West Seattle, Washington
06 Wednesday
Various development notes from the city files – first, a reminder of tonight’s doubleheader Southwest Design Review Board meeting:
‘PERCH’ DEBUTS AT DESIGN REVIEW: 6:30 pm tonight at the Sisson Building (home of the Senior Center of West Seattle, California SW & SW Oregon), the 1250 Alki SW (site photo above) project first reported here in May – SolTerra’s Perch apartment building, 5 stories, 125 units, 188 offstreet parking spaces – gets an Early Design Guidance review. See the “packet” as a PDF on the city website.
ALSO AT DESIGN REVIEW TONIGHT – 9021 17TH SW: Four months after we published early word of this project, it too has an Early Design Guidance review before the SWDRB tonight, 8 pm (right after the Perch review). It’s four stories, 31 apartments, 31 offstreet parking spaces. Here’s the “packet.”
From today’s Land Use Information Bulletin, the second Early Design Guidance meeting is set for a Junction project:
4532 42ND SW RETURNS TO DESIGN REVIEW NEXT MONTH: In July, the SWDRB ordered a second EDG review for this new proposal for this Junction site, where a different project stalled after approval six years ago. It’s now proposed for 85 apartments, 70 offstreet parking spaces, and almost 4,000 sf of commercial space. You can preview the design “packet” here, well in advance of the next review, formally announced today for 6:30 pm November 5th at the Sisson Building.
Also from today’s LUIB, comment time is open for a project on the southeast edge of The Junction:
4801 FAUNTLEROY WAY SW: This is the proposal for what’s currently the parking lot holding construction-office trailers for The Whittaker (to the north). We first reported on this back in April. It’s now proposed for four stories, 53 apartments, one live-work unit, and 2,575 sf of ground-floor retail. The notice is here; here’s how to comment. Deadline is October 28th.
Two more notable projects are in comment phases right now:
COMMENT TIME FOR AEGIS LIVING/WEST SEATTLE: Comment time continues on the land-use application for this three-story, 81-unit senior-living center at 4700 SW Admiral Way. Here’s the most recent design concept shared by Aegis:
Unless someone has requested an extension, the deadline for comments is Sunday (October 18th). Here’s the notice; here’s how to comment.
COMMENT TIME FOR 35TH/GRAHAM PROJECT The land-use application has been accepted for 3420 SW Graham, which means an official comment period is continuing, also through Sunday. This part of the project is now described as eleven 3-story townhouse buildings with 52 units and 59 surface offstreet parking spaces. Here’s the official notice; here’s how to comment.
An early-stage proposal of note has turned up in city online files:
PROJECT AT EX-BRICKYARD IN ADMIRAL: 2310 California SW – which had a development proposal approved, then stalled, seven years ago – has a new one. This one is for a four-story building listed as containing four residential units, 3,950 square feet of commercial space, parking in back. Documents in the file say the ground floor is expected to house child care and a gym, no further details.
And finally, a name note:
ANOTHER PROJECT NAMED: You have to squint really hard at the banner if you’re just driving by, since it’s not in a particularly bold typeface, but in case you haven’t noticed it yet, the six-story Trinsic project just south of KFC at 4435 35th SW has a name: “Aura.” (Data point – that puts “Aura” barely a block east of “Nova.”) Aura is in the files for 151 apartments, 152 off-street parking spaces, plus ground-floor commercial, and a hillside stairway.
Researchers at Seattle University are asking for your help with the citywide Seattle Public Safety Survey:
The purpose of the survey is to solicit feedback on public safety and security concerns from those who live and/or work in Seattle. A report on the survey results will be provided to the Seattle Police Department to assist them with making your neighborhood safer and more secure. The survey is accessible at publicsafetysurvey.org through November 30th and is available in Amharic, Chinese, English, Korean, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese. … Public safety and security are community concerns. Please make sure your voice is heard by completing the public safety survey today.
We took a quick look through most of it before publishing this – the survey is anonymous and starts with demographic questions, then asks your opinions of Seattle Police as well as your experiences with them, and moves on to questions including whether you’ve been a crime victim.
Congratulations to West Seattle Elementary nurse Terri Helm-Remund, who, after 28 years as a school nurse – the last seven of those at WSE – has just been announced as statewide School Nurse of the Year by the School Nurse Organization of Washington. We photographed her as school staff took a moment to congratulate her during their afternoon meeting on Wednesday. She’s holding one of the special memory books that students made for her, full of pictures and drawings. Here is what her WSE co-worker Laura Bermes tells us about “Nurse Terri”:
Terri is pretty remarkable in the care she offers our students and families, in her service leading our Safety Committee, and in her work on our Student Intervention Team and Attendance Intervention Team. She takes a lead role in assuring the successful integration of the Neighborcare Clinic within the school, in supporting our Fruits and Veggie program, and in coordinating our annual School Health Fair. She’s also President of the School Nurse Organization of Washington (SNOW), she mentors multiple nurses every year, and has been published (along with some of her nursing colleagues) regarding her work with our Attendance Team.
In addition to all of her assigned duties, Terri took her passion for mosaic arts and started an after-school mosaic club for our students. Their mosaic creations are displayed around the school, and at the Bee Garden in High Point. Terri puts the PRO in professional. She’s one of the most competent people I’ve ever worked with – she knows her job, and she’s willing to go the extra mile to assure it gets done right. Terri’s also one of the most compassionate people I know. She isn’t afraid to speak on behalf of children and families in need, and she takes time to get to know people. She holds herself to a high standard, but isn’t prideful. She’s always ready to learn new skills, and she’s eager to teach others. Terri is no doubt the perfect candidate for School Nurse of the Year for the State of Washington, and we at West Seattle Elementary know how lucky we are to have her on our team!!!
From the staff of West Seattle Elementary, Congratulations, Nurse Terri!!!
Also to celebrate – this cake:
But we don’t know when Nurse Terri and co-workers got a chance to enjoy it – after a brief moment to celebrate, they had to get back to some urgent discussions, so we moved on.
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:19 AM: No incidents reported on the major routes through or from West Seattle so far. If you’re headed toward Burien, note that Metro says Route 120 is routed off Ambaum between SW 116th and SW 120th. We’re checking to see what that’s about.
7:35 AM: Metro has just sent an alert that SB Route 120 is back to normal, so whatever that was, it’s resolved.
7:56 AM: SFD crews have just been dispatched to a reported crash on the westbound bridge at the 1st Avenue S. ramps. No other details.
8 AM: SFD units arriving there have not found the “patient” reported by a caller, so they’re clearing the scene.
(WSB photo added 7:32 am: The pile of what was the ‘campfire’ is visible by the door)
7:02 AM: Thanks to the tipster who texted to say Seattle Fire crews are at the former Red Star Pizza building in the 7500 block of 35th SW. The call is a “1 Red,” which means it’s not a full-on fire; we’re on our way to check. The restaurant closed early this year; the building has been long slated for demolition as part of the site of the new home of Clearview Eye Clinic.
7:20 AM: Someone had started what looked like a “campfire” type fire in front of the building – they don’t know who – and an ember caused a small fire in the awning, SFD tells us at the scene. No major damage, no one hurt, and they’re wrapping up. Traffic is not affected on 35th; the remaining engine, which won’t be there much longer, is off to the side.
One brief West Seattle Crime Watch reader report … we’ve heard from another recent burglary victim. Sorayah in Morgan Junction reports, “My roommate and I had our house burglarized (Tuesday). They came in through our living room window, completely trashed the place, and stole a bunch of items. We live on the 6500 block of 42nd Ave SW.”
10:11 PM: If you’re heading out – or back this way – via Highway 99, be aware the Battery Street Tunnel is closed both ways again. Haven’t heard yet if it’s the recurring sprinkler malfunction or something else.
11:42 PM: After about an hour and a half, the tunnel is open again. Still no explanation.
This Friday afternoon (October 16th), the Southwest Seattle Historical Society is teaming up with The Kenney (WSB sponsor) on a “pop-up museum” themed “School Daze.” You bring the items and stories to share – in this case, as SWSHS executive director Clay Eals explains it, “photos and other memorabilia from youthful times in school.” Bring it to The Kenney’s lobby (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW) 2-5 pm on Friday and see what happens from there – enjoy light refreshments, too. Everyone’s welcome – including community members who just want to hear and see what’s in the pop-up museum and don’t have stories or items to share (yet) – more info here.
5:07 PM: We’re at Seattle Public Schools headquarters, where the School Board is meeting as a “committee of the whole.” The parents involved with Kids Not Cuts – formed after word last week that teacher positions would be cut at more than two dozen schools around the city – came to demand a few minutes of the board’s time. We walked in a moment after the meeting started, and what ensued is what you see below:
If you can’t watch the video, the parents asked for 10 minutes to speak to the board before their agenda – with no related items – moved on. Board leadership refused, and eventually adjourned the meeting to a smaller room nearby. All but board member Sue Peters left. Several parents, including two from Schmitz Park, stayed to talk with her, as did most if not all of the media there (including us). When that conversation left and Peters headed to the other room, reporters and photographers were told it was at capacity and they could not go inside. That was being challenged vigorously when the board members decided to come back into the auditorium. Right now the meeting has resumed and at least two dozen parents remain; the agenda item under discussion involves the City of Seattle levy-funded Preschool Program, which is reported to include two “under-enrolled” SPS classrooms right now. One parent found that ironic, to say the least, and got up to again demand time with the board; president Sherry Carr said there will be a break during this meeting, at which time parents can talk with board members. More irony was pointed out by parents as Carr went on to explain procedure and how tonight’s agenda had to be published in advance; she invited parents to address the board next Wednesday, while the parents pointed out that’s too late, as the teacher moves/cuts have to be finalized before then.
5:33 PM: We have to get back to West Seattle; parents remain here, and citywide media too, so we’ll find out later what happens here. And if you missed it, here’s our earlier coverage, including the early-afternoon media briefing about the cuts/changes.
By Tracy Record and Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
The first of this week’s three City Council candidate forums in West Seattle – the only one with all six of the council candidates who will be on your ballot – included one moment of drama: When one candidate asked her opponent a money question.
We’ll get to that shortly. First things first. More than 50 people were at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center to watch the forum, presented by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and WS Transportation Coalition, moderated by Pete Spalding on behalf of the former and Michael Taylor-Judd for the latter. Each pair of candidates got their own section of the program, citywide Positions 8 and 9 followed by the longest section, for West Seattle/South Park District 1, which is where we begin. We recorded it all on video and are including each section below, just before our notes on the questions and answers. Please note that we’re paraphrasing/summarizing unless you see quotation marks. Also note that because of the sponsoring organizations, the questions were intended to focus on business and transportation issues. After each was given the chance to answer a question, there was also “rebuttal” time, which is why you see each question below followed by multiple responses.
*************
DISTRICT 1
Candidates Shannon Braddock, Lisa Herbold
OPENING STATEMENTS
Braddock: Stressed her experience volunteering with local organizations including the Lafayette Elementary PTA, West Seattle Food Bank, WestSide Baby, as well as her work as chief of staff for County Councilmember Joe McDermott. “I feel I have a very good overview of the issues affecting (this area).”
Herbold: Echoed moderator Spalding’s declaration that this is a historic election, with West Seattle/South Park electing their first District 1 councilmember. She stressed her experience working for City Councilmember Nick Licata and her career as a community organizer before that, a role in which she said you teach people how to be their own best advocates. She sees a parallel to that work and to what by-district elections are supposed to be about: “We will have more responsive government.”
First question – Do you support an employee head tax?
12:25 PM: Six days after word of teacher cuts and moves started getting around, Seattle Public Schools is announcing (updated) working on its final decisions. We’re on our way to a 12:30 pm media briefing at district headquarters (announced on short notice), and we’ve just heard from a member of the STEM K-8 community that principal Ben Ostrom has sent an announcement. Excerpt:
Seattle Public Schools (SPS) October staffing adjustment has been finalized and unfortunately affects STEM K-8. District enrollment shortfalls necessitated the displacement of STEM’s K-8 class size reduction position. This position was assigned to reduce class sizes in our 3rd and 4th grades. Lower than projected district-wide enrollment, combined with higher than anticipated operating costs, resulted in SPS being unable to support positions below contracted class size ratios. Displaced staff are reassigned to support schools with enrollment above projections.
We’ll update live from the news conference when it begins. If you’ve heard anything from other schools – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks.
12:33 PM: We’re awaiting the briefing. But the district reps who are here – including associate superintendent Flip Herndon and communications officer Jacque Coe – say they don’t have a list.
12:37 PM: If you have Periscope, we’re live there with this. Coe says they’re “moving less than 1 percent of teachers,” and that these are “not cuts,” no teachers are losing their jobs. Teachers will be “moved to positions of highest needs” – if one school has less enrollment, they’re being moved to one where “children have a need for a teacher because of class sizes … it’s a balancing act … it occurs in every district around the state.” She says this was “earlier notification” than in years past. She said there was a “significant number of students projected to show up … that didn’t … that we believe went to surrounding districts.” She says they can’t just add a teacher to a school – “it would be just as disruptive as pulling a teacher.” She says that they don’t want to slow down the process, because “waiting (longer) will be just as disruptive.”
“This is what inadequate state funding looks like at the local level,” Coe declared. “Because of (that), districts are constantly adjusting budgets. District have to live by their budgets, by law. Dipping into district reserves is not fiscally responsible.” She says almost every elementary school has “an extra teacher” at their building, “but that’s not enough.” Friday, she says, is when they “should know all the staff who are being moved … but it’s still a very fluid process.” The deadline for changes to be in place is October 26th.
12:47 PM: Herndon and Coe are answering questions based on regional reporters asking about Seattle policies compared to other districts. They basically contend this is something all districts are going through. We asked about Schmitz Park’s teacher loss (as discussed last week) leading to ratios of 28 or 29 students to one teacher in first-grade classrooms and Herndon said it was just a matter of how the state funding shook out. “When we’re talking about the overall class ratio .. there’s going to be some variation from school to school.”
12:54 PM: Coe says again, it’s not accurate to say “cuts,” no one is losing their job. Asked about reports of district unresponsiveness to parents’ concerns, she says one specific contact went awry. Asked “is there a better way to project?” Coe says that “we had a major event prior to the start of school” – apparently referring to the teacher strike – that could have had a significant effect. Last year, more than 300 students opted out to other districts, Herndon said, this year, more than 1,000. But, he says, they don’t know why those parents opted out. Coe says that “private funding” (like the Alki Elementary fundraiser, though it wasn’t mentioned by name) “lets the legislature off the hook” and they would “encourage parents to talk to their state legislators.” Asked about the letter that legislators sent to the district asking them to hold off on these changes, Coe says, “When last I checked, the Supreme Court was waiting” (for legislators to fully fund education). She reiterates that it’s not responsible to “dip into reserves.”
1:01 PM: Asked again why they don’t have a list of schools that are losing and gaining teachers, Herndon said, “Because we’re still working through the process.” He also said they’re trying to work toward “the least disruption.” Asked how these moves save money, Herndon says, because if they’re moving a teacher from one position to another, they wind up with one position instead of two. The number that’s been circulating, 25, they say, is accurate so far as they know. Coe says she’s hopeful we’re going to have a list “soon.”
1:07 PM: The briefing just ended. We recorded it on conventional video as well and will add that when it’s uploaded. You can watch the playback (really only worth listening, our visual angle was a bit janky) on our Periscope channel.
1:28 PM: The school district’s increase in central administration (“district office”) budget – 16.4% – has come up often. West Seattle/South Park school board rep Marty McLaren sent us this memo she had received from the administration spelling out where the increases were made, and it confirms the budget went up by that number:
Staffing increases in district
Thanks to those who’ve sent photos of this morning’s car fire at 30th and Graham in High Point; these two are from Joe Moorman. Seattle Fire spokesperson Lt. Sue Stangl says their fire investigator was not called out, but police impounded the car.
So we checked with SPD spokesperson Officer Lauren Lovanhill, who says the car was not stolen – it was registered to a West Seattle address – but it was illegally parked, and that’s apparently why it was impounded. The report’s not in the system yet, so there’s no official information on the cause. No one was hurt in the fire, which was reported around 5:20 am.
We first told you back in January that a Neighborhood Park and Street Fund application for sidewalk repair in Morgan Junction had been approved – and now, the work is finally about to begin.
Morgan Community Association president Deb Barker tells WSB that the group has word from SDOT that work is about to start on the project – “long-needed sidewalk repair at the SW intersection of California Ave SW and Fauntleroy Way SW alongside three properties. Ginnie Hance, who manages the Ivy Court Apartments, was concerned about the hazardous sidewalk condition caused in part by tree roots, and submitted the Neighborhood Park and Street Fund application in 2014.” That’s a fund open to community applications for projects like this. SDOT says the work will start “as soon as October 20th,” but is weather-dependent. Once it starts, it’ll take three to four weeks, which means it should be finished by Thanksgiving; SDOT is working now on putting together flyers to send around – once we get a copy, we’ll publish it as an update.
P.S. MoCA’s next quarterly meeting is just a week away; it’s at 7 pm next Wednesday (October 21st), at The Kenney (WSB sponsor).
(Fall flowers – photo by Max)
Made it to the middle of the week! Here’s what’s ahead for today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
COWORKING/NETWORKING MEETUP: Noon-1:15 pm at coworking/meeting space West Seattle Office Junction (WSB sponsor):
Our informal brown bag lunches for freelancers, independent business professionals, creatives and entrepreneurs working from home or coffee shops. Please RSVP on our meetup page. We talk about business ideas, share skills, get feedback on projects, collaborate, and network.
All welcome. (6040 California SW)
NEED AN ORCA LIFT CARD? 1-6 pm at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center, it’s a new weekly West Seattle drop-in opportunity to get one. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
‘PINK OUT’ VOLLEYBALL NIGHT AT WSHS: You’re invited! From West Seattle High School head volleyball coach Staci Stringer:
Tonight, the West Seattle Girls Volleyball team will be hosting Cleveland High School for our annual “Dig Pink” game. JVC Will host Kennedy and JV will play Cleveland at 5:45 PM.
Varsity plays at 7 PM and we would love to invite the community to grab their pink and come support a great cause and cheer on the Wildcats! For every Dig, the Varsity girls team will be donating money to support breast cancer research! Come join the Wildcats for our Pink Out!!
In the gym at WSHS. (3000 California SW)
MADISON CURRICULUM NIGHT: 5:45 pm, drop-in library help available, followed by 6:30 pm Curriculum Night for Madison Middle School families. (45th SW & SW Spokane)
HARBOR SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 6:30 pm tonight, Harbor School (WSB sponsor) on Vashon Island, has an open house, with a special invitation to West Seattleites – a shuttle is offered, but you need to RSVP ASAP (see how in our calendar listing). Harbor is now a K-8 school. (15920 Vashon Highway SW)
CUB SCOUT ‘JOINING NIGHT’: Happening tonight:
Cub Scout Pack 799 of Arbor Heights invites you and your boy to our “Joining Night”!
When: 6:45 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: Arbor Heights Elementary Cafeteria
For: Boys in grades 1-5The boys will enjoy making and racing their own Stomp Rockets with current Cub Scouts, while parents and families will have the opportunity to learn about Pack 799. If you have any questions in advance, please contact our Cubmaster, Matt Andersen, at pack799cubs@gmail.com or (206) 300-5100. Thanks, and hope to see you there!
That’s the interim Arbor Heights school at Boren. (5950 Delridge Way SW)
CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 1 CANDIDATES @ 34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: 7 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy, during the 34th District Democrats‘ monthly meeting, an hourlong forum/debate with City Council District 1 candidates Lisa Herbold and Shannon Braddock. We’re on the question-asking panel, along with former Rep. Velma Veloria and Sustainable West Seattle‘s Stu Hennessey. Full details on the 34th DDs’ website. (9131 California SW)
FIXING SCHOOL FUNDING: 7 pm at Fairmount Park Elementary, you’re invited to a conversation about what’s happening, and not happening, with school funding – the situation that’s the underpinning of this past week’s uproar over teacher cuts, among many other things. Here’s our preview. (3800 SW Findlay)
MORE! Here!
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:05 AM: No incidents on routes through/from West Seattle so far.
7:51 AM UPDATE: SDOT’s newest update on greenway construction in northeast West Seattle:
On Monday, October 12, crews began installing a new storm drain system north of where 22nd Ave SW merges with 21st Ave SW, necessitating temporary lane restrictions. Flaggers are stationed at either end of the work zone to direct traffic. This work is expected to be complete in a few days. Bus zones will not be affected. Click here to view construction notice.
Crews will return at the end of October to install curb ramps, sidewalk on the west side of 21st Ave SW, and a new crosswalk just south of where 22nd Ave SW merges with 21st Ave SW.
The intersection of 21st Ave SW and SW Genesee St continues to be closed to southbound traffic while crews install new sidewalk and curb ramps. A signed detour is in effect to direct southbound traffic around the work:
· From 21st Ave SW travel east on SW Charlestown St to 20th Ave SW
· Then travel south on 20th Ave SW to SW Genesee StClick here to view construction notice. Work hours at this intersection are 7 AM to 5 PM.
8:29 AM: Need an ORCA LIFT card? Today, your first chance to use a new weekly West Seattle drop-in spot to get one – info here.
Just got the photo via text from Aaron:
My “new” 1986 Toyota pickup I just bought and restored was just stolen from in front of my house at 44th and Dakota. License #C09191E.
If you see it – call 911 and refer to incident # 15-359078.
With schools in the news more than usual lately, WSB reader Jade wanted to warn you about e-mail spam with a too-close-to-real address: She received e-mail tonight from an address containing seattleschool (dot) org. That’s one letter off the district’s official domain – but some might not catch that and would open it anyway. The body of the e-mail, Jade explains, contained “the ever-so-obvious ‘follow instructions for lottery payout’ instructions” in an attachment. But attachments are one of the most common ways for viruses and other problems to get passed onto your computer – don’t EVER open one you’re not expecting – so beware.
7:43 PM: Parents concerned about the Seattle Public Schools teacher cuts/shuffles (first reported here last Thursday) rallied outside district HQ this afternoon.
And they got some encouragement in their cause – a letter signed by legislators asking the School Board to put the changes on hold. Thanks to Amy King for sharing this scan of the letter:
(Here it is as a PDF if you can’t read the Scribd embed above.) The parents who are organizing under the name Kids Not Cuts plan to be at a school board Committee of the Whole meeting at district HQ at 4:15 pm tomorrow to directly make the request, though the issue is not on the agenda. The meeting is open to the public.
ADDED 8:39 PM: The board has already responded to the legislators’ letter, saying basically, sorry, they can’t. Thanks to Robin Graham for sharing their letter:
The afternoon protest, by the way, was the second of the day outside SPS HQ, after the “Half-Baked Sale” at midday.
An update on Fit Bar, the healthy-food café that’s been taking shape next to Anytime Fitness at 2222 California SW in Admiral – Andrew Saldana says he, girlfriend Bles, and his brothers Daniel and Jacob, all West Seattleites, “are thrilled to announce a healthy alternative for our neighborhood! … Our Grand Opening will be Saturday, October 24th, from 8 am – 4 pm. … We are overjoyed to share what inspires us and use it as a medium to inspire others. We know we are all a little different individually, but collectively we strive to find what fuels our lives, and within that journey, we find the strongest connection; that of the mind and body.” Fit Bar will be open weekdays 7 am-7 pm and weekends 9 am-4 pm; Andrew says its website at fitbarcafe.com will go live on Friday. You can see some of the smoothies and bowls they plan to serve by checking out their Instagram feed.
In West Seattle Crime Watch today – another burglary report:
I’d like to get the word out that my home on Fairmount Ave SW was burglarized yesterday during the daytime while my roommates were at work. I arrived home from a trip to see they broke a window in the kitchen & had stolen items from each of my roommates.
David says his house is toward the water end of Fairmount Ave. With reports of three other burglaries in recent days, we took the occasion today to check the SPD Police Report map, sorted for burglary reports, showing nine:
You can sort the map by crime type via controls on its left side (click the image above to go to the live map, where you can also see the locations of these and other crimes, plus time/date reported, by clicking each icon). But as we’ve noted in the past, the map has some omissions – for example, it’s not showing the business break-in in the 3400 block of California SW that was part of our coverage on Saturday. It’s not caught up with yesterday yet, so David’s break-in isn’t shown. And from Tweets by Beat (you can see the West Seattle sectors’ tweets any time on the WSB Crime Watch page), we also have these four:
-Reported this morning, 3200 block SW Morgan
-Reported last night, 9600 block 47th SW
-Reported Monday afternoon, 4400 block 42nd SW
-Reported Monday morning, 2nd SW/SW Michigan
So, by our compilation, that’s 15 burglaries reported in the past week, up from where things were trending at the last West Seattle-wide briefing.
(Photo from SDOT Blog)
Have you traveled on 35th SW and/or SW Roxbury since the recent rechannelizations (and other changes)? SDOT has just published its first report on the aftermath – see it on the SDOT Blog website, now that the work is mostly done. An excerpt:
… The project team has been monitoring the revised segments of 35th Avenue SW and SW Roxbury Street on a daily basis. We’ve also collected data in an effort to obtain preliminary insights into the effects of the recent changes.
To date, we’ve seen no change in volumes on 35th Avenue SW or SW Roxbury Street. Daily traffic volumes on these streets remain within the same range as pre-project volumes. During our public outreach process, some people commented that they were concerned about drivers diverting to nearby residential streets after the channelization changes. We’ve received no reports of diversions from residents and our volume data does not indicate diversions to residential streets. However, we will continue to keep an eye on this issue moving forward.
Our first look at vehicle speeds on 35th Avenue SW is encouraging. The street once commonly referred to as “I-35” in the neighborhood no longer sees the majority of drivers pushing speeds up to 40 miles per hour. Instead, most drivers now travel around 34 to 35 miles per hour. This is a significant improvement but we’d like to see drivers traveling at lower speeds which are closer to the new posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour. We will expand our speed data collection efforts in October and November and hope to see lower speeds as drivers adjust to the new conditions.
There’s no doubt that these corridors feel different than they used to, especially during the afternoon commute when traffic volumes are highest. With just one general purpose travel lane in each direction, vehicle queueing at signalized intersections is more substantial during the afternoon/evening commute period. However, longer signal cycles effectively mitigate the queues and vehicles are able to clear intersections in just one green phase. Occasionally, emergency response vehicles such as police and fire will preempt signals at SW Holden Street, so it can take up to two signal cycles to clear the intersection when traffic volumes are high.
Again, the corridor feels different but vehicle and transit travel times have been minimally impacted. During community outreach, we mentioned that traffic modeling projected delays on 35th Avenue SW of one-to-two minutes with a maximum delay of 2.5 minutes during the afternoon rush hour. Our travel time data, based on driving the 35th corridor dozens of times during peak hours, show that our models were a bit conservative:
The data tables are in the full post on the city website – with car and bus travel times – as are ways to get your feedback to the city.
P.S. If you missed the backstory on the 35th and Roxbury projects – check the links and slide decks in this story we published while the road work was under way.
A day of protests outside Seattle Public Schools‘ SODO headquarters, less than a week after news of teacher cuts (first reported here last Thursday) began circulating:
Thanks to Helen Green for sending photos from today’s 11 am-1 pm “Half-Baked Sale,” organized by Louisa Boren STEM K-8 parent Shawna Murphy.
Helen, also a STEM parent, says, “There was a great turnout of parents from all over Seattle. A lot from West Seattle. I talked to two Roxhill parents who said that kids have been hit very hard by the teacher reduction there.”
Next up: At 4 pm, a rally – also outside district HQ at 3rd/Lander – everyone concerned about the state of school funding (the big picture as well as situations like the current one) is invited. The North Seattle parent who contributed $70,000 to save a West Seattle teacher job, first reported here Sunday night, is expected to be among the speakers.
A memorial service is planned in West Seattle this Saturday for Patricia J. Hansen, 86. Here’s the remembrance her family is sharing:
Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend, Patricia J. Hansen passed away peacefully after suffering many years with Alzheimer’s Disease on Monday, September 28th at Park West Care Center.
She was born on May 19, 1929 to Ingvald and Christine in Seattle.
Patricia grew up in Ballard and attended Ballard High School, graduating in 1947. After high school, she worked at JC Penney clothing store in downtown Seattle. While out dancing at the Spanish Castle and The Trianon Ballroom, she met the love of her life – Charles “Chuck” Hansen. They married in 1953 and raised three children in West Seattle.
It was here in West Seattle that she made a loving home and worked many years at Don Swanson Insurance. She volunteered at the WS Senior Center and played Bunco there. Pat and Chuck traveled to Australia, Europe, Scandinavia, Hawaii and Mexico. Upon retiring, they spent some years as “rain birds” in Mesa, Arizona. Pat took up clogging and enjoyed time at the pool with Chuck.
Patricia is predeceased by her parents Christine and Ingvald, her loving husband Chuck in 1989, and her sister and brother-in-law, Pauline and Phil Isaminger. Surviving Pat are her three children – son Greg (wife Chris), son Keith (wife Irene), her daughter Diane, her grandchildren Veronica and Charlie, and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Memorial services will be Saturday, October 17th at First Lutheran Church of West Seattle at 11 am. Remembrances can be made to The Alzheimer’s Association.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
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