time now — but that “briefing” indicates the rain won’t be quite so bad here in the metro area, half-inch to an inch by tomorrow afternoon.) 3:48 PM UPDATE: The updated forecasts and advisories are coming online now – a wind advisory is in effect starting at 10 pm (read about it here), for starters, and it says 45 mph gusts are possible.
(click to see larger, citywide version)
That’s part of a city map distributed at a media briefing we attended this morning at Don Armeni (with the steep slide-prone slope of California Way, and North Admiral ridgetop homes, as a backdrop) – red marks the steepest areas, blue marks other potential landslide zones. Reps from Seattle Public Utilities and the Department of Planning and Development warn that last week’s heavy, sustained rain raised the landslide risk – and one more storm (there’s more rain in the forecast) could elevate it further – so they are distributing information on what to look out for, as well as publicizing a workshop you’ll want to attend if your home or business is in a potential slide zone – read on to find out more, and to hear about one of the West Seattle spots that experts watch closely:Read More
(photo added Tuesday morning — Wally said he had a mossed-over roof gutter and we asked for a pic!)
The forecast summaries don’t look too apocalyptic but Wally sent a note pointing us to the forecast “discussion” for Thursday-Friday – the possibility of heavy rain and breezy weather resulted in this note from the National Weather Service:
COULD ALSO SEE SOME LOCALLY HEAVY ACCUMULATIONS OVER THE LOWLANDS…FALL LEAVES CLOGGING DRAINS COULD EXACERBATE THE PROBLEM…SO THE SWING SHIFT SENT A SPS HIGH-LIGHTING THE POTENTIAL FOR MOUNTAIN AND LOWLAND LEAF CLOGGED DRAIN FLOODING.
Bottom line, check those drains again in the next day or two – those colorful leaves are beautiful but once they’re down, they can cause big trouble if they wind up blocking your drains, private and public property.
Now that it’s 2 am Sunday on time-change day, it’s really 1 am, so it’ll be 2 am again in an hour. Anyway, here we are joining the chorus of fall-back reminders, with the smoke-detector add-on: Change those batteries. Even if you have an ultravigilant smoke detector like ours, which thinks every roast is an inferno, it still needs functioning batteries to save your life. Go change ’em.
A little more than a week after we told you about that speed-radar sign going up on northbound 35th near Willow, two more are up: Southbound 35th near Brandon, and southbound Fauntleroy near Brandon (map). (Thanks to Bob Loblaw for the tip on the Fauntleroy sign, which as of our drive-by a short time ago was not yet activated, though the other two – which start checking your speed about a block before you get to them are.)
Out driving around to check on a few things this morning, we noticed what looked like a particularly prolific graffiti-vandalism spree in recent days – one particular tag (which we will not name or show) in dozens of spots, from safety signs to real-estate signs to concrete construction blockades, where it hadn’t been just days earlier. Can’t say for sure if the vandal is a teenager, but in most cases, graffiti vandalism is done by young offenders. That reminded us we’d been meaning to write about a discussion at last week’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting — an update on the mayor’s proposed youth-violence-prevention program, and what local police are seeing and doing:Read More
TONIGHT: Wherever you live in West Seattle, you can get the lowdown on the latest trouble spots – and a chance to voice your concerns directly to your local police – by showing up for tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting. 7 pm – but not the usual location; it’s at Denny Middle School (30th and Thistle; here’s a map) this time.
THURSDAY: People living in the southeasternmost neighborhoods of West Seattle are also welcome at the South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting, which also focuses on neighborhood trouble spots and crime concerns, with King County Sheriff’s Deputies usually in attendance as well as Seattle Police, to address both jurisdictions. 6 pm Thursday, St. James Place (9421 18th SW; here’s a map).
OCTOBER 28TH: After crime concerns came up while neighbors of California Place, the mini-park at California/Hill (map), were discussing proposed park changes, it was discovered there’s no Block Watch in the general area of California Avenue between SW Walker and SW Holgate (map), and adjoining streets. So a meeting to organize one, with Southwest Precinct crime-prevention help, is set for 6:30 pm 10/28 at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. If you are interested but unable to attend, e-mail info@californiaparkplace.org to get in touch with organizers.
That white van parked outside Gatewood Elementary School this morning did triple duty — helping bust speeders along Fauntleroy a few hours earlier, helping city leaders put drivers on notice, and underscoring a political point about a statewide ballot initiative you’ll be deciding between now and November 4th. Full details (including how the van works, plus video from this morning’s event, at which Gatewood Elementary’s principal spoke too), just ahead:Read More
Thanks to Kim Dinsmoor for the tip that this radar-equipped speed-warning sign is now up and running on northbound 35th at Willow (map). As we reported earlier this week, a recent crackdown there netted dozens of violators; as you can see from our Friday afternoon photo, some are still whizzing by (we actually saw somebody at 55 while we were staked out by the sign for a while; it picks up your speed about a block south of the sign itself). The sign is among the safety improvements promised by the city in the handout that SDOT distributed before and during the rally at 35th/Juneau earlier this month; another one is promised for SB 35th by Camp Long before month’s end.
Just announced by the mayor’s office: A new van using photo radar to crack down on school-zone speeders will be introduced by Mayor Nickels, Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske, and City Councilmember Nick Licata at Gatewood Elementary on Monday. That’ll be the fourth WS mayoral event in less than four weeks (click these links for coverage of the previous three: Alki Elementary walk, the Sanislo Elementary sidewalk, the Orchard Street Ravine dedication). P.S. Next week’s a big one for Gatewood – on Friday, the school hosts Seattle Green Schools‘ Earth Summit.
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