1:49 PM: We first showed you that map back in August, when SDOT confirmed where it’s planning to add speed cushions on 60th, 61st, and 62nd SW in the heart of Alki. After a reader spotted the first preparatory outlines this week, we asked SDOT for an update on the construction timeline. They say installation will start as soon as next week (Monday, October 20 and beyond), weather permitting, and hope to provide us more details shortly. Here’s the original construction notice.
2:39 PM: Update from SDOT spokesperson Mariam Ali: “The start of construction has been pushed to Wednesday, October 22, due to rain … Construction is expected to last about four days total across all three streets, with each block impacted for roughly one day. The schedule will continue to be weather dependent since wet conditions prevent asphalt work.” Sidewalks are expected to remain open but drivers might have to detour during “active construction.”
Thanks to Rick for the tip. Residents along 26th SW between SW Barton and SW Roxbury, just south of Westwood Village, recently got notification of a “traffic-calming” feature SDOT plans to install: Parking-lane lines. The map above, from the official notice that we requested and obtained from SDOT, shows where they’ll be painted. The notice explains:
On 26th Ave SW between SW Barton St and SW Roxbury St, we will install parking lane lines. These changes to the street will slow traffic and make the street safer for people walking, rolling, and biking.
We are planning to begin to install these improvements before the end of the year. We anticipate this work to be completed over a couple of weekends. Please note this work is weather dependent and subject to change.
The funding for this, SDOT says, is coming from not the current Seattle Transportation Levy, but its predecessor, Move Seattle.
Every year, Seattle University circulates the Public Safety Survey, open for a month and a half, with findings provided to Seattle Police and used in planning. Today’s the first day the survey is open this year – here’s the announcement:
Seattle University is administering the annual citywide Seattle Public Safety Survey, which is accessible at publicsafetysurvey.org from October 15th through November 30th and is available in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, English, Korean, Oromo, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrinya, and Vietnamese. 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 help them better understand your neighborhood’s safety and security concerns and community-police dialogues will be held in May-August 2026 to provide opportunities for police-community engagement about the results. More information on the Seattle Public Safety Survey, which is part of the Seattle Police Department’s Micro-Community Policing Plans (SPD MCPP), can be found on the SPD MCPP website.
All available language versions are linked from the main survey page. It’s not a quick survey, so if you don’t have time right now, you can use our ShareThis link to send the story to yourself as a reminder)
By Torin Record-Sand
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
About 50 people were in attendance as the Southwest Precinct Advisory Council had its fall gathering Tuesday night at Alki Masonic Hall in The Junction.
The crime-drop stats we’ve reported in coverage of many recent neighborhood meetings were mentioned, – particularly the Southwest Precinct’s status as the only precinct with no 2025 homicides – but much of this meeting focused on concerns voiced by neighbors and community advocates regarding the Westside Neighbors Shelter, the Triangle facility that remains West Seattle’s only emergency shelter. Many of the concerns had been aired at the shelter last Sunday at its open house and Q&A session (WSB coverage here), with shelter manager Keith Hughes in attendance. But he wasn’t at the Precinct Advisory Council meeting, where many community residents followed up on their concerns and expressed interest in how police might be able to address them.
Chris Mackay, a member of the council and executive director of the West Seattle Junction Association, said the problems facing the shelter felt overwhelming to the local community. “The shelter has done an amazing amount of work on volunteer hours, donating materials and money, but at this point, it’s clear they’re in way over their heads, and the impact on the community has been extreme.” She related a story about recently bringing in someone from an intervention group to take a look at the shelter and meet with one of the guests there, who walked them through a day in their life. They went with the person to Junction Plaza Park, where they met up with four other people who had been at the shelter that day, and, she said, all of them seemed to be in a clearly visible opiate-induced haze.
This was the main concern brought up at the meeting: that drug use and theft by some shelter users has spilled over into the broader surrounding community. Many attendees wondered what options were available to deal with the issue.
Wes Collier, the 2nd Watch Lieutenant for the precinct, was there to represent the voice of the police. “The best thing for SPD is to build a relationship with the shelter and understand what the goal is. We don’t want to shut it down, but we want it to be safely run and not affect the rest of the neighborhood.” He suggested that the community might have more impact in resolving issues if they effectively communicated with police when incidents occur. He suggested this could be as simple as calling 911 when appropriate to respond, or requesting police patrols via the SPD website. He also said that they recently started focusing on ongoing police patrols in the area around the shelter, with an emphasis vehicle visiting adjacent problem areas.
One community member was willing to put their foot forward in an attempt at proactive engagement with these community issues. Abi Harmon, a nearby resident, said she was working on being a point person for creating a “Good Neighbor Agreement” in coordination with the shelter and other local residents. Such an agreement would clarify the standards of the shelter, as well as creating standards and paths for communication with neighbors, and ways that each group can help the other. (If you would like to contact her about joining the group collaborating on the agreement in coordination with the shelter, you can email abiharmon at gmail.com.
From District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka‘s office, district director Erik Schmidt was also in attendance. He emphasized that getting funding for either increased patrols or the shelter would require the public to make budget requests directly to the councilmember’s office. But, he said, none had come in. “Anyone can bring an ask to the office, but no one has so far.” Schmidt said that Councilmember Saka’s office would be receptive to anyone who would like to do so. He also said that recently, both he and Saka had asked for more emphasis patrols in the area for all hours of the day.
Rachel Porter, executive director for the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, also was there as a member of the advisory council. She said she was in talks with shelter owner Hughes on how the community might be able to help the shelter
After almost an hour of discussion regarding the shelter situation, the topic changed – SPD offered an update on crime statistics for the Southwest precinct for the year. These were delivered by South Precinct Crime CoordinatorMatt Brown, substituting for Jennifer Satterwhite, as she is on maternity leave.
These stats have been mentioned in multiple community meetings, but they were noted again here: Total crime cases for the Southwest Precinct are down by 16% year to date, going from around 3500 reported instances in 2024 to 2800 in 2025. Burglaries are down by 31%, and robberies are down 30% in the same period. Incidents of shots fired are also down, with 77 reported so far this year, down from 86 reports in 2024. Of these, seven had a wounded victim, with no fatalities. Brown wanted to put a special emphasis that still, to date, the Southwest Precinct remains the only precinct in Seattle with zero homicides in 2025.
After the report on statistics, a few more questions from the community:
One was regarding the usage of personal security cameras, and how they might be used as evidence for police cases, or to report incidents of crime. Lieutenant Collier said that any contribution from these would be an aid to the police. “You can share evidence with SPD. It takes all of us to make our community safer, including collaborating with SPD on evidence.” He pointed to the recently announced Connect Seattle program (renamed since our report last month, when it was the Community Camera Registry) where citizens can list cameras on their property so the police can request footage of them if needed for an ongoing case.
Another community member asked for an update on whether anything was being done to stop street racing on Alki and Harbor Avenue. Lieutenant Collier said that the precinct is currently holding meetings to plan for summer 2026. They are currently looking at stronger patrols in the area, particularly around Don Armeni Boat Ramp, and will be working with Parks on increased enforcing for traffic and noise violations.
The Advisory Council’s community lead, Ella McRae, closed out the meeting. “A more connected community is a safer community.” she said. She highlighted that the next big event for the precinct was a drug takeback day, in partnership with the DEA. This will be held on October 25th, between 10 am and 2 pm at the precinct (2300 SW Webster). She noted, with a wry laugh, that the Southwest Precinct had the largest amount of contributions last year.
As reported here last night thanks to reader tips and photos, SDOT has just upgraded barriers on the Andover/28th/Yancy bike lane installed three years ago following a major RV-camp sweep. We followed up today as promised to ask if more work is ahead there – as the installation has some gaps – and to ask if any other West Seattle bike lane will get these barriers. Here’s the reply we received from SDOT’s Mariam Ali, accompanied by a photo:
The work you saw along Andover was part of our Better Bike Barriers (BBB) program — installing new wheelstop-style barriers to improve safety and comfort for people biking.
Our crews worked over the weekend to minimize weekday traffic impacts, and traffic control was in place. The Andover segment should wrap up within the next couple of days. You can find background and upcoming BBB locations on our public webpage: Better Bike Barriers Program.
SW Admiral Way from SW Spokane St to SW Olga St is included as a BBB project in your area, which we’re planning to deliver over the next year.
Thanks to Manuel for the photos! A reader asked us what SDOT workers were doing this weekend near 28th/Yancy, and his photos provide the answer – adding wheel-stop barriers to the bike lane installed three years ago.
The bike lane was installed not long after the city swept a six-year, multi-block RV encampment along Andover and 28th.
Don sent that photo Monday, after noticing installation of the new school-zone speed cameras on Admiral Way for the return next year of Alki Elementary, once its new building is complete. That led us to check in with SDOT for the status of the new school-zone speed cameras that have been scheduled to start operation this year, on California SW near West Seattle High School (not far from Lafayette Elementary, too). SDOT spokesperson Mariam Ali‘s reply revealed that they’re likely to start with the southbound direction only:
The new southbound school zone speed camera on California Ave SW near West Seattle High School has been installed and is in final testing. We expect it to be activated in the coming weeks, though the exact date is still being finalized. Once activated, the camera will issue warnings only for the first 30 days after activation, with citations beginning after that period. SDOT will share information with the community when the camera goes live. Notices will be mailed to drivers during the warning period.
A northbound camera is also planned for West Seattle High but has been delayed due to underground utility conflicts. Our engineering team is working on a solution, and we’ll share an updated installation timeline once available.
SDOT also verified that the Alki Elementary-related cameras on Admiral Way are in place (as shown above) “but will remain inactive until the new school building opens, currently expected in 2026.” Five other school zones in West Seattle have ticketing cameras, listed here. Getting a ticket from a school-zone cam could cost you more than $200.
Note the “all-way” on that stop sign. That’s the new status of Oregon/44th in The Junction. A texter tipped us about it this evening, saying they “almost drove through it” (and we saw someone else do that shortly after we snapped the pic). Many of the added all-way stops recently have been along routes to schools; we’ll check with SDOT tomorrow to see if that’s the rationale for this one (Tilden School [WSB sponsor], Hope Lutheran, and Holy Rosary are within several blocks, and Genesee Hill Elementary is a bit further) or something else.
The City Council’s Public Safety Committee meets at 9:30 am tomorrow, with an agenda including their first look at various proposals to change city laws and/or create new ones, in many cases just making city law match up with state law. This memo from council staff gets into key points including:
Firearm & Weapon Restrictions
This bill would adopt various changes made to state law in recent years concerning firearms and other weapons. Generally, firearms regulation is an area of law where cities and other local government entities are preempted from enacting their own unique restrictions, but may choose to adopt changes made by the Washington State Legislature. This bill would adopt RCW 9.41.010 and 9.41.390 which, taken together, prohibit with limited exceptions the manufacture, import, distribution, and sale of a category of firearms known as “assault weapons” defined by reference to a list of specific firearms in combination with a descriptive schema based on certain firearm features. Violations of these assault weapon provisions would be a gross misdemeanor.
This bill would also create a civil infraction in the amount of $1,000 for failing to report the theft of a firearm within 24 hours to the Seattle Police Department.
Finally, the bill would also add libraries, zoos and aquariums, and transit stations and facilities to the existing list of places where weapons are prohibited. Violations of City place-based weapons restrictions would be punishable as a gross misdemeanor. Statutory changes related to firearms and other weapons described above were made to RCW by the state legislature during the 2023 and 2024 sessions.
Then there’s a bill addressing traffic laws – CB 121081 – including these proposals among others, as summarized in the staff memo:
Covered License Plates
This bill would update vehicle license plate requirements to prohibit the use of license plate covers. Existing SMC prohibits plate frames, holders, or other materials that “change, alter, or make a license plate [illegible],” but does not explicitly ban plate covers (e.g. tinted plastic covers commonly in use). This change would mirror a state law change adopted by the legislature in 2024 which was intended to address an increase in the use of plate covers which obscure license plate legibility by law enforcement officers and automated tolling cameras.
Negligent Driving with Vulnerable User Victim
This bill would establish new offenses of negligent driving with a vulnerable user victim in the first and second degrees. “Vulnerable user of a public way” would be defined to mean, in sum: a pedestrian; person riding an animal; or, a person operating a wheeled vehicle other than an automobile. The new first degree offense would be triggered by negligent driving that is likely to endanger a person or property, and results in the death of a vulnerable user. The second-degree offense would be triggered by similar conduct that results in great or substantial bodily harm to a vulnerable user, rather than death. The new first-degree offense would be a gross misdemeanor with a $1,000 mandatory minimum fine and a 90 day license suspension. The new second degree offense would be a traffic infraction. These changes would mirror state law changes adopted by the legislature in 2023.
The full agenda for tomorrow morning’s committee meeting includes how to watch and comment (as well as the other items the councilmembers will consider, including what’s ahead for the Community Safety Initiative).
West Seattle Elementary is in need of two crossing guards this year, and several other neighborhood schools also have vacant posts (see map and screenshot below — red darts mark openings). (Help spread the word) so these important roles can be filled and all students can walk or bike to school safely.
The job is part-time — just during school arrival and dismissal — and could be a great fit for a retiree, a college student, or a stay-at-home parent with older kids.
Crossing Guard Recruitment:
Pay: $20.76/hour
Requirements: Age 18+, high school diploma/GED (or equivalent experience), background check. Training provided by the district.
Schedule: Part-time, during school arrival and dismissal
Role: Safely assist students crossing streets and intersections in all kinds of weather
See our map of open crossing guard posts to find opportunities in your neighborhood. See our map of open crossing guard posts to find opportunities in your neighborhood.
Questions? Apply here or contact SPS Field Staff Supervisor Stacy Roberts at sdroberts@seattleschools.org or call 206-252-0908.
Thanks for the tip. One week after SDOT told us they expected to reopen Fairmount Avenue beneath the Admiral Way Bridge before the holiday weekend – marking the completion of most work on the project to strengthen and preserve the bridge – they’ve done just that. Above are the SDOT “before and after” photos from beneath the bridge. The project page goes into details of what they’ve done during the construction closure. Fairmount has been closed to all traffic – including bicyclists, walkers, and runners – since July of last year. The topside was originally scheduled to have some full closures during the project, but SDOT found a way to avoid that.
Though school starts a week from today, SDOT‘s new California Avenue SW school-zone-speed cameras near West Seattle High School and Lafayette Elementary won’t be in operation right at the start. We’ve been asking SDOT for an update on the cameras’ status, and just got it:
We expect to activate school zone safety camera near West Seattle High School on California Ave SW in the southbound direction mid-September. The northbound camera for West Seattle High School is expected to be activated mid-October due to more complex construction methods at the location.
SDOT is also installing speed cameras on Admiral Way near Alki Elementary, but won’t be activating them until the rebuilt school at 3010 59th SW opens in fall 2026. Here’s the list of schools that already have these cameras (including five in West Seattle). We first mentioned the new cameras’ locations in city-budget coverage almost a year ago.
One week from today, Seattle Public Schools begins the 2025-2026 school year. Even if your family doesn’t have a student or school staffer, you’ll be affected by the resumption of school-related traffic and transportation management, including school-zone speed limit and School Street closures. The Madison Middle School PTSA asked us to remind you about their School Street – 45th Avenue SW in front of the school, between SW Spokane and SW Hinds, will close to through traffic on weekdays again this school year. Several other West Seattle schools have set up School Streets; at one, Genesee Hill Elementary, SDOT has declared it to be permanent. This will be the first full year for Madison’s School Street, which was launched last January.
Information from readers led us to inquire with the city’s Unified Care Team about two West Seattle encampments:
PUGET RIDGE: The reader photo above shows 21st SW just north of SW Myrtle [map], along the west side of the Sanislo Elementary campus (not in view because of a tangle of overgrowth). The reader who sent it expressed concern that the encampment is “growing” and seemingly unaddressed though school starts in less than two weeks. We asked UCT spokesperson Kate Jacobs if the site is on the city’s radar. Her reply: “Parking enforcement officers have visited the site and are scheduled to return this week to take appropriate next steps. Specific actions will depend on circumstances at that time. While parking ordinances apply equally to all vehicles, state and federal laws provide additional protection for people living in them.” We just went by the site before publishing this story, and two Parking Enforcement vehicles are in fact there now.
FAUNTLEROY PARK: Fires in the park have been among longrunning issues of concern to neighboring residents (from the park’s south/Arbor Heights side), who told us that notices were up for city action this past Monday. We asked Jacobs about that too, and she said, “The Unified Care Team completed a resolution at Fauntleroy Park on August 18. Outreach workers are connecting the two individuals who were residing at the site with case managers to support their transition to permanent housing.”
The parking lot shared by High Point Library and the Neighborcare Health clinic has been a hub of trouble and concern for years – with incidents like this – and it’ll be the subject of a community-safety meeting in two weeks. We were asked to help get the word out, so here’s the announcement:
Community Safety Meeting : High Point Neighborcare & High Point Library Parking Lot
Thursday, September 4, 2025 6:00 PM-7:30 PM
High Point Seattle Public Library – 3411 SW Raymond St
Community safety meeting with the hopes of hearing from community members in the High Point area about concerns related to this parking lot. All are welcome.
Organizers hope to have representatives from not only the library and clinic, but also SPD, High Point community groups, the Seattle Housing Authority, and City Councilmember Rob Saka‘s office.
The white car in the background is one of two involved in a crash on Fauntleroy Way SW near Lincoln Park’s main lot this past hour. One witness says it was T-boned by another car; as the photo shows, Seattle Fire responded, though not with a medic unit, indicating no major injuries, but we’ll check on who was treated and how they are. Be careful on the wet roads; after a nearly rainless July, it’s easy to forget how to drive safely in these conditions. We’re told that what’s left of the scene has been cleared to the side, so there shouldn’t be any major effects here during the homeward-bound commute.
6:02 PM: Just hours after one of the highest-profile crimes in West Seattle this year, the noontime smash-and-grab robbery at Menashe and Sons Jewelers in The Junction, the city’s bringing its community-safety forum to West Seattle tonight. We’re here at Delridge Community Center for the forum, which is scheduled to be about half speeches – primarily from the city’s three public-safety chiefs (police, fire, CARE) – and half table discussions – the tables are labeled with these planned topics:
-Crime prevention and small business activations
-Youth and community investments
-Neighborhood beautification
-Neighborhood traffic safety
-Neighborhood park safety
-High-impact crime reduction
-Substance use disorder response
-Effective emergency response
-Gun violence reduction and prevention
-High-impact crime reduction
We’ll be updating live during the forum, at least every 10 minutes. Organizers were worried about capacity but there’s still plenty of room in the DCC gym as this gets started, so there’s time to get here if you’re interested.
(Added 11:30 pm: Video of forum’s first hour, before table discussions) 6:12 PM: The emcee stressed that collaboration would be key. Continuing introductory explanations, she walked through what the mayor’s office calls the “One Seattle Restoration Framework.” (Added: The emcee is Leandra Craft, Seattle Restoration Team director for the mayor’s office.) She introduced District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka:
“We’re all here because we care about public safety in District 1.” He said it’s the top issue his office hears about. He said he takes the job “very seriously” regarding working on this issue (he is vice chair of the council’s Public Safety Committee). He promised to “listen, learn, and act” as a result of the forum.
SPD Chief Shon Barnes spoke first, saying his presentation at these forums has been “getting shorter and shorter … How do we return Seattle to the Seattle we all know and love?”
When we reported a month ago on SDOT‘s plans for speed cushions on 60th, 61st, and 62nd SW in the Alki area, the SDOT announcement was fairly vague – no locations and no timeline aside from “summer” (which still has almost six weeks to left). This week, a notice about the impending work arrived in nearby residents’ postal mailboxes, according to one reader. So we asked SDOT for the notice, since it’s of interest to more than those who live on or near the affected streets. They pointed us to this webpage, which includes the map above as well as these details of the planned locations:
60th Ave SW from SW Admiral Way to Alki Ave SW
61st Ave SW from SW Admiral Way to Alki Ave SW
62nd Ave SW from SW Admiral Way to Alki Ave SW
The same info is published here in multilingual fact-sheet format. Both online and via email, SDOT says the main warning that’ll be provided to neighbors is “no parking” signs arriving at least three days in advance in the installation spots.
Thanks to Manuel for the photo. If you’re planning a visit to the north stretch of Longfellow Creek any time soon, remember that the Salmon Bone Bridge is closed for work, as announced by Seattle Public Utilities almost two weeks ago. The work is to “finish the restoration of the bridge,” SPU explains, with major tasks including “replacing the bridge’s safety cables (and) stripping and repainting the bridge’s metal, tubular ‘bones’.” The closure could last through late October.
Another new development today in the case of Aren Oleson, arrested last week after so much gunfire in his West Seattle apartment that officers reported gunsmoke in the air, and neighbors hid in fear. This is what police say they found in the apartment when searching with a warrant after the arrest:
(Seattle Police photo)
As we reported Tuesday, Oleson, 36, is charged with 10 misdemeanors after the investigating detective referred the case to the City Attorney’s Office for that level of potential charging rather than the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for potential felony charges. But, as also reported, investigators were reviewing any other actions that could be taken – and this morning we have word of one such action: An Extreme Risk Protection Order. Seattle Police filed for a temporary ERPO, which can be put into place without notice and be in effect for up to two weeks, until a hearing can be held; a senior county prosecutor also assisted with the filing. From the SPD webpage about ERPOs, here’s the explanation:
Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO) prevent individuals at high risk of harming themselves or others from accessing firearms by allowing family, household members, and police to obtain a court order when there is demonstrated evidence that the person poses a significant danger.
Family or household members and Law Enforcement Officers may obtain an ERPO when there is evidence that the person poses a significant danger, including danger because of a dangerous mental health crisis or violent behavior. The purpose and intent is to reduce gun deaths and injuries through an order temporarily restricting a person’s access to firearms.
Here’s the main argument made in this case (via a screenshot from the documents):
The ERPO is in effect against Oleson until an online hearing August 19, and is separate from the criminal case (for which he has another hearing today – we’ll add any new information from that here later).
Side note: The documents for the temporary ERPO filing provide information we hadn’t found previously, Oleson’s criminal history: Convictions in Kitsap County for second-degree theft and first-degree stolen-property trafficking. The document says his right to possess guns was restored in 2020; as we reported Tuesday, that’s why he couldn’t be charged with unlawful firearm possession. Under terms of the ERPO, he is required to surrender the guns found in his apartment, at least temporarily; the documents say they are still in SPD evidence storage. Oleson remains in jail in lieu of $150,000 bail.
5:41 PM UPDATE: For a second consecutive day, Oleson’s hearing was postponed because he was “medically unavailable,” no elaboration in court documents. His hearing’s been rescheduled for tomorrow.
5:47 PM: Whether on a waste bin, A-board, repurposed construction sign, whatever’s handy, that’s the sign of the night. Be mindful of more than 200 authorized street closures for Night Out 2025 neighborhood parties, through about 9 tonight. We’re out visiting a few but would also love to add your photos – westseattleblog@gmail.com or text to 206-293-6302. First one in – Alyson on Angeline Street says they’re aiming for a waste-free block party:
They’re playing games as well as putting together a potluck. And this might be tonight’s only block party with bees!
One neighbor is a beekeeper, and others, Rosalie included, have gardens the bees adore. Here’s the neighborhood group photo:
7 PM: It’s a Night Out tradition to visit JoDean‘s neighborhood in Arbor Heights:
Quiet neighborhood, so not much has changed since last Night Out:
They’re just enjoying a potluck and hanging out in the street.
7:06 PM: From WSB contributor Jason Grotelueschen, who’s also made some stops – pic of the night, a “foam party” for kids at the White Center gathering at Steve Cox Memorial Park:
7:39 PM: Via text, here are Seaview neighbors from the 5600 block of 47th SW:
8:52 PM: Thanks to the readers who tipped us that part of the legendary Seattle All-City Band would be performing at a few local parties tonight. Jason caught up with them at one stop – his video starts with some explanation of what they were up to, so if you just want to forward to the music, go to 3:40 in:
We’re told the performances were part of a fundraiser, and five West Seattle stops were among 20 around the city made by four groups from ACB. In West Seattle, they got around via school bus:
Founder Dr. Marcus Pimpleton was there to direct them (as also seen in our video clip):
Our photos were from 51st/Hanford. Thanks to Lindsey Pearsall for this view from their stop at her Upper Alki block party, which also had SFD in attendance:
Another band we encountered on Night Out: Los Flacos, performing in Delridge at the SW Willow block party:
The event was also a debut for Sustainable Music Northwest, whose community-building mission seemed to synergize nicely with the intent of Night Out. Here’s our group photo of the neighbors who gathered there:
On to other parties: Thanks to Allison in Arbor Heights (on 36th SW) for the neighborhood portrait:
And Jenn sent photos from 13th SW between Cloverdale and Thistle, with an SFD visit:
Firefighters from Station 37 visited Darren‘s party (thanks for the pics!) in Arbor Heights, SW 105th between 35th and 39th:
This party also did some serious grilling:
Thanks to everyone who shared photos, and to those who invited us to stop by their parties!
That photo from Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinatorJennifer Satterwhite shows ~800 swag bags for registered Night Out block/building party hosts to pick up tomorrow (if your party is registered, you should have received instructions for pickup). Hundreds of parties are planned around West Seattle for this national celebration of community solidarity and resilience, Tuesday night, August 5. If you’re not hosting or participating in a Night Out party, remember that streets will be closed for block parties, so getting around that night may mean some detouring. We’ll be out covering parties as always so if you’re having one and we’d be welcome to stop by for a photo, let us know – westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – or, on Tuesday night, take a pic and send it while you’re partying!
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, whose volunteers manage weekly tours of the historic Alki Point Lighthouse, had already announced tours were canceled for last Sunday and this Sunday, as often happens for midsummer staffing challenges. But now there’s new word that tours are canceled for the rest of the season and won’t resume any sooner than next year. Here’s the explanation:
Recent testing has revealed a higher level of lead in the lighthouse structure (from old paint) than was previously found. The Coast Guard, out of an abundance of caution, will not allow public access to the site until the lead level can be significantly reduced.
We are hopeful that a remediation plan and funding will come through and that the lighthouse will again be able to welcome visitors at some point, although we do not have a timeline yet.
The lighthouse was built in 1913 and is a West Seattle icon. We’ll follow up Monday to try to find out more about how the problem was found and what process will ensue to try to mitigate it.
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