West Seattle, Washington
13 Saturday
Bicycle parking along California is supposed to be part of the plan for the two-building Equity Residential project in the heart of The Junction. But supporters of a bicycle “corral” believe the developer is responsible for wheel-spinning that’s delaying installation, and have just sent open letters to the City Council Transportation Committee and Mayor Ed Murray (as well as media). This one is from West Seattle Bike Connections:
Dear Transportation Committee Councilmembers and Mayor Murray,
I am writing on behalf of West Seattle Bike Connections (WSBC) to find out what it takes to get a bike corral installed in West Seattle, more specifically in Alaska Junction at the southeast corner of SW Alaska St and California Ave SW. This letter and a timeline are attached with the efforts we’ve taken to date, beginning in late 2012. We have one simple request: please provide support to have a bike corral installed in Alaska Junction by mid-August of this year.
WSBC has worked with three different SDOT contacts over the last 18 months, where the process began anew with each different representative. SDOT has been asked by the property developer at the location (Equity Residential) to delay installation until construction is complete in 2015. We do not want to wait any longer or go through this process again with new SDOT personnel. We are upset that SDOT is succumbing to a developer for authority over the public right-of-way. We have support from several organizations and businesses who want to see this bike corral installed as soon as possible:
(Wednesday night sunset, photographed by Jeremiah Holt)
Highlights for today/tonight from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
LOW TIDE, WITH NATURALISTS: Not mega-low, but low enough for good exploration – the tide’s out to -1.6 feet at 11:38 am today, and you’ll find volunteer beach naturalists at Constellation Park (south of Alki Point) and Lincoln Park (near Colman Pool) 10 am-1:30 pm.
MANGA-MAKING FOR TEENS: Learning how to make a manga – supplies provided! – is the featured activity at Teen Space, 2-4 pm at Southwest Branch Library. (35th/Henderson)
LOCAL VENDOR FAIR: Meet a variety of vendors at Metropolitan Market-Admiral (WSB sponsor) 4-7 pm today. (41st/42nd/Admiral)
LIVE MUSIC VENUES TONIGHT … include Salty’s, C & P Coffee, The Cask (all WSB sponsors), as well as Kenyon Hall and Skylark Café and Club – see all those listings on the calendar.
WEST SEATTLE RELAY FOR LIFE: Has your family been affected by cancer? (Whose hasn’t?) Support the fight for survival – and cures – through West Seattle Relay for Life, an all-night American Cancer Society-benefiting event that kicks off with the opening ceremony at 7 pm, the survivors’ lap at 7:30 pm, the luminaria ceremony at 10 pm, all open to the public at West Seattle Stadium (which does close its gates later in the night/early morning, for participants’ security) – more info here. (4432 35th SW)
TWO WEEKS UNTIL SUMMER FEST! SIGNED UP FOR THE COMMUNITY TENT YET? West Seattle Summer Fest is only two weeks away. The Community Tent is taking signups through TODAY – don’t miss the chance for your group/organization to be part of West Seattle’s biggest summer party. Here’s the announcement with details.
And just in case you hear them from across the bay …
FIREWORKS … are on the Safeco Field schedule after tonight’s Mariners’ game (also July 25th and August 29th).
Cross-posted from our partner site White Center Now, since the new league hopes to draw from all over this area:
Pamela McCarty shares the news that Southside Revolution Junior Roller Derby is launching soon, and interested skaters 8-17 are welcome to come to an Info Night at Southgate Roller Rink next Monday (June 30th), 7 pm. Southside Revolution definitely plans a girls’ team, and will also have a coed team if enough boys are interested.
Southgate will be the practice site for the new league. If you just can’t make it Monday night but have an interested skater in the family, there will be another Info Night on July 14th and an August summer camp. Questions? E-mail info@southsiderevolution.com – and you’re invited to check out this Facebook group.
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
No major problems to report outbound right now (a Battery St. Tunnel closure following a one-car crash cleared relatively quickly near the top of the hour) – but if you are headed toward West Seattle, southbound I-5 has had some backups, most recently with a crash by the downtown Convention Center.
Quick weekend reminders – California/Fauntleroy intersection is set for repaving 7 am-7 pm Saturday (with extensive no-parking zones on surrounding blocks); 2 lanes of NB I-5 at the West Seattle Bridge will close all weekend (as will the 520 bridge); Alki will be busy tomorrow with the Seafair Pirates Landing (no road closures, but big crowd). And on Sunday, two notable events outside (but not far from) WS – the Pride Parade downtown at 11 am (here’s the route) and the South Park Bridge celebration at noon (the bridge itself opens for vehicle/pedestrian use 6 am Monday).
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
This edition of our periodic feature The WSBeat contains summaries written from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers – generally cases that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block?” Or on the bridge, or the beach, or …
*On the afternoon of the 20th, firefighters asked for a “fast backup” from officers as they dealt with a patient in the 7500 block of 32nd SW. Officers found the 38-year-old lying on his back, yelling and growling, with “about half a dozen medics and officers holding him down.” The man had fought with firefighters and injured one by grabbing and crushing his upper arm, breaking the skin in three places. The suspect, who has a history of drug-induced “excited delirium” incidents, was transported to Harborview. Officers are recommending that the suspect be charged with assault.
*On the 18th, in the 2800 block of 36th SW, a man took up residence inside a small cabinet discarded {“Free!”) on a corner. He provided incoherent answers to officers’ questions, and they felt it was best he be taken to Harborview for a mental evaluation–plus, they were concerned he might die (from “positional asphyxiation”) if he accidentally fell asleep inside the cramped quarters.
*On the 16th, Arbor Heights residents asked that officers check on the wellbeing of an elderly neighbor whom they had not seen for about a week. Officers noticed a full mailbox and papers on the porch. Getting no response to knocks, they decided to make a forced entry. They found the 77-year-old woman in the bathtub — alive — but gasping and unable to speak. It appeared she had been stuck for several days. She was transported to Harborview for care.
Ahead, eight more summaries, starting with two cases of predatory behavior:
It’s been a year since Massage Envy of West Seattle (WSB sponsor) opened at Westwood Village, and the anniversary celebration included tonight’s WS Chamber of Commerce After Hours event (in a tent just outside ME, to enjoy the summer night without disrupting the massages inside). Every month, a different local business hosts Chamber members for mingling and refreshments. At right below is Massage Envy proprietor Jennifer McCollum with Chamber CEO Lynn Dennis:
As part of the festivities, ME has a food drive all week – just come in and drop off donations in the barrel for the West Seattle Food Bank, whose Judy Yazzolino was there during tonight’s event:
Massage Envy also will be at the cancer-fighting West Seattle Relay for Life during its first few hours tomorrow night at West Seattle Stadium, 7:30-9:30 pm.
P.S. One more big benefit drive mentioned tonight – Stuff the Bus, the summertime diaper drive for WestSide Baby, whose executive director Nancy Woodland is president of the West Seattle Chamber Board. July 20th is the big day, in the parking lot of the Junction branch of HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) at 41st and Alaska, but as mentioned here previously, you can start bringing in diaper donations now!
This afternoon, we welcome a new WSB sponsor – locally owned NW Communication Connections! 
Here’s their message to you:
We are speech-language pathologists and glad to be here in West Seattle! Our office is located in The Junction, in the Jefferson Square building, where we have a fun space for working with people individually or in groups. Our mission is to not only help individuals improve their communication skills, but also to facilitate supportive connections with the local community whenever possible.
Katy and Ann have each spent many years working in the public schools, and are very familiar with the special education process. They are both “professional development junkies”, whose idea of a vacation is often to travel someplace fun to attend a conference.
Katy lives in West Seattle and has worked in public schools, universities, hospitals, clinics, and private practice for over 40 years. Most recently she worked at Arbor Heights Elementary, and is known to the community for her quiet professionalism, wide knowledge base, and caring nature. She is experienced working with clients from ages 3 years on up to young adulthood. Her areas of expertise include motor speech and phonological speech disorders, executive-function challenges, and social language/cognition skills for individuals on the upper end of the Autism Spectrum. Her objective is to design treatment/therapy plans to accommodate the individual needs of her clients. You can reach her at 206-947-7886.
Ann is known as an innovative professional, always looking for creative ways to infuse fun with solid interventions. She has spent many years focused on helping support people with social communication challenges and is excited to offer a range of social groups for the West Seattle community, including a social yoga group run in collaboration with Nicole Koleshis, an OT and sensory integration specialist, of Next Generation Yoga! She is also a member of the International Association of Orofacial Myology, a collaborative field of professionals that includes dentists, ENTs, sleep specialists, dental hygienists, and speech-language pathologists. You can reach her at 206-387-0947.
Please visit our website for more information, or call us for a free phone screening, so we can help you figure out what’s best for you. We look forward to connecting with you.
We thank NW Communication Connections for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
ROOM 22: Last August, Pizzeria 22 proprietor Cary Kemp announced an expansion next door, to add dining-room and event space. The expansion, dubbed Room 22, opens Saturday, he tells WSB:
Room 22 will provide an additional 50 seats to our restaurant, as well as one of West Seattle’s largest private dining rooms for up to 50 guests. We will now be able to offer reservations for parties of 6 or more any time and will no longer have the space and wait issues that we have experienced in the past.
Saturday is also Pizzeria 22’s third anniversary.
SPEAKING OF ANNIVERSARIES: In case you missed the Full Tilt Ice Cream update on our partner site White Center Now last weekend, the company founded in White Center by Justin Cline and Ann Magyar celebrated its sixth anniversary last Friday. We stopped in that night for a quick check-in, and found Justin, Ann, and son Moss on hand:
Two major updates as Full Tilt continues to grow – they’ll soon launch an ice-cream truck (as compared to the cart/s they’ve had in recent years, including the one at last weekend’s Morgan Junction Community Festival) that’s expected to spend lots of time on Alki, and the number of grocery stores selling Full Tilt pints is about to double. They’re in 60+ stores now and about to add ~60 more, going into Western Washington QFCs.
SPEAKING OF ICE CREAM: It’ll be part of Top Pot Doughnuts‘ first West Seattle location. Back on Tuesday, we broke the news that Top Pot is moving into the vacant-since-built east side of 2758 Alki Avenue SW. Since then, we’ve had a chance to talk with Top Pot co-founder Mark Klebeck, and he had a few more details to share. First, the “fall” opening is vague because as always, it’s a matter of how the city permit process goes, and they don’t expect it’ll be any sooner than the first day of fall (September 21st). Second, the hours will likely be along the lines of 6 am-9 pm, with adjustment based on how business goes. Third, one special feature – Snoqualmie Ice Cream makes a special “doughnut-inspired” ice cream for a few Top Pot locations, and this one will feature it. Why West Seattle? we asked. Klebeck said every time they’ve opened a new spot somewhere, they’d hear from upset West Seattleites saying “why not here?” They were looking for the right location and finally decided this was it.
No time today for a calendar preview – you can browse our full calendar any time – but one event tonight does need one more mention: A public hearing about bus funding, and whether the city should be going to the ballot with a proposal to raise money for it. That hearing is tonight, 5:30 pm, at City Hall, with the City Council wearing its collective Seattle Transportation Benefit District hat. Chairing the STBD, Councilmember Tom Rasmussen has proposed sending the mayor’s proposal to voters, but the question now is, what do you think? From the city’s reminder:
The STBD is interested in hearing public feedback on the following:
1) How would planned Metro Transit service cuts impact you if no action is taken to prevent these cuts?
2) What is your perspective on an additional vehicle license fee of up to $60 and a 0.1% sales and use tax to prevent planned Metro Transit service cuts in Seattle, and if funds allow, to enhance transit service?
3) What other information should the Board take into consideration as it develops a potential ballot measure for the November election?
The deadline to get something on that ballot is August 5th.
One person was taken to the hospital by private ambulance after their motorcycle collided with a car in Arbor Heights. It happened at California/104th; the rider’s injuries are not life-threatening, but there was a major medical response, and that plus an unrelated medic response not far away led to many a siren in AH this past hour. Our crew was told at the scene that the woman and child who were in the car are not hurt.
ORIGINAL 11:39 AM REPORT: M/V Issaquah is out of service for repairs, and Washington State Ferries has the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run on a 2-boat schedule as a result. See the schedule here; we will update when there’s word that it’s back to 3 boats.
2:14 PM: As of just before 2 pm, the route is back to three boats with the return of the Issaquah, says WSF.
9:45 AM: Received early this morning and attributed to the “Green Light District” – a new feature at 22nd/Roxbury. We’re going over for a daylight look.
ADDED 11:21 AM: A view from the northeast side, on the berm by the Community School of West Seattle:
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Another no-news-is-relatively-good-news commute so far. The weekend reminders:
CALIFORNIA/FAUNTLEROY WORK: 7 am-7 pm Saturday, paving at this major intersection.
NORTHBOUND I-5 LANE CLOSURES + 520 CLOSURE ALL WEEKEND: Here’s the warning from SDOT.
SEAFAIR PIRATES’ LANDING: This happens on Alki at midday Saturday. No road closures but some parking will be taken by related vehicles in the Bathhouse vicinity, and the beach will overall be very busy.
NEW SOUTH PARK BRIDGE: Street party on Sunday, starting at noon, going into the evening, on 14th north of Cloverdale. The bridge itself opens to traffic next Monday morning at 6 am, and that will change Metro routing too, as explained here.
11:58 AM NOTE: Route 773, the Water Taxi shuttle, is having issues right now. In an unrelated case, so is the state ferry M/V Issaquah, which means the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth WSF route is on the two-boat schedule right now.
(SCROLL DOWN FOR ONGOING UPDATES: Damage estimate, daylight photos, district and PTA comments)
1:24 AM: Seattle Fire is on the way to a possible fire at 5000 SW Spokane, which is the address for Schmitz Park Elementary School. More as we get it.
1:30 AM: Response is being downsized; the fire is apparently on/in play equipment outside, no building/interior involvement. Mostly a bark fire, but “some melted play equipment,” SFD reports. Our crew is still en route.
1:54 AM: Our crew reports it’s some climbing-type equipment at the play area on the west side of the school but it’s significantly damaged. We’ll go back for a daylight look later. No official cause of the fire – the marshal’s on the way.
8:12 AM UPDATE: From Kyle Moore at SFD:
Seattle Fire Investigators have classified an overnight fire at a West Seattle playground as undetermined because there was no obvious source of ignition.
At 1:19 a.m. a call came into dispatchers at the Fire Alarm Center reporting a fire coming from the back of a school located in the 5000 block of SW Spokane Street. The first arriving engine company found flames coming from a playground area. Firefighters quickly knocked down the fire which was confined to the wood chips. The heat and flames also melted and damaged the metal and plastic playground equipment. The damage estimate is $50,000.
We will add daylight photos shortly.
9:13 AM: Just back from the school. Photos of the damage, above and below.
We are following up with Seattle Public Schools for starters. Schmitz Park is West Seattle’s most-populous elementary, with more than 600 students expected this fall. It’s scheduled to move into the new school to be built on the Genesee Hill Elementary site, likely in early 2016.
12:05 PM: District spokesperson Tom Redman tells WSB, “The play equipment was new and installed last summer and funded by the District. Our risk and loss prevention manager will inspect the equipment, after which we’ll determine our next steps.”
2:09 PM: We’ve also heard from the SPES PTA – starting with this detailed comment from outgoing president Jeff Rayner.
(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli)
11:30 PM: Police and fire are rushing to a report of a 20-year-old man stabbed at/near 61st/Alki. That’s all we know so far.
11:38 PM UPDATE: From the scanner (our crew is still en route), the victim is reported to have been stabbed in the thigh.
11:44 PM UPDATE: In medical communications, the wound is described as to the “right flank” and the victim is now described as 23 years old.
12:08 AM UPDATE: Police at the scene told us the stabbing happened when two groups of people started fighting/arguing. One person is being held for questioning.
8:59 PM UPDATE: The comment discussion has included reports that 911 was called even before the stabbing and told that trouble was brewing, and concerns about the response time. We inquired this morning with SPD and received a response this evening from Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske, who has spoken at multiple community meetings recently (including the Block Watch Captains’ Network this past Tuesday) about the precinct’s Alki plan.
“We dispatched the call pretty quickly, but between travel time and getting the officers together to go in as a team it took about 8-10 minutes to get there and exert control over the event. They wanted to go in as a team due to the number of people involved in the fight. There was one subject who was stabbed in the abdomen; we did some interviews but we do not have a suspect in custody yet.
We did not have foot officers on scene [before the event]; they are currently working 1400 to 2200 Friday and Saturday [at Alki] as that is when we have experienced the largest crowds.”
No word on the condition of the victim in last night’s stabbing; without a name, the hospital won’t release information to the media.
Quick break for pretty views of tonight’s sunset – on the eve of what’s forecast as clouds and showers. Above, from Don Brubeck; below, from Myrtle.
Thanks for sharing!
Two cases in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight – first, a warrant arrest in a very public place:
ARREST AT IN MORGAN JUNCTION: A reader sent that photo, asking if we knew why police “swooped in” on a car by the Morgan Junction McDonald’s and arrested a man who was one of two people inside. We have confirmed it was 43-year-old Bryan Tiedeman, a repeat offender whose case came up briefly at last night’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting. Court records show a warrant out for his arrest since last Monday for failing to appear for a hearing that day. It’s the same case reported here last December, involving stolen-car-related charges; court documents said at the time that Tiedeman had been booked into the King County Jail 34 times, for 59 warrants, in 20 years. He also has been charged in another case since then, involving a car stolen in SeaTac and found in May near the house where the police report says Tiedeman lives, near Lincoln Park; after 17 days in jail related to that, court documents show, he was released to the day-reporting program known as CCAP. The warrant sets his bail at $75,075.
ALKI INCIDENT: An Alki-area woman wanted to sound the alarm about an incident that happened to someone she knows late last Thursday night. She says the victim, in her twenties, was walking on Alki Avenue by 61st SW around 11 pm when a man “lunged” at her and “chased her three blocks … yelling obscenities at her and telling her he was going to ‘get her’,” until she found a restaurant open near 59th/Alki and ducked inside for safety. The man is described only as 5-10, early 30s, African-American, shoulder-length black dreadlocks, and the victim thought she had seen him before in the area. She was not harmed but did file a report with police. Side note from the victim’s friend: “She tried to wave down two different cars that passed her in the street and neither car stopped, or even slowed to help.”
As promised, Mayor Murray convened the City Council this afternoon for a speech about public safety, and declared his intent for this to be a “Summer of Safety.” You can see video of his speech above, and read the full text (as prepared) here. The mayor acknowledged, “After years of fragmentation and disorganization, our city today faces a crisis of confidence in public safety,” while also asserting that “public safety is not something provided to the community by the government.” Among the action steps he promised were “creation of a joint enforcement team to ensure that across City departments we have a coordinated response to chronic nuisance businesses and property owners who create hotspots for crime and disorderly behavior – and who disrupt the quality of life in our neighborhoods.” He also announced plans for community walks to identify specific problems in such hotspots and get them fixed, starting in Central/Southeast Seattle. This document lists other points of the “Community Safety Strategy” he outlined, such as directing new Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole “to deliver a Community Safety Plan for every neighborhood.”
WEDNESDAY NIGHT UPDATE: According to scanner traffic, Vincent has been found in North Delridge, and is with police. *Added*: His mom called us to verify this and also said he was found with an orange bicycle, so if anyone is missing one, let police know.
Nine days until West Seattle’s 4th of July Kids’ Parade … 20th annual parade, this time! And it’s the second year for current coordinators Jackie Clough and Allyson Schreck; Jackie shares the new flyer with everything you need to know, embedded atop this story (if you don’t see it there, please click here), and says they have a very specific volunteer request for parade day (one week from Friday):
We could use 4-6 adults to help us at the beginning of the parade, helping us get started.
Can you help? Once the parade gets going, Jackie promises, you’ll be able to move on and join in with the morning’s events. E-mail her at jackie@alkipartytreasures.com. Meantime, for the pre-parade ceremonies, she adds: “We have a fantastic National Anthem singer this year: Leilani Nitkey, a 6th grader at Madison Middle School this fall.” Haven’t been to the parade before and wondering what it’s like? Here’s our coverage from last year.
(ADDED TO END OF STORY: How Metro service will change when bridge opens Monday)
Ever been inside a drawbridge as it opens? That’s what our video shows, as recorded during the new South Park Bridge‘s behind-the-scenes media tour on Tuesday afternoon, looking ahead to its dedication on Sunday and opening on Monday, which will be four years to the day since the old bridge’s shutdown. While photographers were inside during the bridge opening, your editor here recorded the next clip from the top deck (much quieter!):
Engineers are proud of how fast the new drawbridge moves – as little as 6 1/2 minutes for a full opening/closing (of course, the time will be variable depending on the marine craft moving along the Duwamish below). It’s operated by two 75-horsepower motors:
But the story of the new bridge (located here) is also in what surrounds it, and in reused pieces of the old bridge, on and below the new one. Read ahead to find out about that and to see a dozen more photos (plus another video clip):
(Click image for larger view)
Thanks to West Seattle pilot/photographer Long Bach Nguyen for the West Seattle view from 5,000 feet (on Monday). As for what’s happening today/tonight, six notes:
2 MORE WADING POOLS OPEN: It’s the first day of the season for Seattle Parks’ Hiawatha and EC Hughes wading pools, both opening at noon, per the citywide schedule (which includes addresses).
SUPPORT FOR NEW PARENTS: Wednesdays, noon-2 pm, are the drop-in meeting times for The Early Days support group – details here – at Nurturing Expressions (WSB sponsor) in The Junction. (4746 44th SW)
MAYOR’S PUBLIC-SAFETY SPEECH: What do you hope to hear Mayor Murray say to the City Council about public safety? 1 pm today is the time set for the council meeting he’s convening to talk with them. It’s at City Hall downtown, but you’ll be able to see it live online or on TV via the Seattle Channel. (seattlechannel.org)
PUBLIC HEARING ON JUNCTION ASSOCIATION CHANGE: Last month, we reported on a long-in-the-works tweak to the West Seattle Junction Association‘s boundaries, as the business district grows to the east with more mixed-use properties, and a change in the longtime “phasing in” plan of what businesses pay to cover the costs of the “free parking” lots WSJA offers. The City Council Finance and Culture Committee‘s official public hearing on the plan is at 2 pm today, also at City Hall downtown (and also viewable via Seattle Channel). Read the council memo here.
NEED MORE TIME? The West Seattle Timebank might be the way to make it happen. Tonight’s the next meeting and orientation, 7 pm after a 6:30 pm potluck (bring something to share!), at the Senior Center of West Seattle. (California/Oregon)
POETRY AND STORYTELLING: Poetrybridge‘s monthly gathering at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) is tonight, with open-microphone readings as well as featured reader Mike Hickey. 7 pm. (5612 California SW)
DISCOVER EVEN MORE … on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar.
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
So far, nothing out of the ordinary on the major routes through and from West Seattle. Looking ahead, now that the weekend is in sight:
CALIFORNIA/FAUNTLEROY WORK SATURDAY: 7 am-7 pm, paving at this major intersection, as announced just yesterday.
NORTHBOUND I-5 LANE CLOSURES + 520 CLOSURE ALL WEEKEND: WSDOT sent this reminder.
AND LOOKING WAY AHEAD … we reported on Tuesday that WSDOT’s big repair closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct is set for the weekend of August 23rd.
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