West Seattle, Washington
23 Thursday
The governor has said that “outdoor recreation” might get clearance to reopen soon. A unique West Seattle business – and longtime WSB sponsor – is ready to help people get ready for some of that. From Emerald Water Anglers:
These are tough times, and we breathe the same breath of uncertainty as everyone else. As we move forward in this new normal, us at Emerald Water Anglers and our growing community want to reach out open arms of encouragement. We will get through this and be better because of it. Please stay safe, healthy, and positive. We are looking forward to being able to fish and continue business as usual soon.
Social Media
Instagram | @ewaflyshop_seattle @emeraldwateranglerswa
Vimeo Video Profile – EWA VimeoWe are staying very active on our social platforms these days. Answering questions, doing daily events like livestream conversations, contests, and more. We can also offer you a virtual shopping experience. DM us or email us your phone number and we will set up a time to FaceTime with you, walk through the store and ship your new gear to you.
EWA Coffee
We are excited to announce our own private label roast of coffee which can be bought as whole bean or ground to your liking upon purchase. (Click here to purchase)
EWA’s shop is at 42nd/Oregon in The Junction.
We’ve learned a lot about local nonprofits and their scope during the coronavirus crisis. If you are fortunate enough to be able to assist, rather than needing assistance, here’s another way to do that. From Vicki Quinn, president of St Vincent de Paul‘s Holy Rosary Conference, and Bob Bucci, president of SVdP’s Our Lady of Guadalupe Conference:
During these weeks of enforced isolation, have you wanted to help the thousands of our neighbors here in West Seattle who have been laid off, face an uncertain future and are unable to pay the rent, utilities or even put enough food on the table for their kids?
The St. Vincent de Paul Society has been helping our neighbors here in West Seattle, from the Admiral District down to White Center, for the last 60 years. We reach out to our neighbors through our 65 dedicated local volunteers; pre-pandemic we would always visit with our neighbors in need in their homes to make sure we did not overlook any need that they might have forgotten in their anxiety and stress. These days we try to deliver the same message of compassion and care by phone.
Even before the Covid-19 crisis, the priority for St Vincent de Paul in West Seattle was to keep our neighbors in their homes, to stop evictions and do this by helping pay their rent.
In March 2020, the SVdP Helpline received a staggering 1.079 requests for rent help – 40% more than in February 2020, and a 47% increase over March of last year. Many callers in West Seattle have never called any organization for help before. When we talk to them, our responsibility is to let them feel the compassion and love of our entire community – to let them know that they are not alone and that their community cares deeply about their situation.
At the same time as we have been hit by this wave of need, our income has been hit because church services can no longer be held and therefore donations are down sharply. So, we ask you to please help your neighbor by following this link to make an online donation. Please be sure to select the “Where needed most” box and where you’re asked for the name of the specific conference or program please type in “West Seattle.”
Alternatively, please send a check payable to St. Vincent de Paul Society, write West Seattle in the Memo line and mail it to St. Vincent de Paul of Seattle/King County, 5950 Fourth Avenue South | Seattle WA 98108.
To learn more about SVdP after receiving this, we asked about referrals from 211, the phone number people can call for help and resources. The reply: “St. Vincent de Paul of Seattle | King County has been the largest 2-1-1 referral source for many years, receiving 12,000 to 25,000 referrals annually, more than any of the 1,700 social service agencies in the county. Of course, today those numbers are off the charts.”
(Miss downtown? Monica Zaborac photographed the Space Needle from Alki with a zoom lens)
Welcome to Sunday! Again this week, we have events to tell you about, starting with West Seattle churches’ online services
ADMIRAL UCC: The video service is here. Also – coffee hour via Zoom at 11:30 am.
ALKI UCC: 10 am online service, via Zoom – info and link on church’s home page.
ALL SOULS SEATTLE (WSB sponsor): Online worship will be posted here
ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here at 10 am.
BETHANY COMMUNITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 8 am, 9:30 am, 11 am, 7 pm.
CALVARY CHAPEL: Service will be available via the church’s website, as well as sermon audio, plus 11 am fellowship via Zoom, 6 pm all-church prayer and 7 pm evening worship (info on home page).
EASTRIDGE CHURCH: Livestreaming here at 9 am and 11 am.
FAUNTLEROY UCC: Livestreaming on the church’s YouTube channel at 10 am.
FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH OF WEST SEATTLE: Today’s online liturgy is here.
GRACE CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 10:30 am.
HALLOWS CHURCH: Streaming at 10 am via the church’s YouTube channel.
HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming in English at 8:30 am, en Español at 10 am, all here.
HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming at 9:30 am here.
HOPE LUTHERAN: Today’s worship service and children’s video are viewable here.
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming at 10 am, both here.
PEACE LUTHERAN: Livestreaming at 10:30 am on YouTube.
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH: Viewable on YouTube: All Ages Sunday School at 10 am, Morning Prayer at 10:15 am (here’s the bulletin), Kids’ Club at 11:30 am.
TIBBETTS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (WSB sponsor): The video service for today is viewable here.
TRINITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 10 am.
WEST SEATTLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: The video service is viewable here.
WEST SEATTLE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE: Livestreaming here, 11 am.
WEST SIDE PRESBYTERIAN Livestreaming at 10 am on the church’s YouTube channel.
WESTSIDE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION: Livestreaming via Zoom, 10:30 am.
WESTWOOD CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY: Online worship at 11 am; info here.
Any other churches to add? Please email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Also today:
DONATION DRIVE: You’re invited to this dropoff donation drive outside Alki UCC, 10 am-4 pm:
Contributions of non-perishable food and other items will be distributed via the White Center Food Bank; top requests include Canned Meat/Soup/Fruit (pop‐top cans preferred), Rice, Noodles, Peanut Butter, Oats, Toilet Paper, Diapers, Similac Formula, Cleaning Supplies, Hand Sanitizer, and Baby Wipes.
(6115 SW Hinds)
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Open 11 am-4 pm – need a tool to fix or improve something? (4408 Delridge Way SW)
FREE TO-GO DINNER #1: You’re welcome at the KBM Commissary window 4-6 pm for a free family-style meal, as previewed here. (5604 Delridge Way)
FREE TO-GO DINNER #2: High Point Community Dinner Church will serve to-go meals at 5 pm, outside, near High Point Community Center. (6920 34th SW)
Reminder:
NO FARMERS’ MARKET: Though the city gave approval for two other markets to open “modified” versions again this weekend, West Seattle remains closed.
Two scenes shared by WSB readers, as joy resounds through our neighborhoods, even in these stay-home days and nights:
The photo is from Laura Wood, who explains, “Trombone practice in the sunshine: Henry and Patrick Wood, 15 year old twins from West Seattle High School who really miss playing in their music groups!!”
Below, fiddler Dawn Hepburn joined neighbors on the east side of The Junction in “making a joyful noise” on Friday night:
She was in the Alki Masonic Lodge parking lot, with The Whittaker to the north and east, Broadstone Sky to the west, the 4801 Fauntleroy Apartments and Origins Cannabis (both WSB sponsors) to the south.
Here’s a short nightly roundup following a quiet Saturday – :
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Seattle-King County Public Health data dashboard:
*5,811 people have tested positive, up 122 from yesterday
*399 people have died, up 12 from yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 5,063 and 340.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
NO WS FARMERS’ MARKET TOMORROW: Though the U-District and Ballard markets opened for a second weekend, the West Seattle market remains closed. No explanation so far.
FREE FOOD TOMORROW: Reminder,the KBM Commissary weekly free meal will be available 4-6 pm Sunday – details here.
FOOD DELIVERY – FOR STUDENTS: In Seattle Public Schools‘ latest message to families, the district says meal distribution will be done along 38 special school-bus routes, in addition to ongoing availability at certain campuses.
IN CASE YOU DIDN”T SEE THE SUNSET … thanks to James Bratsanos for the photo:
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
We’ve gotten lots of questions about the new solar-powered surveillance-video trailers at Westwood Village.
Five are in place around the center. The company that makes them, Utah-based LiveView Technologies, says 3,500 are in use at a variety of sites – construction, energy, retail, government. According to the company’s website and a promotional video, the trailers send streaming video, and have the potential for features from thermal detection to “vehicle recognition.” You might also have noticed they have speakers, so warnings can be delivered (as in this marketing video).
They’ve drawn media attention in other places where they’ve been used or considered – Walmart stores use them under the name Lot Cops, for example. In Eugene, Oregon, the police are considering using them; a cost of $20,000 to $85,000 each was cited in coverage there.
So you’re being watched. But who’s watching? We took that question to Westwood Village management. The center’s managers aren’t allowed to talk with the media, so they sent our inquiry to the communications team at their company, Madison Marquette. The resulting response was basically “no comment”:
Thank you for your inquiry. Because the safety and security of our shoppers, employees, restaurants and retailers is of the utmost importance, we do not share the specifics of our security programs or procedures since doing so could comprise our security efforts.
Right now, many WWV storefronts are vacant or closed by government order, so the security need is different than pre-COVID-19. But it was just a year ago that you might recall police had planned to deploy a monitoring tower at the center and elsewhere; that ultimately never happened.
Your local, independent businesses need you more than ever, whether they’re open, partly open, or entirely closed. Here are two videos about supporting them:
FCA SUPPORTING ENDOLYNE JOE’S: This time of year, Endolyne Joe’s (9261 45th SW) usually has a dine-out fundraiser to support the Fauntleroy Fall Festival. This year, Joe’s needs the support instead – since like other restaurants it’s only allowed to be partly open – so the Fauntleroy Community Association urges you to order lunch and/or dinner there on Tuesday (April 28th), and made this video to explain:
‘SMALL BUSINESS IS FAMILY’: The proprietor of Flourish Beauty, Juniper Nails, and Spruce Apothecary, Tiann Hadeed, made this video not just about her businesses, but “to help educate our clients and community on the importance of supporting small business.”:
The photo and report are from David:
found a very nice, practically new, white Strider bike in alley behind 3200 block of Avalon Way. I doubt a child would park it by dumpsters. I would like to return it to the owner.
Let us know if it is yours so we can connect you.
It’s a bit blustery out today so you might not be going out on that neighborhood-nature walk. No worries – photos we’ve received will bring the wildlife to you! The photos above and below are from Mark MacDonald -above, a Bushtit; below, a Towhee:
Next, the local Golden Pheasant made an appearance in Matt S‘s Charlestown Hill yard:
Kyle Riley in Seaview sent this view he identified as a Red-Tailed Hawk:
Lura Ercolano photographed this Great Blue Heron:
From Brian Michel – you’ll recognize this species:
And Barry J. White shared this video of hummingbirds in a white pine near their home:
(Yes, we asked, and Barry assures us the drone was only used for views of the tree AFTER the nesting babies were gone.)
Thanks to everyone who’s sharing what they’re seeing!
As a huge new unplanned project looms, SDOT has announced that another is almost done:
This week we reached substantial completion of the SW Seattle Paving: 35th/ Avalon project! We will not be working next week. We will be returning to the corridor as early as the week of May 4. You will see crews onsite through the month of May as they make final improvements and complete restoration along the corridor. We will be wrapping up construction by making safety improvements to the northbound bus stop at SW Genesee St, completing remaining striping, and finishing any additional minor work.
We will take down our no-parking signs where they are no longer needed. Some no parking signs will be set up as soon as May 4 to begin work at the northbound SW Genesee St bus stop on SW Avalon Way.
Just before work began a year ago, SDOT told us it was expected to last 14 months. The project was announced three years ago, first as a repaving project; a month later, lane reconfiguration was revealed as part of the plan too.
Note the crew at the lower left of that screengrab from the city camera at the 5-way (Spokane/West Marginal/Chelan/Delridge) intersection very early this morning – repaving work got under way overnight, scheduled to continue tonight. That’s part of a variety of work scheduled in that area all weekend – including installation all day today of a new bus lane along the north end of Delridge, between Andover and the low bridge. That bridge itself will have crews working all day as load testing continues. If you’re expecting to travel in any of these areas this weekend, read the full alert so you’ll know what to expect.
Time to start Saturday with grocery-shopping updates. The only major change this past week is that Westwood Village QFC has launched curbside pickup; Christine from the store’s e-commerce team told us it’s being rolled out at most QFCs, and that the usual service fee is being waived during the coronavirus crisis. … Hours at local standalone stores, including senior/at-risk shopping hours, stayed unchanged (here’s our standing list). We’re only shopping once a week, so we can’t scout all the stores for you, but readers have reported in each week, and it sounds like the safety measures are getting to be almost universal: Plexiglas, masks, floor spacing, etc. The main variable: Your fellow shoppers. They’re not all masking up, or paying attention to the one-way-aisle markers. (So don’t be THAT shopper!) Looking to avoid crowds? Shop in the first or last hour that your chosen store’s open. And let us know if you discover something new/changed! (Example: West Seattle Thriftway [WSB sponsor] says it has a new supply of garden seeds!)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Exactly one month after the West Seattle Bridge‘s sudden closure, the West Seattle Transportation Coalition hosted this week’s third community meeting about its effects.
Guests at Thursday night’s online WSTC meeting included Heather Marx and Adiam Emery from SDOT and Chris Arkills and Bill Bryant from Metro. As WSTC chair Michael Taylor-Judd reiterated at the meeting’s start, the focus was on “transportation mitigation” – how is everyone who drove across the high bridge going to get around now?
Marx opened by acknowledging that as a West Seattleite who was also surprised to hear about the bridge, “whatever you’re feeling, I’m feeling too.” She explained that she’s heading the project group – engineering, communications, etc., so if you’re looking for a point person, “I’m the one.” She went through the same slide deck as Wednesday night’s meetings (which in turn was mostly the same as Monday’s City Council briefing and last week’s “might not be fixable” media briefing), including a pitch for signing up for Alert Seattle “because the worst COULD happen.” (Not just bridge-wise.) She also acknowledged the letter SDOT had received from WSTC, and had new slides pointing out actions taken – or planned -from WSTC suggestions. They included:
As expected, the governor has given one industry a partial clearance to get back to work, and that tops tonight’s roundup, exactly eight weeks after the first King County COVID-19 case was announced:
GOVERNOR SAYS SOME CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS CAN RESUME: Gov. Inslee was joined at midday by industry and union reps with whom he said a safety plan had been worked out, in a process that he called a potential template for restarting other industries (no timeframe, though). Our coverage includes the video; here’s the announcement on the governor’s website, including the full list of rules.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Seattle-King County Public Health data dashboard:
*5,689 people have tested positive, up 120 from yesterday
*387 people have died, up 3 from yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 4,902 and 331.
2 DEATHS AT THE MOUNT: West Seattle long-term care/assisted-living center Providence Mount St. Vincent announced late today that two residents/patients who had tested positive for COVID-19 have died. (It’s in the zip code with the most deaths of any West Seattle zip code, per the data dashboard – 98126, with 5.)
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
BENCH BACKTRACK: We reported Thursday that Seattle Parks had installed boards to thwart use of benches along Alki. This morning’s reply to our request for comment said they would leave some open for use by those who needed them. Then this evening, after tips, we went to Alki and confirmed that Parks crews were removing what looked like more than “some” bench barriers:
We were going to go back in the morning to check if they all were being removed, but Parks has just saved us the trouble, tweeting as we wrote this: “Earlier this week the parks department placed barriers at benches to help encourage visitors to keep moving and avoid congregating. Understanding that our seniors and those who are differently abled use benches to temporarily rest, we’ve decided to replace barriers with signs.”
ALSO SEEN ON ALKI: The SPD Mounted Patrol was back today:
Thanks to GT for the photo.
SPEAKING OF THE CITY … they’re capping the percentage that third-party restaurant-delivery services can charge, after the request from the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce. (At least one local restaurant that’s been totally closed may be able to reopen as a result, we’re told.)
SPEAKING OF FOOD: If you can donate some, Sunday will bring a local donation drive.
NEIGHBORHOOD SIGHTING: Thanks to the texter who sent this:
GOT INFO? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Another fundraising auction that had to go online because of the coronavirus crisis is happening right now – here’s the announcement from Holy Rosary School:
Due to COVID-19, Holy Rosary School’s annual auction has moved ONLINE. The great news is you don’t need a ticket to participate. EVERYONE IS INVITED! Over 125 items will be up for bid between today and Saturday evening. Closings are staggered, starting at 6:30 pm on Saturday.
In addition to merchandise, getaways and services, Holy Rosary School has two funds available for straight donations. The Holy Rosary Fund A Need will go towards providing scholarships for those students in our community whose families are facing financial hardships due to COVID-19. The Fund A School will assist Holy Family Bilingual School, located only 4 miles from Holy Rosary. Holy Family has been awarded a $1,000,000 building grant from Shea Homes Charities, but they need to raise 5% of these funds in order to secure the grant. More than ever, we need to come together as a community and support each other.
Please consider bidding on items or donating to one of the school funds. If bidding, please read all restrictions thoroughly. Winning bidders will be notified to pick up their items when the Stay at Home has been lifted or shipping is available at the winning bidder’s cost. Thank you in advance for your support.
For additional information, visit the Holy Rosary School website.
Thanks to Shannon for the photos from Seaview! f you saw fire trucks/engines and police cars in your neighborhood tonight, flashing their lights and sounding their sirens/horns, that was just the second week of “Friday Night Lights” (explained here).
Also from Seaview, Josie tweeted photos:
@westseattleblog just now on 49th in Seaview! #thankyoufirstresponders pic.twitter.com/kVNSmOvYGe
— Josie Gawlowski (@josieliming) April 25, 2020
We’ll find out next week if they’ll do it again on May 1st.
(WSB photo, last week)
Two Providence Mount St. Vincent residents/patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have died. The Mount announced that in an update sent today, eight days after announcing that 15 residents/patients and 10 caregivers there had tested positive. At the time, The Mount said a second round of testing was planned, and this update includes news on that:
Thank you to our West Seattle friends, neighbors, and family members of The Mount for continuing to express care and concern for the residents, patients, and caregivers at The Mount. We have been humbled by the outpouring of love we have received in the form of handmade masks, deliveries of flowers and goodies as well as messages of support. We hope you know how much this all means.
Thanks to Providence ExpressCare, we did a second round of COVID-19 rapid testing this week where we tested 732 residents/patients and caregivers. Due to the tremendous work of our team, we are doing an excellent job at controlling the spread of COVID-19 by caring not only for our patients and residents, but also in taking care of each other. The results of our second round of testing show a stabilization of the spread of COVID-19.
One new resident/patient tested positive and two caregivers tested positive. Additionally, several of those patients/residents who previously tested as positive, are now in the process of clearing with first step negative test results. These will be confirmed with a second test. Today there are 8 residents/patients who are positive for COVID 19. Caregivers will be cleared to return to work through caregiver health.
We are deeply saddened that two of our residents/patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have died. These two individuals were cherished members of The Mount family and our collective hearts are broken. We extend our deepest sympathies to their families and loved ones and we are keeping them in our prayers in their time of loss.
The safety and well-being of our residents, patients, their families and our caregivers remains our top priority, especially at this time. Even with signs of improvement, we will not let our guard down as we know how quickly this virus can spread. Our heightened infection control protocols, including the use of appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE), remain in place and we continue daily monitoring of all residents, patients, and caregivers for any signs of illness. COVID-19 has our full attention and we are committed to protecting everyone in our care. We will continue to share updates with the community as needed.
The Mount (4831 35th SW) is West Seattle’s largest long-term-care/assisted-living facility, with other programs on site including the Intergenerational Learning Center day care.
Last night, we reported on the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce’s letter to the City Council asking for a cap on third-party restaurant delivery fees, noting that other cities have taken similar actions. This afternoon, Mayor Jenny Durkan, City Council President Lorena González, and City Councilmember Lisa Herbold just announced an emergency order to do just that – and more. Here’s the announcement:
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan, Council President M. Lorena González, and Councilmember Lisa Herbold today announced a new Emergency Order to impose a 15 percent commission cap on third-party delivery services. The necessary statewide ‘Stay Home, Stay Healthy’ order has caused restaurants to rely solely on delivery and takeout services for revenue, and many restaurants use third-party delivery services to meet the needs of their customers and keep their staff safe. The 15 percent commission cap will remain in place until restaurants are allowed to offer unrestricted dine-in service in the City of Seattle.
“We know that so many of our small businesses are hurting because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that delivery services have been a lifeline for our restaurants during this unprecedented time. Unfortunately, some third-party delivery services are charging exorbitant commission fees, which exacerbates the financial hardship many restaurants are already experiencing,” said Mayor Durkan. “This commission cap will be critical to ensuring that delivery and takeout remain viable options and don’t cause increased financial hardship. At the City, we’re doing everything we can locally to support our small businesses during this unprecedented moment in history. We’ve identified millions of dollars to invest directly in our most vulnerable small businesses and are working with our partners across government and in the private sector to help many who are struggling. With many of our neighborhood restaurants still open, we can support our small businesses by ordering pickup or delivery during this time.”
“Our beloved main street restaurants are reeling from this economic crisis and exorbitant delivery service charges further threaten their ability to weather this storm. Restaurant owners across Seattle have adapted their business models to delivery or takeout only service, resulting in the unemployment of thousands of service industry workers and even thinner margins for these important small businesses. With tight margins, every dollar paid to an app-based delivery service is a dollar taken from our local restaurants, economy and workforce. We know some of these corporations are imposing inflated fees and profiting from this crisis on the backs of our main street. We cannot allow that to happen. This Emergency Order will provide much needed relief and establish a system that is more fair and equitable to our restaurants,” said Council President M. Lorena González.
Councilmember Herbold, representing Seattle’s District 1, thanked the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce for their early advocacy on this issue and recognized that the West Seattle Chamber shared their members’ experiences of these apps unfairly charging local businesses 30 percent on deliveries. The West Seattle Chamber has written that these apps have been “using this opportunity during the COVID-19 challenge to tell consumers that using their services are helping small businesses when the only one benefiting from these programs are these corporations.”
Restricting restaurants to takeout and delivery service disproportionately impacts small, independently-owned or minority-owned businesses that already operate on thin margins, adding to financial pressures in the industry that predate the current public health crisis. Many residents support local restaurants by using third-party, app-based delivery services, and these third-party platforms charge commission to restaurants based on the purchase price. Each service agreement between restaurants and third-party companies varies, but some include commissions that are 30 percent or more of the purchase price. These unregulated charges place an undue burden on small business owners and require some of them to turn over a significant percentage of their badly-needed revenue to a third-party.
To further protect delivery drivers who, as independent contractors, are often shut out of federal unemployment relief, the Emergency Order requires that 100 percent of tips go to the drivers, and it includes provisions to make clear that it is illegal for a third-party platform to reduce driver compensation rates as a result of this order going into effect for the duration of the order.
“Marination and Super Six currently rely on takeout and delivery in order to have an opportunity to survive in this new economic environment. Because so many of these platforms charge such high fees, we have started to handle all takeout and delivery orders in-house. But this commission cap will allow us to transition to a third-party delivery service without facing further financial stressors and allows third-party platforms and restaurants to do what they do best,” said Kamala Saxton, co-owner of Marination and Super Six.
The 15 percent commission cap will take effect immediately and will remain in place until restaurants are allowed to offer unrestricted dine-in service. Violating the 15 percent commission cap is a misdemeanor offense and would be prosecuted by the Seattle City Attorney’s Office. Restaurants who wish to report a violation of the commission cap should call the Seattle Police Department’s non-emergency line at 206-625-5011.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes:
TOOL THEFT: Via text:
This guy stole tools from my work van on SW Orchard St. [in Gatewood] at 9:30 AM. Be on the look out. We did call the SPD and have sent these pictures. Our tools are a large jack hammer in black case and Milwaukee cordless rotohammer with cordless rotohammer Vacuum separate cases. Husky socket set and two Milwaukee parts boxes with miscellaneous parts. All tools and cases have green paint on them. I’d like to thank Jon G, a neighbor, for the pictures.
SPD incident number is 20-136459.
ABANDONED BIKE #1: Scott spotted this next to the future park at 48th/Charlestown:
ABANDONED BIKE #2: No photo, but John spotted a men’s Raleigh bike in the 4700 block of 25th SW.
After more than five weeks, we’re still updating our list of West Seattle restaurants (and other prepared-food providers) and beverage businesses, as hours change and some reopen (as of today, A La Mode Pies in The Junction joined the latter category). See the list of 140+ businesses by going here. Thanks to everyone who continues to send us updates – both restaurateurs/staffers and customers – westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/call 206-293-6302.
P.S. Some other lists have sprung up too; one that’s exclusively local, and locally created, is westseattle.delivery. The West Seattle Junction Association also has a list on its website.
11:32 AM: Gov. Inslee is having another news-media briefing right now, scheduled to be joined this time by building-industry representatives. Click into the live coverage above; we’ll be adding notes as it goes.
He opens by thanking people for continuing to follow “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” and cites various polls showing support for it, while declaring that it’s “working” by saving lives. He then goes on to say “we’ve found a way (for) low-risk construction that’s under way to resume.” He says a working group came up with recommendations to shape that and expects it to be “a good template” for other industries. But he says he still can’t say “when other businesses could reopen. … The day of reopening our whole economy is not today … it would be way too dangerous.”
11:40 AM: He outlines the safety plan for construction sites, including that “if it can’t be done with social distancing, it can’t be done.” Every jobsite will have to have a safety supervisor.
For other industries, he says, his office and the Department of Commerce “will convene stakeholder groups” to come up with plans.
11:47 AM: After a few statements from building-industry group reps, it’s on to Q&A. First Q: How many projects will be able to resume? Probably most, but the plan addresses “types of tasks” that can be done safely, rather than types of projects, one rep replies. Second Q is about test-kit availability, and the governor says he’s continuing to work on that. Third Q, when will this enable resumption of some construction work? As soon as the governor signs the order, later today.
In response to another question, he repeats that data and science will drive when other industries can reopen, and says that “probably tomorrow” that data will be discussed in detail. On the next followup, he repeats that the aggressive measures were necessary to “bend the curve … We now have bent the curve,” but reopening the rest of the economy has to be “an incremental process.” But “if we push that green button too soon, a lot of people are going to die.”
What will reopen next? As he said earlier in the week, they’re looking at elective surgery and outdoor recreation.
12:06 PM: The briefing/Q&A is over. The video should be available for playback above shortly; we’ll also add any links that become available with details of the governor’s construction-industry order.
3:11 PM: Here’s the governor’s post, with more details.
Thanks to everyone who has tipped us about SDOT crews installing 25-mph speed-limit signage – including that photo from 35th SW near SW Ida, sent this morning by Jennifer. So much has hapened theee past few months that you might not remember the city announced the change last December (here’s our report), saying it would be making the change “on major streets citywide” because serious-injury crashes were going up. The signage installation has just accelerated here, mentioned in two of this week’s West Seattle Bridge closure-related meetings as an emphasis along streets that are getting more usage because of bridge-related detouring.
(WSB photo: Newly installed sign on EB Thistle east of California – the small flags preceded the installation)
We asked SDOT about the new wave of sign installation and received this reply (which did not acknowledge that installation HAS resumed):
Since the beginning of the year we’ve installed new 25mph speed limit signs on Alki Ave SW and Harbor Ave SW. This work was completed in March.
We were just beginning to get started with sign installations in West Seattle when we temporarily paused this work city-wide due to the COVID-19 emergency response effort and the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order. When work resumes, we will finish installing signs throughout West Seattle, prioritizing the corridors with the highest traffic volume increase due to the West Seattle Bridge closure.
This work is especially important to the area right now because about a quarter of the time we spend sitting in traffic is due to crashes. In other parts of the city, we’ve seen as much as a 35% – 45% reduction in crashes after installing 25 mph speed limit signs on comparable streets, so we expect that these 25 mph speed limits will be an essential part of our plan to keep West Seattle moving.
In our followup on the December announcement, SDOT told us the signage would eventually be installed along all arterials citywide, plus: “Over the next two years, the Seattle Police Department will also double the number of red-light cameras and add safety cameras at five new school zones. SPD will provide 1,200 additional hours of enforcement on high-injury streets focused on giving warnings and driver education.”
(Photo courtesy Alki UCC, April 12th)
That’s part of what was donated outside Alki UCC on Easter Sunday two weeks ago, and they’ve sent a reminder that you have another chance this Sunday:
Thanks to our community’s generosity, Alki United Church of Christ (Alki UCC) will once again be accepting donations outside our building for an In-Person, Socially-Distanced Food Drive this Sunday, April 26 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Contributions of non-perishable food and other items will be distributed via the White Center Food Bank; top requests include Canned Meat/Soup/Fruit (pop‐top cans preferred), Rice, Noodles, Peanut Butter, Oats, Toilet Paper, Diapers, Similac Formula, Cleaning Supplies, Hand Sanitizer, and Baby Wipes.
The drive will benefit our vulnerable neighbors in need, those who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID 19. The food drives will continue every other Sunday (May 10 and 24) until further notice. Check alkiucc.org for updates.
The church is at 6115 SW Hinds.
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