West Seattle, Washington
10 Wednesday
Starting this month, the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council meets on a new night – first Monday of the month. So that means Monday (March 7th) is its next meeting, and it’s your chance to hear from, and ask questions of, SDOT and Metro reps. Co-chair Amanda Kay Helmick just sent this note with agenda highlights including that part of the discussion:
Seattle Department of Transportation and Metro Transit: Bus Loop pavement conditions are causing rapid deterioration of the streets, houses on the loop are experiencing sizable shaking. We will also be discussing the Roxbury re-channel project. We will get an update on the addition of lighting at the bus hub as well and the addition of an Adaptive Street project at the Barton and Longfellow Creek crosswalk.
The meeting starts at 6:15 pm Monday, upstairs at Southwest Library, 35th SW and SW Henderson.
(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:52 AM: Good morning. No incidents in/from West Seattle right now. One more reminder about the Alaskan Way Viaduct/Highway 99 closures this weekend – the Viaduct closes 6 am-6 pm Saturday, and again 6 am-6 pm Sunday if needed, for its twice-a-year inspection; Highway 99 north of the Battery Street Tunnel closes 6 am-noon Sunday for the Hot Chocolate Run. Here are full details; and here’s the info about bus reroutes.
(ADDED: WSB photo of flipped car. Gas infrastructure is at left)
FIRST REPORT, 12:01 AM: Seattle Fire is sending a “heavy rescue” response to the 900 block of SW Holden, just west of Highland Park Way [map]. It’s described as a rollover crash, with a ruptured natural-gas line, which might mean evacuations of nearby apartments. We’re on our way.
(Photo tweeted by @cmosetick)
12:15 AM: We’ve just arrived a few blocks away in the Highland Park Improvement Club parking lot. The odor is strong in the air even here. According to the scanner, people are being evacuated within a block of the crash; one person was reported to be in the car, injuries apparently not major.
12:25 AM: Residents are being sent west. Our crew has been told that the car hit a meter near Holden/Highland Park Way. As you can imagine, we’re being kept a ways back for safety too.
12:30 AM: It’s an inch-and-three-quarters line, SFD says, and Puget Sound Energy (the gas utility) is reported to be here dealing with it. More SFD units are arriving, with sirens, too. From @bites via Twitter, here’s a Vine with the screeching sound of the ruptured line.
12:50 AM: Three Metro buses are being brought in for evacuees to get shelter. Here’s one, by 12th/Holden:
About 150 people are reported to have been evacuated. PSE has not yet been able to shut off the leak, according to the scanner, and has called for a “pressure team.”
1:34 AM: Lots more PSE people here now. So is SFD’s public-information officer Corey Orvold; we’re asking her if there’s an estimate of how much longer it might take before people can go back in. The rolled car is still in the bushes near Holden/HP Way; the driver, described only as “male,” is at Harborview. Police are still trying to sort out the circumstances.
1:52 AM: Per scanner, “PSE has got the gas shut down.”
2:01 AM: Most of the SFD units have been dismissed. They’re reopening Highland Park Way but keeping westbound Holden closed for now. We finally have a photo of the flipped car to add atop the story. Checking on the evacuation status.
2:13 AM: SFD has tweeted that evacuees have been allowed home.
2:29 AM: SFD’s Orvold confirms everyone’s been allowed back inside. A tow truck is here and they’re strategizing how to get the car out.
6:50 AM: Per Tweets by Beat, this is classified as a DUI investigation.
At 10:30 Friday morning in Spokane, it’s the next state-tournament game for two boys-basketball teams whose schools are just a few miles apart – Seattle Lutheran (north of The Junction) and Shorewood Christian (east of Arbor Heights). Both lost their opening games on Thursday afternoon – the Saints falling to Almira-Coulee-Hartline, 50-44, and the Lions to Yakama Nation, 59-49. Friday’s winner will advance to the 4th-place game on Saturday morning.
From the WSB inbox, an alert from Kevin south of The Junction tonight:
Sometime between 4:00 pm and 5:30 pm today someone tried to break into our house on the 5200 block of 42nd SW [map]. Two neighbors were outside most of the afternoon but didn’t see anything. The people did not get in, apparently outsmarted by 90-year-old locks.
That involved a deadbolt key the burglar(s) couldn’t grasp even after breaking glass, and another door where they “only managed to bend the handle awkwardly.”
We spotted that row of “No Parking” signs, from Luna Park eastward to Duwamish Head, this afternoon, and took a closer look. Any time you see a series of signs like that, some of them are supposed to have explanatory information attached, and once we found those infosheets, we discovered that 10 am-7 pm on Saturday, the spaces are saved for a “production shoot” by Sean Cope Pictures. We sent and left messages, and received a reply saying it will be “just plate shots for a car/lifestyle photo shoot. Very small shoot. Nobody famous, just a local shoot.” So if you see the crew on Saturday, now you know.
(WSB photo, looking northwest toward the now-for-sale ex-substation site)
Two and a half years after Seattle City Light started the process of figuring out what to do with a set of surplus ex-substations, mostly in West Seattle, “for sale” signs have just gone up at the first one to be offered for sale on the open market. It’s the Andover Substation at 2100 SW Andover on Pigeon Point; Pete Spalding reported the sign sighting this afternoon; we subsequently went over for a photo. We also checked with the city Department of Finance and Administrative Services, after discovering that the listing is so new, the city webpage for it isn’t set up yet, though linked from here. FAS spokesperson Julie Moore tells us they’re working on the webpage and in the meantime, the broker working for the city has a listing here. It says the minimum bid, due by the end of April, will be $400,000 for the 8,002-square-foot parcel; the city had listed the site’s appraised value as $350,000. It’s zoned LR-1 (lowrise residential development).
BACKSTORY: Of the surplus substations discussed since summer 2013 (all shown here), this is the only one in West Seattle currently listed for sale. As per terms of the ordinance approved by the City Council in December, the city has delayed the sale of the Dakota (Genesee Hill) and Dumar (north Highland Park) sites for two years to give community groups a chance to muster plans; it’s also delayed the Fauntleroy site’s listing for a year, while the Fauntleroy Community Association surveys the community about possible fundraising to purchase it. As for the other West Seattle sites, the city is working on a county purchase of the White Center site (actually on 8th SW in Highland Park) for stormwater retention (update – maybe not – we’ve found a listing for that one too, separate story ahead), and with the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association on a plan for it to buy the Delridge site for educational use.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
One of the West Seattle Junction building owners interviewed for the just-released “What Makes the West Seattle Junction Special?” historical survey is about to start a new chapter of his own history.
Tom Henry, owner of houseware store J.F. Henry Cooking and Dining at 4445 California SW, confirms, “We have decided to retire and close our business.”
Henry (at right, in 2014 WSB photo) and wife Patty plan to retain ownership of the building; they have quietly had it listed for lease for a few months and expect to announce its new tenant soon. “We’re going to take off our retail hat and become landlords,” he told WSB today. “We’re too young to do nothing – we’re very busy people – it’s going to be kind of fun. I’ve told people, you don’t know what’s out there if you have to pretty much unlock a door [to open the store] every day.”
He says that while brick-and-mortar retailing has definitely changed with the advent of online, “our business has been fine, and we’ve seen a lot of growth with new people moving in.” It “just felt right for us to be doing something different.”
Speaking of school safety – from the WSB inbox:
Chief Sealth International High School and the CSIHS PTSA are hosting a community meeting Wednesday, March 9 at 7 pm in the library of the high school.
The topic of the meeting is “Student Safety: What you all need to know.” Representatives from Seattle Public Schools, the Seattle Police Department, and other community service providers will provide information about how students, families and neighbors can be involved in supporting student safety on campus and in the community. All CSIHS and Denny International Middle School students, families, staff and neighbors are invited and encouraged to attend.
CSIHS is at 2600 SW Thistle.
1:23 PM: Seattle Public Schools confirms that West Seattle Elementary is in lockdown and Gatewood and Sanislo Elementaries are in “shelter in place” because of the same incident: A WSES student reported possibly seeing someone drive by holding a gun. The gun was not reported to be pointed at anyone, and was not fired, but just to be on the safe side, the schools have taken precautions. SPS says police are checking around the area.
1:30 PM: SPS spokesperson Luke Duecy says all three schools are back to normal. Nothing found by SPS as far as we have heard.
7:05 PM: Thanks to Katia for uploading (in her comment below) a photo of the letter sent home by WSES principal Vicki Sacco. The text:
Today at approximately 1:00 p.m. three students reported an issue of concern while they were on the school playground. They observed a car drive past the school and the driver showed them that he had a gun. The adults in charge immediately brought all students inside the building and the school went into a lockdown.
Within minutes the police department and school security arrived. They gathered information and thoroughly checked the school building and campus to ensure that everyone was safe. As an adde d measure the police and district security will be a presence at dismissal time this afternoon.
That’s the northbound school-zone beacon on Fauntleroy Way by Gatewood Elementary, and it hasn’t been working for the past few days. Several people mentioned it to us (206-293-6302 – text/call any time!) because, while the beacon wasn’t flashing, the school-zone speed cam associated with it WAS photographing passing cars.
This morning, after yet another report, we went over for a photo and also checked with SDOT to be sure that the problem was on their radar (so to speak) and to ask whether drivers would indeed be ticketed. Here’s the reply from spokesperson Norm Mah:
SDOT is aware of the situation and working to resolve the issue. Though the camera is still taking photos, no citations will be issued while the beacons are offline.
Community members are welcome to contact SDOT if there are SZSC [school-zone speed camera] related issues regarding the operation of existing beacons, contact walkandbike@seattle.gov or 206-684-7583.
This is one of three school zones in West Seattle with fixed speed cameras. All three – and other school zones that just have beacons, without cameras – are shown on the map you’ll find on this city webpage.
FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE: SDOT says the beacons are working again as of this morning.
If the City Council goes along with Mayor Murray‘s request, you’ll vote on the renewed/increased Housing Levy in August – until now, there hadn’t been a decision about whether it would be on the primary or general ballot. From the announcement, just out of the WSB inbox:
Building on over 30 years of success, today Mayor Ed Murray delivered his proposal to City Council to replace and expand the Seattle Housing Levy in 2016. His $290 million proposal follows three months of stakeholder and community engagement to discuss the levy and hear what the community’s priorities are for this affordable housing resource.
“Expanding the Housing Levy is the most important thing we will do this year to support affordability in Seattle,” said Mayor Murray. “The levy is a powerful resource to build more affordable homes for low-income families and help people at risk for falling into homelessness. We value an equitable and diverse city and we will renew our commitment to affordable housing.”
The Mayor is recommending the Housing Levy be placed on the August ballot.
The City Council has created a select committee, chaired by Councilmember Tim Burgess, to consider the Mayor’s proposal. A public hearing on the proposal will take place at City Hall on April 4, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. …
Read the rest of this morning’s announcement here.
Two West Seattle meetings with briefings about and discussion of the levy have already been held. We covered both. Here are our reports:
–February 23rd meeting (with video)
–February 3rd Southwest District Council meeting
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports this morning, starting with another stolen car to watch for:
STOLEN SILVER SUBARU: From Rebecca: “My car was stolen from in front of our house last night. 3700 block of 34th Ave SW near Manning. It was a silver Subaru Outback. We reported it to the police, incident number 16-75829. I don’t know the license plate, it had a car seat inside and a STEM sticker on the back window.” SPD asks that you call 911 if you see this (or any other) stolen car – the thief could still be in the area, and auto thefts aren’t always standalone crimes (they might be used as transportation between burglaries, for example).
HIT AND RUN: If you’ve seen a blue Volvo with a missing passenger side rear-view mirror cover, Laura hopes you’ll report it – here’s why:
I would like to report a hit and run on the west side of the 5400 block of 48th Ave SW (traveling south). In the evening we discovered that our van had been side swiped on Tuesday 3/1. After notifying our neighbors of the incident, two of them mentioned a blue car parked in front of ours around 9:45 am. We later discovered a rear view mirror cover from a blue Volvo in front of our car.
Here’s a photo of the damage done to Laura’s car.
P.S. Set your calendar reminder early – this month’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, including your chance to bring issues and questions to local police face-to-face outside an emergency situation, will be at the precinct (2300 SW Webster) at 7 pm Tuesday, March 15th.
9 AM: When we first heard about discolored water in Admiral/Belvidere yesterday morning, we advised people to call Seattle Public Utilities – 206-386-1800 – and received early word back that customers were being told it was just hydrant testing, so we didn’t pursue it further, but should have; more reports came in many hours later, and we pinged SPU’s communications team to find out if it was really something more. This morning we finally have the answer, from SPU spokesperson Ingrid Goodwin: “A hydrant on Belvidere was being used to fill up a vactor truck. This action caused customers to experience discolored water. In this case, it took longer than normal for the discolored water to clear. SPU apologizes to customers for the inconvenience. Testing and use of the hydrants for purposes other than firefighting is required periodically.”
9:24 AM: In response to our followup questions: “Our vactor trucks carry water and they need to fill up from time to time, which is pretty common. This was not a testing situation. Pulling water from this hydrant certainly caused more sediment to be disturbed than normal. Our field crews are aware of the problem and will be working to minimize this type of issue in the future.”
(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:14 AM: We start this morning with an incident at Delridge/Orchard. A texter says it’s a collision involving a bicycle rider. We’re on our way to find out.
6:30 AM: The medical call at the intersection has closed, meaning SFD crews are no longer involved.
6:33 AM: Our crew has arrived and the scene’s completely clear – no police, either. If anyone had been seriously hurt, investigators would still be on scene; we’ll call around later this morning to follow up. Meantime:
WEEKEND VIADUCT/HIGHWAY 99 REMINDER: WSDOT plans its twice-yearly inspection of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, starting Saturday 6 am-6 pm and continuing Sunday 6 am-6 pm if needed; separate from the inspection, Highway 99 will be closed both ways north of the Battery Street Tunnel 6 am-noon on Sunday for the Hot Chocolate Run – get the specifics here.
7:52 AM: Commenters are reporting a truck problem on NB 99 “at the top of the S-curves.”
7:54 AM: SDOT now finally has this:
Stalled vehicle blocking right lane of NB SR 99 at King St. Expect delays. pic.twitter.com/rXssDdT8Zk
— seattledot (@seattledot) March 3, 2016
7:58 AM: … and now SDOT says it’s cleared but “residual backup remains.”
8:45 AM: Again this morning, we’re getting reports that the northbound school-zone lights on Fauntleroy by Gatewood Elementary aren’t working, but that the speed cam seems to be. We’ve asked those who mentioned this to be sure to report it to SDOT, but if they did, it hasn’t been fixed yet, so we’re checking with SDOT and should have a separate story later today.
No matter what size your garden, if you’re growing plants from seed, this is big news: The grand opening of the West Seattle Seed Library is set, one year after the original call to help make it happen. Here’s the cabinet where you’ll find the seeds at The Healing Tree (3225 California SW):
You can join the celebration 2-4 pm on (corrected) Sunday, March 13th, and it’ll be open to the public Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, 4-7 pm. Krista from Terraganics, who along with Katie from Seattle Farm School is making this dream come to life, says, “Access is free to public to take and receive seeds! No membership required. This is the 4th location of the King County Seed Library with more already in work. Types of seeds available are edible and flowering. We are so excited to have this resource available locally!”
In Crime Watch tonight – a stolen car to watch for. It belongs to Stacy‘s neighbor; Stacy says it was taken in the 9400 block of 18th SW [map] early Tuesday, just after midnight, a 1991 silver two-door Honda Accord with Washington plates AMF1330. If you see it, call 911 – the case # is 16-073069.
(Summer Fest ’14 from the air, photographed by Long Bach Nguyen)
Four months until West Seattle Summer Fest – and it’s time NOW for this invitation to artists, businesses, and organizations:
The West Seattle Junction Association is happy to announce opportunities for West Seattle Summer Fest, July 8-9-10, 2016.
Summer Fest is a well-loved community event with shopping, live music, sidewalk cafes, kids’ area, a beer garden, and more. But what makes this event exceptional is the opportunity to connect with our community.
While Junction businesses are well-represented at the event, we invite the greater West Seattle artist, business, and non-profit community to join the event and help showcase what’s special about our neighborhood. Their participation will help give the neighborhood what they want – strong West Seattle representation at Summer Fest.
We are now accepting vendor applications for Summer Fest, and the application deadline is April 1. We are also seeking sponsorship to help us produce the best event possible. Information on both can be found at westseattlefestival.com.
(WSB photo, Tuesday morning, taken from Genesee looking south at restaurant location)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The Pecos Pit Barbecue restaurant at 35th and Fauntleroy is expected to be open by mid-May.
That’s what representatives said at a meeting last night meant to address community safety concerns about the site, primarily stemming from its addition of a drive-through window.
“A lot of good solutions and ideas here tonight,” observed René Commons of the Junction Neighborhood Organization, organizer of the meeting, as it wrapped up. She stressed that the neighborhood is excited about the restaurant – whose plan for the two-years-closed teriyaki shack at 4400 35th SW was first reported here one year ago – but wants to be sure safety and traffic-flow concerns are addressed.
This was the second “community outreach meeting” involving neighbors and restaurant reps. Pecos Pit was represented by business-development vice president Nick Nordby, Jeremy McLachlan (a West Seattle resident) from operations, and Paul Krakow from real estate. Along with about half a dozen JuNO members and neighbors, City Councilmember Lisa Herbold sent rep Alex Clardy.
What was discussed answered some questions that have come up here on WSB in previous discussions:
Today’s theme seems to be history. Here’s some aviation history, which you might have seen in the sky a few hours ago. In case you didn’t, thanks to Doug Branch for sharing photos of the first Boeing 727’s last flight, as it ended this morning at nearby Boeing Field (mentioned in our daily preview). He says it appeared to fly low over Elliott Bay as it came in, so it might have turned some West Seattleites’ heads.
United donated this half-century-old jet to the Museum of Flight 25 years ago – it’s been undergoing restoration so it can join the museum’s collection. Read more about it on the MoF website (which explains it’ll be in the Airpark throughout the summer, then moving to the museum’s new Aviation Pavilion).
Meantime, you can see Doug’s photos directly on Flickr – also shared in the WSB group there, here and here.
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(WSB photo, taken this morning; remaining top half of vandal’s marking has been blurred – bottom half was painted over)
12 days after we first reported on this vandalized mural in The Junction, its future remains unsettled. Paint has been used to cover the lower half of the big black-paint markings with which it was defaced – the part that was not on the mural itself. But while West Seattle Junction Association director Susan Melrose was hopeful at first that a graffiti-paintout firm would be able to handle the rest, that turned out not to be the case. We asked her about it at today’s Junction Historical Survey event; she tells WSB she has called in a muralist to evaluate it. After taking a first look this past weekend, she says, the muralist concurred that it’s major damage without an easy solution – the mural already was too faded, and the vandal’s paint just soaked right in. They’re still talking to see what can be done, but in case you’re wondering why the tag is still partly visible – that’s why.
BACKSTORY: The mural is “The First Duwamish Bridge” by Robert Dafford, and is on the north side of 4740 44th SW, facing The Junction’s southernmost 3-free-hours parking lot. It dates back a quarter-century now, along with nine others noted here.
(WSB photo)
The Seattle Lutheran High School boys’ basketball team plays its first state-tournament game tomorrow in Spokane. This past hour, a regular all-school gathering in the SLHS gym ended with a special sendoff for the Saints.
Their first game is against the Almira-Coulee-Hartline Warriors at 2 pm Thursday.
10:14 AM: Seattle Fire has sent a full response to a possible house fire in The Arroyos, in the 4100 block of Arroyo Drive [map]. The first engines to arrive at the house are not seeing signs of smoke or fire so far. More to come.
10:19 AM: Per scanner, it was a small fire, already out, but they’re still doublechecking. Meantime, many of the units are being dismissed.
10:33 AM: Engine 37 (photo added above) is the last one here and wrapping up to leave.
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