West Seattle, Washington
03 Sunday
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:11 AM: Good morning! No incidents reported in/from West Seattle so far this rainy morning.
Alerts:
*25th SW paving in North Delridge is scheduled to continue today.
*Reminder that Metro’s next “service change” takes effect Saturday – here’s what happens for routes in our area (plus a reminder of the Columbia/2nd stop closing downtown).
*The Orca Half Marathon will be run between Lincoln Park and Don Armeni Boat Launch on Sunday. Organizers say they will be running on sidewalks and the Alki Trail, and in the parking lane. (Not running? Volunteer!)
More…
(WSB photo from 2016’s Orca Half)
We’ve been lucky enough to be able to share news, and photos/video, of recent orca sightings. Now, you can do something for the whales – by volunteering to help with the Orca Half Marathon next Sunday (September 24th):
Volunteers Needed!
Do you have a few hours to spare Sunday morning? Are you concerned about our endangered southern resident orcas and do you want to promote shore-based whale-watching? The Whale Trail needs your help!
The Orca Half Marathon will be held this Sunday 9/24 in West Seattle from 9 to 1. The Whale Trail is the charity partner for this event for the second year in a row.
The course follows the West Seattle shoreline, passing four Whale Trail sites along the way.
450 race participants are running for individual orcas. Race bibs are customized with the ID and life histories of specific whales!
Mike, the inflatable orca modeled after J-26, will greet runners, their friends and supporters at the finish line.
L-pod was in the area yesterday, making an early and unexpected return to our waters. Maybe they were checking out the course – or looking for Mike?
You Can Help! We need 10 to 15 volunteers to help to staff an aid station for the marathon (passing out water to runners).
Sign up NOW at the Orca Running website here, and be sure to tell them you’re with The Whale Trail! (Write it in the registration form.)
Once the marathon slots are filled, we also need help with Whale Trail activities, especially tending Mike. He eats a lot of inflatable salmon. ;)
Setup starts at 8:30 and we’ll close down at 1. Come for a few hours or stay all day!
Please email donna@thewhaletrail.org and let me know what hours you can be there.The need to protect the southern resident orcas has never been more clear or urgent.
There are 77 individuals in the population – 7 fewer than this time last year.
If the current population trend continues or worsens, J, K and L pods could go extinct in less than 100 years (WDFW 2005)
Join us on Sunday and become part of the solution for the southern residents. Meet your neighbors, have fun, and maybe we’ll see some whales!
About The Whale Trail
The Whale Trail is a series of sites where the public may view orcas and other marine mammals from shore. Our mission is to inspire appreciation and stewardship of whales and our marine environment. Our overarching goal is to ensure the southern resident orcas recover from the threat of extinction.
Through our current sites and signs, including two on every Washington State ferry, we reach more than 50 million people each year. The Whale Trail is currently adding new sites along the west coast, from California to British Columbia, throughout the southern resident orcas’ range and beyond.
The Whale Trail is led by a core team of partners that include NOAA Fisheries, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Seattle Aquarium, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, and the Whale Museum. The Whale Trail BC is spearheaded by the BC Cetacean Sighting Network.
Many members of The Whale Trail teams met when they worked together to return Springer, the orphaned orca, to her pod. This summer we celebrated the 15th anniversary of Springer’s homecoming, coinciding with a confirmed sighting of her second calf!
The Whale Trail is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, headquartered in Seattle. Donna Sandstrom is its Founder and Executive Director.
Once again this year, Seattle Lutheran High School in The Junction is taking on the tough topic of mental-health awareness. Last April, we covered part of the day SLHS devoted entirely to mental health. This year, the school is inviting the entire community to be part of the next event, a screening of the new documentary “Angst: Raising Awareness Around Anxiety” (you can see the trailer above). It’s two weeks away, 6:30 pm Thursday, October 5th, at the school gym. From the announcement shared by Jackie Clough, who says SLHS will be one of the first schools in the nation to show “Angst”:
Angst: Breaking the Stigma Around Anxiety is a documentary that looks at anxiety, its causes and effects, and what we can do about it. Angst will feature interviews with kids and young adults who suffer or have suffered from anxiety, and what they’ve learned. The film also includes experts charged with helping people manage their anxiety and those who focus on researching its causes and sociological effects while offering tools and resources that provide hope. The project will explore a conversation about anxiety from a peer-to-peer standpoint that is intimate, honest and accessible. This is a film parents and high schoolers can see together.
(Screening details)
Free and open to the community
Parking is available across the street from the gym and on nearby side streets
Recommended age: 12 and up
Light concessions will be sold
SLHS is at 4100 SW Genesee.
1:53 PM: Just in from SPD – a 21-year-old woman has been arrested and jailed in connection with last night’s murder in the 8100 block of 31st SW, and a second suspect is being sought – no name or description yet. They’re still seeking tips at 206-233-5000 – the case is by no means closed. The victim was shot to death in the street outside his home just before 7 pm last night; he has not yet been publicly identified. Police say today’s arrest was made in Burien, and that they do not believe the deadly shooting was random.
2:31 PM: The suspect is likely to appear in court tomorrow, at which time probable-cause documents will likely reveal more about the case. Meantime, we’ve checked her record, and, at least in this state, it has no felonies. She was arrested two and a half years ago on suspicion of 4th-degree domestic-violence assault but, documents say, the city of Burien – where she was reported to be living – declined to file charges.
UPDATE: SPD says Esther has been found safe and brought back home, and thanks everyone who helped look for her.
EARLIER: Just tweeted by Seattle Police – this woman is missing in West Seattle:
(SDOT map showing where they’re studying Junction-area parking)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
When SDOT‘s last major review of West Seattle Junction parking resulted in this July 2009 announcement that it wouldn’t recommend metered parking, you could almost hear a huge collective sigh of relief.
That review had begun more than a year earlier, and months after the no-paid-street-parking news, ended with what we described at the time as “a relatively minor set of changes” – some tweaks to time limits.
But The Junction has had metered parking before – and the city’s new review has rekindled concerns that it will return. A lot has changed since the 2008-2009 review – primarily a dramatic amount of redevelopment adding hundreds of new apartments to the heart of The Junction – and some projects including fewer parking spaces than units, or even none, with the city changing its rules in 2012 to say that nearby “frequent transit” means parking might not be needed. (As reported here last week, those rules might be loosened even more.)
So with all that setting the stage, two SDOT reps were at last night’s Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting at the Senior Center/Sisson Building.. They weren’t the only speakers of interest – the next Junction park and a HALA update were part of the agenda too – but we start with the parking discussion:
Will we see the sun this Friday evening, lining up with that marker at Solstice Park, hours after the Fall Equinox? Join NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen at the park to find out! Here’s her announcement:
It’s time for the 34th seasonal sunset watch!
We’ll also share eclipse stories and favorite moments or pictures from Cassini (RIP, now part of Saturn). If you drew a picture of the eclipse, either before or after, I would absolutely love to see it.
When: Friday, September 22 at 6:55 pm (so come at 6:35 pm)
Actual sunset is supposed to be at 7:06 pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.The equinox moment is Friday, September 22 at 1:02 pm.
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual. (Please do leash your dogs as we usually have a good number of people, kids, and other dogs around.)
I’ll be there even if it is cloudy because sometimes the Sun peeks through just as it begins to set, but if it is driving rain or a thunderstorm I’m staying home with some tea!
Moonset on Friday, by the way, is 8:40 pm, and Alice notes that it’ll be a waxing crescent with seven percent of its disk illuminated.
P.S. If you don’t know where to find Solstice Park – Alice explains on her website.
(Tuesday rainbow, photographed by Don Brubeck)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
FILL THE BOOT: Third of four days during which you’ll find West Seattle firefighters out in The Junction until 7 pm, collecting money to fight muscular dystrophy. (California SW/SW Alaska)
PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: 10:30 am at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. (2306 42nd SW)
FRESH VEGETABLES AND FRUIT … grown at the High Point Market Garden, available for purchase at the weekly farm stand next to it, 4-7 pm today. (32nd SW/SW Juneau)
WELCOMING WEEK CONTINUES … at the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) with a cooking demo by Chef Kim O’Donnel, 4:30-6 pm: “Taste how potatoes are prepared in three different countries: India, Korea, and Mexico.” (36th SW/SW Snoqualmie)
SW SPOKANE PUMP STATION DROP-IN MEETING: Come find out about the city’s plan for this East Admiral pump station – drop by between 4:30 and 6:30 pm. (3214 SW Spokane)
POOCHES IN THE POOL: 5-7 pm at Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club, it’s the second day of the end-of-season swim sessions for dogs (yes, the pool has already closed to humans for the rest of the year. Dogs only in the pool, but owners must stay nearby – other rules and info in our calendar listing. Fundraiser for AHSTC swim teams. (11003 31st SW)
MOVE OR REMODEL? Free workshop to help you answer the question, with presenters including Josh Niederberger of Niederberger Contracting (WSB sponsor), 6 pm at Graystone Mortgage. (4726 42nd SW)
WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES MEETING @ VASHON: 7 pm at Vashon Island High School, Washington State Ferries leadership will talk about the Triangle Route challenges and listen to public comments. Here’s our story looking ahead to the meeting and back at last week’s task force meeting. (9600 SW 204th, Vashon)
DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL: 7 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club, where DNDC will meet monthly through November. Tonight’s agenda is in our calendar listing. (1116 SW Holden)
WORDSWEST LITERARY SERIES: The monthly writer series starts its fourth season tonight, 7 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), with Daemond Arrindell and Jeanine Walker as featured readers, and Maketa Born presenting the Favorite Poem. Don’t know much about WordsWest? We talked with its co-curators Katy E. Ellis, Susan Rich, and Harold Taw for this WSB report. (5612 California SW)
DEADGRASS: Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia music at Parliament Tavern, 8-11 pm. No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7 AM: Good morning. No incidents reported in/from West Seattle so far. Reminders:
25TH SW REPAVING: We checked on Tuesday and despite the weather, the project was under way north of Puget Blvd. SW.
FERRY MEETING: Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route issues will be aired in a 7 pm meeting at Vashon Island High School. (Our most-recent coverage is here.)
(WSB photos)
7:01 PM: Emergency responders are arriving in the 8100 block of 31st SW [map], where someone is reported to have been shot, according to scanner traffic. Police are reported to be looking for a suspect. More to come.
7:14 PM: According to radio transmissions, a black Jetta might have taken someone away from the scene, headed south from 31st. The victim, a man around 25-30 years old, with at least two gunshot wounds, was said to be undergoing CPR.
7:27 PM: SFD confirms that the victim has been declared dead at the scene. That would make this the fourth homicide investigation of the year in West Seattle, less than two weeks after the third.
7:55 PM: Homicide Unit detectives have arrived, our crew reports, as has citywide media. Police say they are looking for one suspect, but no description has been made public.
9:15 PM: We are back at the scene, where Det. Mark Jamieson has just briefed media. No arrest, no description – the killer is believed to have fled on foot and then gotten into the aforementioned car. The victim was found in the street, and evidence – shell casing(s), we learned earlier – indicates he was shot there, but there’s no info about whether he lived in the area. Police are expected to be on scene at least a few more hours. 31st is blocked at Thistle on the south.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON: One suspect is in jail, another is being sought, police tell us. We’ve started a new story here.
The flyer’s for another Seattle Public Utilities project that’s getting ready to start in West Seattle: Drain and pipe replacement along a section of 57th SW in Alki. SPU’s Brian Mickelson says work will begin in about two weeks. We asked for a few more details:
The project will replace 240 feet of 18-inch diameter storm drain, which will enable 6 side sewers to be reconnected to the existing 12-inch diameter sanitary sewer without sumps. Additionally, 40 feet of the existing 12-inch diameter sanitary sewer is deteriorated and will be replaced.
The 57th Ave project is part of SPU’s Sewer Rehabilitation Program, which focuses on repairing and rehabilitating sewer mainlines throughout the city, generally in city-owned street rights-of-way or city easements on private property.
As noted on the flyer, the work should take about a month.
SIDE NOTE: Reminder, SPU’s on-site info session about the SW Spokane Pump Station project in East Admiral is tomorrow (Wednesday, September 20th), 4:30-6:30 pm, as previewed here.
2:55 PM: Did you just hear the thunder? The National Weather Service has a short-term alert out for “isolated” thunderstorms in the area over the next few hours.
4:25 PM: If you’re just heading home, it’s been squalling off and on – intermittent periods of intense rain – light rain right now, but who knows how long that’ll last.
(King County Assessor’s Office photo of 3078 Avalon, currently holding 1959-built triplex)
City records show another change in plans for 3078 SW Avalon Way [map], which has been through a lot of change – on paper, at least – in the last five years. We first reported in August 2012 that it had an early-stage development proposal for a “7-story building with 65 residential units and 77 underground parking spaces.” One month later, dozens of neighbors filled the room at its first Design Review meeting. When its second one was scheduled almost a year later, the plan had changed to what city files described as an “8-story, 108-apartment, 61-parking-space proposal.” After the Southwest Design Review Board gave its final approval in January 2014, neighbors appealed a subsequent city determination that the project would have no significant environmental impacts. The city Hearing Examiner’s ruling in December 2014 went their way. Then, this past July, after an architect change, the project returned to Design Review. The current board, entirely different from those who reviewed the project previously, felt they didn’t have enough information for a final decision and decided another meeting was in order.
And now – the apartment project’s been scrapped, with a new plan for the site, according to documents in online city files: 8 townhouses with four offstreet-parking spaces. A new preliminary site plan was filed less than a week ago. This would be the second apartments-to-townhouses plan change on the block – at one time 3062 SW Avalon Way also was proposed for a 100+-apartment building, but nine townhouses are now being built.
(WSB file photo)
Just announced by King County Executive Dow Constantine‘s office – he’s proposing that Metro Transit break away from the County Transportation Department and become a self-contained department:
King County Executive Dow Constantine directed work to begin on a plan to move Metro from a division within the King County Department of Transportation to a standalone County department. This would increase innovation and accountability in four areas: increasing mobility options, capital construction, investing in Metro’s workforce, and expanding the transit system through partnerships.
“This region increasingly depends on fast, reliable transit. So it’s no surprise that Metro is one of our most vital, visible, and popular services,” said Executive Constantine. “By elevating Metro as a standalone department, we can better encourage innovation and accountability so that we continue to make strong progress in mobility, delivering capital investments, focusing on employees, and forging strong community partnerships.”
The move builds on the successes in creating the Metro Connects long-range plan, the ORCA LIFT fare for riders earning lower incomes, and services that are better integrated with Sound Transit.
Over the coming months, Executive Constantine will form a work group with County Councilmembers to identify shared objectives and priorities for Metro as a standalone department. Following thorough business planning and budget processes, a formal proposal will be transmitted to the Council in fall 2018 as part of the 2019-2020 budget process. It’s anticipated that Metro will become a department early in 2019 following Council actions.
King County and Metro Transit merged in 1994, following a voter referendum. Metro later became a division within the King County Department of Transportation, along with the Road Services, Airport, Marine, and Fleet Administration divisions. Metro is the largest single division in King County government, providing $1.6 billion in transit services in 2017-2018 through 4,800 employees – including 2,800 transit operators.
Metro provides 500,000 rides daily through bus service and under contract for Sound Transit and the city of Seattle. Metro’s daily ridership is above 400,000 and with service expanding, Metro is the largest transit agency in the state and serves the nation’s fastest growing transit market in the country.
You can read Constantine’s letter to KCDOT director Harold Taniguchi here. The plan was announced to Metro employees yesterday, via a memo from Taniguchi that a WSB reader sent us this morning – when we subsequently asked Metro/KCDOT for confirmation of the plan, the response was the official announcement you see above. (Text of the Taniguchi e-mail is after the jump:) Read More
10:23 AM: A Seattle Fire “full response” is on its way to a possible house fire in the 4100 block of SW Monroe in Gatewood.
10:27 AM: Most of the SFD units have been canceled, with the fire having been a small exterior fire, per scanner, but police are on scene, our crew reports upon arrival, and we’re hearing a medic unit being dispatched for someone believed to be ill/injured.
12:35 PM: Police investigators are still on scene, looking at both a vehicle that was up on the home’s lawn and at the area that’s possibly where the small fire started. We’ll be checking back with SPD later this afternoon to see if there’s an update.
(Osprey, photographed by Kersti Muul)
Unique opportunities today/tonight – from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
‘WELCOMING WEEK’ AT YMCA: You’re invited to the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) for “Welcoming Week” presentations starting with two sessions today – one that’s just ending as we publish this, but another’s at 6:30-7:30 pm – for “Our Global Y,” as staff member Austin Cassell shares his reflection on his recent trip to the Tijuana YMCA. (36th SW/SW Snoqualmie)
FILL THE BOOT: Seattle Firefighters will be out around the city, 9 am-7 pm, with their annual fundraiser to fight muscular dystrophy, including multiple corners in the heart of the West Seattle Junction. (California SW/SW Alaska)
DESIGN-REVIEW CHANGES @ CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE: Following up on the public hearing last week (WSB coverage here), the City Council‘s Planning, Land Use, and Zoning Committee will take up proposed changes to Design Review again today and may vote to send them on to the full Council – possibly with amendments. The meeting starts at 9:30 am at City Hall. (600 4th Ave.)
POOCHES IN THE POOL: 5-7 pm at Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club, it’s the first day of the end-of-season swim sessions for dogs (after the pool has already closed to humans for the rest of the year. Dogs only in the pool, but owners must stay nearby – other rules and info in our calendar listing. Fundraiser for AHSTC swim teams. (11003 31st SW)
TRAIN TO HELP WITH PUGET SOUND SEABIRD SURVEYS: From Kersti Muul: “Audubon has a Puget Sound Seabird Survey that runs from October to April on the first Saturday of the month. There is a Survey Protocol Training (tonight) at 5:30-7:30 pm.” At Lincoln Park, at the shelter just north of the restrooms. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
SHOULD I HELP? Domestic-violence-awareness training presented by New Beginnings at High Point Community Center, 6-7:30 pm: “Attend this quick and easy workshop and walk away with actions you can immediately put into place if you suspect domestic violence around you.” Registration information is in our calendar listing. (6920 34th SW)
DADS AND KIDS PIZZA NIGHT AT SANISLO: New program launching tonight at Sanislo Elementary on Puget Ridge – free pizza for dads and kids at 6 pm, then at 6:30, a presentation about WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students). From Ebony Lee:
All are welcome including community members who would like to learn about the program. Although the national program is geared toward men, at Sanislo we welcome both women and men! This is a unique chance for dads, granddads, uncles, step-dads, and adult brothers to have a night alone with their student in a fun atmosphere at school. WATCH D.O.G.S. is a one-of-a-kind school-based, father-involvement program that works to support education and safety. WATCH D.O.G.S. is one of the nation’s largest and most respected school-based, family, and community engagement, organizations in the country. Since the program’s creation in 1998, more than 6,450 schools across the country have launched a WATCH D.O.G.S. program of their own. Each school year hundreds of thousands of fathers and father-figures make a positive impact on millions of children by volunteering millions of hours in their local schools through this amazing one-of-a-kind program.
The event is in the Performance Center at Sanislo. (1812 SW Myrtle)
PARKING & PARK AT JuNO: As previewed here last night, the Junction Neighborhood Organization agenda tonight includes SDOT reps talking about the new parking review they’re launching in The Junction, Parks reps talking about the new park to be developed in the 4700 block of 40th SW, an update on HALA upzoning, and more. 6:30 pm at the Senior Center/Sisson Building. (4217 SW Oregon)
EVENING BOOK GROUP: 6:30 pm at High Point Library – this month’s book is “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. (35th SW/SW Raymond)
WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COALITION: 7 pm at the Southwest Precinct, it’s your monthly chance to hear from and talk to local police. (2300 SW Webster)
UNPLUGGED, A MUSICAL GATHERING: 7 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), all acoustic musicians welcome! (5612 California SW)
SOUTH SOUND TUG AND BARGE: 8-11 pm at Parliament Tavern. “Unbridled bluegrass, Irish and folk tunes with a side of punk.” No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
THOSE ARE JUST THE HIGHLIGHTS … see what else is up for today/tonight/beyond, by going here.
7:58 AM: Thanks for the texted updates! Orcas are now reported to be southbound past the 4100 block of Beach Drive; we had an earlier report of some in Elliott Bay. Let us know if you see them!
8:18 AM: We have conflicting reports on direction so we’ll just amend this to “seen off West Seattle.”
8:26 AM: Thanks to Bruce Easter for the photo from the Elliott Bay sighting – added above.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:06 AM: Good morning. One big problem so far this morning – the Battery Street Tunnel is closed because of a crash, so NB 99 is backed up in a big way.
7:27 AM: They’re still working on the tunnel crash, which SPD describes as a “rollover.” NB 5 has had various problems in the early going too, so if you’re headed downtown, your better options will be 1st or 4th, though getting across the bridge to get there will still be a slog.
7:40 AM: SDOT says the crash in the tunnel has been cleared. But beware of “residual backups.” Also, SDOT noted that a vehicle in the right lane waiting to get into the tunnel had stalled … so that might be a factor.
7:47 AM: SDOT says that stalled vehicle has cleared too. Meantime – roads are wet everywhere. Plus, a commenter says the 4th/Lander light in SODO is blinking.
Back here on the peninsula, we don’t know yet if the weather has changed these plans (we’ll go check a bit later this morning), but SDOT’s 25th SW repaving work in North Delridge is scheduled to start today.
8:01 AM: No details but there’s a medical call at 45th/Admiral with one engine on scene.
8:09 AM: If you’re inbound to West Seattle, note that SDOT reports a stalled vehicle on the westbound bridge. Fauntleroy end, per scanner.
8:22 AM: And as commenters are pointing out, the feeder routes are backed up too (the telltale red marks them on the SDOT map, which is always linked in these commute reports, above).
8:47 AM: Crash reported at West Marginal Way SW and Puget Way. Per scanner, it’s a vehicle rolled over on an embankment, everyone out. We’re heading that way.
9:13 AM: No traffic effects on W. Marginal. Pickup is in shrubbery off the road, southbound side.
(WSB photo: WordsWest co-curators Susan Rich, Harold Taw, Katy Ellis)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The three West Seattle writers who co-curate WordsWest Literary Series say it’s the kind of series “we would like to be invited to.”
WordsWest opens its fourth season this Wednesday night at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) and co-curators Harold Taw, Katy Ellis, and Susan Rich say it’s become everything they hoped it would be, and more.
While we regularly feature WordsWest in the WSB calendar and previews, we thought the start of the season would be a good time to check in with the co-founders, to re-introduce (or, if you’re new here, introduce) them and what it is they do each month. So we sat down with Susan, Katy, and Harold for that check-in over lunch at Easy Street Records one recent midday.
First – we should mention that WordsWest events usually feature two writers, in an innovative format, plus a community member reading a “favorite poem,” and a chance for interactivity with the dozens of attendees. More on the 7 pm Wednesday season-opener lineup a bit later – but first, the start of their story:
For the first time in almost a decade, SDOT is reviewing parking in The Junction. Department reps will talk about it at the Junction Neighborhood Organization‘s next meeting, tomorrow (Tuesday, September 19th). Here’s the “fact sheet” for the review, just added to the city website today:
(Click image for full-size PDF on city website)
Q&A is promised, too. (Whether or not you’ll be there, the city’s just opened this online survey as part of the review.)
Also on the JuNO agenda: Next steps for the future Junction park in the 4700 block of 40th SW, following the recent “open house” – Seattle Parks reps including project manager Karimah Edwards will be there. And with the final HALA Mandatory Housing Affordability Environmental Impact Statement and its proposed upzoning maps due soon, the JuNO Land Use Committee will present an update, too. All welcome at tomorrow night’s meeting, 6:30 pm, at the Senior Center/Sisson Building (4217 SW Oregon).
(Archived Seattle Channel video from 5 pm swearing-in ceremony)
3:45 PM: 10-year City Councilmember Tim Burgess is about to become Mayor Tim Burgess. He was the only councilmember nominated this afternoon by colleagues eligible to vote on who would succeed Bruce Harrell, who took over last Wednesday after Ed Murray’s resignation, but said he didn’t want to keep the job through November. After several councilmembers spoke glowingly of Burgess, one councilmember did not – Kshama Sawant voted no, after citing reasons including Burgess’s support for encampment sweeps and a new North Precinct police station. He wasn’t running for re-election, so he was going to be leaving the council anyway. Burgess ran (briefly) for mayor in 2013. He promises now to help the city “heal” and “move forward. … Public service is a high calling.” After he’s sworn in, Harrell returns to the council presidency and councilmembers will have to choose a temporary councilmember for District 8, which Burgess has been representing. Updates to come.
4:02 PM: News release from the city says that Burgess will be sworn in by City Clerk Monica Martinez Simmons at 5 pm, and reiterates that he will serve until November 28th, when King County certifies election results (finalizing either Cary Moon or Jenny Durkan as the next mayor).
4:59 PM UPDATE: We’ve embedded the Seattle Channel live stream above for the swearing-in ceremony – click “play.”
5:04 PM UPDATE: Joining Burgess for the swearing-in ceremony are other elected officials including King County Executive Dow Constantine and state Attorney General Bob Ferguson. “We are united” in promising that the governments will collaborate, Burgess says. He notes, “We want our region to be a place where businesses are successful.” He repeats the “We are united” theme for a variety of other issues, including education. And with that, he becomes Mayor Tim Burgess, for two and a half months.
5:08 PM: The new mayor just answered a few media Q&A, first about the budget process, which he would have been heading up as a Councilmember, and now will be involved as submitting the mayoral budget proposal, one week from today (September 25th). Asked what he meant by saying this is a time to heal, he says the recent “crisis” was “painful for all of us.” Asked about what he hopes to accomplish, he said, “I’m going to be mayor for 71 days,” and the budget will be a major part of that time, as well as getting the city ready for its next permanent elected mayor. West Seattle/South Park City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, by the way, as vice chair of the committee that leads the budget process, now will be leading it. And there’s a council vacancy that will have to be filled – the city clerk’s website spells out the process.
Three reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
BUSINESS-BURGLARY ARRESTS: Just reported this afternoon via SPD Blotter – three 13-year-old boys were arrested after a South Delridge business break-in. The vape-and-smoke shop in the 9000 block of Delridge Way SW was broken into late Friday night, and police say that was the second burglary in less than a week. This time, the shop’s owner saw the burglars via a live video feed, called 911 immediately, and police found the suspects “several blocks away (with) numerous items from the store in their possession.” The store’s owner also gave police video from the burglary on Sunday, September 10th, and SPD says one suspect “matched the description of a suspect depicted in that burglary as well,” adding that: “All three suspects were arrested and subsequently released to their parents/guardians. The stolen merchandise was recovered, photographed, and returned to the owner.”
Two other West Seattle burglary reports are now in the online files of incidents for which narratives have been publicly posted – we’ve summarized them below:
BURGLARY FOLLOWING SHOE DEAL: This began with a transaction for a pair of Yeezy shoes, advertised online for $400, bought by someone who met the seller in the 9000 block of 10th SW early Sunday morning, September 10th, near his residence. About six hours later, the house’s residents left; one resident got a call six hours after that from someone saying he had “located a bag with her property in it in Des Moines.” The recipient of that call subsequently went home and discovered someone had broken in and stolen items including the shoes purchased earlier in the day. Police were called. Some hours later, the officer got a call from the victim, who, according to the narrative, said “she had actually recovered the jewelry and ID cards [stolen from her home] … and the stolen shoes were back [for sale online] now for sale for $350.” The narrative says police were going to set up a sting – but doesn’t say how that turned out.
CAR STOLEN IN ADMIRAL BURGLARY: A resident in the 2700 block of 45th SW called police late last Monday night (September 11th) to say that someone had burglarized her home and stolen her purse, keys, and car. She explained that she had a brand-new puppy and had gone out to show it off to her neighbors, and the burglary and theft happened while she was gone. (The report narrative does not include details about the stolen car nor whether it’s been recovered yet.)
WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL MEETING TOMORROW: Another reminder – Tuesday night, 7 pm at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster), the WSCPC meeting brings you a chance to hear about crime trends and bring questions/concerns directly to local police.
Alongside a school bus parked at Pathfinder K-8 on Pigeon Point, Seattle Public Schools held a media briefing this morning on the new camera-enforced crackdown on drivers who don’t stop for school buses. 120 of the 379 buses the district is using are now equipped with six cameras each – five of them in the spot you see in the top photo, one in the front-facing rear-top-left spot below – and they’ll be recording video of potential lawbreakers.
School-bus driver Ty Boulanger was at the briefing and said he sees violations often:
New school bus cams in @seapubschools starting today – driver explains why they're needed. Media event @ Pathfinder K-8 in WS. pic.twitter.com/S2WzY7tfBE
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) September 18, 2017
If an apparent violation is spotted on camera, it’ll be sent to the King County Sheriff’s Office, which is contracting with SPS to review each and every possible violation. Sgt. Ryan Abbott, who’s been the point person on that for Highline Public Schools‘ version of the program, was among those at the briefing, where it was stressed that each potential violation is reviewed by a deputy who decides whether to send it on to the driver or not.
The cameras are being installed on buses by, and remain the property of, American Traffic Solutions, the same company behind the city’s school-zone-speed-enforcement cameras and red-light-enforcement cameras. It gets $69 for every potential violation sent to KCSO for review, and other cost and revenue numbers are in this page from the School Board-approved action item that created the program (see the full document here):
The 120 camera-equipped buses are “random,” SPS says, and you won’t even see a flash. The recordings include license plates and GPS information. Warning notices are going out for those caught in the next two weeks, and then the $419 citations begin. That fee cannot be reduced, SPS tells us, while noting that violators can request a payment-installment plan. Seattle is now one of about 30 school districts in the state ticketing via bus cams.
P.S. If you’re not clear on the stop=for-school-bus law – here’s the full text.
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