West Seattle, Washington
18 Monday
From Twelfth Night Productions, a West Seattle-based community-theater company:
Twelfth Night Productions announces open auditions for Miracle on 34th Street: a Live Radio Play. The radio play is based on the holiday movie favorite of the same name and will be presented as a live 1940’s radio broadcast. Miracle on 34th Street tells the timeless story of an old man who calls himself Kris Kringle, is hired as the Macy’s department store Santa. His claim to be the real Santa Claus becomes a court case and a young child’s belief could make all the difference.
Rehearsals begin October 23rd with shows running December 7 – 16 in West Seattle.
Audition Information
Please contact tnpauditions@gmail.com to request an audition time.Please prepare to read a 1-2 minute monologue. We will also have you read a variety of sides from the script.
Audition/Interview Dates:
October 13 1 – 4 PMCallbacks or second audition/interview?
October 14 1 – 4 PMAudition Requirements:
Please prepare to read a 1-2 minute monologue. We will also have you read a variety of sides from the script.Casting info:
We are casting 1 young girl (age 10 – 16,) 4 women, and 7 men to play multiple roles.
Project website: www.twelfthnightproductions.org
Seattle’s Hog Heaven – formerly Jones Barbecue, as first reported here 3 weeks ago, though the new signage isn’t up yet – is now officially open again at 4417 Fauntleroy Way SW. WSB’s Katie Meyer spoke with Kimberly Jones, who says the menu is still the same Jones Barbecue menu, and the establishment still is — and will be — owned and run by Jones family members (Kimberly, in our photo below, and her husband William A. Jones).
Days/hours: Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 7 pm. Lunch specials run from noon to 3 pm. They take call-in orders (any call-in orders over $30 require a card number). There is, as always, parking in the back lot at the corner of the block (behind the under construction West Seattle Brewing Company).
Two theft reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon. First, Ryan‘s motorcycle was taken:
Stolen near 16th and Henderson SW: Honda CBR 600 F3 1995 Sportsbike
IT IS VERY NOTICEABLE, it’s a Purple, Black, Neon Yellow, with a “yellow windshield” and a Custom Exhaust, last known location was going East on Henderson street sw, it was taken by a white guy about 6 feet, wearing blue jeans, white sweatshirt and a black backpack, in his early 30s. This happened yesterday around 3 pm. LP is 9B6727
Andrew‘s bicycle was stolen from the 2400 block of 54th Place SW:
I found my bike stolen from my apartment complex this morning. It was locked up in the complex’s bike rack in the back parking lot. The bike lock was cut and left behind.
The bike is a Kona Ute, brown in color, with large orange bags. It’s the extended cargo-bike frame. The grips have been replaced with rubber grips that look like cork. There is a bottle holder on the handlebars along with a Kona bell. The kickstand is missing both it’s rubber feet and there’s some chain wear on the right kickstand leg. It has Continental CityContact tires, front disc brakes, and a wood deck on the cargo area. Unfortunately I never wrote down the serial number from it, but it’s pretty distinctive and wasn’t produced in large numbers.
If you see either one, call 911.
Side note: This month’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting will be Tuesday, October 16th, 7 pm, at Southwest Precinct, and president Richard Miller says they’ll have a guest from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Your favorite neighborhood nonprofits are thrilled to get donations any time – but they’re also happy to have you join in on gala celebrations, too, in the fun-draising mode, and two more are coming up:
(Space Needle from an airplane, 1962 – explained in this WSB story)
SOUTHWEST SEATTLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY: The SWSHS “Stand Tall for History” Gala Champagne Luncheon is just a week away, Saturday, October 13th, 11:30 am-1:30 pm, at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor). From the announcement:
With the Seattle skyline and Elliott Bay as the backdrop, the historical society will celebrate the Gala theme by enjoying a stimulating audio-visual program by Alan Stein and Paula Becker, authors of “The Future Remembered: The 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and Its Legacy.”
From the construction of the 604-foot-tall Space Needle to the antics of Elvis Presley, this presentation by Stein and Becker just two days shy of the 50th anniversary of the close of the 1962 fair is designed to entertain and inform. As a bonus, copies of their acclaimed coffee-table book will be available for sale and inscription.
In line with the theme, attendees will be able to write their own memories of the 1962 fair, for placement in a time capsule to be maintained by the historical society.
Besides the World’s Fair theme, those who attend will enjoy a silent auction of unique items with a historical flair, as well as the eagerly awaited tradition called the Dessert Dash. It all will be topped off with champagne.
Tickets for the Gala are $75 apiece ($25 for children age 4 to 12) and are available at the historical society’s Log House Museum, 3003 61st Ave. S.W., open noon to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, or by calling 206-938-5293.
WEST SEATTLE HELPLINE: From executive director Tara Byrne:
The West Seattle Helpline is having its annual fall fundraiser dinner with the theme “Give the Gift of Warmth and Light” at the Duwamish Longhouse on Saturday, November 10th from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. Tickets are on sale now for $95 at wshelpline.org. A delicious dinner will be provided and there will be a silent auction and a video about who we serve and what we do. All proceeds will benefit families facing emergencies in West Seattle. This fundraiser will help us work towards empowering our neighbors to gain back self-sufficiency after facing an emergency by providing warm clothes for families, rent and utility assistance, school supplies, and bus tickets. The need is the greatest in the fall and winter months.
(Image by Christopher Boffoli, meshing present and past along California SW north of SW Alaska in The Junction – click for larger view)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
As we continue to cover big new development projects like 4755 Fauntleroy Way (in-depth coverage here), some wonder if there’s still time to preserve some of what Southwest District Council leaders call West Seattle’s “Main Street character.”
Grappling with the topic over the past few months, a core group of the council’s members has been exploring whether historic-preservation options exist to serve that goal. Wednesday night’s monthly SWDC meeting continued the conversation, with special guest Karen Gordon, the City of Seattle’s Historic Preservation Officer.
Details on the discussion, what might happen next, and other toplines from the meeting – ahead:
First time we’ve had a door-to-door alert in which it seems someone may be out there pretending to be affiliated with us. Just got a call from a manager of a Junction apartment building who says a man was there claiming to be doing a survey about Junction parking, and she said he claimed to be affiliated with West Seattle Blog. (Before we finished writing this, she called back and said he had tried to go to another nearby building, too.)
We would NEVER do a door-to-door survey OR a telephone survey OR a “stand on a streetcorner and ask people questions” survey. If we have questions for you (as we did a year and a half ago), we’ll ask them online.
The caller said the man had no ID but identified himself as “Mitch.” She described him as 60-ish, 6 feet tall, heavy-set, sports jacket and blue jeans.
Please let us know if you have had anybody claiming to be with WSB turn up at your door – or if you know this is some OTHER survey (the city had been doing another parking survey not so long ago, but we don’t believe they ever go door-to-door) – editor@westseattleblog.com or 206-293-6302 if you don’t want to comment here. Thanks!
Lots going on as always! From the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar, some of the highlights for today/tonight:
TRAFFIC ALERTS – VIADUCT CLOSURE REMINDER: In addition to the projects that have been under way in West Seattle this week (see our day-by-day list), remember that Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct between the Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge will be CLOSED BOTH WAYS starting at 6 am Saturday for the twice-yearly inspection (and other work). It’s scheduled to last till 4 pm Sunday, but these closures do sometimes end early, so we’ll update you if that happens this time.
WEST SIDE MOPS STARTS A NEW YEAR: Happening right now at West Side Presbyterian Church, till 11:15 am – Mothers Of Preschoolers (MOPS). If you don’t see this in time, check it out for future meetings, first and third Fridays – contact info is in our calendar listing.
ROTARY FOOD DRIVE AT THE CASK: Drop by The Cask in The Admiral District tonight 5-7 pm, meet West Seattle Rotarians, and drop off a donation for the West Seattle Food Bank. More info in our preview story from this past Monday.
FAMILY FUN NIGHT: From Dance! West Seattle, which is on the north side of the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse at 9131 California SW:
Family Fun Night, 6 -9 pm at the Dance! West Seattle studio!
DJ Paul Thompson from Star 101.5 will provide great dancing music! Games, Contests, Prizes and more. Pizza and pop available for purchase. A silent auction and raffle fundraiser will be held to benefit our 501(c) (3) non-profit charitable organization, Seattle Civic Dance Theatre, Tax ID #91-1288035.
DWS has been training dancers in Seattle for 30 years and the Seattle Civic Dance Theatre provides free performances throughout the year to promote the arts in our community.
Our staff and students show a serious commitment to our dance program and the arts in our community.
CHIEF SEALTH INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL HOMECOMING GAME: Varsity football, 7 pm vs. Nathan Hale at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle); gates open at 5:45 pm.
WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Varsity game vs. Ingraham at Northwest Athletic Complex, 7 pm.
‘LOVE FREE OR DIE’: Marriage-equality film screens tonight at Westside Unitarian Universalists Congregation‘s church at 7141 California SW, 7 pm. Details here. Also note that WSUU will be rallying for the same cause 5-6:30 pm at The Junction (as noted here) and community members are invited to join in.
LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT: The Castaways at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor), 6-8 pm … Bettman and Halpin at Kenyon Hall, 7:30 pm … Barbie Anaka at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), 8 pm … Jim Marcotte at The Cask, 8 pm … The Bend at Feedback Lounge, 9 pm … Jangle Wagon at the Benbow Room, 9 pm.
‘BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON’ CONTINUES: 7:30 pm at ArtsWest.
More on the calendar!
8:31 AM: Police and firefighters are on the scene of a two-vehicle crash on 41st near 102nd in Arbor Heights. SPD confirms it’s a crash; firefighters had to extricate a 57-year-old man from one of the vehicles and will be sending him to Harborview Medical Center, while a second person may go to the hospital via private ambulance. We’re en route to the scene, but scanner traffic in the meantime described the situation as a “T-bone” crash.
8:40 AM UPDATE: Our crew at the scene says the vehicle from which a man has been extricated is a Seattle Parks and Recreation truck, and has gone into a yard – stopping just feet from the house. The second victim, meantime, was indeed taken to the hospital. Neither was described as having life-threatening injuries.
9:03 AM UPDATE: Some of the crews have been cleared from the scene. A co-worker of the second victim told us the man is a construction worker who had been working on a project up the street. His red pickup truck is in the foreground of the photo we added above this update paragraph.
12:49 PM UPDATE: Seattle Parks tells us that the worker who was hurt was on his way to Lincoln Park, where he works out of the ground-maintenance facility. He is in stable condition.
7:19 AM: As the first week of RapidRide C Line and other Metro changes wraps up, we’re tracking the bus commute again today – comments are open on this story for bus riders’ experiences, and we will add to the story during the day if there’s any bus-related news. Yesterday afternoon, Metro spokesperson Jeff Switzer told WSB that two standby buses would be available again today with a transit coordinator tracking whether they’re needed. Here’s our coverage from the past week:
Thursday rider reports
Wednesday rider reports
Tuesday night: Updates from Metro
Tuesday rider reports
Monday pm reports
Monday am reports
Saturday informational event
Saturday morning: 1st RR bus
There was some slow going earlier this hour on 99, because of a stalled vehicle blocking a lane (thanks to those who messaged us about it!), but before we could even mention it here, we saw live video of WSDOT’s incident-response truck pushing it out of the way.
ADDED 10:32 AM: Councilmember Tom Rasmussen rode RapidRide on Thursday and writes about the experience, and his recommendations, here.
ADDED 11:21 AM: Metro is adding buses to RapidRide C Line. Just received the announcement:
Starting Monday, Oct. 8, King County Metro Transit is adding two morning and two afternoon peak commute bus trips to the new RapidRide C Line – a move intended to ease overcrowding and meet rising demand for the popular new service between West Seattle and downtown Seattle.
As a result, riders will see more RapidRide C Line peak service with trips running every 8 to 9 minutes, increased from every 10 minutes, during the highest ridership commute times – about 7 to 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 to 6 p.m.
It’s clear that adding two bus trips in the morning and afternoon schedule will help ease crowding, said Kevin Desmond, Metro Transit general manager.
“We understand that it was a challenging and frustrating first week for some commuters who rode overcrowded buses, or watched as full buses passed them at bus stops,” Desmond said. “As the week progressed we learned where to use standby coaches to best address these high ridership demands. The results support our decision to make those additions part of the regular schedule.
“We have heard customer feedback, and we appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue to make sure the C and D lines operate as smoothly as possible,” Desmond said.
Metro launched RapidRide C Line service Sept. 29 with buses scheduled to travel between West Seattle and downtown Seattle every 10 minutes during the morning commute.
Higher than expected ridership demand emerged this week during the peak commute times. Customer reports, early ridership data, and field observations helped to confirm that there was strong transit demand to justify adding two morning and two afternoon commute trips to the RapidRide C Line.
Metro noted hundreds of additional commuters on RapidRide and other bus routes from West Seattle compared to tallies from this spring. Metro transit planners and service coordinators will continue to actively monitor ridership, transit operations and performance and make adjustments to service as needed.
“This transit service is still very new and daily ridership can fluctuate and evolve, however we were seeing full buses passing riders at bus stops at about the same time each day,” Desmond said. “By adjusting the frequency of service to this emerging pattern we will ease overcrowding and reduce delays.”
As part of the Sept. 29 transit service change, Metro has a contingency budget to pay for the additional RapidRide C Line trips and will continue to operate two standby buses for the RapidRide C and D lines. The red and yellow RapidRide buses needed for the additional trips are available in Metro’s reserve fleet, which is set aside in case of mechanical problems. Metro will continue to assess the maximum fleet use that can be sustained on an ongoing basis.
Metro also is taking steps to maximize and fine-tune transit signal priority and other transit priority measures, as well as operator training and customer communications about transit conditions and commute options.
We will keep the daily comment centers going again Monday to get your take on how it affects the service.
A memorial service is planned at West Side Presbyterian Church this Saturday for Jacqueline (Jackie) Joan Luther Benefiel, whose family shares this remembrance:
Aug 26, 1925- Aug 26, 2012, born in Seattle, passed away on her 87th birthday surrounded by her loving family at Providence Hospital in Everett, of kidney failure. Preceded in death by her brothers, Jerry & Richard Luther.
Jackie Joan Luther grew up in West Seattle and went to West Seattle High School and graduated with the Class of 1943. She was involved in Rainbow, she was a violinist, and played in the Jr. Symphony. She was married at Westside Presbyterian Church to her high school sweetheart, Ralph (Bud) Benefiel.
Jackie and Bud were very active in the West Seattle area and had many friends that she kept in touch with over the years.
The house at 36th and Morgan that has been a hotspot of concern for its neighbors is boarded up tonight, with NO TRESPASSING signs.
It came to light here five weeks ago after this Crime Watch report about a suspected thief being chased there. In comments on that story, neighbors described frequently reporting the house to authorities for concerns including suspected stolen property. Then it came up at the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting two weeks later (WSB coverage here), where City Attorney’s Office precinct liaison Melissa Chin talked about what could be done to deal with the situation. And late today, we got a tip about the boards and signs. We checked with Chin, who tells us that the owner had been under pressure from not only her office but also Seattle Police, the Department of Planning and Development (which had issued a citation for junk storage), and King County Public Health – so, Chin said, the owner “voluntarily kicked out the tenant, posted up ‘No Trespassing’ signs, cleaned up the yard, and told us she was going to board up the house.” Which, as our photo shows, was done. Meantime, the man whose arrest was noted in the original report has, so far, not been charged.
(Photo courtesy Anne Higuera)
Two nights after speaking to and with West Seattle and South Park families at Concord International School (WSB coverage here), first-year Seattle Public Schools superintendent José Banda returned to this side of the city, for a gathering tonight at the Duwamish Longhouse. He was there to meet with Native American families, to “brainstorm solutions and create a collaborative plan of action … to support and improve the performance of Native American students,” according to his letter of invitation to Native community members, who have implored the district to do more to help students succeed.
Thanks to Mike Russell for sharing that view of tonight’s spectacular sunset via Facebook. The forecast once again stretches at least a week without any sign of rain.
(Refresh for latest “live” picture from traffic cam looking at NB 99)
5:55 PM: A crash on 99, first reported on southbound, then northbound, is affecting bridge traffic too – per the scanner, police intend to block off the 99 exit from the eastbound West Seattle Bridge “to alleviate (the) traffic mess.” No details of the crash itself, but we’ve been monitoring the traffic effects.
6:09 PM UPDATE: Metro says this is affecting buses too. Traffic apparently at a complete standstill.
6:39 PM UPDATE: Still backed up. No ETA yet. No scanner updates yet – if you are in it and finally get out of it, **when you get to your destination** (no texting and driving!) let us know, because we’re about to be away from the scanner for a while, though we’re monitoring other information channels. Thanks.
Though the election is just a month away – and voting by mail starts in just a few weeks – there have been few discussion forums in West Seattle, despite the prevalence of hot topics. Just got one announcement, though: A forum with presentations and Q/A regarding marijuana-legalization Initiative 502 is set for 5:30-7:30 pm October 18th at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way SW). On the pro-legalization side will be University of Washington professor emeritus and substance-abuse counselor Roger Roffman; on the anti-legalization side, Steve Freng, who works with the Northwest High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. All welcome.
It’s a West Seattle tradition times three – business-district trick-or-treating. Today, we have the complete picture of who’s doing what, when:
(WSB photo from 2011 Admiral Treats and Treasures)
ADMIRAL TREATS AND TREASURES: As first reported here last month, The Admiral District’s merchants are presenting this popular event – with a treasure hunt enhancing the treat-collecting – 3-6 pm on Friday, October 26th. Today, Admiral District Business Association president Parris Sadow of Atomic Boys also sent the full list of 47 participating merchants/sponsors:
Click the image to see a full-size view and read the list.
WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION HARVEST FESTIVAL: Also first announced last month, the West Seattle Junction Association and its merchants are expanding trick-or-treating into a full-blown Harvest Festival this year. 10 am-2 pm on Sunday, October 28th, the streets will even be closed (granting an oft-expressed wish from local families) for not just the trick-or-treating, but also a costume parade, fun activities (preliminary list here), and a special West Seattle Farmers’ Market setup in the street.
WESTWOOD VILLAGE TRICK-OR-TREATING: Today we stopped by the shopping center to find out the plan for this year. As usual, merchants will offer trick-or-treating on Halloween itself – 5 to 7 pm on Wednesday, October 31st.
(If you want to get a jump on other Halloween events – we have more than a few listed in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar – just scroll down the page to browse as far ahead into the fall as you’d like!)
(Click image to see larger version as PDF)
Though we didn’t publish a standalone daily preview today – please remember, ALL the preview information is available on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar at all times, 24/7, for the current day and future days/weeks/months – we did want to make sure South Delridge residents remember to check out Seattle Public Utilities‘ big community briefing tonight: It’s about the possibility of raingardens and/or new storage tanks to reduce combined-sewer overflows that have been going into Longfellow Creek. Here’s the city webpage with an overview. We’ve reported on this three times in recent weeks – a preview here before the Delridge Neighborhood District Council was briefed (here), followed a week later by the Highland Park Action Committee briefing (here) – but tonight is the big chance to get details and answers. 6 pm at the Salvation Army Center, 9050 16th SW.
Right under a sign that welcomes you with ALOHA, not one, but three Japanese maneki-neko (“beckoning cat”) figurines – symbols of good luck – are at the Marination ma kai ordering counter to welcome you too. We dropped by just after the doors at Seacrest Boathouse were unlocked for an unspecified period in “soft open” mode. The sign on the door explains the “limited menu” we reported last night – the basic fare their truck serves:
By 11:10, they were already fairly busy. They’re expecting to stay open tonight till 8.
P.S. See more of what’s happening inside and outside the renovated restaurant space in our sneak-peek report from last week.
(Added: August photo of the geese, courtesy of Myrtle)
10:22 AM: We’ve received two reports of this so far. First one was from Sig:
A man on a bike with his dog running loose at the south end of Lincoln Park at about 8:15 this morning allowed his dog to attack one of the beautiful white geese. The dog injured the goose on the land and took it out in the water all the way to the moored boats. No sign of the goose so hopefully he will show up. His partner is honking on the beach and very frightened. The man got on his bike as soon as he could get the dog to come back (still no leash in sight) and took off in a dark Subaru Outback with a bike rack on the back and top. Hopefully someone can watch for the injured goose and help him.
Second one came from a reader who didn’t want to be identified:
I just got back from a walk at Lincoln Park where some bozo’s dog – off leash – attacked the resident geese on the beach.
I arrived just after the event so my story comes second-hand from a Parks employee who witnessed this and told me what had happened.
Apparently the dog attacked the geese, leaving feathers all over the path, and then chased one of the birds through the water all the way to the ferry dock.
As I arrived the dog’s owner, who had walked south down the private part of the beach, about halfway to the ferry, coaxed the dog back to shore then high-tailed it out of the park on his mountain bike. (He was wearing a yellow and black biking shirt)
There were about 20 of us watching and looking for the goose. I continued my walk then returned to that area about 20 minutes later- but no goose..
I am sharing this because dogs are not allowed on public beaches (period) and there is no off-leash area in Lincoln Park yet I see dogs running free there almost every day. Each time I do I grumble to myself about it rather than confronting the owners. I know people love their dogs.
If you’re not familiar with the Lincoln Park/Fauntleroy area white geese – here’s a photo of one – they (or, perhaps, their relatives) have been on the beach there for years (we remember seeing them more than a decade ago). Their room to roam is curtailed right now, possibly forcing them further south, because of the Barton Pump Station Upgrade Project work that has taken over the pocket beach at Cove Park immediately north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock. We’ll be following up to see if we can find out what has happened since the search mentioned above; please let us know if you hear/see anything.
3:01 PM UPDATE: If you haven’t seen this in the comment thread yet: We checked with Parks, and they told us Animal Control was planning to visit the park to investigate – they had indeed received a call about this to dispatch earlier today. A commenter subsequently reported that both geese were found and seem to be OK, which was confirmed by a beach resident who has seen them.
ADDED: From Dewey Potter @ Parks: “One employee observed most of the incident, confronted the individual about his dog being off leash, and notified Seattle Animal Shelter. The Sr. Gardener who called me back said the description in the WS Blog of the dog owner is accurate. If anyone can provide a name, a license number, or other identifying information, SAS staff will talk with the dog owner and tell him what the penalties are for having a dog on the beach and for harassing wildlife.”
Just in from SDOT:
SDOT crews will resurface an area of Delridge Way SW between SW Andover and SW Genesee streets from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today (October 4). One lane of traffic will remain open in each direction. This spot repair was funded by King County Metro.
8:57 AM: Thanks to everyone who has messaged us about this: There’s signal trouble and a resulting backup at 35th and Avalon. Checking it out; more shortly.
9:04 AM: Problem is that north-south signal is stuck on red and east west is stuck on green. Police just arrived.
9:31 AM: The officer directing traffic got the north-south flow going again. A couple of notes we’ve received indicate the signal was also having trouble around 8 o’clock last night, though the sudden flood of reports that came in around 8:45 are the first we’d heard of it. We’ve left the scene for now but will go back to check – let us know if you see it fixed BEFORE we report an update. Thanks!
11:07 AM: Looks normal now. Noticed an SDOT worker on scene, too.
(Wednesday afternoon photo, looking east on SW Alaska while northeast-bound on Fauntleroy Way)
All week, West Seattle bus riders have been reporting what they’re experiencing, in the first week of RapidRide C Line service and other Metro changes. It’s now weekday #4, and we’re again inviting you to share your experiences. One note: On Tuesday night, Metro shared some responses to the ongoing concerns, including an overview of which routes are available for getting into and out of West Seattle. They’ve sent an updated PDF with working links, so if you weren’t able to use the previous (docx) version, try this.
So far this week:
Wednesday rider reports
Tuesday night: Updates from Metro
Tuesday rider reports
Monday pm reports
Monday am reports
Saturday informational event
Saturday morning: 1st RR bus
9:37 AM UPDATE: Just a note for later-in-the-commute riders – there were delays around 8:45-9 am that you can’t blame on the bus system:
That’s our photo looking at the northbound lanes on 35th while the north-south signal at 35th/Avalon was stuck on “red.” We started getting messages about the problem after 8:30 and headed over to check it out; around 9 am, a police officer arrived and started directing traffic, but several buses were stuck for a while.
2:44 PM UPDATE: Even before we could check in with Metro for an update, we’ve received one from spokesperson Jeff Switzer:
Thursday morning we had two full RapidRide C Line buses that had to pass stops in West Seattle, but we had two standby RapidRide buses added at key times to help serve that peak commute time demand. Things continue to work into a more reliable rhythm for riders and bus operators.
We have two standby buses available Thursday afternoon also, and coordinators are actively monitoring demand with plans to add the buses when needed. This could occur when they see delays in the system from congestion, or when buses fill up more than expected. We continue to analyze demand, knowing that delays and ridership can be dynamic day to day.
On Friday, we again will have two standby buses and a transit coordinator tracking when best to add them to serve transit demand and keep the service operating.
5:29 PM UPDATE: And we’ve heard from County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who we’d contacted earlier today to ask for his take on how things have been playing out – he represents West Seattle (and surrounding areas) on the County Council, and is a member of its Transportation Committee:
Like many West Seattle residents, I am closely watching the implementation of the recent service changes, particularly the RapidRide C line. I rode the line into work and back home again on Monday and saw the overcrowding firsthand. It does appear that are some unanticipated loads during these early days of implementation.
I have been in contact with Kevin Desmond and Metro on a daily basis. He has shared with me the same plan of action that I believe he has shared with you. Metro has added two additional fleet buses plus two cover buses for peak times, tapped into the service hour reserve pot and continues to count passengers at peak times to better inform our next steps.
I recognize this was a somewhat rough start to the beginning of this service, but I hope the additional coaches and service hours will help relieve the congestion. I will continue to keep an eye on this.
Tonight’s Seattle School Board meeting had two key points for West Seattle. First, though the BEX-IV levy was not on the board’s agenda tonight, it took up much of the public-comment period during the board’s meeting, mostly regarding moving up the timeline for the Arbor Heights Elementary rebuild.
That’s our video of all the West Seattle speakers – including one whose focus was on K-5 STEM at Boren. Ahead, text summaries of all the speakers – and the latest on the plan to reopen Fairmount Park Elementary, with a design-contract “emergency” vote tonight:
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