West Seattle, Washington
15 Sunday
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
Cold morning – below freezing – no major problems, but the roads might be slick in spots, and the day is off to a foggy start on the bridge, as the camera shows. Also remember: It’s day two of the Delridge repaving project, which is starting between Henderson and Trenton, where northbound travel continues, but southbound is detoured.
Speaking of detours: This weekend’s closure for the I-5/Spokane St. Interchange Bridge Repair project involves ONLY Columbian Way to the West Seattle Bridge – no I-5 ramps involved. Here’s the map for the detour, 10 pm tonight till 5 am Monday.
7:11 AM UPDATE: If you head north of downtown on I-5, note that there is a big bus fire in the southbound express lanes around 85th right now – KING 5 reports a Sound Transit bus is on fire – and that’s causing a rubbernecking slowdown all around.
5:47 PM NOTE: 24th and Trenton, in the Delridge repaving detour zone, there’s a water break – beware.
Tonight’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup starts with robbers caught on cam:
That’s one of 7 photos released by Seattle Police from last month’s Admiral Way 7-11 holdup. We reported briefly on the robbery the morning it happened; SPD says the young robbers made off with very little, but need to be caught – take a close look at all the photos on SPD Blotter, which also has the number to call if you recognize any of them.
Also on the loose: The hit-run driver who smashed into David‘s black Kia Soul tonight:
My car was hit at about 5:30 pm (tonight) at the corner of 41st Ave SW and Alaska. Witnesses describe the car as a dark, possibly green, sedan driven by two young men. It fled the scene, turning north on 42nd Ave SW. The car will have damage on the front/passenger side.
David says witnesses described the two as “hipsters, and one was wearing a wool hat with tassels.”
And another report of bikes stolen during a break-in at a condo building. In our last roundup, it was along Harbor Avenue; this time, south of Morgan Junction:
We are e-mailing to inform the blog that West Water Condominums at 6970 California Ave SW has experienced at least 2 (possibly 3) garage break-ins over the past month. … Burglars broke into our garage by removing a metal plate, then used bolt cutters to steal the bikes. The police and management were notified. On the 15th, 2 more bikes were stolen, for a total of 8+ bikes in the past 2 months. Please post, as we are noticing a trend of this type of crime in our area.
10:02 PM: While WSDOT hasn’t sent its alert yet, this turned up in today’s weekly “Construction Lookahead,” published by SDOT but including state projects as well:
January 14 to January 17, Southbound SR99 will be closed between the Battery St Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge from 10 PM to 5 AM the following morning. The Elliott Ave and Columbia St onramps will also be closed. One lane of northbound SR 99 will be closed from S Holgate St to S Royal Brougham Way during these times.
You’ll recall these closures were frequent for a few months last year; we’ll check with WSDOT tomorrow to see if this is isolated, or the start of a new wave of shutdowns.
12:08 PM: Thanks to Travis Phelps at WSDOT for adding the info in comments – before we even had sent the inquiry – that this will be happening the next three weeks.
Where will the new K-5 STEM at Boren eventually find a permanent home? While a recent school-board briefing suggested the district is looking at the former EC Hughes Elementary – now home to Westside School, which is seeking to buy its own site in Arbor Heights – the STEM community has its own ideas, and plans to discuss them at their PTSA meeting next Tuesday night (January 15), 7 pm in the Boren cafeteria. The district’s executive director of southwest region schools, Carmela Dellino, will be there, as will West Seattle’s school-board rep Marty McLaren. The STEM PTSA site has more info, here.
With this week’s news of a city-county gun buyback, our society’s use of and relationship to firearms returned to the headlines. That makes a new art exhibit in West Seattle all the more timely, and you can see it during tonight’s West Seattle Art Walk. We visited The Admiral District’s Mind Unwind gallery/event space for a preview last Friday night, first night of “Gun Show 2013” by Vancouver, B.C., artist Brent Ray Fraser (above), who describes his images of guns and flowers as examples of yin and yang:
Gallery owner Krystal Kelley told WSB the exhibit was booked months ago, long before the Connecticut school massacre and other incidents brought “the gun debate” back to centerstage in our country. She wondered whether to cancel it – but decided that it might play into the discussion, helping people consider their own beliefs and feelings about firearms. This is part of an ongoing series of work by Fraser, about 60 in all so far, he says. He is at Mind Unwind tonight, creating art live, till 9 pm; the show continues till the end of the month, and you can also see it while visiting MU’s Treehouse Lounge loft (2206 California SW). P.S. Some of Fraser’s work in the exhibit is complimented by arrangements from Admiral’s Flower Lab.
It’s the first day of SDOT’s year-long Delridge repaving project. We’ve been out to the Phase 1 site and talked with project-team members – and already have word of one change:
SDOT found that traffic at Trenton and Delridge was backing up so they installed a No Left Turn sign for southbound traffic on Delridge and Trenton.
That’s from project spokesperson Bob Derry, at left in the next photo:
He and SDOT’s project manager Susan Byers and on-site engineering lead Victor Cruz met with us at Delridge/Henderson this morning to talk about project specifics. Like the warning signs that are up:
Remember, since Phase 1 is under way, southbound Delridge is closed between Trenton and Henderson, around the clock, for about two months. Northbound traffic will remain open, but mostly diverted to the sides of the road, which is why tree trimming is part of the early work, to clear obstructions in the outside lanes:
We also got information on what’s ahead in phase 1. First: Starting early next week, they’ll be doing some road-grinding work, which will be noisy for neighbors. Second: In a week or so, they’ll have a project schedule that will offer an idea of the full-intersection closures that will be part of the project – though Cruz said they’ve had a bit of a peek and there are NO intersection closures expected in at least the first three weeks.
If you see traffic avoiding the recommended detours – and it’s breaking the law, such as going over the speed limit – the project team can ask SPD about enforcement, but they can’t force people ONLY to take the recommended detours. Third: This stretch of the project will include some drainage work, so later this month, some big pipes will be on their way to the site. It’s going to be a major improvement in storm drainage.
Overall, “it’s more than a paving job,” Byers summarized it – there will be some “sewer spot repairs in other phases,” plus some Pedestrian Master Plan work like a curb bulb south of the triangular mini-park on the east side of Delridge at Cambridge. But for starters,it’s just one big road project, so if you are heading south tonight on Delridge, through the Trenton-to-Henderson zone,, be mindful of the detours, and know
The citywide food community is abuzz today about the Seattle Times (WSB partner) report that a long-gone, much-missed French restaurant is making a comeback – not on Capitol Hill, where it was before, but here in West Seattle. In The Times’ “All You Can Eat” section, Rebekah Denn broke the news last night that the owner of Cassis, which closed in 2004, plans to bring it back at an unspecified Alki spot. Read her story here. We’ve tried to reach the restaurant-to-be’s proprietor for more information – so far, no response.
Four months ago, we reported that a Harbor Avenue man was in the hospital after his third encounter with police in 24 hours – who were reported to have used a Taser on him after behavior that was described as a vandalism rampage in his own apartment building with a sword. Days later, two WSB commenters reported that the man had died; we were never able to get official information on that – but now, we’ve learned it’s true, via the county’s announcement that an inquest has been ordered:
King County Executive Dow Constantine today ordered an inquest into the death of Mike Chen, who died on or about September 10, 2012 following a confrontation with police outside his West Seattle apartment four days earlier.
According to a letter from the King County Prosecutor, Seattle Police responded to numerous call-outs involving Mr. Chen at a convenience store and at his apartment complex, both on Harbor Ave. SW. On Sept. 6, police responding to a call from Chen found him slumped on the ground with a sword in front of an apartment door at 3213 Harbor Avenue SW. Police say when Chen grabbed the sword and started to sit up, they tased him several times during a struggle, then administered CPR when Chen showed no pulse after being handcuffed and restrained. He was rushed to Harborview, where he died on or about Sept. 10.
(Seattle Police Department photo)
As announced earlier this week – West Seattle’s Nucor Steel is an in-kind donor to the upcoming city-county gun buyback, donating its facility to melt down whatever’s turned in. Nucor’s done it before, the Seattle Police Department – also a partner in the program – reveals, in an SPD Blotter report by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee; guns seized as evidence are turned into rebar there semi-regularly. See his report, and more photos from inside Nucor, by going here. Meantime, the gun buyback remains set for January 26, 9 am-3 pm, under I-5 between Cherry and James downtown.
If you check out the West Seattle Water Taxi ridership numbers for October and November, you’ll notice a double-digit ridership drop for each of those months, year-to-year. October was down almost 19 percent from a year earlier, November was down 18 percent. (December numbers aren’t posted yet.)
One thing that occurred to us shortly after noticing those numbers: October marked the launch of the RapidRide C Line and the restructuring of other West Seattle bus routes, including a cut in service on Route 37, which serves the West Seattle waterfront. West Seattle’s County Councilmember Joe McDermott chairs the WT-overseeing King County Ferry District Board; legislative assistant Michelle Allison acknowledges that could be part of the reason:
The Ferry District and the Marine Division have been working to better understand these numbers as well. There are a couple of reasons why we think the ridership has taken a bit of a dip.
In case you didn’t see that photo last night on the WSB Facebook page, we wanted to share it here too – Kevin Schafer sent the first otter-sighting photo in a while, from right in the heart of the beach business district. Meantime, a quick reminder about five major events tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: 6-9 pm tonight, from Alki to Gatewood! Two dozen venues are participating this time around – here’s the winter-quarter walking map, and here’s the official website, with previews from many venues.
DESC ADVISORY COMMITTEE TONIGHT: Construction is under way for the 66-unit homeless-housing building in the 5400 block of Delridge Way SW, but there are still issues to discuss and decisions to make, long before it is completed and opened. Tonight is another chance for community members to come hear updates and ask questions at the Advisory Committee‘s meeting – 6:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW) – here’s the agenda.
NEW GENESEE HILL SCHOOL’S DESIGN: The Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council meets tonight at Schmitz Park Elementary for a look at the “initial conceptual design” of the new school planned for the Genesee Hill Elementary site. 7 pm, 5000 SW Spokane, details on the GSNC website.
BENEFIT FOR CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL: Chief Sealth students Chloe and Tia are organizing a student variety show at 7 pm tonight at Youngstown (4408 Delridge SW) as their senior project, benefiting Seattle Children’s Hospital. Details in our preview from earlier this morning.
JUNCTION FLATS DESIGN REVIEW: 8 pm tonight at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon), Junction Flats – a 71-apartment project proposed for 4433 42nd SW – gets its first review. See our preview from last night, which now includes a link to the design “packet,” which the city didn’t post online until this morning.
EVEN MORE OF WHAT’S UP TODAY/TONIGHT … including live music and wine tastings tonight … on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar.
9:52 AM: We’re getting widespread reports of light snow – and we’re seeing it here in Upper Fauntleroy, too. The “special weather statement” from the National Weather Service early this morning had continued to warn of possible “spotty lowland snow.” Seems to be moving north to south at the moment – we heard from Delridge and The Junction before seeing flakes here.
10:09 AM: “Spotty” may be just the right term. We have only had flurries, and there’s a big patch of blue sky headed this way.
Chief Sealth International High School students Chloe Behar and Tia Collins have organized a student variety show as their senior project, benefiting Children’s Hospital, and are hoping you can come enjoy and support it tonight: “Doors open at 6:30 and the fun will start at 7 at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center! There will be numerous acts from around our school … and the community. There will also be food available for purchase! This is to support a great cause. Thank you so much.” More details on the complete version of their flyer; Youngstown is at 4408 Delridge Way SW. (More on what’s up today/tonight, later this morning.)
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
Today’s the scheduled start of the city’s Delridge repaving project – reminder that its first phase means a detour for southbound traffic on Delridge between Trenton and Henderson for about two months, but northbound traffic will NOT be detoured. Detour details here; more on the start of work, later today.
Family and friends will gather this Saturday in West Seattle to remember Betty June Rinaldo MacWatters, gone at 82:
Betty MacWatters was called home to God on Monday, December 24, 2012 at Manor Care Residence in Tacoma.
Born on January 30, 1930 in Seattle to Dorothy (Kegler) and Del Rinaldo. Her husband Lester MacWatters, son Del MacWatters, and daughter Colleen Vineyard preceded Betty in death. She is survived by daughters Sue Rhoads, Linda (Will) Schneider, and Kathy Estabrook. She was loved and adored by her 13 grandchildren,18 great-grandchildren, six great-great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
Betty loved to celebrate family holidays and everyday affairs. She was most at home in the kitchen, cooking her signature pasta and sharing her life through food, music, and stories. She was passionate about expressing her joie de vivre through her colorful ensembles and jewels. She also enjoyed the outdoors, particularly her garden and backyard birds, where she drew inspiration for her landscape paintings and poetry.
Betty was a lifelong resident of West Seattle and a well-known figure in the Junction community, where many knew her as Grandma Betty. She enjoyed her volunteer work at the Cancer Society’s Discovery Shop and all the children she had the privilege of caring for in her 40 years as a day-care-center owner on Southern Street.
Betty’s life and legacy will be celebrated at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 12, 2013 at West Seattle Christian Church, 4400 42nd Avenue SW.
The Fauntleroy Community Association has set the date for inviting the community to come “Celebrate Lincoln Park” – April 23rd. That was announced at Tuesday night’s FCA business meeting at the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. The plan is now to have a big community meeting with lots of information about Fauntleroy’s gem of a park – and follow it up a week or so later with an event at the park itself. FCA president Bruce Butterfield says they would welcome help planning Celebrate Lincoln Park; you can reach FCA through its website and Facebook page.
One ongoing issue at the park – off-leash dogs – was also on the Tuesday night agenda, with a guest appearance by a Seattle Animal Shelter enforcement officer. Read on for toplines from what he told the board:
10:12 PM: Reminder if you are tracking Junction development: The newest proposed project, Junction Flats (4433 42nd SW), gets its first Southwest Design Review Board meeting tomorrow (Thursday) night. The time is unusual, and was in fact wrong on the city’s “Design Review Upcoming” page until a few days ago – though it’s the only review of the night for the board, it’s at 8 pm (Senior Center of West Seattle, California/Oregon). Also unusual, the packet of early-design graphics and information has not appeared online, though the city planner assigned to the project confirmed when we contacted her today that packets are supposed to be available to the public a week in advance. The proposal (first reported here in November) is for a four-story, 71-unit complex on a site that now holds three houses.
ADDED 9:47 AM: The city has added the packet to the website this morning; the developer tells us the delay isn’t their fault, as they got it to the city in plenty of time. See it here.
Following up on tips that the Royal India Grill in The Admiral District – on the market for months – had new owners, WSB’s Katie Meyer caught up with them for a photo and quick chat:
The new proprietors of the Royal India Grill are Baldev Grewal and his wife Rawinder. He ran an Indian restaurant in Phoenix (Taste of India) for 21 years. When asked why he left Arizona to buy a restaurant in Seattle, he told us that he used to live in Seattle, and has friends here – adding that the economy here is better than in Phoenix. He and Rawinder now live in West Seattle, and note they enjoy meeting so many “nice people here in West Seattle.”
As new owners, they’ve added Sunday lunch to their hours of operation; no major changes to the menu, but they may fine-tune it a little bit, “later on.” Royal India Grill is at 2342 California SW (and in the WSB West Seattle Restaurant Guide).
(34th District Democrats’ leadership, photographed tonight by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
Tonight at The Hall at Fauntleroy, this area’s largest political organization, the 34th District Democrats, have elected a new leadership slate at their annual reorganization meeting. The candidates listed on this page of the 34th DDs’ site all ran and won unopposed:
Chair – Marcee Stone-Vekich
1st Vice Chair – Ted Barker
2nd Vice Chair – Tamsen Spengler
Treasurer – Karen Chilcutt
Secretary – Marlene Allbright
State Committeeman – Chris Porter
State Committeewoman – Lisa Plymate
King County Committeewoman – Maria Ramirez
King County Committeeman – Michael Arnold
KC Committeewoman Alternate – Layne Batista
KC Committeeman Alternate – Jimmy Haun
The 34th Legislative District encompasses not only West Seattle but also White Center and vicinity (including part of Burien) and Vashon/Maury Islands. Meantime – our crew is still at tonight’s meeting; we’ll add any other toplines when they’re back.
ADDED 10:21 PM: We’ve added the top photo of not only the leadership slate listed above, but also committee chairs. WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand also reports that the 34th DDs voted tonight to endorse the Seattle Public Schools funding measures on the February special-election ballot.
P.S. The group is co-hosting an Inauguration Day party, and you’re invited. Here’s the info – tickets are on sale online right now:
2013 Inaugural Party
Hosted by
West Seattle Democratic Women and the 34th District DemocratsMonday January 21, 5-9 PM
at the West Seattle Golf Course
Music By
The West Seattle Big BandTickets: $40 ($75 Couple) Cocktail Attire (must buy tickets online by 1/16/2013)
https://www.completecampaigns.com/public.asp?name=34thDem&page=7Buffet Dancing No-Host Bar
Co-Sponsored By
The West Seattle Democratic Women
and The 34th District Democrats
For more information go to www.34dems.org/2013
Tours of local Seattle Fire Department stations are always a hot ticket – and tonight we know that the city’s Neighbor Appreciation Day, exactly one month away, is your next chance, so here’s an early alert. SFD says three of West Seattle’s five fire stations will be open that day, 11 am-1 pm February 9th – Station 11 at 16th/Holden in Highland Park, Station 32 at 38th/Alaska in The Triangle, and Station 37 at 35th/Holden in Sunrise Heights. (The Department of Neighborhoods will announce other Neighbor Appreciation Day events soon.) WSB photo from Station 37 on 2012’s Neighbor Appreciation Day
Two reports in West Seattle Crime Watch today:
The surveillance photos above show two women who police say used stolen credit cards at Target in Westwood Village. The cards were stolen in a burglary north of Lincoln Park, at Amy‘s house; she writes: “My family came home from vacation to find our home burglarized. They have stolen all our valuable goods, including my wedding ring” – and the aforementioned credit cards. Amy adds, “There is a cash reward for anyone who can solve the burglary. Thank you and please help my family!!!!!” If you have information, Det. Adonis Topacio at the Southwest Precinct: 206-233-7830.
Next, a multiple-bicycle break-in, reported by Gary:
Harbor Place Condominium, located on Harbor Ave just north of Luna Park Café, was hit by bike thieves around January 4 – 7. After breaching the parking garages, thieves used bolt cutters to cut bike locks and at last count, around 8 bikes were stolen from condo building “B.” Police and condo management have been contacted. Review of on-site video surveillance cameras will hopefully produce some clues or leads, and websites selling bicycles will be monitored.
About nine months ago, a sign was up briefly in a California-fronting retail storefront west of Admiral Safeway suggesting the national Massage Envy chain was on the way. The company didn’t answer our inquiries; the sign eventually disappeared. Then today, Massage Envy formally announced plans to open on the other side of West Seattle – at 2513 SW Trenton in Westwood Village (by Staples and the liquor store). A spokesperson tells WSB that West Seattle franchisee Jennifer McCollum is expecting to open in March. ME will be the second major massage-therapy chain to open in West Seattle, after LaVida Massage (WSB sponsor), which opened in Jefferson Square in fall 2011.
What was something of a multi-part mystery is solved today. It involves three views of the same situation – and the Seattle Parks explanation. First, we received e-mail wondering about tire tracks in the mud near Colman Pool on the Lincoln Park shore and what looked like possible “vehicle vandalism.” Then, Rob posted the photo above on the WSB Facebook page and asked, “What’s this gigantic tree trunk for? And how much did we all pay for it?” later explaining that the photo was from Alki Beach, where he saw a crew drive up in heavy equipment and drop off the tree. Last but not least, WSB Forums member Debmark posted about missing the tree at Lincoln Park and then noticing it had turned up at Alki. So what happened? Parks’ Joelle Hammerstad replies:
It was a piece of driftwood that had been at Lincoln, and when we had the high tide, it was kind of moving around and we felt it could have been unsafe for park visitors. Fortuitously, we had been looking for some natural material to do a re-landscaping project at Alki Beach and 57th Ave SW where the restrooms are. So, we included it in the project. With it being up and out of the water, the driftwood will last longer, and provides an attractive and interesting centerpiece to the project.
No added cost to the project, Parks adds. Side note: At least one other distinctive piece of driftwood did move from Lincoln Park during the December king tides; we received a Beach Drive photo from someone who found the one that had been carved by artists on the LP beach last year.
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