West Seattle, Washington
09 Thursday
Three days after Mayor Jenny Durkan presented her 2020 budget proposal, the City Council’s review and revisions start today. How can you be part of the process? The District 1 Community Network got a briefing from the city budget boss last night. Here’s what you need to know:
CITY COUNCIL REVIEW: The council’s first meeting as the Select Budget Committee starts at 2 pm today; here’s the agenda. They’ll start with an overview – here’s the slide deck for that:
Then they will launch into initial overview presentations, department by department. First up is Seattle Public Utilities (see its budget here), with this slide deck:
Then Seattle City Light (see its budget here), with this slide deck:
All this is just the first round. You can watch live via the Seattle Channel; see future agendas here. (SDOT and SPD, among others, present on Friday.)
DISTRICT 1 COMMUNITY NETWORK: The city budget director, Ben Noble, who will brief councilmembers this afternoon, gave a “Budget 101” to D1CN at its meeting last night. We recorded it on video:
City Councilmember Lisa Herbold was there too, as you’ll see in the video, commenting from the gallery (she was not a presenter). The council’s budget review and revision timeline (see it here) stretches over the next two months. If there is something you feel passionately about, speaking at the first major public hearing is an option – it’s on Thursday, October 3rd, 5:30 pm at City Hall downtown. In the meantime, you can email council@seattle.gov, and/or individual councilmembers – as was noted at the D1CN meeting, the more they hear about something in particular, the more it breaks through the noise. And sooner is better than later – while changes will be made throughout the two-month review, there are deadlines and cutoffs (as the timeline shows), especially for additions whose impact/funding has to be studied.
(Kingfisher, photographed at Jack Block Park by Mark Wangerin)
The first Wednesday of fall has a lot going on! Highlights:
HELP FIREFIGHTERS ‘FILL THE BOOT’ FOR MDA: Until 5 pm tonight, and again tomorrow and Friday, West Seattle firefighters are in The Junction, accepting donations for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. (California/Alaska)
JOB FAIR/INTERVIEW DAY: Continuing until 7 pm at Providence Mount St. Vincent. (4831 35th SW)
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON MOVIE: At the Senior Center of West Seattle, 1 pm: “Backlash.” $1 members, $2 nonmembers, popcorn included. (4217 SW Oregon)
FLU SHOT CLINIC: At Denny International Middle School, 1:30-4:30 pm, all welcome – info here. (2601 SW Kenyon)
FREE ‘WRITE YOUR STORY’ WORKSHOP FOR KIDS: First session, 3:15-4:15 pm at Curious Kidstuff in The Junction, writing workshop for ages 8-12. All sessions are taught by West Seattle residents Julia Douthwaite Viglione, Ph.D., and Greg Estes. Details here. (4740 California SW)
HIGH POINT MARKET GARDEN FARM STAND: Fresh produce sold by the people who grow it next to the stand! 4-7 pm. (32nd SW/SW Juneau)
GROUP RUN + RAFFLE: Tonight at 6:15 pm at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor): “Hello Runners! As you know, the rain has started already and as PNW runners, we don’t let that stop us. Gore is a nice answer to lightweight, supreme water resistance and waterproofing. John from Gore will be at the shop for group run, to educate and raffle off a piece of apparel!” (2743 California SW)
HPAC: The neighborhood group for Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge meets at 7 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club. The agenda:
7p – Welcome & Introductions
7:10 – Announcements
7:15 – HPAC Executive Committee Updates
– SDOT at our Oct meeting
– Your Voice Your Choice projects
– Trails & Greenbelt
– Westcrest Park Off Leash Area
– Neighborhood Greenway Program – Highland Park Elementary School neighborhood greenway connection
7:30 – Discussion: Who do you want to hear from? What topics should HPAC be covering?
8:00p – Close
All welcome. (1116 SW Holden)
‘SUNSET BABY’: The new production at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) opens with a “pay what you can” preview. 7:30 pm curtain. (4711 California SW)
THE BILLY JOE SHOW: Live at Parliament Tavern, 8 pm. No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
SEE EVERYTHING THAT’S UP … via our complete calendar.
Before we get to our belated list of today/tonight’s highlight – advance word of a big meeting tomorrow. Transportation is one of the hottest topics we cover, so perhaps you’ll be interested in being there:
The West Seattle Transportation Coalition hopes you had a wonderful August. Now that summer is over, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get back to work. Our September meeting is this Thursday, September 26, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. at Neighborhood House High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way SW Seattle 98126) and it’s a biggie!
A representative of the Vision Zero program from the Seattle Department Of Transportation will be on hand to follow up the discussion at our July meeting regarding SW Barton Street adjacent to Westwood Village where a person crossing the street in the crosswalk was recently hit and killed by a driver.
We are also very excited to welcome Sam Zimbabwe, Director of SDOT back for a conversation about what he has learned about West Seattle transportation issues since his last visit in April.
And as if that wasn’t enough, Sound Transit is coming to talk about their recent Draft EIS alternatives report for the West Seattle ST3 line.
Up for some early-morning whale-watching before work? Just heard from Kersti Muul, who says Southern Resident Killer Whales are again visible off west-facing West Seattle, southbound, seen from Constellation Park south of Alki Point.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
6:52 AM: Good morning!
AVALON PAVING TONIGHT: If weather permits, SDOT plans a second night of overnight paving on Avalon.
STADIUM ZONE: Another Mariners home game vs. Houston, 7:10 tonight, so the West Seattle Water Taxi runs into the late evening.
7:46 AM: WSDOT reports a crash blocking the right lane on NB 509 at West Marginal Way.
A back-to-school concert greeted students at midday Tuesday on the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus, where the fall quarter started Monday, so it’s Welcome Week. While Young-Chhaylee played, students were getting questions answered at the “Ask Me” table:
Today (Wednesday), the Welcome Week highlight is a Resource Fair and free barbecue lunch, 10:30 am-1 pm at Clock Tower Plaza.
Three notes tonight in West Seattle Crime Watch:
GUNFIRE REPORT INVESTIGATED: We just went over to South Delridge to investigate a report of police investigating possible drive-by gunfire. We found officers near 16th and Cambridge; they told us they had not found any evidence of gunfire so far – no shell casings, property damage, and/or victim(s). ADDED: A texter, however, reported three casings. We’ll check for the report in the morning.
DRUG SUSPECT OUT: Thanks to the tipster who spotted this even before we made our nightly jail-register check. One day after being charged, High Point drug suspect Richard S. Schaan is out of jail. He posted bond tonight on $50,000 bail.
WEEKEND MYSTERY SOLVED: On Saturday night, we got a few tips about police searching parts of Gatewood and Sunrise Heights with a K9 team. We spotted them on SW Thistle but despite driving several blocks in areas where the tipsters had seen police, we never found the original scene.
No related call turned up on Tweets by Beat, either. But an emailed question on Sunday finally revealed the original scene, and we were able to find out from SPD today that it was a case of domestic violence – those are usually kept off the public logs. The suspect they were seeking was finally found and arrested in White Center and booked into jail.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Just concluded this past hour at the Southwest Precinct, the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network‘s first post-summer-hiatus meeting, with a featured presentation delving deeper into how 911 works.
WSBWCN co-founder Karen Berge led the meeting, with some new participants among the ~20 attendees.
POLICE BRIEFING: “Our summer wasn’t as problematic as anticipated,” began precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis. He talked about trying to track serial offenders “post-arrest,” and ongoing strategies including “area saturation … targeted enforcement … (and) public awareness.” They also use data to “track repeated call locations” which often help them find the aforementioned “serial offenders.” Crime in the area is down overall about 10 percent from a year earlier; he stressed the importance of “report, report, report,” even if it’s something small and simple. That helps police know where in the area – the SW Precinct covers West Seattle and South Park – to focus the types of strategies he mentioned.
In Q&A, he was first asked if LEAD had been implemented yet.
We’ve received several questions about the temporary fencing in place at Alki, including this section between Statue of Liberty Plaza and Alki Bathhouse, so in case you were wondering too, it’s the start of a project we previewed on Labor Day – improving accessibility to various areas of the park, including installation of a ramp. As mentioned in the notice in our earlier story and on the park website, the city is under federal orders to up its compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Work is expected to continue until January.
Just in from SDOT:
Crews will be paving on SW Avalon Way from SW Spokane St to 35th Ave SW (Zones A-C) overnight tonight, Tuesday, September 24 and tomorrow night, Wednesday September 25.
On Tuesday, September 24 crews anticipate paving the west half of the street starting at SW Spokane St and traveling south to 35th Ave SW.
On Wednesday, September 25 crews anticipate paving the east half of the street starting at SW Spokane St and traveling south to 35th Ave SW.
This work is very weather dependent, and we will provide an update tomorrow if our Wednesday night paving is delayed due to rain.
A reader in Arbor Heights sent us that photo a few days ago, wondering if that sign on SW 100th west of 35th meant a speed camera was on the way. We hadn’t heard of one – SDOT hasn’t installed any new ones in a few years – so (after going over to see the sign firsthand), we inquired. SDOT spokesperson Dawn Schellenberg told WSB today, “The sign is fake. We’re asking our crews to remove it.” As for new speed-camera installations, sh also told us, “We’re currently evaluating several locations across the city for new school-zone speed cameras and should know more next year about which locations may move forward for implementation.”
12:48 PM: Thanks to Kersti Muul for updates on the Southern Resident Killer Whales that started the day in the South Sound and are finally close to our area – she says the orcas are northbound in Colvos Passage (west side of Vashon Island) and likely to emerge around 1 pm. So have your binoculars ready and let us know if you see them!
1:24 PM: Kersti says in a comment that the whales are now visible from west-facing West Seattle if you look toward north Vashon – but they could go out of view for a while if they stay west of Blake Island.
In The Junction right now at California/Alaska, firefighters’ Fill the Boot donation drive for MDA is in its first day. We saw the crew from Highland Park-based Engine 11 there a little while ago; firefighters are rotating until 5 pm, and will collect there 9 am-5 pm daily through this Friday.
(Photo by Alex)
For the third consecutive week, we’re declaring this #TurkeyTuesday as an excuse to decorate the day’s highlight list with the latest reader-sent photos of The West Seattle Turkey, which has been hanging out on our peninsula for five months now. Meantime, the calendar highlights:
HELP FIREFIGHTERS ‘FILL THE BOOT’ FOR MDA: Until 5 pm tonight, and again daily through Friday, you’ll find West Seattle firefighters in The Junction, collecting donations for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. (California/Alaska)
WELCOME WEEK AT SSC: Special events all week as students are welcomed back to South Seattle College (WSB sponsor). Today, 11:30 am-12:30 pm, singer/songwriter Young-Chhaylee performs at Clock Tower Plaza on campus. (6000 16th SW)
(Turkey meets squirrel – photo by David Waller)
PHOENECIA GRAND OPENING: As we reported last weekend, the restaurant’s new Junction location opens to the public tonight, 4-10 pm. (4717 42nd SW)
LUNA PARK CAFE SUPPORT: Local bicyclists are leading a “bike-in” to dine at Luna Park Café tonight, 6:30-8 pm, to show their support for one of the businesses grappling with access challenges during the Avalon Way work, but you don’t have to ride to participate! (2918 SW Avalon Way)
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT 911: Tonight’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting features a manager from the SPD 911 center, as well as local crime/safety updates. 6:30 pm at the Southwest Precinct. (2300 SW Webster)
GET ‘UNSTUCK’: 6:30 pm workshop tonight, West Seattle Golf Course banquet hall. Info in our calendar listing. (4470 35th SW)
(Photo by Bill Vetter)
CITY BUDGET 101: Tonight’s District 1 Community Network meeting at the Duwamish Longhouse, 7 pm, is scheduled to feature city budget director Ben Noble explaining the budget process, which has just kicked off. (4705 W. Marginal Way SW)
FAMILY STORY TIME: 7 pm at Delridge Library. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
(Photo by Monica Zaborac)
BE SAFE … might be a turkey crossing the street!
ADDED 10:39 AM: One more turkey photo just received:
(Photo by Brooke Eakes)
The search is over! Here’s the announcement from West Seattle Community Orchestras:
After a very productive, year-long process, the WSCO board is pleased to announce Anna Wittstruck as WSCO’s new Symphony Orchestra Conductor. Audience members who attended the Symphony’s spring concert are already well aware that we are in for an exciting season under her direction!
Anna comes to us with wide-ranging orchestral experience. Since 2017, she has served at the University of Puget Sound as Assistant Professor, Director of Orchestra. Prior to that appointment, she served for two years at Stanford University as Acting Assistant Professor, in roles as Interim Music Director and Conductor of the Stanford Symphony Orchestra and Stanford Philharmonia. As part of her developing international experience, she has conducted concerts across the United States as well as in Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
Wittstruck is also an active orchestral musician whose performances as a cellist span from the Beijing Modern Music Festival to the 2011 YouTube Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Princeton University and a PhD in musicology from Stanford University, where she helped create the Stanford Youth Orchestra, an international program for advanced high school students.
Anna has chosen a French theme for the Symphony’s December 6 concert, including the Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah by Saint-Saens, Debussy’s Petite Suite, a Pavane by Faure, and selections from the ever-popular suites from Bizet’s opera Carmen.
It’s not too late to join us! Rehearsals begin October 1, held Tuesdays at Chief Sealth International High School. More info on our website, www.wscorchestras.org, or you can contact info@wscorchestras.org.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
7:06 AM: Good morning!
PAVING TONIGHT: If the weather permits, SDOT plans overnight paving on Avalon tonight.
STADIUM ZONE: Mariners’ home game vs. Houston, 7:10 tonight, so the West Seattle Water Taxi runs later.
7:27 AM: Per radio dispatch, police are responnding to a crash reported on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge from Fauntleroy.
7:33 AM: SDOT’s been panning the nearest camera but hasn’t found that crash yet; now they’re saying it might be on the westbound side instead. Eastbound flow from the Fauntleroy end looks normal.
7:57 AM: There’s an oil slick on the westbound bridge in that area so beware if you’re inbound – the westbound bridge will be CLOSED at Admiral while that’s cleaned up.
8:11 AM: SDOT camera image showing westbound bridge blocked/detoured at Admiral:
8:32 AM: Now some of the fluid is reported to be getting into the EASTBOUND inside lane, so police are planning to block off that lane. Avoid the Fauntleroy entrance to the EB bridge if you want to steer clear of potential ensuing backups.
9:04 AM: Cleanup continues.
10:01 AM: Not clear yet.
10:09 AM: The eastbound lane closure is about to be lifted, per radio exchange.
UPDATE: We were away from the desk but per Twitter, the westbound side reopened shortly after noon. As for who’s to blame, SPD tells us the oil was from the first one-car crash.
The sunset was a no-show. But several hardy people showed up to join Alice Enevoldsen‘s change-of-seasons sunset watch tonight at Solstice Park anyway. When turnout’s a bit bigger, Alice gathers everyone into a circle for a grand demonstration of what exactly happens in the solar system at the time of equinox or solstice. Tonight, things were a little more casual. Mark your calendar for the next sunset watch; this year’s winter solstice is on Saturday, December 21st.
P.S. Alice (who teaches at South Seattle College [WSB sponsor] among other things has been doing this for a decade!
Somebody needs to take over the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council.
Longtime chair Mat McBride (right, WSB file photo) announced at this month’s DNDC meeting that it’s time for him to step away.
Three other people were at the meeting, held last Wednesday in the lobby of Neighborhood House High Point due to a key snafu. None of them volunteered on the spot to take over. One, in fact, said she had moved out of east West Seattle.
McBride’s long been a cheerful and energetic neighborhood advocate, with his 11 years of work including helping get other efforts launched, among them the now-dormant Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council. He coordinated the volunteers who built a new Roxhill Park playground in 2012. Three years ago, on short notice, he turned a scheduled DNDC meeting into a defiant rally of neighborhood district council reps from around the city after then-Mayor Ed Murray announced he wanted to cut official ties with the groups.
Many of the NDCs kept going anyway, including Delridge – but now its future is uncertain. McBride planned to talk with at least one longtime member who wasn’t there Wednesday night. In the meantime, here’s what else he and the attendees discussed:
SDOT says it’s NOT paving on Avalon tonight after all. The update:
Due to wet weather, paving on SW Avalon Way from SW Spokane St to 35th Ave SW (Zones A-C) has been cancelled for tonight, Monday, September 23.
Paving is tentatively scheduled to take place overnight on Tuesday, September 24 and Wednesday, September 25. This work is very weather dependent, and we will continue to provide updates on our paving schedule if dates change due to rain.
Four notes in West Seattle Crime Watch:
DRUG SUSPECT CHARGED: Continuing to follow up on the search warrant and arrest in High Point last week, we have charging documents from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, filed today. 47-year-old Richard S. Schaan is charged with two drug felonies. He remains in the King County Jail, bail set at $50,000, with an arraignment hearing scheduled October 7th. (The photo at right is from the Department of Corrections, which had it on record from time he served in 2010.)
BACKYARD BREAK-IN: From Laura near 22nd/Barton:
Back yard was broken into (Sunday) evening around 7 pm. We believe this is Jessica Detrick based on neighbors recognizing her from past incidents.
The dog is the giveaway here, as compared to past coverage here.
SOMEWHERE THERE’S A BAREFOOT TRESPASSER: Ashley southwest of The Junction wondered if this somehow connects to anything else nearby:
We woke up to these shoes under our patio table and clearly this person sat at the table for a while. Haven’t noticed anything missing. I wanted to let you know to see if anything happened to those around us. We live off Dawson and 47th.
BLOCKWATCH CAPTAINS NETWORK TOMORROW: You don’t have to be a captain or even in a Block Watch at all to attend – all are welcome at Tuesday’s meeting, 6:30 pm at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster), featuring a guest from the city’s 911 center.
From Seattle Public Utilities:
Seattle Public Utilities crews will conduct routine hydrant flow testing near 3084 SW Avalon Way starting at 11:30 pm on Tuesday, September 24, and lasting until 5:30 am on Wednesday, September 25. During and after testing, some customers in the area may experience temporary discolored water. If this happens, the water should clear on its own- or try running the cold tap for a few minutes. If the problem persists, contact SPU’s 24/7 Operations Response Center at 206-386-1800.
That’s the number to use any time you get unexplained brown water, as we’ve reported many times.
Mayor Jenny Durkan‘s proposed 2020 budget is out and we’re browsing it in search of West Seattle specifics. One of her office’s accompanying news releases singles one out: $3.5 million for long-in-search-of-funding Highland Park Way/Holden improvements. The money would come from the city’s “Mercer Megablock” sale proceeds, according to page 5 of the SDOT budget doc (PDF):
City Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s office points out that this provides a “clear funding source” for funding she wrote into a supplemental budget amendment in August (specifics here).
The big question is – what will this money buy? The mayoral news release says the work will “includ(e) intersection modifications at Highland Park Way and SW Holden Street with traffic calming, new sidewalks and curb ramps, and new transit stops.” As we reported in May, the estimate for the long-proposed roundabout jumped to more than $7 million, with signalizing the intersection estimated at $3 million. We’ll be following up on that, and other budget details of West Seattle interest.
(Added: WSF photo)
In addition to everything else we’ve been covering this past hour-plus, we’re getting questions about an alarming-looking situation involving a Washington State Ferry and other boats. Here’s the explanation from WSF:
Federal, state and local agencies are scheduled to hold an active-shooter drill on board the M/V Kittitas without passengers while underway in Puget Sound Monday afternoon. Community members or waterway users may see increased maritime activity around the ferry during afternoon hours.
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