West Seattle, Washington
27 Thursday
Twp business notes to share …
EASY STREET RECORDS: You can now shop by appointment at Easy Street Records (California/Alaska):
Each shopping appointment is for 30 minutes. There is a max of 2 people allowed in the loft at a time. Appointments are available from 10 am to 4 pm [Daily] To make your appointment, please call 206-938-3279.
Mask required! Easy Street also offers curbside pickup – more on that, and the café, here.
COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE PROJECT: Also by appointment in The Junction – the Community Acupuncture Project of West Seattle has reopened. It’s at 4545 44th SW, and you can reach CAP via phone at 206-933-7891 or email at westseapins@gmail.com.
Now that he’s had two weeks to settle in, new Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Kevin Grossman is making the rounds of community meetings. This past Tuesday night, he introduced himself to the Fauntleroy Community Association.
After sharing some of his background – which we reported here last month – he outlined his three top priorities for the precinct:
1. Violent crime (though he acknowledged it’s relatively low in West Seattle). That includes pre-emptive action – he said he tells his officers, if you can legally take a gun from someone who shouldn’t have it, do that. He also promised that shots-fired calls will be investigated thoroughly.
2. Auto theft – the city is in the top 25 nationwide for this crime, and though local numbers aren’t horrible, he wants to reduce them, as it’s a “very impactful” crime. He has a crime-analysis detective mapping for preventive action.
3. Burglaries – Also not high here but this is another “impactful” crime. So if there are hot spots, he wants to get resources on top of that..
West Seattle’s crime trends right now: Overall, 16 percent down from this time last year, “no other part of the city is looking as good as West Seattle right now” – and of course he acknowledges COVID-19 and the bridge closure are major factors. Violent crime is down 15 percent, auto theft down 5 percent, burglaries are down 22 percent. For Fauntleroy in particular, violent crime is almost non-existent, burglaries are down 38 percent, but auto theft is up 18 percent over this time last year.
Capt. Grossman said he hopes to focus on prevention efforts – such as making free “Club” type devices available, which he had done as South Precinct commander, via a Seattle Police Foundation grant.
In Q&A, he was asked who’s doing all the car-stealing. Mostly people who use the cars to commit other crimes, such as mail theft. He was also asked about the current political battle between the mayor and council over “defunding” SPD (the council discussed this further at its Wednesday budget meeting but has not yet voted on anything). He said he has spent several days reassuring officers at roll calls who are “wondering if they’re going to get a pink slip any day now,” while also hearing older officers wondering “how soon can I get out.” He’s hoping “the rhetoric calms down a bit” – he agrees that there’s an overreliance on 911 to solve our society’s problems, and acknowledges that police have traditionally ben asked to do a lot of things they shouldn’t do. “There’s room for a bigger conversation about what police should be doing, shouldn’t be doing.” but he hopes there’s room for a rational conversation, though he says 50 percent would be too big a cut – “a cut like that would be devastating and would seriously affect the level of service we would provide.” As for specific types of change, Grossman offered support for the CAHOOTS model. “That would take a lot of work away from us – that’s all right, but that’s not in place yet. … Would probably save the city a bunch of money and might turn out better than some of our calls.”
One other question – about the whereabouts of Steve Strand, since Grossman has a new second-in-command, Operations Lt. Sina Ebinger (the position Strand previously held). He noted that Strand has been promoted to captain and is now one of three citywide night captains.
Capt. Grossman is scheduled to be a guest at tonight’s Alki Community Council meeting, as noted in our morning preview.
Also discussed at the FCA meeting – the recent Washington State Ferries online community meeting (here’s our report), the recent District 1 Community Network meeting (here’s our report), and planning for the next annual community survey to be conducted by FCA.
The Fauntleroy Community Association will next meet in September; watch fauntleroy.net for updates.
Thanks to Jim Borrow for the photo and tip. Four old houses at 65th/Admiral Way have been demolished to make way for new ones. Records show that the site at 65th SW/SW Admiral Way, sold last year to an entity of Blackwood Builders Group for $1.8 million, has six new houses on the way. Readers have noted that the site has history; for one, Jim recalls that it once held flower beds and greenhouses “started by the founder of Neilsen Florists at the corner of California Ave SW & SW Oregon (now Shadowland).” We’re told the old houses also had drawn some attention for their Modernist architecture –
We photographed that one last week after a tip that a backhoe had arrived:
(WSB file photo)
11:02 AM: Two announcements from the city today, almost four months since the sudden shutdown of the West Seattle Bridge.
First – the mayor has finally officially declared the closure a city emergency, signing a proclamation today (see it here). That potentially paves the way for state/federal assistance with paying for repair/replacement (see that document here).
It’s been a long time coming; at least one community advocate – Morgan Junction’s Deb Barker, who’s a member of the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force, has been suggesting it since June (we followed up with the mayor after that and were told she was considering it). Barker said today, “The Mayoral Proclamation of Civil Emergency tells the rest of the City and the region that the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge closure is a life-impacting event of epic proportion for thousands of people, and that it is not business as usual in West Seattle until the bridge connection is restored.”
Whether that will be via repair or replacement won’t be determined until later this summer; that’s what SDOT communications director Michael Harold reiterated last night in a presentation to the Morgan Community Association (full report on that later). But today there’s another indication that repairs are possible – the Technical Advisory Panel has issued a new statement to that effect:
The TAP has not been presented with any information that indicates that a long-term repair is infeasible or economically unviable. We therefore recommend that this option be retained and fully explored.
In making this statement, we have relied on documents provided by SDOT in the WSHB Technical Advisory Panel file repository, as well as presentations, responses to formal questions, and technical discussions with SDOT and WSP. No original bridge calculations, shop drawings or field notes were available for TAP review as those records do not exist within SDOT records or City archives. It should be noted that aspects of the As-Built drawings have come under scrutiny by SDOT and WSP and that the TAP has been advised to consider these documents as only partially representative of the final configuration of the bridge at the time of construction. No current survey data, geotechnical assessment, or seismic vulnerability evaluation were provided for consideration. While photos inside the box girders were made available, the TAP did not perform any visual observation of bearings or the box girder structure.
This recommendation is predicated on SDOT’s acceptance that the bridge will not be brought up to current seismic standards if repaired. We note that there is currently uncertainty with respect to the capacity (number of travel lanes) that a repair option would provide.
We understand that WSP is currently analyzing a Phase 2 long-term repair option; no analysis or calculations for the proposed long-term repairs were reviewed to confirm adequacy of such repairs. If/as more information is provided to the TAP, we reserve the right to revise this statement accordingly.
This reinforces what SDOT’s Matt Donahue told the Community Task Force a month ago, as reported here. SDOT elaborated on that less than a week later, explaining that they’re also evaluating “how long repairs would take, how much they would cost, whether or not repairs would allow traffic to return to previous levels, and how long and in what capacity the bridge could remain open after potential repairs were completed so that we can tell whether or not fixing the bridge is a worthwhile investment.”
Regardless of which path is pursued, the bridge still has to be stabilized first, SDOT says, and that work is under way; the hoisting of a work platform up to the bridge is now set for early next week, Harold told MoCA last night.
1:40 PM: After reading the TAP statement while writing this story, we asked SDOT’s Michael Harold about the TAP note regarding documents, since we recalled Matt Donahue at one point mentioning the existence of a sizable amount of old documents. SDOT just sent this clarification:
We have provided the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) with all West Seattle High-Rise Bridge documents and information which we knowingly possess after performing a meticulous search for digital, physical and microfilm records in the records vaults and archives of several City departments and requesting records from the original bridge contractors. Nothing that the TAP has asked for which is knowingly in our possession has been withheld. We want the best possible outcome, and need to use the best possible data to make that happen. To clarify, the TAP is not implying that all of this information exists yet; for example we did not conduct new survey data because we determined that the exhaustive data provided by our daily inspections, intelligent monitoring system and non-destructive testing was both a sufficient and superior basis for our analysis. The TAP believes it is important to be explicit about what information they did or did not have to inform their conclusions, and we support that approach.
(Reader photo)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Many West Seattleites have become a lot more familiar with the First Avenue South Bridge in the almost four months since the West Seattle Bridge was suddenly shut down. With this week’s update on the West Seattle low bridge, some have asked about the condition of this bridge. As we’ve been previewing for weeks, it has some major work coming up: During 14 nights spread across three weeks, the northbound side will be closed for replacement of 14 of the bridge’s 96 deck panels.
The First Avenue South Bridge is actually two drawbridges – a little over half a mile long, built 40 years apart; northbound opened in 1956, southbound opened in 1996. And you should also keep in mind that it’s a state-owned-and-operated structure, so to find out more about the bridge itself, we talked with bridge-preservation engineer Evan Grimm at WSDOT (which has an FAQ page about the bridge here).
The state has ~3,000 bridges to maintain, and 40 inspectors who keep track of them – crawling under them, dangling off them, clipboards in hand. The bridges are routinely inspected every two years (that’s the federal standard, we’ve learned since the West Seattle Bridge closure). Bridges like this also get specialized inspections – underwater, for example, every five years. The state also has a full-time maintemance crew that Grimm says is “constantly out greasing gears, fixing broken wires,” etc., on bascule bridges. Even before the upcoming deck work, WSDOT was wrapping up a project upgrading mechanical and electrical equipment on the 1st Avenue South Bridge.
As for the project that starts this weekend to replace deck panels, Grimm says it’s necessary because some of the deteriorating panels are “giving us fits.” They’re trying to extend the life of the bridge – again, this is on the northbound side, now 64 years old, and Grimm notes that when it was built, they might have considered 75-80 years as a likely lifespan. “But as we look to the future, it might be a lot longer,” due in no small part to the cost of replacement.
Of those ~3,000 WSDOT bridges, by the way, only a handful are this type – primarily in Seattle and out in Aberdeen, Grimm noted. But he says with pride, this one is “a really cool bridge.”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ... about the upcoming work on the 1st Avenue South Bridge:
-Starts Sunday night (July 19th)
–(corrected) 10 pm-5 am each night of work
-Northbound full closure – you won’t be able to get onto NB 509/99 from the West Seattle/South Park onramps
-Southbound remains open
-14 nights of work are planned, Sundays-Thursdays (no work on Fridays or Saturdays)
-West Seattle low bridge is open to all traffic during those hours, and you can cross the Duwamish River via the South Park Bridge, too
(This morning’s sunrise, photographed by Stewart L.)
Four notes ahead for today/tonight so far:
STOP N SHOP: Scheduled to resume taking some donations, but no clothing. Open 11 am-2 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon).
MILE-A-DAY MARATHON: Sixth-grader Ian Scharks is finishing his mile-a-day BLM-benefit marathon at Hiawatha, 4 pm – read about it here.
DEMONSTRATION: 4-6 pm on the corners at Delridge/Orchard:
Come show support for BLM and ending systemic racism. Hold signs, meet neighbors and stand for racial justice. (Organized by) Scott at PR Cohousing, endorsed by Hate-Free Delridge. Signs available.
ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: Meeting via Zoom, 7 pm. Agenda includes meeting the new Southwest Precinct leadership. Here’s the meeting link; meeting ID: 938 2764 4239; password: 578986
Here’s tonight’s roundup:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*12,353 people have tested positive, 109 more than yesterday
*620 people have died, 14 more than yesterday
*1,731 people have been hospitalized, 25 more than yesterday
*221,754 people have been tested, 4,121 more than yesterday
One week ago, the four totals were 11,319/598/1,643/194,992.
TWO MORE LOCAL DEATHS: Today’s update includes one new death reported by each of two of the five zip codes that are either entirely or partly wtthin West Seattle – 98106 and 98126.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
OPENING SCHOOLS SAFELY: New modeling shows it can be done in King County this fall – but it depends on more than what happens on campuses. From today’s news release:
Grouping students by age, physical distancing, wearing masks and safe hygiene may be able to reduce the impact of school reopenings on transmission, but how much of an impact these measures have will depend on the level of COVID-19 transmission outside of schools. Even with countermeasures, students and staff would need to be screened for symptoms daily and both work and community mobility would need to stay below a certain threshold. “Every part of our society is connected when it comes to COVID-19,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “How well we control transmission in workplaces, businesses, recreation, families, and social networks are related and all impact whether we can safely reopen schools.”
COVID-RELATED CLOSURE: After an employee at the U-District location of Supreme tested positive, the restaurant closed its West Seattle branch too.
STAY HEALTHY STREETS SURVEY EXTENDED: Love those no-through-traffic, social-distancing-friendly streets? Hate ’em? Or? Whatever you think, tell the city – the survey that was supposed to close today has been extended a week.
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Two reader reports (neither specified location aside from West Seattle):
STOLEN CAR: From Sean:
Silver 2000 Lexus RX 300
Liscense plate BPP 6873
Stolen between 11 pm Tuesday 7/14 and 8 am today.
Call 911 if you see it.
STOLEN SCOOTER: Taken out of a reader’s garage in broad daylight: “Blue Razor Scooter A5 Kick Scooter.”
(Added 8:57 pm, photo by Jamie Kinney)
6:12 PM: Thanks to Jay for the tip! He says orcas just passed Dilworth on Vashon Island’s eastern shore, northbound, so they could be visible soon from west-facing West Seattle.
7:02 PM: Eastbound – toward West Seattle! – in the Fauntleroy ferry lanes, says Kersti Muul.
(Photo by Kasia Bozek)
Looks like another clear night tonight, so that means another chance to see Comet NEOWISE. Following up on her earlier post, West Seattle sky-watching expert and educator Alice Enevoldsen has put together maps (with the help of Stellarium) – here’s one for tonight:
Alice says that map shows what should be visible around 10:15 pm on “the North-northwestern horizon. Comet NEOWISE is a speck almost directly below the Big Dipper, and to the upper left of the bright star Capella.” If you’d rather do your comet-watching early in the morning, here’s 2 am Thursday:
That one is “showing the North-northwestern horizon. (The comet) is a speck to the lower right of the Big Dipper, and nearly due North.” Or click here for the 4 am Thursday image. Weather permitting, the comet might be visible through late July.
(Terry White, 2019 WSB photo)
Just announced by King County: A leadership change at Metro. After four years as General Manager, Rob Gannon is leaving, heading to Missoula, Montana, to be that city’s chief financial officer. Starting August 1st, deputy GM Terry White will become interim GM; he’s been with Metro for 33 years. Metro oversees the Water Taxi as well as buses and vanpools, and operates the Seattle Streetcar too. White will take over at a precarious time, as pandemic-reduced revenue and capacity has drastically affected the service it provides.
Thanks for the tip! Another local restaurant has announced a COVID-19-related closure – but with unique circumstances. Supreme in The Junction announced on social media that it has closed both locations because an employee at its U-District location tested positive: “Due to the circumstance, we have decided to close both Supreme locations for now to allow our team two rounds of COVID-19 testing to be 100% sure we will reopen safely. We will also be tracking this testing experience so that we will be prepared for if and when it happens again in any of our places.”
If you’re registered to vote, you’ll get a ballot within the next few days – King County Elections has just mailed the ballots for the August 4th primary election. No local ballot measures; among candidates, our area’s State House representatives, Eileen Cody and Joe Fitzgibbon, are both running for re-election unopposed. Our area’s U.S. House Rep. Pramila Jayapal has four primary opponents. The ballot also includes statewide offices – at the top of the ballot, Gov. Jay Inslee has 35 primary opponents. As usual, you’ll be able to either mail in your ballot or use an official drop box (the nearest ones are in The Junction, High Point, White Center, and South Park). And if you’re not yet registered to vote – go here!
The photo and invitation are from proud mom Genya Scharks:
Tomorrow, July 16th, at 4 PM at Hiawatha Park track, our son Ian Scharks will complete the last 1.2 miles of his one-mile-a-day marathon walk to raise money for Black Lives Matter. We are inviting friends, wearing masks and physically spaced, to come cheer him on for the finish of his marathon.
He has raised $9,581 toward his $10,400 goal. He will be a 6th grader at Pathfinder K-8. He has cerebral palsy and autism and started walking with crutches last school year. Previously he used a walker or wheelchair. In March he was able to walk one lap with his crutches, but now is completing one mile, or 4 laps, each day.
In addition to showing up tomorrow to cheer for Ian, you can also donate to his fundraiser – go here. On that page, Ian explains, “I am inspired by Capt. Tom Moore and Tobias Weller in England, both who raised money by walking with assistive devices. I want to make a difference about the inequality Black people face in our nation.”
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports:
WYATT”S JEWELERS SMASH-AND-GRAB: Another jewelry smash-and-grab – this time at Wyatt’s Jewelers (a longtme WSB sponsor) in Westwood Village. Here are some of the security-camera images:
It happened on Tuesday afternoon around 2:30 pm. The thieves smashed a case that held men’s jewelry, grabbed some items and bolted. Lauren at Wyatt’s was still doing inventory as of late last night but assessed the stolen items as mostly: “Men’s bands. Some trays were real and some were just fake Alloy for custom ordering purposes.” Here are two of the stolen rings:
We will add the police-report number when we get it. (UPDATE: 20-213041.)
FOLLOWUP: Another followup on last week’s similar smash-and-grab at Bellevue Rare Coins in The Junction. Going through video footage from earlier in the day, they found this:
Same shirt, jeans, shoes, and wristwatch as the masked/jacketed thief (as seen in other images they showed us) seen in the first followup. SPD incident number is 20-208198.
10:56 AM: Three weeks ago, the city launched a long-promised online survey about the no-through-traffic Stay Healthy Streets set up citywide this past spring. Today is the final day – so if you have something to say about these streets, whether they should be temporary or permanent, go here to tell the city what you think. So far, they’re in three areas of West Seattle – two that are along mostly pre-existing greenways in High Point and Puget Ridge/Highland Park, and a stretch of Alki Avenue and Beach Drive around Alki Point. The city says it will also seek “public engagement” in other ways but the survey is the first step.
12:58 PM: As noted in comments, SDOT has just announced it’s extending the survey deadline a week, to July 22nd.
Volleyball player in the household? This announcement is from the West Seattle Reign Volleyball Club:
We have a very limited number of socially distanced clinics and open practices available for summer 2020, 7/20 thru 8/29.
Clinics, practices and 1 on 1 personal coaching available for all youth players at westseattlereign.com/clinics-%26-coaching.
We are limiting all events to 4 players. We will maintain 6+ feet of distance at all times as well as have masks and sanitizer available for all participants. We are commited to keeping the curve low by offering youth athletics within all state and Federal safety guidelines.There are 3 options (open practices, any player of any skill; clinics, by skill level; & personal coaching). Those options then have dates with the availability to register.
The clinics are organized by skill level rather than age level or gender.
6:07 AM: It’s Wednesday, the 119th morning without the high-rise West Seattle Bridge.
ROAD WORK
Major work continues on Delridge Way, with lane reductions, as road-rebuilding and utility work lead off the RapidRide H Line conversion project – here’s what crews are working on this week;.
This Sunday night is the first of 14 nights over three weeks during which WSDOT will close the NB 1st Ave. S. Bridge for deck-panel replacement.
TRAFFIC
Here’s the 5-way intersection camera (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Sppkane/Chelan):
Here’s the restricted-daytime-access (open to all 9 pm-5 am) low bridge:
The main detour route across the Duwamish River is the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map) . Here’s that camera:
The other major bridge across the river is the South Park Bridge (map). The camera was still down as of early today. P.S. Going through South Park? Don’t speed.
Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed for info about any of those bridges opening for marine traffic.
You can see all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also shown on this WSB page.
TRANSIT
Metro – Still reduced service and distancing – details here.
Water Taxi – Back to its “winter” schedule, with the 773 and 775 shuttles – see the schedule here.
Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
Words of warning – and encouragement – from the governor top tonight’s virus-crisis roundup:
EXTENDING ‘THE PAUSE’: During his media briefing this afternoon (see the video here), Gov. Inslee said he’s extending the “pause” on phases – no county gets to advance to the next one for at least two more weeks. While we’re not in nearly as bad shape as other states, he said, the pandemic is by no means under control – the current trend is “unsustainable,” he said – and if it isn’t tamed soon, rollbacks are possible.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here’s the daily summary from Public Health, with cumulative totals:
*12,244 people have tested positive, up 145 from yesterday
*606 people have died, up 2 from yesterday
*1,706 people have been hospitalized, up 8 from yesterday
*217,633 people have been tested, up 3,245 from yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 11,206/596/1,631/191,865.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
NEW REPORT ON DEATHS: From the state Department of Health today:
In the continuing effort to collect, maintain and publish the most useful data available to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has published a new death data report that includes different categories of COVID-19 deaths. Among those who have tested positive for COVID-19, these categories include confirmed due to COVID-19, suspected of being due to COVID-19, non-COVID-19 deaths and deaths pending or missing cause of death. In addition, there are 77 deaths that are probably due to COVID-19, but they are not among those who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Since the first COVID-19 case in Washington in January, DOH has worked to transparently release data in near real-time so that the public, health care providers, policy makers, the media, and public health professionals can access current information. This additional information gives context for decision makers working to stop the spread of the virus.
Read the full DOH announcement here.
RESTAURANT REOPENS: Six days after Public Health shut it down, Duke’s on Alki has reopened. (Our story also includes Q&A with Public Health that we’d initiated before the closure, and PH has called our attention to this post about what restaurants are doing successfully to work with new safety rules.)
GOT INFO? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) is co-sponsoring a webinar next week that might interest you if you’re thinking about a new career:
The Future of Work: Upgrade Your Building Science Toolkit
Live Webinar Panel with Interactive Q&A
Thursday, July 23, 2020, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PMThe Sustainable Building Science Technology and WSU Energy programs co-present this Future of Work webinar. Are you prepared for the jobs of the future in building science, operations, and management? Join us for this panel discussion about how the building science and technology field is changing and what roles are in demand. Our panel discussion will explore:
What are the skills needed to operate, manage, and tune-up buildings that are becoming smarter and greener?
How might trends and policies in sustainability and energy efficiency impact the built environment and jobs?
What opportunities exist to build new skills including continuing education and academic programs?
What new strategies do candidates need to differentiate themselves in a post-COVID job market?
Go here to register, and to find out more.
(Seal pup “Squally” in 2019)
Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network has an important reminder:
Harbor seal pupping season has begun in Puget Sound, and pups will soon appear on West Seattle beaches.
DON’T TOUCH SEAL PUPS! Seals regularly haul out to rest and get warm. Undisturbed, stress-free rest is crucial for their survival. Please don’t pick them up, put them in the water, or attempt to feed them.
DO NOT APPROACH! If a nursing pup has become separated from the mother, she will be scared away by humans and dogs and may not return to her pup. It’s a matter of life and death for young seals.
When you see a seal on the beach, stay back, leash your dog, and call Seal Sitters at 206-905-SEAL (206-905-7325). We respond to reports of marine mammals, both dead and alive.
How far should you stay away from seals? NOAA guidelines say 100 yards, which is the length of 15 parked cars or one city block. At our public beaches, it may be hard to to keep that distance, but simply put: if the animal notices you, begins to fidget, or starts to flee into the water, YOU ARE TOO CLOSE. Please, back off.
Because of COVID-19, Seal Sitters may not be setting up yellow tape perimeters as in the past and may not be present at all times. You can help by respecting our signage, alerting others and asking them to leash their pets. Marine mammals are protected by law; disturbing them is considered harassment and is illegal. Please report violations to the Seal Sitters hotline at 206-905-7325.
For more information, check out the Blubber Blog at BlubberBlog.org. (Seal Sitters has temporarily suspended our volunteer training until the COVID situation improves.)
(Dragonfly, photographed in Arbor Heights by Mark)
We had hoped to publish this list a few hours ago, but news got in the way. Not too late, though, to share three things happening the rest of today/tonight:
LIBRARY DROPOFFS BEGIN: Seattle Public Library branches are still closed but starting today, some are accepting dropoffs – including two in our area. From SPL:
This week we will begin accepting returns of Library materials at the High Point, Rainier Beach and Southwest branches. This is a limited operation to help us refine our processes of accepting and processing book returns safely, effectively and efficiently before accepting returns at more locations. Bookdrops will be open limited hours.
You are welcome, but not required, to return your borrowed items at these locations beginning this week. Due dates are extended until at least Aug. 15, and we are a fine-free Library system, so there is no rush to return and you can take the time you need.
When can I return my books? Locations and hours are as follows:
Beginning Tuesday, July 14, the High Point, Rainier Beach and Southwest bookdrops will be open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m. or until bookdrops are full.
All returned items will be quarantined – and remain on your account – for a minimum of 3 days before being checked in.
Later this month, SPL expects to expand this to more locations.
SHOWING SUPPORT FOR BLACK LIVES: Tuesday/Thursday streetcorner protests continue:
Come stand in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter
Tuesday, July 14th, 4 to 6 pm, corner of Delridge Way and SW Orchard
Come show support for BLM and ending systemic racism. Hold signs, meet neighbors and stand for racial justice. –Scott at PR Cohousing, endorsed by Hate-Free Delridge. Signs available.
If you miss today, Scott and others will be there 4-6 pm Thursday too.
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: 7 pm board meeting online tonight, community members welcome. Agenda includes hearing from the Southwest Precinct’s new commander and operations lieutenant. Go to this page on the FCA website to get the link for registering to attend, so you can get the Zoom link.
(WSB photo, last week)
Six days after Public Health Seattle-King County closed Duke’s on Alki because COVID-19 was spreading among its staff, the restaurant says it has clearance to reopen today. (The PHSKC website confirms the reopening.) Subscribers to its email list received a message from founder Duke Moscrip, including:
… When the health authorities examined our Alki location and took the action to shut us down, we were devastated. Frankly, we thought we were following the safety protocols precisely. After cooperating with them fully over the past few days, we earned their approval to reopen today. Specifically, they approved the distance between our tables and the occupancy levels that allow us to keep everyone safe.
As a new layer of safety at Duke’s restaurants, we ordered and are installing new air purification technology over the next few weeks at all our locations to stop COVID-19 particles, other viruses, and bacteria in internal spaces.
Safety. That is the only thing important to us as we all begin to venture out more and enjoy our unique way of life here in the Pacific Northwest.
Despite every safety measure available, we expect we will see more cases of COVID-19 among our valued team. Today we are better prepared to properly react.
I know that many of you believe that Duke’s let you down. For that, we are truly saddened.
The message also says an unspecified number of staff members remain quarantined. This statement from the restaurant following last week’s shutdown noted 7 Alki employees had tested positive for the virus.
(ADDED 12:55 PM: PHSKC has since published this statement about the reopening.)
Before the shutdown announcement, after our previous report about two cases at Duke’s, we had asked Public Health some questions about how outbreaks are handled; we’d noticed while covering other businesses that no two seemed to be handling cases the same way. We have since received the replies, published below in Q&A format, with our questions and Public Health’s answers:
WSB: “What if anything are businesses required to report to PHSKC regarding employees testing positive?”
PHSKC: “Notify health department within 24 hours if you suspect COVID-19 is spreading in your workplace, or if you are aware of 2 or more employees who develop confirmed or suspected COVID-19 within a 14-day period.”
WSB: “What are they required to tell customers?”
PHSKC: “No requirements.”
WSB: “Under the new state guidance, what circumstance constitutes “spreading” at a workplace that would need to be reported?”
PHSKC: “We would consider ‘spreading’ when any person in the workplace, whether an employee, contractor or customer, might have been potentially exposed in the workplace. We would recommend that a workplace call us if they have any questions or concerns as it generally takes some investigation to try to determine the most likely location of exposure (e.g., community exposure vs. workplace exposure, etc..).”
WSB: “Once PHSKC gets a report of ‘spreading,’ what will you do with that information? How/is it investigated? Might orders for closure ensue?”
PHSKC: “- We first try to confirm any reported cases through our public health databases and if any non-household contacts have been identified already.
“- We then do an initial investigation call to (i) confirm whether transmission occurred in the workplace, (ii) identify any exposed workplace contacts (coworkers or customers), and (iii) assess steps that employers have taken to reduce the risk of transmission within the workplace and provide technical assistance when necessary.
“- If this investigation identifies conditions indicating a higher risk to employees or the public, we may schedule a site visit to the workplace. A public health order or closure could ensue if the risk level is deemed to be very high and we believe there is an ongoing risk to employees or the public that isn’t being mitigated.”
WSB: “What about employees who feel their employer isn’t taking appropriate action – is there anything they can do?”
PHSKC: “Workplace safety complaints about coronavirus or other issues can be filed with L&I (1-800-423-7233). Employees can also file a written safety/health complaint.”
(Again, we had those questions out to PHSKC *before* the Duke’s closure – the first of its kind in our area – was announced.)
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