West Seattle, Washington
13 Monday
Just so you can’t say we didn’t give you the heads-up (more than a dozen of them, actually, going all the way back to first word six weeks ago): Tomorrow’s the day that the third of the city’s three “Car-Free Days” this summer will shut down Alki SW (and a bit of Harbor) to most traffic from Harbor/California Way to Alki/63rd (see map above, and click it to see the doorhanger from which it was taken), noon-6 pm. No-parking signs have been up since Thursday; 10 am tomorrow, two hours before the actual road closures, the no-parking rules take effect, from Maryland (map) to 63rd. We will be posting updates – with photos as well as info – from the area by then, watching to see whether anyone gets towed; then, as noon gets closer (as we did on the 4th of July) reporting on the street closures; and once noon arrives, we’ll post updates on the activities that are under way (here’s our preview) and how many people are actually down on Alki to participate (will it be the “ghost town” some predicted? in less than 15 hours, we’ll find out). More questions? Here’s our post from yesterday with the final official city advisory; here’s the city’s own information page about the event. Once things start kicking in around 10 am, if you have anything to report, please e-mail us, or text or tweet (see the Contact page for all the different options). P.S. We walked the Alki business district this afternoon looking for any evidence any businesses are closing tomorrow because they think it’ll be quiet (as had been hinted when this was first announced); found NO evidence – let us know, though, if you’ve heard of any, otherwise we’ll be checking on that again tomorrow too.
Heading back to WSB HQ a few hours ago after the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza ceremony, we spotted three Seattle Police cars rushing from Fauntleroy to northbound California, with rollers and sirens; we lost track of them, and couldn’t pick up anything obvious from the scanner, so later when we ran into Lt. Steve Paulsen on Alki, we asked what that call was about – he didn’t have tons of details but said it was a burglar “on Beach Drive” and “we got him.” Then a bit later, we got the rest of the story in this note from Megan:
Around 2:25 this afternoon I came home to a very panicked neighbor on her cellphone. She walked in on a well-dressed 5’8ish African American robbing her. This was in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. In a secure condo building. Luckily, a nice husband and wife heard her yelling for help and came to her aid. The African American ran down Beach Drive. The husband in pursuit. As she was on the phone with 911, a cop drove by, who she flagged down. A description was given. I had a friend I was meeting down on Alki and it looked as if they had arrested a suspect by 2:40 p.m. Great Job, SPD! I did want to give a heads up to everyone though, considering that this was in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. I would have never thought such a thing would happen like that.
P.S. To be a little more specific about the location – this happened around the 4200 block of Beach Drive.
From Denise Sharify, who works for Neighborhood House in High Point and has long been an advocate for pedestrian-safety improvements in the area, we get word that the 15-year-old HP girl hit by an SUV at 35th/Juneau on Thursday is out of the hospital. Denise says, “It is a miracle she seems to be okay with a concussion and minor abrasions.” Denise is hoping to work with the HP Neighborhood Association and the city on pushing for more improvements; we will have more on that, plus a safety-related plea from a local police leader, in another WSB report later tonight; first, we wanted to pass along the good news about the accident victim as soon as we heard it.
Karen Berge was a little startled to see this sight in her neighborhood a short time ago (the photo was taken at 36th/Dawson) – a group of mostly unclad bicyclists. We don’t think this photo shows anything X-rated; and we’re pretty sure (from what one guy has written on his back – BURN FAT, NOT OIL – visible in a larger version of the photo) that it’s got something to do with this protest (warning, link includes some actual nudity; bottom line to the protest, pun not intended, under the umbrella of the “World Naked Bike Ride,” is to call attention to what “the dangers of oil dependence” and the dangers faced by cyclists and pedestrians). Karen said they were last seen “heading north”; makes sense since as we were about to publish this, we got word they’d just gone through the Admiral District (past Click! Design That Fits, WSB sponsor, who sent that tip). 6:18 PM UPDATE: After posting this and leaving the house for a while, received reports of the bicyclists being spotted pretty much all over West Seattle – Alki, Lincoln Park, etc., plus a few more photos, like this one taken by Bill Schrier as they pedaled north on California through the Admiral intersection:
ADDED 7:06 PM: And here’s a photo from California/Oregon, courtesy of Mac, followed by some info our original spotter, Karen, found online:
Karen found a wiki all about the ride; even an online flyer. It says this was the last of three such protest rides in Seattle this year. Side note — almost everyone who reported sightings included some variation of the line we almost used as our first headline on this post – “West Seattle, or Fremont?”!
(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)
Almost exactly a year after the recast Alki Statue of Liberty was unveiled for the first time – it was unveiled again this afternoon during the dedication ceremony for the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, which also included a ribboncutting for the plaza itself — as you can see in our video, a beautiful sight with a city fireboat show just offshore (and a little bit of a breeze-fueled snag before the draping came off!). Hundreds of people were on hand, including many who worked on the project, and even some of the men (like Harald Sund, featured in this P-I story) who were among the Boy Scouts that helped dedicate the original statue (which is now on display at the Log House Museum‘s gift shop) more than half a century ago; the city was represented by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen (who chairs the Parks and Seattle Center Committee) and Parks Department Deputy Superintendent Christopher Williams (they’re standing screen-right from Plaza Project Committee co-chairs Paul and Libby Carr in this short clip of the ribboncutting):
(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)
We’ll add a few more notes and images later, but first an advisory: If you’re going to the luminaria-lit concert at the plaza tonight, it was announced at the ceremony that the time has been moved up to 7 pm – we’ll have some video of the concert, luminaria, and hopefully the new pedestal’s lantern, in addition to some more of today’s sights and sounds. (All WSB Alki Statue of Liberty coverage is archived here, including many updates from the past 14 months of plaza fundraising and construction.)
The White Center Food Bank (which also serves part of southern West Seattle) is getting a boost from an artistic fundraiser under way now at Avalon Glassworks: Proprietor Shannon Felix explains, “We’ve made big, beautiful green glass apples with white stems which sell for $80, of which 50% goes directly to the White Center Food Bank. They are limited-edition, signed and numbered, six-inch apples. The $40 proceeds from each apple equate to approximately 200 pounds of food for the food bank.” Avalon Glassworks is on Avalon just south of The Bridge, by Luna Park Cafe (map) – and according to its website, if you visit 2-5 pm today, you can see glassblowing happening live (the site mentions other dates too)!
Luckie caught that owl on camera during a family overnight last month at a cabin at Camp Long; we’re sharing it along with two ways to help the park/environmental learning center considered one of the city’s semi-secret treasures. First, you can help take care of Camp Long by joining in a work party tomorrow morning, 9 am-noon (show up at the lodge and they’ll point you in the right direction). Second – Camp Long is looking for some people power on a longer-term basis: new members for the Camp Long Advisory Council. Many local Parks Department facilities rely on these volunteer groups for help; Sheila Brown from Camp Long explains what this one does, and how you can help:Read More
We’ve been talking about it since bringing you first word six weeks ago, and now, whether you’ve been anticipating it or dreading it, it’s almost here: “Car-Free Day” on Alki, noon-6 pm Sunday, with parking restrictions taking effect two hours earlier. We’ve shown you the map, the doorhanger, the flyer for cars, the no-parking signs (and as of this afternoon, the detour/street closed signs have been dropped off all over the area – 2 examples shown above); now, here’s the official final SDOT advisory:
Here’s what to expect during this time:
Motorists:
-Motorists cannot use Alki Ave SW from 63rd Ave SW over to Harbor Ave SW and California Way SW.
-Exceptions will be made for emergency response and people with disabilities.
-An eastbound lane will remain open along Alki Ave SW for the Water Taxi shuttle, bus route 56 and residents needing access to their homes.
-Detour signs will guide motorists around California Ave SW to SW Admiral Way.
-Parking will not be allowed, except for people with special needs, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Alki Ave SW from 63rd Ave SW over to Harbor Ave SW and SW Maryland Place.
-There will be local access to the boat ramp at Don Armeni park off Harbor Ave SW.Transit:
The Elliott Bay Water Taxi and Water Taxi land shuttle will operate on their normal Sunday schedule.Bicyclists:
Cascade Bicycle Club volunteers will lead three bike rides to the Car Free Day including:
-From Seward Park at 8:30 a.m.
-From Greenlake Park and Ride at 10:30 a.m.
-From Kent at 10:30 a.m.More details on these bike rides can be found at
http://cascade.org/EandR/Activities_Calendar.cfmAll participants are encouraged to bike, walk or take transit to the event. If Seattleites drive every vehicle 1,000 miles a year less (about 20 miles a week), we can meet our current climate pollution reduction goals.
That’s the California-facing view in the newest design proposal for “Spring Hill” (no relation to the restaurant), the project that BlueStar Management (same company behind Fauntleroy Place — aka Whole Foods/Hancock — and Gateway Center, aka ex-Huling Buick showroom) is proposing for 5020 California SW (map). The next public hearing before the Southwest Design Review Board is Thursday night, 6:30 pm, Hiawatha Community Center; the proposal that BlueStar and Hewitt Architects will show that night is now available online, with proposed views from all sides, “shadow studies,” and other information — you can download it from the city website. (WSB coverage of the last SWDRB meeting for this project can be seen here; we have been reporting on this project now for almost a year.)
To recap from our original report (WSB coverage plus more than 80 comments, here) – a driver hit a teenage girl crossing 35th at Juneau yesterday afternoon. Now, the updates from Lt. Steve Paulsen at the Southwest Precinct: First, though exact condition information isn’t available (privacy laws), Lt. Paulsen says he has heard she’s expected to survive. Second, as we suspected, the tv report that the driver “will not be cited” is not quite right; a citation may not have been issued at the scene, but as Lt. Paulsen explains it, “Our Traffic Collision Investigations squad is doing the followup and will decide after reviewing their facts and circumstances if any violation occurred.”
We’ll explain the photo in a minute (you probably recognize the guy on the left). We took it this morning at Hotwire Coffee (WSB’s very first sponsor), which is celebrating its 6th anniversary in West Seattle this month. As part of the festivities, Hotwire’s having a weekly “Barista Balderdash Smackdown” with brain-teaser quiz questions – guess the meaning of a specific uncommon word, for example. A new Smackdown starts tomorrow; tomorrow Hotwire’s also offering a few other deals – including a chair massage/latte deal, 20-minute massage plus 12-ounce latte for $15, 9 am-3 pm tomorrow as well as the next two Saturdays (9/13 and 9/20). Oh, as for the photo? Baristas Blayne (of “Project Runway” fame) and Mary are shown with Mr. Manatee, loaned to Hotwire by WSB when we heard one of the Barista Smackdown topics had something to do with manatees’ genetic makeup. Just go see for yourself (if somehow you’ve never been to Hotwire – just past the Junction Post Office, on the east side of California just south of Genesee).
One week from tomorrow, a huge volunteer cleanup effort will tackle the “West Seattle Gateway” stretch of Fauntleroy, from Walking on Logs to 35th. Nancy Driver from the Fairmount Community Association has been providing updates – here’s the latest:
The goats, as cute as they would have been, are out of the picture. Some of you may have noticed that blackberry removal started yesterday. We were very fortunate that Jim Thorburn, the Community Corrections Supervisor- Seattle WORKCREW Program, with the State Department of Corrections agreed to take out the blackberries that we would have had to pay to have the goats clear out. We are very grateful to Jim and DOC – they are doing more than what they would normally commit to. Jim has lived in West Seattle all his life. Much thanks to him and his crew for this service to the community.
As mentioned in our last update, volunteer help is still welcome but what’s needed most right now is financial donations to help pay for tree work — if you can help, please e-mail Nancy – ndriver@quidnunc.net – The cleanup is 9 am-3:30 pm Saturday 9/13 (and please note that the curbside lane of that area will be closed during that time, for volunteers’ safety).
(video added 9:48 am, shot about an hour and a half earlier in Pigeon Point/Puget Ridge)
ORIGINAL REPORT: Thanks to those who have e-mailed/texted about major police activity in the South Seattle Community College vicinity, mostly around 16th SW – we’re checking to see what it’s about, both by phone and in person. Will post when we find something out; let us know if you know anything. 8:27 AM UPDATE: We’ve seen King County Sheriff’s Office personnel involved in this as well as Seattle Police so we have inquired with both departments; KCSO’s Sgt. John Urquhart says “we’re looking for a suspect who ran off on us” but can’t elaborate on exactly what the suspect is wanted for – he says they’d received a tip the suspect lived in West Seattle, then about 7 this morning the suspect “took off” — Seattle Police are helping with the search. More information as we get it. 9:01 AM UPDATE: Scanner information (and one text message) suggests the search is also moving into other parts of east West Seattle – just letting you know in case you see the officers. 9:53 AM UPDATE: A description was just put out over the scanner: Black male, 28 years old, thin, no facial hair, black jacket/blue jeans but “possibly changed clothes to unknown T-shirt and boxer shorts.” Call 911 with any info. 10:09 AM UPDATE: Sgt. Urquhart just confirmed, the man they are looking for was being sought in connection with last night’s double shooting in Burien (here’s tv coverage). They now believe he may have escaped the area. If any photo or further description is made available later today, we will post it in a separate report.
(photo by David Hutchinson)
After two months in storage during plaza construction, the Alki Statue of Liberty is back – and on its new pedestal. Today, the pedestal and plaza get a few finishing touches, just in the nick of time for tomorrow’s all-day dedication celebration (schedule here). At the site Thursday afternoon, Plaza Project co-chairs Libby and Paul Carr revealed they’ve reopened brick sales – they have the green light to sell hundreds more, $150 personal/$300 business, to be engraved on-site – the money, they say, goes to a special fund the city Parks Department will use to maintain the plaza. Brick-buying forms will be available at Saturday’s event, and online at sealady.org.
We mentioned earlier that the city is also leafletting cars as an extra way of getting out the word about Car-Free Day on Alki SW this Sunday (parking restrictions 10 am-6 pm, driving restrictions noon-6 pm). Looking at the leaflet forwarded by SDOT’s Rick Sheridan, we see a few additional details: The parking restrictions are now listed as SW Maryland (map) to 63rd SW – different from the traffic closure, which is supposed to start at California Way (map); the bus lane is described as being for the 56 as well as the Water Taxi shuttle (route 773). You can see the flyer here.
(Investigation photo added 4:12 pm)
Just got two reports about this, and we’re en route to check it out in person: Some kind of crash has closed 35th between Findlay and Graham (High Point area; here’s a map), so obviously stay clear. (There’s been an open “medic response” call at 35th/Juneau since just before 3 pm, so likely that’s related.) More to come. 3:44 PM UPDATE: Our crew’s getting closer and confirms people are being turned around at Findlay. 3:50 PM UPDATE: We’re being told at the scene that a pedestrian got hit, 35th/Juneau. A witness tells us it may have been a teenager – books and clothes are visible in the street – and that the injuries are believed to have been life-threatening. An official police/fire spokesperson is expected at the scene shortly. 4 PM UPDATE: Police briefing just concluded — teenage girl hit while crossing 35th at Juneau, west to east, black SUV hit her, crime investigators have just arrived – trying to get in touch with witnesses and hope to have the street open within the next two hours. The girl was taken to Harborview Medical Center; no word on her condition. 4:50 PM UPDATE: Adding video of what Sgt. A.T. Bailey of Seattle Police told reporters at the scene:
Also, here’s the vehicle that police say hit the girl:
ADDED 5 PM: Thanks to the commenters who have added information (as well as discussion). This is about a half-mile from the scene of the deadly car vs. pedestrian crash near Camp Long that killed Gregory Hampel last month; we also have covered previous non-fatal crashes at 35th/Juneau (here is a sample report from earlier this year). 5:04 PM UPDATE: We just checked back at the scene – 35th is still closed – “traffic is a nightmare,” according to our crew – please avoid the area. 6:52 PM UPDATE: 35th is now open.
Less than 48 hours to go till the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza dedication celebration – and Parks Department workers, under the direction of project manager Patrick Donohue, are racing to the finish of what was an incredibly short construction schedule – less than two months. As part of that, the statue itself is to be placed atop its new pedestal by day’s end – it’s already on site, resting in the back of a pickup truck (as shown above) on the north side of the construction site. Its current position affords a view that hopefully won’t have to be seen again – inside the statue from its base:
Right now, crews are working to be sure the new pedestal, its steel support, and the bronze lantern between pedestal and statue all fit together – they were built in different places at different times, in part because of the project’s time constraints. Also at the site, along with Donohue and his crew members, Plaza Project co-chairs Libby and Paul Carr, who are busy putting the final touches on the plan for Saturday’s all-day celebration (we’ve got one of the first copies of the official program; you can see the schedule online here); one data point they shared – if you bought a brick in the plaza, you will be able to find it easily on Saturday, because committee members David and Eilene Hutchinson (who have kindly shared great photos with WSB along the way) have catalogued the location of each brick, and a schematic will be available at a table by the plaza to direct brick-owners to the locations. 4:16 PM UPDATE: The statue has just been replaced atop its pedestal – so that’s what you’ll see if you come by Alki tonight – we’ll be adding more visuals a bit later – some paving work at the site is scheduled tomorrow morning, for finishing touches.
By year’s end, there’s supposed to be a plan for what will happen when the Central Waterfront mile of the Alaskan Way Viaduct comes down in 2012. Since that plan will affect West Seattle mobility in a big way, community leaders have been working to make sure they and their groups are plugged in to the latest information — and that’s the reason most of last night’s joint meeting of the Southwest and Delridge District Councils focused on what’s up with The Viaduct. They got a heavy-hitting panel of top transportation execs to present the briefing — WSDOT’s David Dye, SDOT’s Bob Powers, and King County Department of Transportation director Harold Taniguchi. In addition, meeting participants included the two West Seattleites who serve on the Stakeholder Advisory Group that’s been helping vet Central Waterfront possibilities — Delridge District Council chair Pete Spalding and Fauntleroy Community Association‘s Vlad Oustimovitch. Here’s what happened in the meeting:Read More
The city promised it would put up “No Parking” signs 72 hours in advance of this Sunday’s Car-Free Day on Alki – we just checked, and as that photo shows, they kept the promise. Alki SW is off-limits for parking from California Way to 63rd SW (map’s on the city-info page) 10 am to 6 pm on Sunday; it will be closed to traffic (except one lane for the Water Taxi shuttle bus, and some resident-access exceptions) noon-6 for the actual event. Next part of the notification plan that’s scheduled to kick in: Automated phone calls to area residents/businesses, which SDOT’s Rick Sheridan told us would start this afternoon. (Let us know if you get one!) 6:05 PM UPDATE: Just got word from SDOT that leaflets are being placed on cars. Will upload a copy of the leaflet soon as we can so you can see it.
The county Public Health Department is putting out a call for volunteers who can be on standby in case of a public-health emergency, calling them “Tomorrow’s Heroes.” Here are full details on who they need and how to get involved.
We posted this first at partner site White Center Now, since it’s in the unincorporated area, but the photo’s too good not to share here too. We got it along with this report from Phoebe:
There were goats running around loose near SW 106th Street and 28th Ave SW this AM! (map) I saw them darting out into traffic and then ducking into this yard for a snack! I parked my car and tried to find where they had escaped from, without any luck. Eventually I called animal control, who told me the goats are technically in King Co (Seattle city limits end at SW 106th & 32nd Ave SW) and that she would “see what she could do.” I drove by again at 10:00 and I didn’t see them in the area … I hope they made it home safe & sound!
We told you a few weeks ago that work was almost done on the new sidewalks leading to Sanislo Elementary School (map) leading to it from the east. On the first day of school, as the photo above shows, the sidewalk was open and in use. But there’s another issue left resolved: Crossing nearby streets safely. Close to the school, student crossing guards are on the job, like Antje Staudt‘s daughter:
But about a block east, where Myrtle meets busy arterial 16th SW (map) – still no adult crossing guard. We first talked with Antje and other Sanislo parents last spring (WSB coverage here) when the situation came to light: The longtime crossing guard had become chronically ill, and wasn’t replaced — in the midst of a citywide crossing-guard crunch, with dozens of positions open. Sanislo parents and administrators had been working with citywide pedestrian-advocacy group Feet First on the issue; FF says the police department, which administers the crossing-guard program (from central HQ, not from local precincts), hired several new guards citywide but still has no current plan to replace the 16th/Myrtle guard. FF says concerns can be directed to Karen Bye, who runs the guard program, at 684-8984. By the way, while we were in the area Wednesday morning, we noticed police on patrol for traffic violators in the school zone – an alleged violator got pulled over heading north on 16th SW near the intersection:
The City Council has a Pedestrian Safety committee, but its next quarterly meeting is not planned till December.
Thanks to Brian for the tip – a month and a half after the demolition permit was issued, the backhoe’s digging right now into 6053 California (at Graham, north end of Morgan Junction) right now, from the alley side first (this view is looking southeast through the back fence in the alley west of the site) – this demolition has been going on by hand for a few weeks, as parts of the building were “deconstructed” for salvage before the walls started coming down. This is the building we once wrote we’d be sad to see go:
But neighbors are thrilled because while it’s been vacant, they’ve had tons of trouble with trespassers, transients, and even some arrests. Here’s the latest rendering we have of the townhouse/live-work project slated to replace it:
10:29 AM UPDATE: The teardown is currently in a stopdown – so if you drive by any time soon, you won’t see anything obvious from California or Graham.
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