West Seattle, Washington
24 Sunday
(TOPLINE: Highland Park Way hill will be closed “through Thursday” per SDOT)
(WSB photos: First two taken ~12:30 pm)
1:14 PM: SDOT now says the Highland Park Way hill is likely to remain closed at least “into tomorrow.” That’s the newest development in connection with the early-morning slide that shut down the busy road between West Marginal Way SW and SW Holden.
Here’s our morning report (thanks again to everyone who texted us when it all began around 5 am); we just went back to the top of the hill for another look, and as you can see in our photo above, there’s lots of activity. Here’s the newest information from SDOT spokesperson Sue Romero:
SDOT continues to work with Seattle City Light at the site of the slide that occurred on Highland Park Way SW. A slide came down this morning above Highland Park Way SW, then a second slide came down, pushing material about 500 feet further, over Highland Park Way SW.
SDOT has cleared some of the material from the lower slide so SCL trucks can gain access. SCL is working to clear some trees that are pushing on some power poles. Geotech engineers are assessing the situation.
We expect Highland Park Way to remain closed through today and into tomorrow as more rain is expected to fall tonight into tomorrow.
Meantime, the power outage caused by the slides, which peaked at more than 2,000 homes/businesses, is over for all but two customers, according to City Light’s outage map, which also has been fixed.
We’ll be updating this story throughout the afternoon, including any related traffic advisories for the pm commute – again, expect Highland Park Way to remain closed TFN, and plan your alternate route and travel time accordingly.
3:13 PM: Bus reminder: “Metro Route 131 continues to be rerouted off of a portion of Highland Park Way SW between SW Holden St and West Marginal Way SW, until further notice.Use the stops on Highland Park Way SW south of SW Holden St or east of West Marginal Way SW.”
Whichever route you plan to use to get home, be aware that the heavy rain has continued this afternoon, lots of water on the roads, so be patient. The WSB Traffic page has cameras for various routes, and you also can check the video feeds accessible from the lower right of the city Travelers’ Information map – browse the feeds on the West Seattle and Greater Duwamish pulldown options.
3:47 PM: We asked City Light’s Scott Thomsen for the assessment of how the slide had affected their installations along HP Way: “The slide toppled some trees. At least one went into the lines, causing the outage. We didn’t lose any poles, but some are leaning over. We plan to monitor the hillside to make sure it has stabilized before we reset the poles. We might have to install some small retaining walls to protect the poles.”
7:04 PM: SDOT just tweeted that Highland Park Way is expected to remain “closed through Thursday.” So DEFINITELY plan morning options, and we’ll track the status during the day.
Highland Park Way SW will remain closed through Thursday btw SW Holden St & W Marginal Way SW due to a landslide. Plz use alternate routes. pic.twitter.com/fhZp2ZWC6u
— seattledot (@seattledot) February 16, 2017
And the National Weather Service says this is the seventh-wettest February on record.
9:40 PM: Still closed. We checked the top of the hill again after leaving a nearby meeting about half an hour ago; no lights visible down the hill, so crews apparently had quit work for the night. We will start morning traffic coverage extra early tomorrow (5 am Thursday) because the road will still be closed.
THURSDAY MORNING: Our AM updates are here through at least 9 am.
This morning, internment-camp survivor and military veteran Atsushi Kiuchi spoke at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), as part of the school’s annual Day of Remembrance event. Next Sunday, February 19th, marks 75 years since President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which sent 120,000 people to internment camps. Kiuchi is 87 years old and was in a camp from age 12 through 15. But he had many other memories to share today:
You can also reflect on this chapter of U.S. history through an exhibit in the campus library, “Fred T. Korematsu and the Pursuit of Justice.” Photos, documents, and quotes comprise the exhibit, telling the Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient’s “story of challenging the WWII exclusion and confinement order,” as described in the SSC announcement. It will be on display through March 3rd. The exhibit was created by Seattle University for the launch of its Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality, which filed an amicus brief in our state’s challenge to the Trump Administration’s immigration ban.
P.S. The next Words, Writers, West Seattle presentation by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and Barnes & Noble/Westwood will also spotlight Mr. Korematsu, as Lorraine Bannai speaks at B&N 5-7 pm March 3rd about her book “Enduring Conviction: Fred Korematsu and His Quest for Justice.”
Thanks to Maggie for the tip: The long-laid-up cargo ship that was the latest Matson vessel to carry the name Lurline is off on its final voyage. From downtown, overlooking foggy Elliott Bay (photo at right), she spotted it being towed this morning from West Seattle’s Terminal 5, where it had arrived six weeks ago, as reported here, and we subsequently confirmed with the Port of Seattle that it had departed. It’s off to be scrapped. This report from last year says Matson has new vessels on order, including one that will be the sixth to carry the name Lurline.
We’re continuing to cover the Highland Park Way slide. But we’re also moving on to other news and info too – including what’s big for today/tonight:
DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AT SSC: Speakers from 10 am-noon at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) to commemorate the 75th anniversary of President Roosevelt signing of Executive Order 9066, which sent 120,000 Japanese and Japanese-American people to West Coast internment camps. An ongoing exhibit continues until March 3rd. Details are in our calendar listing. (6000 16th SW)
LANDMARKS BOARD DOUBLEHEADER FOR JUNCTION BUILDINGS: 3:30 pm at City Hall, the Landmarks Preservation Board meets, with an agenda including a final decision on possible landmark status for the Hamm Building in The Junction and whether to formally nominate the Campbell Building for landmark status. The timing of the items on the agenda is in this recent update. Public comment will be taken and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society is hoping for a show of public support. If you’re interested in going downtown for the hearing, Crystal Dean from the SWSHS “We Love The Junction” task force (SWSHS photo at right) will be at the RapidRide stop at California/Alaska at 3 pm to lead interested West Seattleites to the hearing. (400 Fifth Ave.)
TAP TAKEOVER AT THE WESTY: The monthly Tap Takeovers at The Westy Sports & Spirits (WSB sponsor) return starting tonight: “Join us from 6 pm – 9 pm for a Georgetown Brewing Barrel-Aged Tap takeover. We will be tapping 4 small batch & limited barrel-aged beers, plus an additional Triple IPA.” (7908 35th SW)
DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL: 7 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club, this month’s meeting will spotlight how the community can help its schools, with this featured guest:
James Bush, Director of School and Community Partnerships (Seattle Public Schools). The 7th Strategic Goal of the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council is “Strengthen our Schools”. Recognizing that some members of our community will spend 12 (or more) scholastic years within the borders of our District, it is our desire to build those schools up. Because they’re shaping our future. We are excited to host James for a collaborative conversation about how we can best do that.
(12th SW/SW Holden)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: FCA’s monthly board meeting was rescheduled to tonight, 7 pm, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. (9131 California SW)
WORDSWEST LITERARY SERIES: The monthly writers’ showcase at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7 pm, features Sierra Nelson and Ann Teplick
(TOPLINE: Highland Park Way hill between SW Holden and West Marginal Way SW is closed because of a slide that happened around 5 am)
5:35 AM: A big Seattle Fire response is checking out a slide reported on the Highland Park Way hill near Holden. So far, they’re reporting no vehicles or structures involved, but some of the slide material is actually on the road. One texter reported a power outage; none has shown up on the Seattle City Light map yet. More to come.
5:42 AM: We have a crew headed that way. Meantime, more outage reports, mostly from Puget Ridge. And traffic is being kept off the hill. SFD crews are assessing the slide and whether it’s moving.
5:51 AM: Our crew has arrived and confirmed the road closure. Via scanner, we’ve heard that multiple power poles are “leaning” but intact. The slide is across most of HP Way at at least one point and though most of the SFD units are being dismissed because no rescuing is needed, the closure continues.
6 AM: City Light info for residents says 2,000 customers (homes and businesses) are out.
6:20 AM: SCL and SDOT are at the slide. If you are using Roxbury as an alternative, be aware that the 8th/Roxbury signal is reported to be out – and remember that intersections with nonfunctioning signals become all-way stops. Metro Route 131 is rerouted since it otherwise would use the HP Way hill. Some have reported their power’s back.
6:43 AM: Our crew at the scene has been told the closure will likely last at least through the entire morning commute – City Light is still working to locate the downed live wires, and until that’s done, engineers can’t assess the slide, which will have to be done before cleanup.
7:32 AM: City Light says via Twitter that the peak of the outage was 2,008 customers (homes/businesses) and that service has been restored to all but 380 customers. The hill remains closed.
7:49 AM: For those who asked about Sanislo Elementary on Puget Ridge, our crew went over to check. It does NOT have power but it IS open – the principal tells us that word of the outage didn’t get around in time for any other decisions to be made, and students started arriving. They’re hoping it won’t be too much longer. Now we’re headed back to HP Way hill to see if there’s an update on operations there.
8:26 AM: We’ll have some daylight photos shortly – the slide is out of cameraphone range but co-publisher Patrick Sand is headed back with images taken via long lens. He reports that it looks like a “tangled mess,” mostly across the uphill lanes, though somewhat obscured by fog. No update yet on how long it will take to clear – they’re still in assessing mode. Meantime, remember that having Highland Park Way hill unavailable is continuing to back up other outbound routes.
9 AM: Photos added – here’s how it looks from the top of the hill, with a long lens. (Note the streetlights at top left.)
We’ll continue to update here for now – if it looks like this is going to last for hours longer, we’ll switch to a midday update at some point.
10:03 AM: The power outage is finally on the SCL map. (Screengrab above)
10:23 AM: Thanks to commenters for reporting that most of the rest of the outage has ended – the SCL map confirms that. What we’re awaiting now is an update on how long the Highland Park Way hill is likely to remain closed.
11:59 AM: Still no new info from SDOT, only a reminder of the closure. We are headed back to the top of the hill to see what is (or isn’t) happening.
12:19 PM: Update from SDOT, which we’ll move to a new update soon as we get a new look at the slide zone:
SDOT continues to work with Seattle City Light at the site of the slide that occurred on Highland Park Way SW. A slide came down this morning above Highland Park Way SW, then a second slide came down, pushing material about 500 feet further, over Highland Park Way SW.
SDOT has cleared some of the material from the lower slide so SCL trucks can gain access. SCL is working to clear some trees that are pushing on some power poles. Geotech engineers are assessing the situation.
We expect Highland Park Way to remain closed through today and into tomorrow as more rain is expected to fall tonight into tomorrow.
1:15 PM: We’ve now launched a pm report and that’s where we’ll be updating this afternoon and into the pm commute.
Three weeks ago, after city Hearing Examiner Sue Tanner ruled against the neighbor-filed appeal in the Admiral tree-vs.-house case, appellant Lisa Parriott was still considering what to do next. Now, she tells WSB she’s taking the case to court. And she revealed she’s reached a settlement with the city regarding the fees they sought to charge related to her appeal.
First, the basic backstory if you haven’t been following this: The tree is a 100-ish-foot Ponderosa Pine growing at 3036 39th SW, on what the neighborhood had long seen as the side yard for the house next door. Real-estate investor Cliff Low bought the property – house, tree, and all – in late 2015 and sought a city opinion to confirm that the side with the tree was a buildable lot. The city said it was. He filed for permits to build a two-story house with a two-vehicle garage. Neighbors launched a save-the-tree campaign. When the city formally said OK last October, both Parriott and the Seattle Green Spaces Coalition filed appeals, though ultimately Tanner only allowed Parriott’s case – and only in part – to proceed.
A hearing was held on January 12 (WSB coverage here); the ruling came in January 25th (WSB coverage here).
That is considered the city’s final say in the matter, so any challenge has to be taken to Superior Court, and that’s what Parriott has done, filing a Land Use Petition and Complaint. You can read the document in its entirety here; the contentions include the same argument at the heart of the case taken to the Hearing Examiner, that the site doesn’t qualify for a Historic Lot Exception because there is nothing on record suggesting it was considered a separate building lot. Parriott’s action also seeks an injunction to keep the tree from being cut and house from being built while this plays out; city files show the building permit for the house was issued two weeks ago, on February 2nd.
Meantime, with that court fight looming, Parriott reached a settlement with the city precluding a fight over fees charged for the interpretation she was forced to seek because the Hearing Examiner threw out her other potential avenue of appeal even before the January hearing. Here’s the agreement:
She paid the required $2,800 to cover staff time the city said would be spent on the “code interpretation,” and then the city sent a bill for more than $10,000, saying that was the cost of additional hours its staff spent on the case. As a result of the settlement, the Department of Construction and Inspections will waive that fee.
Next steps in Parriott’s land-use petition will likely be a hearing for both sides to argue before a King County Superior Court judge.
If you love local music – Easy Street Records was the place to be this Valentine’s night, as the West Seattle duo SISTERS rocked the shop with an in-store show to celebrate their debut album “Drink Champagne,” which their website says “depicts a teeming musical landscape, vast and alluring, occupied by restless creatures longing for connection and humble protagonists searching for salvation. Songs play out like glistening vistas whizzing by a car window, all kinetic motion and mystery, contiguous but discrete. Every instrument, from a squadron of guitars and a slew of synths to hammer dulcimer and marimba and cowbell, tells its own story.” The musicians who comprise SISTERS are Andrew Vait …
… and Emily Westman:
If you weren’t at the show, we recorded a bit of the performance:
“Drink Champagne” is available, of course, at Easy Street.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 9:57 PM: Thanks to everyone who texted about a big police response near 63rd/Alki. Most of the units had cleared, along with a Seattle Fire engine that had responded, before we got there, but we spotted one last police car in the area and tracked down an officer to ask. They say it started with a report that a man was going through employees’ belongings at Cactus. They were told he was harassing one employee in particular. Witnesses told us about a loud argument/confrontation of some sort out in the street. Then when police arrived, officers tell us, the man claimed he had ingested drugs, so he was eventually sent to Harborview to be checked out. No one was physically hurt, we’re told.
UPDATE, 10:35 AM WEDNESDAY: We’ve requested the report narrative from SPD and hope to have it soon.
11:49 AM: After talking up with police, we have just one more major detail to add – after treatment at Harborview, the 24-year-old suspect was booked into King County Jail.
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 7:01 PM: We’re at the Chief Sealth IHS gym, where the West Seattle High School boys just won their district-tournament game against Ballard HS, 62-44. The Wildcats led after each quarter; here’s how the first half ended, before they went into halftime ahead 25-18:
WSHS boys run up a 25-18 lead over Ballard going into halftime. Here's how the half ended: pic.twitter.com/pG8bTjcLw1
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) February 15, 2017
The WSHS boys’ next game in districts is Thursday at Bellevue College, 8:15 pm, vs. the winner of tonight’s game between Nathan Hale and Eastside Catholic.
10:57 PM: Photos added:
#22 Yusuf Mohamed ended the night with 19 points; next was #1 Nate Pryor, with 17:
#3 Tyler Lenzie had 9, and #13 Cass Elliott netted 6.
If you’re going to the 8:15 pm Thursday game, you’ll be cheering for the Wildcats vs. Nathan Hale, in a rematch of their recent Metro tournament faceoff. And however that turns out, WSHS is guaranteed a berth in the state tournament as a result of tonight’s win.
At halftime, Garfield girls 34, West Seattle 27. Video – McPhee three from 2nd quarter. (Not shown but big, Turk 3 @ halftime buzzer) pic.twitter.com/LZgeOsh9Fs
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) February 14, 2017
(Video added: Jenna McPhee three-pointer during second quarter)
FIRST REPORT, 4:36 PM: We’re at Bellevue College, where the West Seattle High School girls-basketball team has just pulled out a thriller of a district-playoffs win, 64-63 over Garfield HS. The Wildcats were behind for the entire first half, took the lead for the first time midway through the third quarter, but never pulled away, and the fourth quarter was a nailbiter, but when the buzzer sounded, WSHS took the win. Photos, video, and more details later.
ADDED 6:48 PM: The first quarter was not a good one for West Seattle – Garfield led the entire way, pulling out to a double-digit lead within a few minutes, and ending the first quarter on top, 22-13. They kept the lead for the second quarter too, but the real turning point of this game was probably the West Seattle three-pointers that bookended halftime: Izzy Turk sank one at the buzzer that ended the half, so what had been a 10-point deficit for the Wildcats was cut to 7, 34-27. Then the first scoring of the second half was a three by Jenna McPhee that trimmed the Bulldogs’ lead to 34-30.
Two minutes into the third quarter, WSHS tied Garfield 34-34. The two teams fought especially hard in the second half, and foul shots abounded. WSHS took the lead 38-36 with three and a half minutes to go in the third quarter on a basket by #20 Grace Sarver. Just a few minutes later, Turk was knocked down and had to leave the game. But her teammates fought on. The lead was traded multiple times; Garfield had it, 42-40, at the end of the third quarter.
A WSHS foul early in the fourth quarter gave Garfield more opportunities at the free-throw line, and shortly thereafter, same went for WSHS. Then a Garfield bucket took the Bulldogs’ lead to 45-41; WSHS’s Jasmine Gayles answered quickly to cut the lead to 45-43, with six and a half minutes left. After a couple more intense minutes, WSHS tied Garfield 45-45, and more lead-trading ensued. Back-to-backs by Sarver and Fiso opened a four-point lead for the Wildcats – three-fourths erased by a Garfield three-pointer – and the scoring was fast and furious from there. They were tied again, 59-59, with just a minute and a half left; within the final minute, they had a three-point lead, cut to one by Garfield with seconds to go, and WSHS held on for the 64-63 win.
Next up in districts, head coach Darnell Taylor‘s Wildcat girls will play another 3 pm game at Bellevue College (3000 Landerholm Circle SE) on Thursday (February 16th), vs. the winner of tonight’s game vs. Bellevue and Seattle Prep.
Last October, we reported on a survey asking your opinion on proposed additions to late-night Metro bus service in Seattle. Today, the plan was officially announced, and the West Seattle components are the same ones in the draft plan from last fall:
*Additional late-night service at about 2 a.m. on Route 120 serving Delridge, White Center and Burien
*Hourly all-night service on the RapidRide C, D, and E Lines, which currently operate all night but with less than hourly frequencies
The full list of additions to late-night bus service in Seattle would cost about $730,000, with two-thirds coming from the city via the voter-approved Transportation Benefit District. If the County Council gives its final approval, the changes would take effect in September.
The latest in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STABBING SUSPECT ARRESTED: As promised, we added followup information yesterday to our report on a stabbing in The Junction. And today, another update: The suspected attacker is in jail. Seattle Police tell us that the 44-year-old woman is “well-known to the (Southwest Precinct) bike officers” and they arrested her on suspicion of felony assault after spotting her yesterday near 44th SW/SW Alaska, not far from where the 16-year-old victim was stabbed early Sunday. Online files show she has an extensive misdemeanor record, with more than 50 cases in Seattle Municipal Court dating back to 1992. (TUESDAY NIGHT UPDATE: The suspect’s bail hearing this afternoon resulted in a judge setting her bail at $220,000. She is due back in court Thursday.)
NORTH DELRIDGE BURGLARY: Joane reports a break-in on Monday afternoon:
Our neighbor, who works from home, noticed that there was a white van in our communal townhouse driveway around 12:15 yesterday. About 10-15 minutes later she noticed that the van was gone, but that our other neighbor’s garage door was left open. After texting with our other neighbor, it was apparent that they were not expecting anyone at their house, and that whoever was in the white van had used some sort of a universal car/garage door opener to get into their garage. Thankfully, nothing was stolen (the door from the garage into the house was locked) but they were in the garage doing something for at least a few minutes. The police were called and they came out to take the report of what happened. After looking around, they noticed that several houses on our street have white chalk markings at the end of the driveway near the sidewalk. The police officer stated that they did not look like city markings or anything he’d ever seen before, and we’re now assuming that they have something to do with the break in.
Joane added, “We caught about 30 seconds of video on our Ring device of the van/man in question. Not a super clear picture, but it’s something.”
NORTH ADMIRAL CAR PROWL: From Tracey in the 2200 block of California SW: “We had our car rummaged through (Sunday) night. It was locked and (I) woke to an alarm but didn’t think it was mine. Nothing was taken but what was weird is there was no damage. They have the equipment to unlock the doors.”
WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: This month’s WSCPC meeting is one week from tonight, 7 pm Tuesday, February 21st, at the Southwest Precinct. WSCPC’s Richard Miller says the active-shooter expert who was unable to appear last month due to a sudden illness has re-committed for this month. WSCPC is also your chance to bring neighborhood crime/safety concerns directly to local police. The precinct is at 2300 SW Webster.
The King County Assessor has announced that this year’s property-tax bills started going out today. Recent elections have added new taxes, as you are probably well aware, and so here’s what the Assessor’s Office wants you to be aware of – plus a few myths to debunk, and an exemption that some are eligible for:
King County Treasury began sending out the annual property-tax bills on February 14. King County collects property taxes on behalf of the state, the county, cities, and taxing districts (such as school and fire districts), and distributes the revenue to these local governments.
Voters have approved several property-tax increases that will make much-needed investments in child and youth development, public safety, and transportation, including more Sound Transit rail and bus service throughout much of King County. In some parts of King County, as much as 50 percent of the property tax bill is the result of voter-approved measures.
New levies approved in 2016 for collection this year include:
· Sound Transit 3 (ST3), which will connect the region’s cities with mass transit including 62 new miles of light rail; bus rapid transit on the north, east and south of Lake Washington; expanded passenger capacity on Sounder south line trains; and parking, bike and pedestrian access improvements at stations throughout the system.
· School levies in the Auburn, Federal Way, Tukwila, Seattle, Renton, Mercer Island, Kent, Vashon Island, Lake Washington, and Highline school districts.
· Renewal of the Low-Income Housing levy in Seattle.
· Public safety levies in Normandy Park, Snoqualmie, and Shoreline.
“Voters are saying yes to spending money on valuable government services, such as schools, fire protection, and transportation improvements. But we know that can be especially tough for those on fixed incomes,” said King County Assessor John Wilson. “That’s why we’ve been aggressively reaching out to seniors, veterans and disabled homeowners with the property tax exemption program.”
Low-income seniors, veterans and disabled homeowners may qualify for a property-tax exemption offered by the Assessor’s office. Information on how to apply for an exemption, along with other property-assessment-related information, can be found at kingcounty.gov/assessor. Nearly 5,000 King County homeowners applied for the exemption last year.
Property taxes vary depending upon property location, the assessed value of the property, and the number of jurisdictions levying taxes (such as state, city, county, school district, port, fire district, etc). In recent years, our schools have become more dependent on local levy dollars, and numerous special levies have been passed to fund services that were once funded out of state general tax revenue.
With property taxes going up 8 percent on average, that means countywide property tax billings will be $4.8 billion in 2017, up from $4.5 billion last year. Aggregate property values in King County increased by nearly 11 percent, going from $426.3 billion in 2016 to $471.5 billion in 2017.
The majority of property tax revenue – 52 percent – pays for schools. It also pays for police, fire protection, parks, and libraries. The county receives less than 18 percent of the property tax revenue it collects. While many people naturally assume that the county’s revenue increases as property values rise, that’s actually not the case. A state law limits the amount of additional revenue counties receive from an existing property tax to no more than 1 percent each year. One exception is revenue generated from new construction. As a result, the revenue that supports the county’s General Fund does not keep up with inflation and the increasing demand for services as our population grows.
Property owners can find tax levy rates and more property related information by visiting eReal Property Search on the King County Assessor’s website or by calling 206-296-7300.
To avoid interest and penalties, the first half property taxes must be paid or postmarked by May 1, 2017. The second half property taxes must be paid or postmarked by Oct. 31, 2017.
(Valentine sunrise – photo by Jim Borrow)
Happy Valentine’s Day! Some highlights and other notes:
VALENTINE’S DAY AT FLEURT: Fleurt (WSB sponsor) is open extended hours – until at least 6 pm – to help you with flowers and/or gifts for your valentine. You can order by phone – 206-937-1103 – or online (fleurtseattle.com) or go to the shop. Also, pop-up shops today – details here. (4539 California SW)
HIGH-SCHOOL BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS: As previewed here yesterday, West Seattle High School’s varsity teams both play today. The girls face Garfield at Bellevue College (3000 Landerholm Circle SE), 3 pm – the boys face Ballard at Chief Sealth (2600 SW Thistle), 5:30 pm.
SISTERS, LIVE IN-STORE: Local indie-pop duo Sisters is celebrating its album release with a 7 pm in-store show at Easy Street Records – free, all ages! More info in our calendar listing. (California SW/SW Alaska)
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL MEETINGS *NOT* HAPPENING TONIGHT: Second Tuesday is usually the meeting night for the Fauntleroy Community Association board and the Admiral Neighborhood Association, but both have postponed. FCA meets TOMORROW (Wednesday, February 15th), 7 pm at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse; and as noted here last night, ANA plans to meet 7 pm Thursday, likely at PCC Natural Markets (2749 California SW; WSB sponsor), to review the newest version of the mixed-use project planned at PCC’s site.
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL MEETING THAT *IS* HAPPENING TONIGHT: If you are interested in the new authorized encampments in the area, tonight’s South Park Neighborhood Association meeting might be of interest, as the city’s director of homelessness George Scarola is a guest. SP has interest in two of the encampments, Myers Way and Georgetown. SPNA meets at the South Park Neighborhood Center. (8201 10th Ave S.)
FAMILY STORY TIME: 7 pm at Delridge Library. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
THE BILLY JOE SHOW VALENTINE’S DAY SPECTACULAR: 8 pm at Parliament Tavern, featuring Billy Joe Huels of The Dusty 45s along with Robin Cady, Rod Cook, and Kohen Burrill. No cover. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
MORE TO LOVE … on our complete-calendar page.
That’s the musical invitation for you to help local students while enjoying a fab night of music and food – full details in this announcement:
Funding for public education may be stuck in Olympia, but here in West Seattle the music still swings, and our talented high school students want to share a few tunes with you at the annual Big Band Dinner Dance!
Tickets are on sale, and the community is invited. This evening of entertainment will feature West Seattle High School’s two jazz bands and the West Seattle Big Band. Delicious appetizers, dinner and desserts will be prepared and served by our students with the school’s cutting-edge Culinary Arts Program.
The night showcases of our students’ talents, and raises money to support the West Seattle High School Music Program — whose public funding does not even cover the annual cost of sheet music.
So dine, dance, applaud and enter to win restaurant certificates and other exciting raffle prizes at this annual celebration of West Seattle’s next generation of gifted musicians.
WSHS BIG BAND DINNER DANCE
West Seattle High School Commons (3000 California SW)
March 3, 6:00 pm
Tickets: $20 in advance, $22 at the door
Purchase online (no ticketing fee) at www.WSHSMusic.org
All tickets purchased online by February 15 will receive reserved seating and priority dinner service!
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:48 AM: Good morning! No incidents reported so far in/from West Seattle.
8:01 AM: Still incident-free.
8:48 AM: Had to run an errand downtown for the second consecutive day. This time, leaving just after 8 am, we got to the south end of downtown via the bridge to 4th in just under 40 minutes. Noticed the port trucks backed up on the outside lane westbound, past the 99 overpass. Currently parked on 1st South just north of the West Seattle Bridge onramp/offramp and noticing that 1st northbound is quite sluggish. 4th was better.
9:02 AM: Just crossed the westbound bridge – a tow truck is there for the aforementioned stalled vehicle, and a dump truck is stalled (or otherwise pulled over) right in front of it, so the situation at the 99 offramp is more of a snarl now. Police are on scene.
The West Seattle neighborhoods that didn’t get their regular Monday solid-waste pickup because of last week’s snow day were invited to put out double this week to make up for it. That made for a longer day, according to some WSB commenters who mentioned late-arriving trucks. And one of those trucks ended the day with a breakdown. Ann Anderson sent photos and the story of how it was rescued:
I always find the behind the scenes of city works to be really interesting. Don’t know how many others do, but on my way home tonight about 8:30 pm, the neighborhood was all lit up by what I thought were fire engines. Turns out all the oncoming glare and flashing lights were due to Garbage Truck No. S297S, disabled on SW Atlantic St. in North Admiral.
So I wondered – when a fully loaded, 20-ton truck breaks down, who ya gonna call?
Michael, the tow truck driver, answered my questions while finishing a fairly involved procedure needed to prep the garbage truck for towing. This required him to lie down beneath 200 tons of steel-encrusted garbage hoisted several feet off the ground directly above him. He said that when the garbage trucks break down on the road, they call the City’s towing contractor, Quality Towing, for whom Michael works.
Lifting and hauling away behemoths like garbage trucks is quite a production and takes some time. The tow rig is 40 feet long and is so big that it makes a hulking garbage truck actually look small.
The rig is equipped with a whopping 550 hp that can yield 100,000 lbs. of lift, so hoisting 40,000 lbs. of garbage truck is only a moderate workout.
I asked Michael how often garbage trucks break down. He said that it happens almost every day. He then added, “there are a LOT of trucks out there”.
It seems it takes going without, even for a short time due to inclement weather, for us to appreciate city services (like curbside garbage pickup) as well as the wide range of service workers who consistently ensure they happen for us – often at all hours of the day and night.
(WSB photos from Sunday)
While on a walk from Lowman Beach into Lincoln Park on Sunday, we stopped for a few photos of the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Project, planning to check for an update this week. One arrived tonight, even before we could ask. The million-gallon tank at the heart of the facility has already functioned successfully, as the King County Wastewater Treatment Division told the Morgan Community Association last month, so now the project is down to the final loose ends:
King County’s contractor is nearly finished with landscaping on the County’s facility building site, including a green roof on the facility building and a rain garden north of the public staircase. Grading is also underway in Lowman Beach Park in preparation for landscaping installation.
When complete, the green roof on the facility building will absorb rainwater and improve the building’s energy efficiency. Excess water from the green roof and other parts of the facility will be directed to the rain garden, reducing runoff to nearby storm drains.
Schedule update
Landscaping and restoration activities on site are expected to be complete by the end of the month. Once restoration is complete, the project artist, Robert Horner, will install the remaining project art.
The contractor will wait to plant grass in Lowman Beach Park until the weather is warmer, likely during the month of March. Fencing will remain in place around the park until grass is established. The County anticipates the public staircase to be open to the public by early April.
To celebrate completion of the project, the County will host a ribbon cutting event and facility tours this spring. Keep an eye out for an invite in the mail!
The county also says it’s changing its hotline hours for the project “now that major construction is complete.” They’ll answer 9 am-5 pm Mondays-Fridays and will take messages the rest of the time, 206-205-9186. It’s now been three and a half years since major work began at the Murray CSO site, with demolition of the residential buildings that used to be there.
P.S. During heavy rain, check here to see if overflows are happening anywhere around the area.
(UPDATED TUESDAY WITH MEETING LOCATION)
ORIGINAL REPORT, MONDAY 8:47 PM: Instead of meeting on the usual night this month, which would be tomorrow, the Admiral Neighborhood Association plans a special meeting this Thursday (February 16th), 7 pm, with a special agenda – the first look at the newest plan for the biggest project currently in the works for the area. That’s the planned mixed-use project on the current PCC Natural Markets (WSB sponsor) site, with a new PCC store planned as the commercial tenant beneath more than 100 apartments. ANA president Larry Wymer says the meeting will also be at a special location – likely the classroom space at PCC (2749 California SW) – watch for location confirmation here in the next day or so. The project goes back to the Southwest Design Review Board on March 2nd, as first reported here last month, but first, the project team, led by Hewitt Architects, plans to present it to ANA and all interested community members, so save Thursday night.
UPDATE, TUESDAY AFTERNOON: The location for the meeting will be St. John the Baptist Church parish hall, 3050 California SW (across from PCC and just south of WSHS). Enter either from the church entrance on the north side, or from 42nd SW on the east side.
Two beautiful scenes to share tonight:
Above, Mike Jensen photographed tonight’s clear-sky, kayaker-enhanced sunset at Lowman Beach. Below, Kersti Muul photographed today’s post-sunrise moonset, and the frosted Olympic Mountains:
editor@westseattleblog.com when you have something to share – or text 206-293-6302 if it’s breaking news – thank you!
Days like this one – bright, almost warm – bring out the annual question: When is this year’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day? Just happens to be exactly three months away – May 13, 2017 (the second Saturday of May, as usual). This will be the 10th year that we’ve coordinated and presented WSCGSD, dating back to 2008; its creators at a community-connecting nonprofit called Megawatt launched it in 2005 and also ran it in 2006 and 2007. Registration will open in early April, as always, and we’ll announce that date when finalized. If you have a question in the meantime, we’ve just started monitoring our special mailbox – garagesale@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
Thanks to Dan Ciske for the photo of a boat fire off Bainbridge Island, visible from this side of the Sound. Here’s what the Bainbridge Island Fire Department says via Twitter:
Marine 21 and a Seattle fireboat are fighting a fire on a 40' boat off Rockaway Beach. One person onboard has been removed.
— Bainbridge Island FD (@bainbridgefire) February 14, 2017
A Seattle Fire Department fireboat is assisting, per the SFD 911 log and MarineTraffic.com.
Both the West Seattle High School girls (who took 2nd in the Metro League playoffs) and boys (who finished 3rd) have district-tournament games tomorrow, and we know today who they’ll be playing. The girls will play Garfield at 3 pm Tuesday at Bellevue College (3000 Landerholm Circle SE); the boys will play Ballard at 5:30 pm Tuesday at the Chief Sealth IHS gym (2600 SW Thistle).
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