West Seattle, Washington
29 Wednesday
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning. So far, no incidents in the area. Two notes:
BRIDGE REPAIR WORK POSTPONED: The road-repair work that was to close one lane each way toward the Fauntleroy end of the West Seattle Bridge from tonight through Sunday has been postponed, Seattle Public Utilities says. No new date yet.
MONDAY ADVANCE ALERT: The city sends early word that – if you weren’t already well aware – the Seahawks are on Monday Night Football this coming week, so the stadium zone will be very busy Monday evening. 5:30 pm game.
…AND BEFORE THEN: The city’s official weekend preview reminds us that the Mariners are closing the season out at home, 7:10 pm tonight, 6:10 pm Saturday, and 12:10 pm Sunday, while the Sounders host L.A. at 6:40 pm Sunday.
11:38 PM: If you’ve been having trouble with Comcast service tonight in Seaview or Morgan Junction – it’s not just you. We’ve heard from people via all our channels with problems in those areas. Since Comcast itself doesn’t have a publicly accessible official outage map so far as we can tell, it’s important that you call to report it if you’re affected … let us know what you hear back in terms of a fix. While this doesn’t seem to be as widespread as the infamous June 1st outage, this is the largest number of reports we’ve received since that one.
7:51 AM: Some have theirs back, as noted in comments below. At least one person says on Twitter that theirs came back – then went away again.
(Photo courtesy West Seattle Big Band)
This Saturday, enjoy the music of the West Seattle Big Band – and dance if you want to – to make a difference in the fight against multiple sclerosis! Here’s the announcement:
You can make a difference, and enjoy live music from the West Seattle Big Band at the same time! The third annual Dance MS is being held at the West Seattle Senior Center (4217 SW Oregon) on Saturday, October 3rd, from 7-10 pm. Come ready to dance, or just to listen to some great music.
The event also includes a small live auction, and several silent auction items, ranging from coffee at C&P to vacation packages to drum lessons. All of the event proceeds will go toward the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, since event expenses are either covered through the band or donation.
You may know the West Seattle Big Band from our connection to the Seattle schools: while we perform for events such as weddings and concerts throughout the Seattle area, rather than taking pay, musicians in the band donate any income back to assist school band programs, primarily in the West Seattle area.
Dance MS strays from the band’s mission statement, but holds a special meaning for the group. In 2012, our piano player Brooke Yool was diagnosed with MS. She asked for the band’s support and arranged the first Dance MS in 2013, and the event was a huge success.
So, we ask for your support to make the third Dance MS even more successful than the first two. In order for this to happen, we ask you — the local community — to help us in the fight against MS.
Come down to the West Seattle Senior Center on Saturday, October 3rd. Doors open at 7, and we’ll be going strong until 10. Suggested donation is $15. Hors d’oeuvres and soft drinks are included. You may buy tickets online at dancems.org , or you can reserve your spot by email or phone at brooke@dancems.org or 206-659-9391. Tickets will also be available at the door.
Earlier this week, one of our West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports featured video of a package thief, carrying the loot down the street. So what can you do to prevent, or at least deter, someone like him? The newest newsletter from the Southwest and South Precincts‘ Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon answers that question (ADDED AT END – a new reader report of local package theft):
Package thefts are crimes of opportunity. Thieves will follow or watch for FedEx, UPS, US Mail and other delivery trucks and then target a home after a delivery is made. Often packages are simply left at the doorstep of the home and in plain view of the street. Package thefts from doorstops and front porches during the day usually increase between the months of October and January. There are steps you can take to be proactive in keeping your package safe from theft. To reduce the chances of being victimized by package delivery thieves, we offer the following advice:
Tracking and Delivery
Last night, we published Laura‘s reader report about would-be car thieves who tried repeatedly – and failed repeatedly – to get away with her classic all-original 1972 Chevy Malibu. She now has the video from her Harbor Avenue building’s surveillance camera. First, they pull up to “assess the scene,” as Laura puts it:
Then, this clip is a compilation “a compilation of three trips to the car. And they’re in order. On the last one he’s trying to hotwire it. You can see the dome light flickering.”:
It all happened, Laura says, between midnight and 1 am this past Tuesday. If you have a tip for police, the incident number is 15-341205.
P.S. You might have seen Laura and her car at last month’s West Seattle Car Show:
Another independent local West Seattle business is celebrating an anniversary: Today marks five years since West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsor) opened! Co-proprietors Chris Christensen (left), Todd Ainsworth (right), and staff took a quick break for an anniversary photo and are sharing this message: “It’s hard to believe it went by that fast! We wanted to say thanks to all of our customers and the local businesses that we’ve forged relationships with over the years. We can’t be happier that we can live and work in West Seattle and be a part of the community!” West Seattle Autoworks is at 7501 35th SW, corner of SW Webster.
From the Nature Consortium, which is looking for volunteers to help with this during the two-hour Saturday period that coincides with Mayor Murray‘s visit for the “Find It, Fix It” Walk:
Let’s Beautify Delridge!
Saturday, October 3rd at Delridge Way SW & SW Findlay Street in West Seattle
11 am-1 pmJoin us this Saturday, October 3rd for Mayor Ed Murray’s visit to Delridge for the Find It Fix It Community Walk. Find It Fix It is a campaign to help improve neighborhoods one block at a time.
We’re proud to announce that this year Nature Consortium has been selected to lead two neighborhood beautification projects along Delridge Way Southwest.
These curbside plantings on Delridge & Findlay are in need of extra care. Four planting strips were installed last year by SDOT in response to community request, but they have not been maintained and are now overgrown with weeds. This spot is an eye-sore and does not reflect the pride and care of Delridge area residents.
You are invited to join your neighbors on Saturday to beautify Delridge! We will be removing weeds, placing weed barrier fabric and mulching the planting strips. Saturday’s event will be the first step in a longer term effort that will provide raised planter beds for neighbors to garden and will result in a plan/schedule for maintenance of these mini public spaces. Tools and snacks provided.
For more information, contact Lizzie Zemke at 206-923-0853 or email Lizzie@naturec.org
Happy second anniversary to Second Gear Sports (WSB sponsor) in Morgan Junction! The shop invites you to help celebrate by shopping a big sale this Saturday and Sunday (October 3-4): “We get so much support from our community that this year we are doing something really special … a HUGE ‘GARAGE SALE’ with hundreds of items up to 50% off (plus a few ‘give us your best offer’ items).” Coffee and doughnuts for shoppers. Never been to Second Gear Sports? As explained here, it’s “dedicated to providing the community with high-quality, discounted sports and recreational gear, and offering customers an outlet to reduce, reuse, and recycle their gently used sporting goods.” SGS is open 10 am-6 pm on Saturday and 11 am-5 pm Sunday at 6529 California SW. P.S. Check out the new wall of Seahawks gear! (Above, WSB photo from August: Second Gear Sports proprietor Mark Bremen)
Thanks to the residents who let us know about doorhanger notices they received this week – like the one at right – with news of an all-day water-service outage this Sunday (October 4th). They wondered how widespread the outage would be, and thought it merited wider mention, in case somebody who’s affected misses the notice, and in case it might affect visitors/customers of the homes/businesses. So we checked with Seattle Public Utilities whose spokesperson Elaine Yeung replied:
This is not an SPU construction project but SPU crews are installing multiple new ¾” taps services as well as a water main line valve for a private development. This work will have a fairly large shutdown involving 130 customers (including businesses) on 44th Ave SW from SW Dakota St south to SW Edmunds St and Rutan Pl SW. All customers who will be impacted by the shutdown will have received a door hanger with the date and time of shutdown.
So far, everyone we’ve heard from has been given a time frame of 8 am-4 pm. (If you’re a business in the area and this will affect your operation/hours at all on Sunday, please let us know so we can include that information when we mention this again in our daily preview on Sunday.)
(Right-center, Doug Marsano from KC Wastewater Treatment District, talking with residents)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Beautiful view.
Ugly smell.
The latter is what some Beach Drive-area residents say they’re still dealing with, and some find it difficult to believe it’s just rotting sea lettuce. So they’ve been talking to the King County Wastewater Treatment Division, which sent reps out Wednesday afternoon to talk with neighbors.
KCWTD took the complaints seriously enough to run tests in its system, looking for a telltale gas that would be present if something was getting out of the system and into the air. They didn’t find it, they told the neighbors:
The tests were conducted by King County odor investigators using gauges installed inside four manholes near your homes that detect the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas. H2S gas smells like rotten eggs and is usually what causes people to notice odors coming from the sewer. If the sewer system was creating odors, the gauges would detect extended periods of time when heavy concentrations of H2S were present in the manhole that could escape to the environment.
Testing began on Thursday, September 24 and continued through Sunday, September 27. County odor investigators reviewed data from the gauges Monday, September 28. There are no indications that increased levels of H2S gas were present at any of the four manholes during the four-day testing period.
That wasn’t much consolation – some say the stink is worse than anything they’ve experienced in years, even decades along/near the shore. “It was unbearable this morning,” said one neighbor.
Joining KCWTD community liaison Doug Marsano for the gathering along the sidewalk across from Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook, in the late afternoon sunshine, was marine biologist Kim Stark, who works on water-quality issues with the county Department of Natural Resources.
She said this area’s not alone in the smelly siege – areas north of Elliott Bay have been dealing with it too, including Carkeek.
While skeptical neighbors wondered how it could continue through high tides and low, stormy weather and sunshine, Stark explained that the water is warmer this year, and that’s fueled the sea lettuce’s growth.
It’s not just pieces of sea lettuce on the shore, she added – mats of decaying sea lettuce, kelp, and other marine matter have been floating offshore, creating literal hotbeds of odor generation.
So what can we do about it? one neighbor asked.
Right now, the county reps said, not much. State permits would be needed to remove what’s rotting. And those would take a while. They mentioned the community of Dumas Bay in South King County, where the city of Federal Way got involved. And, as Beach Drive Blog (whose owners were also at the meeting) reminded readers, Fauntleroy Cove dealt with this for years, too, though we haven’t heard much lately.
In the WSB archives, we found a 2008 mention of a company that was expecting to remove sea lettuce in Fauntleroy and Dumas, to turn into biofuels.
(Published on WSB, September 2008: State Ecology Department photo of test sea-lettuce removal in Dumas Bay)
Our further research revealed that the company, Blue Marble, has long since changed its focus and moved to Montana, so it’s not an option now.
The neighbors vowed to organize and see what they can do about ensuring removal is an option next year – researching and applying for permits, for starters. In the short run, cooler weather – and most importantly, cooler water – seems to be their main hope of relief from the nose-wrinkling nuisance, but that might take another month.
We’ve heard from a few people reporting an explosion of some type shaking them up in eastern West Seattle – particularly Riverview – early this morning. Thanks to Jeff for pointing out a specific call on the Seattle Fire 911 log – 500 South Myrtle (map), on the east shore of the Duwamish River, directly east of Riverview (and South Park), which cross-references to Seattle Boiler Works, had a short-lived SFD response for a “minor explosion” just before 7 am. We haven’t yet reached SFD to ask about injuries, but the call was closed out (meaning emergency personnel all left) in less than an hour.
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
No incidents so far this morning, in West Seattle or on the primary outbound routes. But we do have a bus-trip cancellation:
Transit Alert – Route 57 to downtown Seattle due to leave 44th Av SW & SW Alaska St at 7:06 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) October 1, 2015
Our followup with Metro, originally scheduled for last Thursday but postponed because of the Aurora Bridge crash, is now set for today – any specific questions or observations, please comment or e-mail us – thank you. By the way, video of the City Council meeting at which the cancellations were discussed is finally up, here.
BRIDGE WORK THIS WEEKEND: If you missed the announcement – road repair following Seattle Public Utilities sewer work is scheduled to start 7 pm Friday and continue through Sunday, closing the inside lane in each direction on the Fauntleroy end of the bridge.
8:52 AM NOTE – TRAFFIC TALK: So far, still no incidents. So we’re mentioning that a participant in the WSB Forums has opened a general “traffic talk” topic, if you’re looking for a place to discuss (and/or vent) not tied to a daily issue/incident – find it here.
Just in via text (206-293-6302, 24/7), our first coyote report of the fall:
Just spotted a large coyote in the street on SW Thistle, near the alley between 24th & 25th Ave. I slowed down thinking it was a stray dog, then watched it go into the walkways in between the apt buildings there. Just want to spread the word since it’s in a highly populated area.
As also noted in our exchange with the texter, that’s across the street from the stretch of Longfellow Creek that runs east of the Chief Sealth International High School/Denny International Middle School campus. But coyotes can turn up anywhere, whether a greenbelt is nearby or not – just browse our eight-plus-year archive of sighting reports for ample evidence of that. When you see one, do your best to scare it away – more for its good than yours – as explained here.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports: First, off Harbor Avenue, two people tried to steal Laura‘s 1972 all-original Chevrolet Malibu Monday night/early Tuesday morning. She got this image from the building surveillance system:
Here’s what Laura found inside the car:
She continues, “They made three different passes at the car between 12 and 1 am but inevitably could not start it due to a bad carburetor. … As you can see there is substantial damage. With classic cars, even if insurance covers the cost of damage, you can’t always restore the value once something has been repaired.” She’s hoping to get clearer images from the system soon, but for now, she wanted to get the word out and warn others.
The second report is from Westwood, where another Laura reports her car was broken into:
This morning I discovered my car had been prowled in my driveway near 22nd Av SW and SW Barton. No forced entry, kids probably forgot to lock it. A red bag with a Chinese design was taken. Motion sensor lights did not deter this thief, and the dog must have slept through the whole thing.
Thanks to Ann Anderson for the photo. This is why California Way was closed for a while earlier this evening between Hamilton Viewpoint Park and Harbor Avenue – a collision between a King County Water Taxi shuttle bus and a pickup truck. Ann says that according to the SFD crew on scene, no one was hurt. Police were awaiting tow trucks as of last we heard, so the road should be clear by now.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
After our report on Monday night’s Seattle Public Schools levy briefing in West Seattle, a commenter asked a key question: Since the district is saying it plans to reopen E.C. Hughes Elementary (7740 34th SW), in part with money from one of those levies, why isn’t it shown in the district boundaries that are now drawn up through 2020?
Today, we got the answer: “We are considering moving the Roxhill Elementary School program to the E.C. Hughes building,” district spokesperson Tom Redman told WSB today.
This has been suggested before, but it raised capacity questions, as Hughes – closed by SPS in 1989, used as an interim/emergency building until Westside School (WSB sponsor) occupied it as a tenant for the past five years – was built to hold about 300 students. Roxhill’s most-recent enrollment estimate is approaching 400. But if the levy plan – augmented with a state grant – goes forward, the idea is to not just reopen Hughes but also to expand it to a capacity of 550.
The Roxhill building is in poor shape, to say the least, and there was a proposal just three years ago to get the “program” out of the building. At that time, the proposal was to merge it with Arbor Heights Elementary in the expanded AHES that’s now under construction. When that was floated during early discussions of the BEX IV levy, both schools’ principals were taken by surprise. But then-Roxhill principal Carmela Dellino said at the time that she had been talking with School Board member Marty McLaren about a different idea – moving Roxhill to Hughes.
Various discussions ensued but in the end, the Roxhill-AH idea went nowhere, and some were surprised that Roxhill didn’t make the preliminary project list for this new BTA IV levy. The idea of moving its program to an expanded, reopened Hughes apparently is the explanation for why it didn’t.
So what would happen to Roxhill’s campus at 30th/Roxbury? “The future use of the Roxhill building has yet to be determined,” Redman told us.
At the Monday night briefing, district officials said the target date for reopening Hughes is fall 2018; so far, no set date for this to come before the board, aside from the BTA IV levy language needing to be finalized, and that’s likely where more details would emerge. If you have a comment or question, Redman says you can e-mail him, tlredman@seattleschools.gov. We’ll be following up on all this in the days ahead.
(May photo by Long Bach Nguyen: Shell’s Polar Pioneer at T-5)
Two days after Shell‘s announcement that its offshore-drilling attempts in the Arctic are over TFN, a decision on a related West Seattle issue is in, though it might be a moot point:
That document spells out how the city Hearing Examiner’s Office has just ruled against the city Department of Planning and Development‘s contention back in May that the Port of Seattle would need a different set of permits to allow Shell’s offshore-drilling fleet to use West Seattle’s Terminal 5.
The fleet had done just that earlier this year, you’ll recall, despite DPD’s contention, which Shell, the Port, and T-5 leaseholder Foss had challenged, with the port calling it “irrational.”
Mayor Murray says he’s “disappointed” but adds that the city will not challenge the ruling by deputy Hearing Examiner Anne Watanabe, who listened to arguments over five days this summer; documents were still being posted to the voluminous online case file as recently as last week.
But Earthjustice, representing four environmental groups supporting the DPD decision, says it might appeal the Hearing Examiner’s ruling. Its managing attorney Patti Goldman is quoted in a news release as saying, “The City got it right when it decided a massive drill rig is not a cargo ship and a homeport for Shell’s Arctic drilling fleet is not a cargo terminal.”
So far, Shell has not said where its rigs are headed after pulling out of the Arctic Ocean. Foss spokesperson Paul Queary told us on Monday that some items remained at T-5 to be picked up, and that fleet-related vessels had some cargo offloading to be done … but whether that would happen here remained to be seen.
Five months after we first told you about the plan for Itto’s in the space formerly occupied by Firefly at California/Genesee in The Junction, it’s close to opening. After seeing the exterior signage taking shape on Tuesday afternoon, we asked if they have a new hoped-for opening date yet – originally, they’d estimated July, but as with so many new businesses, especially restaurants, unexpected circumstances pushed things back. The new estimate: Late October. As noted in our May report, brothers Aziz and Khalid Agour plan Itto’s – named after their mom – to be a tapas-style restaurant, with a variety of cuisines, primarily Moroccan and Spanish.
It’s been a big year for milestone swims. Today, another one: That’s Mark Powell, on the last leg of his summer-long “Swim Duwamish” tour, incrementally traveling 55 miles, along the full length of the Green and Duwamish Rivers, to call attention to how vital it is to our region, and yet how fragile, after decades of abuse. As he swam to Seacrest, he didn’t arrive alone:
The Blue Heron Canoeescorted him in; Duwamish Tribe member Ken Workman spoke traditional words of welcome. See and hear for yourself (you’ll also hear what Powell said about his journey):
And then, celebratory cupcakes:
Powell said he set out to find “the heart of the Duwamish” and was glad to see the waters thick with salmon in some places:
His swims were chronicled on this website, where you can also see videos such as this one showing some of the salmon he saw:
Powell emphasized that you can take small steps to make a difference in the future of the river and all who live in it and by it and who depend on it (here’s one good place to learn “7 simple solutions”).
After numerous messages/questions from people around West Seattle, we reported last Friday on what Seattle Public Utilities believed was to blame for weirdly colored water in multiple neighborhoods – a system rerouting because of the seismic-retrofit work at Myrtle Reservoir (above). Today, an update from SPU:
The number of customer calls SPU has received about discolored drinking water in West Seattle has dropped significantly over the last few days. However, we understand some customers are still seeing discoloration in their water. SPU is continuing to monitor the situation and take water quality samples to ensure that the discoloration clears soon for all customers. Customers who are still experiencing problems should call SPU’s 24/7 Operations Response Center at 206-386-1800.
The seismic work – explained here earlier this year – has taken the underground reservoir (north and west of the big tanks) out of service; it’s expected to be complete sometime next month.
With a gray start to the day, we’re hauling out a blue-sky pic from last weekend (recognize that path?). And now, we’re looking into the future – here’s what’s happening for September’s grand finale, today and tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
‘SWIM DUWAMISH’ FINALE: 11 am at Seacrest Pier, help welcome local swimmer Mark Powell, who’s been swimming the Duwamish River and its connecting tributaries in increments over the summer, as chronicled here. (1660 Harbor SW)
BABY STORY TIME: Today, High Point Library is where you’ll find story time for newborns through one-year-olds, 11:30 am. (35th SW & SW Raymond)
LUNCHTIME MEETUP: West Seattle’s only coworking center, Office Junction (WSB sponsor), invites entrepreneurs, at-home workers, coffee-shop workers, etc., to the weekly noon brown-bag meetup. (6040 California SW)
HIGH POINT MARKET GARDEN FARM STAND FINALE: 4-7 pm, it’s your last scheduled chance this season to buy fresh produce right next to the urban mini-farm where it was grown by local gardeners. (32nd SW & SW Juneau)
GREENWAY/RAINGARDEN INFO MEETING: A “drop-in session” at the Salvation Army Center in South Delridge tonight, 6-7:30 pm, will offer information about the under-construction Delridge-Highland Park Greenway and the Delridge Natural Drainage System project. (9050 16th SW)
‘ROCK FOR FAULKNER’ BENEFIT: The Tea Party is live in-store tonight at Easy Street Records, but it’s more than a show:
In support of KISW‘s Hall of Famer, Cathy Faulkner, we are helping raise funds for her husband’s battle with cancer. The Tea Party will be performing an intimate acoustic set at Easy Street at 7 pm, followed by a signing & photo session. Ticket pre-orders for the event are $20 and include one ticket to the show and a copy of The Tea Party’s latest release …
Go here to find out more AND to pre-order your ticket ASAP. (California SW & SW Alaska)
MORE … on our complete calendar.
**UPDATE: SPU SAYS THIS IS POSTPONED**
Planning your weekend? This might be of interest, just out of the inbox:
Seattle Public Utilities is conducting roadway panel replacement on the West Seattle Bridge/Fauntleroy Way SW Express ramp heading eastbound and westbound. From Friday, October 2 at 7:00 pm to the evening of Sunday, October 4, crews will repair the roadway following an emergency sewer repair project in the same location. The inside eastbound and inside westbound lane will be closed during this time and drivers should allow extra time for their trips due to possible congestion in this area.
(WSB photos)
9:36 AM: Seattle Fire is sending a full response to a possible house fire in the 2700 block of SW Elmgrove (map). First crews arriving report they’re seeing “light smoke.”
9:41 AM: They have “water on the fire” and are searching to make sure no one’s in the house. It’s not a huge fire, though, as indicated by the call to dismiss all but four units.
9:45 AM: The fire’s now declared “tapped.”
9:50 AM: Our crew has talked to SFD at the scene. The fire was on the second floor and is believed to have been electrical in origin; everyone who was home got out OK, no injuries. Very smoky; they’re still trying to determine if the residents will be able to get back into the house safely any time soon.
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