West Seattle, Washington
21 Saturday
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:12 AM: Thanks for the tips. Per scanner, there is trouble in both directions on the West Seattle Bridge – a motorcycle crash with one person (update: 48-year-old man) being taken to the hospital, near the Delridge exit on the westbound side, and an incident reported to involve two vehicles on the eastbound side. Tow trucks are reported to have been called for all. SDOT says “the EB left lane and the WB 2 right lanes” are blocked right now.
6:19 AM: Other notes – no major power outages remain but there are a few small pockets; doesn’t look like any that would affect traffic.
TRANSIT CHANGES: For the Presidents Day holiday:
-Water Taxi out of service
-Metro on “reduced weekday” service
6:22 AM: Heard via scanner, trouble with a railroad-crossing arm at 1st and Spokane, and it might not be fixed for at least an hour.
7:04 AM: Per scanner, police say the westbound West Seattle Bridge is clear, an hour-plus after the motorcycle crash that sent a man to the hospital (see above).
7:05 AM: SDOT says both directions are clear.
(SCROLL DOWN for updates)
(Wind-whipped whitecaps on Puget Sound, photographed by Peter Commons)
4:16 PM: Though the “wind advisory” expired hours ago, big gusts are causing big trouble right now.
We’ve been covering:
–Two power outages (the bigger one just ended)
–A wires-sparked brush fire east of Lincoln Park
And now we’re getting word of other problems, including:
-Tree down on California north of Hamilton Viewpoint
–Signal Light pole down on 35th at Brandon
Updates to come. And if something is happening where you are and we’re not on it yet, tips/photos appreciated (as always!) at 206-293-6302 – thank you! And stay safe.
4:27 PM: This appears to be the light pole a texter mentioned, down on the west side of 35th SW just north of Brandon:
No traffic effects (but be careful in general because branches are down on some streets).
4:44 PM: And here’s a really BIG blockage:
That’s on California just uphill from Harbor. If you are turning uphill, you can see the problem AND you can detour to Ferry, but if you are coming downhill, right now there’s no warning until you are almost all the way to the blockage – hopefully there will be police and/or signage soon by Hamilton Viewpoint. No crew on scene yet working to clear the trees, either. We tagged SDOT when tweeting this photo in case they hadn’t heard, and they say they’re alerting their Safety Response Team.
4:57 PM: Just in via text, a tree down in North Delridge.
The texter says the tree came down on private property, from the 4th hole of West Seattle Golf Course, and damaged “decks, fences, and a hot tub.”
5:49 PM: Thanks to Colby for the tip that there’s another outage, a little over an hour old, along part of Roxbury near 28th/26th – that’s affecting Roxbury Safeway. We’ll check there in a bit. Not far from there – not wind-related but in case you wondered – 15th SW in White Center is blocked just north of SW 100th because of a driver-vs.-pedestrian incident.
6:34 PM: Roxbury Safeway has some power but exterior lighting is off and cold cases are draped over. Meantime, the outage affecting our HQ and other areas east of Lincoln Park – in Gatewood and Upper Fauntleroy – is now up to 371 customers, per the City Light map. And yet more tree trouble:
Marc near 46th SW/SW Hanford tweeted the photo and reported, “Half the neighbors’ big leaf maple just fell in our yard!”
8:33 PM: Yet more tree trouble. Eileen reports this scene along Glenn Way:
She says, “Not blocking the road – just the sidewalk. Partially covering a couple of parked cars.”
9:52 PM: 8th hour without power. But there’s progress – we saw City Light crews nearby. Also saw crews at the California blockage just up from Harbor Avenue. The tree trouble isn’t over, though – we’ve also heard of one down near 44th and Admiral, and another one in Sunrise Heights. (Added Monday morning – reader photo of the 44th/Admiral tree)
No reports of injuries so far. Meantime, just checked the real-time 911 log and a transformer fire is reported in the 3200 block of Walnut.
10:07 PM: … and the transformer-fire call is already closed. The forecast, meantime, is now for the wind to diminish after midnight. And the next three nights are still projected to have lows in the 20s.
10:16 PM: SDOT says the trees blocking California just up from Harbor are now cleared and the road is open again.
10:53 PM: Tree trouble on Pigeon Point – N. James says this one fell along 22nd SW north of Andover:
N. James sent that – they called 911, but it was determined that the road is not blocked and while some wires are hanging over the street, they’re “high enough for a normal-height vehicle to pass, but trucks may not.”
6:29 AM: We updated the power-outages report overnight but just to note here as well, no major outages remain – a couple small pockets. (The biggest outage was in our area, Upper Fauntleroy/west Gatewood/east of Lincoln Park, 371 customers, restored after 11 hours, around 1:30 am.)
3:50 PM: We’re checking out a Seattle Fire call logged as “brush fire” in west Gatewood – the address is the 4400 block of SW Kenyon but we’ve found the SFD crews at Portland/44th. More to come.
3:53 PM: This fire call involves downed wires, firefighters tell us. They’ve called for City Light. The fire itself is out. This is in the Gatewood/Upper Fauntleroy 150+-customer power-outage zone but we don’t know if this is what’s to blame.
4:03 PM: SFD also has a crew down the slope at one of 45th SW’s dead ends east of Lincoln Park. On this side, the fire’s still smoldering – there’s a tree down on wires right next to a house.
5:18 PM: The downslope SFD crew has left; we went to that area and a City Light crew was just leaving too. SFD is still up at the SW Portland end, though. We also have heard from a few people not far away who are seeing brown water from their taps; could be related to the hydrant usage, but rather than guess, we’re advising people to call SPU at 206-386-1800.
6:41 PM: Thanks to the neighbor who sent this video from earlier:
We went back to the scene a little while ago and SFD said they expected to be leaving soon, though the Real-Time 911 log shows they haven’t closed the call yet. Seattle City Light was still also working in the area, working carefully to be able to deal with the line that went down.
2:59 PM: First significant power outage in West Seattle since the weather got blustery on Friday – more than 150 customers in Gatewood and Upper Fauntleroy, including WSB HQ, per the City Light outage map. More to come.
3:09 PM: The cause isn’t listed yet but the restoration guesstimate is 9 pm – as always, we caution that it can be fixed a lot sooner (like that recent 1 1/2-hour outage) or much later. Meantime, a much-bigger outage has just happened in the White Center/Shorewood/north Burien area – 4,100+ customers:
4:04 PM: SCL blames the White Center-and-beyond fire on a tree. Meanwhile, we’re checking out a brush-fire call in west Gatewood that’s blamed on downed wires – we don’t know if it’s related to the outage but it’s not far. Separate coverage here.
4:23 PM: As noted in comments, the big outage to the south has been resolved, as verified by the SCL map. The outage east of Lincoln Park, not yet.
5:53 PM: New outage as of a little over an hour ago – two pockets on SW Roxbury in the 26th/28th area, and we’re told that is affecting Roxbury Safeway. We’ll be checking there in a bit.
6:46 PM: Roxbury Safeway has some power inside but cold cases are covered and there’s no external lighting. Meantime, the outage in our HQ area, east of and uphill from Lincoln Park, is now listed as 371 customers. Still a 9 pm restoration guesstimate, but no cause – the wires-down fire is likely related.
9:34 PM: Still in the outage zone but we did see a couple City Light trucks a few blocks away while we were on our way back here a short time ago. The restoration guesstimate has been pushed back to ~1:29 am but please remember, it’s not based on anything scientific, as City Light itself will tell you, so it’s just a guess. Some important things to remember:
-It’s cold but in trying to stay warm, you need to follow carbon-monoxide-safety rules.
-Wondering about the safety of food in your refrigerator? Read the FDA advice and guidelines.
2 AM: Our power came back on around 1:30. Now there’s a new 90-customer outage along Walnut.
The photo is from Kari, volunteer service-unit manager, announcing it’s the time of year that fans of Girl Scout Cookies have been waiting for:
Cookies have arrived in West Seattle. Service Unit 550 of West Seattle and Vashon were loading the cookies into the neighborhood cookie cupboard and along came Officer R. Erwin 8368 of the Southwest Precinct, who stopped by to help. Thank you so much!!
This followed the annual cookie-pickup event at the Alaska Marine Lines facilities on West Marginal Way SW. The “cookie booths” – mostly tables outside local businesses – will be up and running March 2nd-18th (you can search here for locations/times/days). But if you’re looking for cookies sooner, Girl Scouts will be selling to family, friends, and neighbors.
Continuing our mentions of upcoming high-school reunions: It’s the 40th reunion this year for the West Seattle High School Class of 1978. Plenty of time to plan – the event is on Saturday, September 15th, at Rainier Golf and Country Club, 5 pm-12:30 am, with music by Pro DJs. $60/person – if you’re not already signed up, contact Denise to get on the list, denisem49 (at) comcast (dot) net – and if you have a reunion to announce, please let us know!
Resurgent snow shower. pic.twitter.com/VCxMAlRa8n
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) February 18, 2018
(Snow-shower video recorded just after 12:30 pm)
8:26 AM: Thanks for the texts! We’ve heard from Highland Park, The Junction, and Jacobsen Road so far, as very light snow falls around West Seattle – seeing it here in Upper Fauntleroy too. As noted in weather updates earlier in the weekend, forecasters don’t expect much accumulation. But SDOT was out treating roads last night just in case – lots of salt on our hill, which is at 300′. No current alerts for our area; the forecast mentions “scattered snow showers (this) morning.”
9:21 AM: Over for now, and some sunshine has emerged.
12:02 PM: Now another shower – more ice pellet/graupel-like than snowflakes.
12:37 PM: The National Weather Service now thinks the snow showers won’t go past 4 pm.
(Song sparrow, photographed in Lincoln Park by Robin Sinner, shared via WSB Flickr group)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm in the street in the heart of The Junction. (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)
ALKI OYSTER FEST: 11 am-6 pm, oysters, wine, beer, and music at West Seattle Brewing‘s Alki location and nearby Ampersand Café. Proceeds support Puget Sound Restoration Fund. More info in our calendar listing. (Alki SW/58th SW)
JAMTIME: Bluegrass and old-timey music, 1-4 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), with Jamtime. (5612 California SW)
‘NEXT TO NORMAL’: First matinée for Twelfth Night Productions’ new play. 3 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Tickets available online as well as at the venue before the performance. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
PING-PONG TOURNAMENT: Play ping-pong with the West Seattle Supper Club at Whisky West, 5-9 pm. Prizes! 21+. (6451 California SW)
(Added: Postgame photo with trophy)
FIRST REPORT, 10:05 PM: We’re at Bellevue College, where the West Seattle High School girls have just repeated as SeaKing district champions, defeating Cleveland 56-51. Next stop – head coach Darnell Taylor and team head to the regional/state tournament at the Tacoma Dome. Photos and details to come later tonight after we’re back at HQ.
WSHS scores first. #32 Meghan Fiso. 2-0 West Seattle pic.twitter.com/dO8BRk2qEb
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) February 18, 2018
(Video: First basket of the game, by WSHS #32 Meghan Fiso)
ADDED 11:55 PM: The clip above shows the first two of the 21 points with which #32, sophomore Meghan Fiso, led the Wildcats tonight. They were out to a 9-0 lead halfway through the first quarter before the Eagles even got onto the scoreboard – that also included a three-pointer by #20, junior Grace Sarver, who had a 12-point night:
West Seattle owned most of the first quarter, with ironclad defense that kept Cleveland from driving in close, and fast-footed response that meant Wildcats were always in the way even when an Eagle did make her way through. But then they got a bit sloppy, and Cleveland recovered from a double-digit deficit to be down only three points going into the second quarter, 15-12.
That momentum continued for a few minutes, and they got within one point, before West Seattle regained their surefootedness. #34 Anissa Babitu helped the Wildcats scrap back.
Then a three-pointer by Fiso mid-quarter gave WSHS a bit of breathing room, 21-16. Two battles for the ball followed, and while Cleveland closed the gap to one point again, 23-22, six unanswered WSHS points sent the Wildcats into halftime ahead 29-22.
The second half began with two scoreless minutes, until Cleveland got a basket at 5:53. #11, junior Jasmine Gayles, tirelessly puncturing the Eagles’ defense yet again, answered shortly thereafter.
Toward the end of the third quarter, Cleveland started gaining ground and seemed re-energized, tying the game at 36-36 with 1:10 to go, then taking the lead on two foul shots. That’s when a three-pointer by Gayles got the lead back and brought the Eagles back down.
End of 3rd quarter WSHS 42, Cleveland 38. (Video: #11 Gayles three-pointer) pic.twitter.com/OjBQCwHOVy
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) February 18, 2018
#4, junior Kelsey Lenzie (9-point game), added a three right after that, putting WSHS ahead 42-38 going into the final quarter, which turned into even more of a nerve-wracker.
Cleveland went ahead, 45-42, but #21, freshman Julianna Horne, erased that lead with a three-pointer.
2:25 to go. Cleveland leads West Seattle 51-47. (Video: #21 Horne three-pointer) pic.twitter.com/p9ykwBkgUp
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) February 18, 2018
The Wildcats weren’t back in their groove yet, though. Cleveland went on a six-point run that could have been their turning point – but wasn’t – and with just under two minutes left in the game, a clutch three-pointer by Fiso gave WSHS the lead back, 52-51. Fans were on their feet. Lenzie followed with another three. And then Cleveland had no choice but to foul, which they did, without gaining any ground. The clock ticked down, the Wildcats added one point from a foul shot, and that was it – 56 to 51, they were the district champs for the second year in a row.
WHAT’S NEXT: It’s on to the regional/state tournament, with their next game no sooner than Friday; the brackets will be posted here.
ADDED SUNDAY: The WSHS girls are now slated to play Garfield at 6 pm next Saturday (February 24th) at Bellevue College.
7:01 PM: The wind alert is an hour away from expiring – but it’ll still be breezy, and that’s brought another weather alert: A Coastal Flood Advisory for 4 am-8 am. From the alert:
Minor flooding along the beaches is possible early Sunday morning–mostly because of the action of wind waves around the time of high tide which is around daybreak on Sunday.
High tide will be about one foot below the typical highest tide but windy weather and waves could cause some minor flooding along the beaches because of the waves.
High tide in this area will be 12 feet at 6:46 am Sunday. Meantime, you might have heard some talk of snow. In Seattle, it’s possible after midnight, according to the newest forecast, but not expected to total more than an inch.
11:11 PM: Just back from basketball coverage in Bellevue, and noticed the streets have been salted up here at 300 feet. It’s 10 degrees above freezing, still, so quite a ways to go before we are anywhere near snow mode. But whenever you see some, please let us know – text/call our hotline, 206-293-6302, 24/7 – thank you!
8:15 AM: Thanks for the texts! Light flurry here in Upper Fauntleroy, and texters are seeing a bit in The Junction and Highland Park too. If it goes on for a bit longer we’ll start a separate story.
(WSHS huddle in game’s final minute)
FIRST REPORT, 7:02 PM: An intense game just ended at Bellevue College with a season-ending loss for the West Seattle High School boys – Garfield got this district’s final spot in the regional/state tournament, 60-53 over the Wildcats. Details and photos after we get back to HQ.
ADDED 7:45 PM: Star of the game for the Wildcats was #23, senior Anthony Giomi, whose point total matched the number on his jersey.
First on the scoreboard for the Wildcats, though, was the day’s second-leading WSHS scorer, #5, junior Abdullahi Mohamed (9 points):
Garfield’s shooting was cold for much of the first quarter. WSHS held the lead until Garfield tied it 6-6 with 1:17 left in the quarter and then tacked on five more points before that first buzzer; it was 11-6 Bulldogs going into the second quarter.
That period saw the Wildcats as the ones with trouble getting the ball and net to connect. Garfield was out to a twelve-point lead before Giomi broke the drought. Garfield kept the lead but WSHS didn’t let them pull away, and with 2:50 to go in the half, they got back to within single digits. There was a trade of three-pointers, including one by WSHS #10, junior Roman Barnet (6 points total on the day):
By halftime, WSHS was only three points back, 28-25. And the second half was off to a roaring start for the Wildcats, with a Mohamed basket within :15 and then a Giomi three-pointer putting West Seattle ahead at 7:07, 30-28. #24 Simon Harris helped with some clutch rebounding:
#2 senior Elijah Nnanabu (7 points) added to the lead and WSHS was up by four:
Garfield didn’t get its first second-half points until 4:53. Shortly afterward, a big three by WSHS #1, sophomore Marcus Collins, widened the Wildcats’ lead to 35-30.
Though Garfield was battling back, WSHS still had a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter, 37-36.
They built it out to six points in the first minute – but then Garfield caught fire, took the lead, and started expanding it. Emotions were running high when a Garfield player got two technical fouls called on him; Mohamed and Giomi each got two foul shots, and each made one. Shortly afterward, another foul by the Bulldogs sent #22, junior Nuh’Kosi Roberson, to the line, and when he was done, West Seattle was only one point back, 47-46. But things didn’t go their way in the final two minutes, and time just ran out before head coach Keffrey Fazio‘s team could get another good run going.
(Starr W., Simone S., Zoe P., Tevia & Taytum C., Denise K. singing ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’)
“We’re here to remember, honor, and celebrate Black history and Black culture, which is American culture.”
With that mission, Arbor Heights Elementary students and staff presented songs and stories in an hour-long assembly this past Thursday afternoon. They were each other’s audiences – joined by many parents, too. A big ovation greeted AH staffer Rosslyn Shea, who emceed the assembly (and kindly invited us to cover it).
She explained the backstory of Black History Month – which became a monthlong celebration in 1976, half a century after it began – “a time to remember the struggle, while remembering the accomplishments …” The program, directed and produced by Laura Drake, then began, with the anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (top video). Ms. McAlpin‘s class sang “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around”; then Reyana H. portrayed Sojourner Truth, telling her story of slavery, and marriage with five children.
She was 30 when slavery ended in NY State in 1827. “I began to work with other abolitionists … I was also a strong believer in women’s rights.” Student Artise B., portrayed Frederick Douglass. “It was against the law for slaves to learn to read and write,” but he secretly taught himself.
“Once I learned how to read, I taught other slaves.” He was an adviser to President Lincoln. “A white man’s happiness cannot be purchased by a black man’s misery.”
Ms. Irish‘s class sang “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize.” A poem by Langston Hughes was performed by students Simone D. and Naimo M. Then pilot Bessie Coleman‘s story was told by Mariah R., speaking of achievement despite discrimination.
“I opened the possibility for women of color to become pilots,” though her life was cut short by an airshow-rehearsal accident.
Booker T. Washington, the influential educator, was portrayed by Joaquin L.. “Once I saw white children inside a schoolhouse reading books, that was what I wanted to do.” He ran a school “that is still going strong today.” He closed by reading this quote spiritedly: “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else!” Then Ms. Ciocca‘s class sang “Woke Up This Morning with My Mind Set on Freedom,” and Ms. Amble‘s first-grade class performed to Ella Fitzgerald‘s version of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”
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That was followed by Ms. Wilson‘s class with “If You Miss Me at the Back of the Bus.” Then, from even-more-recent history, more historic character portrayals – two trailblazing Black candidates for President, U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm (by Phalestine W.) and Rev. Jesse Jackson (by Zinneddine A.). “What is the American Dream? The American Dream is one big tent.”
Two third-grade classes sang along with Sly and the Family Stone‘s “Everyday People” – “Sometimes I’m right, I can be wrong …” they raise their index fingers on the chorus.
“Love’s in Need of Love Today” by Stevie Wonder was the afterschool program’s presentation, and then “We Shall Overcome” as a closing song, with everyone in the auditorium invited to join in. And on the way out, we stopped to notice student work on the walls:
AH and other Seattle Public Schools are now out for a week of mid-winter break, with classes resuming Monday, February 26th.
(Photo courtesy West Seattle Baseball)
As youth-sports signup season starts, West Seattle Baseball registration has closed, and it went so well, the league is looking for coaching help. From Karen Rains:
Registration closed this week for West Seattle Baseball and interest and sign-up has exceeded all expectations! We are looking for another Pony coach! Know any former players (college or above) who would like to lead a team? Any potential lead is a good one. As always, the league is willing to support any volunteer as much as possible with practice plans and other coaches to help lead a few practices if necessary. We don’t want to turn any players away!
Please reach out to the Pony Commish, Nathan Thomas – uglycousin@yahoo.com – if you are interested or have an idea for us!
It’s been a hot discussion topic in WSB transit/transportation coverage for a long time – north West Seattle’s relative lack of Metro service compared to other areas. In her newest weekly update, Councilmember Lisa Herbold announced she is asking SDOT – via the letter embedded above – to find out what it would cost to fix that. (Though Metro is a county service, city dollars pay for some of the service.) If you haven’t seen it via e-mail or web, here’s her update:
As District 1 Councilmember, I regularly hear from residents of the Admiral and Alki neighborhoods about the lack of daytime and evening bus service to and from Downtown. Non-rush hour service on Bus Route 56, which connects Alki and Admiral to Downtown, was eliminated in 2012.
As a result, Admiral is the only Urban Village in Seattle without off-peak transit service to Downtown. It is also the only Urban Village not served by the Frequent Transit Network included in the Seattle Transit Master Plan. Urban Villages were adopted by Seattle in the 1994 Comprehensive Plan to direct growth to areas with enhanced services, so the lack of service is noteworthy, and unique. The lack of off-peak service to Downtown for an urban village also does not seem consistent with our approach to managing growth.
I have written a letter to SDOT Director Goran Sparrman, requesting that SDOT assess the costs associated with improving off-peak transit service on Route 56, and inform me of the City’s funding capacity to meet this need with Seattle Transportation Benefit District funds passed by Seattle voters in Proposition 1 in late 2014, which directly funds bus service in Seattle. You can see the letter here. While King County Metro operates bus service, since 2015, with the passage by Seattle voters of Proposition 1, Seattle funds additional bus service.
Background information is included below about how the Admiral Urban Village fits into the city’s transportation and growth plans.
After the State Legislature passed the Growth Management Act in 1990, to stop regional sprawl and direct growth into designated areas. The City of Seattle adopted the Urban Village Strategy in its passage of the 1994 Comprehensive Plan. By 1999, the City had completed passage of neighborhood plans throughout Seattle, to implement the state Growth Management Act, and to direct growth into areas with enhanced services to match the growth.
Seattle has six Urban Centers, six Hub Urban Villages and eighteen Residential Urban Villages. Of those 30 areas targeted for growth in the 2035 Comprehensive Plan, only Admiral lacks off-peak transit service to Downtown.
Figures from the Seattle Transit Master Plan illustrate the unique status of the Admiral Urban Village. Figure 3-1 shows the City Capacity Transit Vision for High Capacity Transit Corridors. Figure 1-2 shows how these current and planned corridors align with the Urban Centers, Hub Urban Villages, and Residential Urban Villages adopted in Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan.
All of Seattle’s six Urban Centers and six Hub Urban Villages are included in a corridor—nearly all of which go to Downtown. In addition, 16 of Seattle’s 18 Residential Urban Villages are included in a corridor. The only ones that aren’t included in one of the transit corridors for RapidRide, Light Rail, Priority Bus Corridors, and the Streetcar are 1) Admiral and 2) South Park.
Figure 4-1 shows the status of the Frequent Transit Network as of March 2016; it notes a few areas on the map for “Priority Upgrade to Frequent,” including the Admiral Urban Village.
The Frequent Transit network included in the Transit Master Plan is designed to provide service every 15 minutes or better, 18-24 hours a day, seven days a week. This document shows bus routes that meet the frequent transit service level for land use purposes (SMC 23.84A.038), i.e. 15 minutes or less for at least 12 hours per day, 6 days a week, and transit headways of 30 minutes or less for at least 18 hours every day.
The current Frequent Transit Network using land use standards serves 29 of the 30 areas targeted for growth, but not Admiral.
Transportation Figure 5, from the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan, shows the Planned Frequent Transit Network, which includes SW Admiral Way through the Urban Village.
It appears that among Seattle’s 30 Urban Centers and Urban Villages, the Admiral Urban Village is one of only two not included the High Capacity Transit Network, and uniquely 1) is not served by the current Frequent Transit Network, and 2) has no off-peak bus service to Downtown. In addition, it saw a decrease in bus service to Downtown, with the 2012 elimination of off-peak service to Downtown on bus route 56. No buses leave for Downtown after 9 a.m., and return buses from Downtown operate only during evening rush hour.
Given the geographic distribution of jobs and work patterns, direct access to Downtown is important. Unless we are able to provide sufficient bus service to the Admiral Urban Village, it is less likely it will be able to accommodate its share of growth.
Metro Service prioritizes crowding, schedule reliability and service frequency. Proposition 1 noted that revenues would be used for these purposes, consistent with the Seattle Transit Master Plan and Metro’s Service Guidelines.
However, I believe we are missing an important element of equity in not considering how we can increase ridership in areas with low ridership and minimal options available to improve ridership. The lack of off-peak service to Downtown for an Urban Village also does not seem consistent with our approach to managing growth.
While King County Metro’s Service Guidelines target a minimum service level of at least every 60 minutes, even an exception for less frequent off-peak service would be an improvement.
If you would like to talk with Councilmember Herbold about this or anything else, her next “in-district office hours” event is Friday (February 23rd), 2-7 pm at South Park Community Center (8319 8th Ave. S.).
(Anna’s Hummingbird, photographed during a recent sunbreak by Mark Wangerin)
Eclectic list, both in venues and activities, for today/tonight – see for yourself!
EARTHQUAKE EDUCATION: Not in West Seattle, but at least one well-known local is participating – it’s the public day at the Living with Earth Hazards in Western Washington – 2018 Geohazards Symposium at McCaw Hall @ Seattle Center. WS-residing reporter/author Sandi Doughton, who wrote ” Full Rip 9.0: The Next Big Earthquake in the Pacific Northwest,” is keynote speaker at 9 am and 1:30 pm. Full list of the day’s speakers – all free and open to the public – is here. More info here. (321 Mercer St.)
HIAWATHA COMMUNITY CENTER CLOSURE: Starting today and continuing through next weekend, the center is closed for floor-refinishing work.
SEWING GUILD: The American Sewing Guild‘s monthly neighborhood meeting is 10 am-noon at The Kenney; all welcome. (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)
MEET THE MAHONIAS: It’s not just a work party, it’s a citizen science project! 10 am-noon at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) – more info in our calendar listing. (6000 16th SW)
WSHS BASKETBALL PLAYOFF GAMES: The district playoffs continue with games today for both West Seattle High School teams, both at Bellevue College. At 3 pm the boys play Garfield in a must-win game to determine who gets the final spot in regionals. At 8:15 pm, the girls play Cleveland in the district title game. (3000 Landerholm Circle SE)
TALK WITH YOUR SCHOOL-BOARD REP: 3-5 pm at High Point Library, drop in for this month’s community conversation with West Seattle/South Park’s rep on the Seattle School Board, Leslie Harris, who is also the president of the board. (35th SW/SW Raymond)
ROLLER DERBY: The Rainier Roller Girls’ second bout of the season is tonight, 5:45-8:30 pm at Southgate Roller Rink – full details here. The theme is a flashback to the ’80s, and you can be part of it too. (9646 17th SW)
MUSICAL LOVEFEST & DONATION DRIVE: 7 pm-midnight at South Park Hall, with a simple price of admission – a box of tampons (you’ve heard about this, right?) or pads, or socks, for people experiencing homelessness. (1253 S. Cloverdale)
BRANDI CARLILE: 7 pm in-store at Easy Street Records – “to celebrate her new album, By The Way, I Forgive You, which drops today! Buy Brandi’s new album at our store … and we’ll give you a wristband that will get you into the in-store & signing.” Online sales don’t qualify you for this – so get down to the store, and then to the show. (California/Alaska)
MALLET HEAD: 7:30 pm at Kenyon Hall – “Cool jazz fills the hall once again, courtesy of Seattle’s vibes wizard, Tom Collier” and friends. (7904 35th SW)
‘NEXT TO NORMAL’: Second performance of Twelfth Night Productions‘ new play, 7:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Tickets available online as well as at the venue. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
THE ABBAGRAPHS: ’70s nostalgia with The ABBAgraphs and DJ Vodka Twist, 8 pm at Parliament Tavern. “’70s attire encouraged; contests and prizes for best ’70s threads!” $8 cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
THERE’S EVEN MORE … on our complete-calendar page.
The National Weather Service has made some changes to the Wind Advisory alert for today, first issued Friday morning. See the new version here. It’s now in effect 9 am-6 pm, and at the heart of it, “Southerly winds will increase to 20 to 35 mph with gusts near 45 mph about midday.” Strongest winds are expected this afternoon, and power outages are possible, so keep everything charged, and look around outside for anything that could cause a problem if blown around.
(WSB photo)
When a Seattle Fire Department “full response” was sent at midmorning Friday to 5949 California SW – the 2-year-old microstudio apartment building known as Fauntleroy Lofts – it was the eighth time SFD had been called there in the past five days. And while today’s “full response” was for a kitchen fire, some of the other incidents have led to an arson investigation.
Archived Real-Time 911 logs show two calls there on Monday (February 11th), an Automatic Fire Alarm call at 2:56 pm and a 3 Red call at 4:40 pm. There were three on Thursday (February 15th), Automatic Fire Alarm calls at 2:57 pm and 4:39 pm and a 1 Red call at 5:44 pm. Today there were three more – an Automatic Fire Alarm call at 7:04 am, the “full response” at 10:25 am, and an Automatic Fire Alarm at 12:22 pm. Before that, online records show, there hadn’t been an SFD dispatch to 5949 California SW since a fire-alarm call on January 10th.
Two of the calls are linked to police reports classified as “reckless burning” – one on Monday, one on Thursday. The narrative explaining the reasons for that classification isn’t available online; SFD wouldn’t comment on the specifics, referring us to SPD because it’s the “lead agency for the investigation of these incidents.”
A tenant tells WSB that one Monday incident happened because “somebody took a roll of toilet paper, lit it on fire, and threw it into the hallway” and that the same thing happened again Thursday, both times on the same floor. Another incident, the tenant said, was a kitchen fire, while others involved someone “pulling the fire alarm.”
In e-mail to WSB, that resident and another one expressed concerns for their personal safety and security, and concerns that the building’s management/ownership was not doing enough about the situation. We sent an inquiry to an e-mail on the building’s website, and the manager responded that they would forward it to the owners, who e-mailed us this response:
We are writing you in response to an ongoing arson investigation at our building Fauntleroy Lofts. We take this all EXTREMELY serious, as the safety of our tenants has been grossly violated. We are working directly with both the Seattle Fire Dept. Arson Investigation Team and The Seattle Police Dept. to catch the person responsible for setting the fires and false alarms. Although we cannot discuss details of the investigation, we are working to locate and prosecute this criminal to the fullest extent of the law.
As owners, the safety of the both people living in our building and the surrounding community is our highest concern. Perception may be that nothing is being done, but please be assured we are doing everything we physically & legally can to provide our tenants with the safety and security they deserve. Although this may make it appear “nothing is being done”, our biggest priority is following protocol with the Arson investigation team so we can put an end to this so our building is safe again. ANY suspicious activity should be reported IMMEDIATELY to the Arson Investigation Team @ 1-800-55-ARSON or the Seattle Police Dept. Arson/Bomb Unit @ 206-684-8980.
The Owners of Fauntleroy Lofts
According to King County Assessor records, the building has 38 units.
From the son of longtime West Seattleite Darrell Burleigh:
I just wanted you to know that my father passed away recently.
He was more than just the best dad a son could hope for. He was a great man. He led by quiet example. He touched many lives and everyone liked him.
I’m sure he will be remembered by those who worked alongside him at the West Seattle Post Office, his friends at the West Seattle Golf Course, most recently those he helped at the Granada condos, and fellow residents at DayStar Assisted Living. For all of his adult life, he was a member of the West Seattle Christian Church. His life was Christ-like.
Plans for a memorial or funeral service are pending.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@wsb.blackfin.biz)
It’s been a busy week at local schools, with special events before Mid-Winter Break, including Chief Sealth International High School‘s annual Multicultural Night. We stopped in last night and caught a song by the guitarists and singers you see in our video above. The entertainment schedule also included mariachi, spoken word, and Native American, Latino, Polynesian, Cambodian, and Latin dancers, Some groups tabled, including the Japanese language program:
Other tablers included the Black Student Union, Gender and Sexuality Club, African Student Association, Key Club, Green Team, Thai Club, and Model UN.
Families and community members were invited to watch the performances:
This was a free event – if you missed it this year, watch our calendar next school year!
Thanks to Brent Lindblom for the update – you’re invited to go cheer for swimmers and divers in the finals tomorrow!
Congratulations to the Kennedy HS Swim and Dive Team advancing to the State Finals this weekend. Though Kennedy Catholic High School is technically located in Burien, West Seattle has many students attending the school.
Swim Finals:
Jack Fenster: 200 Medley Relay, 50 Free style, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay
Ty Lindblom: 200 Medley Relay, 100 Back Stroke, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay
Brendon Stoll: 200 Medley Relay and 200 Free Relay
Luke Dorsett: 200 Free Relay and 400 Free Relay
Ben Kinerk: 200 Medley Relay an 400 Free Relay
Alternates: Riley Duvall, JJ Hartog, Trey HuntDive Finals:
Ryan Klem: Men 1 meter divingLocation: King County Aquatics Center – 650 SW Campus Dr, Federal Way
Finals: Saturday (February 17th)
Warm-up: 1:10 pm – Finals events start: 2:20 pm
State Admission Prices: Day Passes- Adult: $10 – Seniors/Students: $8 – Children Under 5: Free
(Please note that it is cash only)
Anybody else local in the state finals? Let us know!
(U.S. Coast Guard photo, February 2017)
The state has announced a fine for a diesel spill that followed a tugboat incident in our area one year ago. Here’s the Ecology Department news release:
The Washington Department of Ecology has fined Island Tug and Barge $8,000 for a spill of diesel fuel into the Duwamish River on Feb. 28, 2017. The penalty cites the company for the spill itself and for not making immediate notifications, as required by state law.
The company’s tug Island Wind struck a barge in the West Waterway of the Duwamish on that date, , breaching its hull and a fuel tank, spilling approximately 1,340 gallons of diesel. The company and its contractor, Global Diving and Salvage, mounted a prompt response and recovered 1,273 gallons of the spill. Small, unrecoverable sheens escaped into Elliott Bay.
The notification to the state occurred more than 90 minutes after the incident. Oil spills to water must be immediately reported to the Washington Emergency Management Division and the National Response Center. See Ecology’s website for details.
In addition to the penalty, Ecology is billing Island Tug and Barge $3,000 to recover the state’s costs to oversee the response.
The company also faces, under state law, a Resource Damage Assessment for harm caused to public resources. Compensation could include a restoration and enhancement project or study, or the spiller may be assessed a monetary amount, to be paid into a state fund that issues grants to local governments for environmental restoration projects.
FIRST REPORT, 4:48 PM: We’re again at Sammamish High School on the Eastside for district playoffs, and the West Seattle High School boys have just won a decisive victory against Bellevue HS, 49-38, keeping the lead all game long. Next up, another must-win game for the Wildcats – 3 pm tomorrow at Bellevue College, they’ll play the winner of tonight’s Garfield-Cleveland game – for a slot in regionals. Photos and details later!
ADDED 7:45 PM: The Wolverines tried but just couldn’t stop the Wildcats, who were out to a 7-0 lead within two minutes and never looked back. #2 Elijah Nnanabu was the scoring (17 points) and rebounding standout; #5 Abdullahi Mohamed had a strong game too (11 points):
Tight West Seattle defense forced Bellevue to keep trying from outside, and for most of the game, that wasn’t working. Meantime, the Wildcat lead was added to by #23 Anthony Giomi (10 points) …
… and #24 Simon Harris, who extended the WSHS lead to 11-2 before Bellevue even got a second basket:
WSHS so owned the first quarter, it ended with them leading 21-4. But Bellevue tried a comeback at that point, with 9 unanswered points on 3 three-pointers, and suddenly the lead was down to 8 points. That’s as close as Bellevue could get. They trailed 32-18 at halftime and never got close. WSHS didn’t take anything for granted, though, chasing the ball whenever they got a chance.
#3 Kendall Green shot a 3-pointer that gave the Wildcats their biggest lead, 39-20, midway through the third quarter. And they kept a double-digit advantage the rest of the way, with the final score 49-38. We’ll add an update here when we know who they’re playing Saturday afternoon.
ADDED SATURDAY MORNING: They’re playing Garfield.
You might recall that photo, provided by police on Monday when they announced the Sunday arrest of a man at a house on Puget Ridge. As we noted in an update to the story, he was released from jail Monday night on personal recognizance. Now, he’s back in jail, and he’s been charged: One felony drug charge is filed against 28-year-old Gregory Lee Thompson. The charging papers say police found “evidence of drug-dealing activity” at Thompson’s house – baggies and scales, along with the 400+ pills and meth listed in the police report. And the documents say prosecutors believe the 19 guns that also were found – though they are not the subject of a specific charge at this point – “increase the risk that the defendant will commit an act of violence as part of his drug dealing activity.” A $20,000 arrest warrant was issued when the charge was filed, and that’s why Thompson is back in jail as of this afternoon, just before he was due in court for a trial-readiness hearing in another drug case. That hearing has been rescheduled for next Friday.
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