West Seattle, Washington
21 Wednesday
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Next week, as many West Seattleites grapple with downtown-bound Viadoom, at least three will be heading the other way:
The state Legislature convenes on Monday, so your 34th District state legislators (all of whom live in West Seattle) will be going south, to Olympia.
Before then – State Reps. Eileen Cody and Joe Fitzgibbon and Sen.-elect Joe Nguyen are offering you a briefing and Q&A this Saturday morning (10 am January 12th, Delridge Community Center, 4501 Delridge Way SW).
We checked in with Sen.-elect Nguyen for this December story – and then sat down to talk with Reps. Cody and Fitzgibbon recently to get their take on what’ll be big this year.
8:35 PM: Our area’s largest political organization has a new chair: Gina Topp was elected tonight to lead the 34th District Democrats. She succeeds David Ginsberg, who decided after one 2-year term not to run again. Topp had previously served as treasurer. We’ll add more details from tonight’s meeting after our crew returns.
ADDED EARLY THURSDAY: First, the pitches made by Topp and the other two chair candidates, on video:
FIRST REPORT, 4:29 PM: Not long after multiple people called 911 to report hearing gunfire in the High Point area, police got a report of a damaged vehicle near 31st and Bataan. They’re investigating, but there’s no report of any injuries so far. Updates to come.
4:36 PM: Photos added. And our crew says the helicopter in the area is just TV.
5:37 PM: Per scanner, police are looking for a suspect, and the search has blocked some parts of the area.
5:54 PM: Also per scanner, a suspect is in custody, after an arrest outside West Seattle.
11:52 PM: The jail register shows the suspect, a 37-year-old man, was booked for investigation of drive-by shooting, unlawful gun possession, and assault.
ADDED THURSDAY: The incident was written up today on SPD Blotter.
FRIDAY NOTE: The suspect remains in jail, bail set at $150,000. We’ll be checking later today on whether he is charged.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
X marks the spot.
The “X” marks a small section of the Alaskan Way Viaduct that will be demolished almost immediately after the entire structure is closed forever at 10 pm this Friday (January 11th).
WSDOT and other agencies gathered local news media near that spot at midmorning today for the latest briefing looking ahead to the weeks of 99-less-ness while work is done for the viaduct-to-tunnel transition. We recorded it all on video:
No huge headlines at the briefing, but its context was shaped by today’s tougher-than-usual morning commute out of West Seattle, one that hadn’t yet subsided when we headed out for the 10:30 am briefing. The main event factoring into the hours-long backup was a stuck truck blocking one lane of NB 99; that was enough fodder to imagine what things might be like once all of 99 is out of commission for 3 weeks starting Friday night.
SDOT‘s director of downtown mobility Heather Marx (a West Seattleite) urged commuters to be kind and patient with each other. Seattle Police Assistant Chief Steve Hirjak said police will be taking special measures to help tow trucks get though when needed, and that a new auxiliary tow yard has opened “closer to downtown” so that crews involved in clearing incidents won’t be out of service for as long as usual.
Those tow trucks might be busy with other things during #Realign99 – Marx said, “We will tow with alacrity” if people violate the temporary no-parking zones that are planned in various spots. Hirjak reiterated that police will be deployed to keep certain intersections moving, but their goal is more to move people along than to cite them, though ticketing is not “off the table.”
Seattle Fire Deputy Chief Ron Mondragon said SFD will keep close watch on response times, and if they have to take extra measures downtown such as using transit lanes, they will.
Among the many other things that will be watched and adjusted if necessary once the effects of the Highway 99 closure are fully up to (or more like down to) speed next week: Metro bus operations. Post-briefing, we asked Metro’s Bill Bryant the question we continue to hear – will the buses that formerly used The Viaduct be stopping anywhere south of downtown? He says the inbound buses will all stop at either Yesler or James for starters, but that will change if it turns out to be a logjam. (Here again are the Metro routes [PDF], both temporary for #Realign99, then interim, then permanent.)
As for the #Realign99 work itself, WSDOT’s Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program deputy administrator Dave Sowers said what began when the 99 ramps in the stadium zones were closed is “progressing” well. WSDOT published this time-lapse video of the built-then-buried tunnel approach ramp being unearthed:
That part of the ramp was built in 2013 – the same year tunnel-digging began, after the tunneling machine arrived from Japan.
If all goes well, the tunnel could open as soon as the night of Sunday, February 3rd, WSDOT has said. Remember that if you’re not using the tunnel, 99 won’t be of use for another week or more after it opens, because work will continue to finish the new Dearborn ramp. If you missed it last week, here’s the WSDOT video explaining how getting into downtown via that ramp will work:
Here’s the full transition timeline. (And if you’re looking for information on the February 2-3 goodbye/hello celebration weekend, that’s at 99stepforward.com.)
WHAT’S NEXT: At least one more briefing before the Friday night closure.
Thanks for the tips on these following our coverage of other recent closures:
IRASHAI RESTAURANT: Though the “open” sign remains illuminated and flashing, the Japanese restaurant in The Admiral District has closed, according to the note on its door, first noticed by Kim. The note says, “We hope to serve you soon with a new restaurant and a new menu.” (We did note recently that there was an application for a change in its liquor license.) Irashai opened a year and a half ago in a space that previously housed Mawadda Café.
CHECKMATE DRY CLEANERS: This first surfaced in comments on our coverage of the West Seattle Pizza Hut‘s impending closure – commenter GatewoodGuy noted that the cleaners next door had recently closed too. We went over to verify and found a note on its door citing “personal matters” and referring customers to Q Cleaners in The Junction. This is the second dry cleaners to close in West Seattle in six months, following the Alki Cleaners closure in July.
That’s part of the police presence at West Seattle High School following investigation of a threat that is not believed to be credible, according to a letter just sent to families by WSHS principal Brian Vance. Thanks to the parent who forwarded it to us – you can see it here (PDF). Vance writes that the threat was reported by a student who said it was a specific threat toward her, and adds, “Although the phone message does not appear to be a credible threat, we will continue to have extra SPD and District Security on campus.”
(Varied Thrush, photographed by Robin Sinner, shared via the WSB Flickr group)
Five for tonight:
INFO SESSION: At South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), you’re invited to find out about the two-year (six quarter) Bachelor of Applied Science in Hospitality Management degree program at a 6-7 pm informational session tonight. Details in our calendar listing. (6000 16th SW)
LIGHT RAIL STAKEHOLDERS: Just a few months until the “preferred alternative” for routing and stations is set to be decided. The process of getting there resumes tonight, 5-8 pm, with the Stakeholder Advisory Group‘s meeting downtown. Open to the public, but no comment period.
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: Special start time as the area’s largest political organization chooses new leadership. 6:30 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy. (9131 California SW)
DISTRICT 1 COMMUNITY NETWORK: The new West Seattle/South Park supergroup we wrote about here last month meets tonight for the first time, 7 pm at South Park Community Center. (8319 8th Ave. S.)
POEMS AND STORIES: Monthly event at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7 pm – go here to find out who’s reading this time. (5612 California SW)
SEE TODAY’S FULL LINEUP … on our complete calendar.
If you have a little one who’ll be starting preschool next school year, it’s not too soon to start looking. This might help: The West Seattle Preschool Fair, next Monday (January 14th), 5:30-7:30 pm at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church. The whole family’s welcome; no admission charge – but please preregister by going here. The fair is presented by the West Seattle Preschool Association.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
7:17 AM: Good morning. Third-to-last day for the Alaskan Way Viaduct, which closes forever at 10 pm Friday. Texter reports a problem backing things up on NB 99 near the stuadiums.
STILL HAVE A VIADOOM/SEATTLE SQUEEZE QUESTION? We’re going to the next multi-agency media briefing this morning and taking along any lingering questions – comment, or contact us, if you have one.
7:52 AM: Don’t know if it’s new or the same blockage but official traffic reports now mention a stuck truck blocking right lane of NB 89 at Holgate.
Commenters say Admiral is way backed up.
8:01 AM: Reports of other approaches to the bridge backed up too.
8:15 AM: Low bridge backed up too. SDOT says an incident response team is with the truck on 99. Also – crash reported at 35th/Morgan.
8:47 AM: SDOT says the truck on 99 has been moved to the shoulder.
10:05 AM: We’re on the way to the Viadoom briefing and the high bridge is still backed up to Nucor. Also, two cars pulled over in the right eastbound lane across from Walking on Logs – couldn’t tell if it was a fender bender or one driver assisting another. No emergency vehicles on scene.
10:15 AM: Made it to the 1st Avenue S. offramp.
By Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Neighbors gathered Tuesday night for a meeting of the Admiral Neighborhood Association, to discuss topics ranging from affordable housing to “Viadoom.”
The meeting, held at The Sanctuary at Admiral, was the first ANA meeting with David Hancock at the helm as the group’s president. The current slate of ANA officers includes:
Board members provided some brief updates, including the news that the likely dates for this summer’s Thursday night Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series would be July 18 through August 22.
SHOT-UP SIGN: Vlad sent the photo after spotting the bullet holes in that stop sign at 37th & Ida Thistle in Gatewood. “It appears that there are still bullets lodged in the center section where the pole is located behind.” No way to know how recently this happened – he spotted it while walking on a street that’s not his regular route – but he reported it to police.
PACKAGE TAKEN: This security video is from the front porch of a house in the 3800 block of SW Graham last Friday night:
While it might look as if the person in the video dropped something off while picking up the package that was taken, the sender says nothing was actually left behind.
WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: The community groups that regularly meet at the Southwest Precinct are emerging from holiday hiatus, starting with the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council, next Tuesday (January 15th) at 7 pm. It’s your chance to bring neighborhood crime/safety concerns directly to local police. The precinct is at 2300 SW Webster
Family and friends will gather Saturday (January 12th) to remember Louis (Eric) Erickson Jr. They are sharing this remembrance with the community:
It is with great sadness that the family of Louis (Eric) Erickson Jr. announces his unexpected and sudden passing on January 7, 2019 at 60 years old. For those of you fortunate enough to have known Eric, you knew a funny, sweet, and caring man who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it and never asked for anything in return.
Eric was born and raised in West Seattle and was proud to say he lived there his entire life. He attended Alki Elementary, James Madison Junior High, and West Seattle High School (Class of ’77). During high school, he played varsity football and was a track star. It was also there that he met his high-school sweetheart, Deanna Tetrick.
Eric and Deanna were married shortly after high school and had two children together. Jennifer was born in ’79 and her little brother Louis III was born shortly after in ’83. They were the lights of his life and, in his words, the best things that ever happened to him. He was a dedicated family man even through tough times. He and Deanna eventually divorced and co-parented their children together. He coached his son’s basketball team, taught his daughter the proper way to maintain her car, and was over the moon when he became a grandfather.
In 1993, Eric was sent on a blind date that was set up by a co-worker. Sparks flew and there he met his soon-to-be wife, Heather. She was not only his wife, but his best friend and he would tell everyone he met how she had saved his life. He pursued a career as a medical assistant and loved what he did until physical disabilities left him unable to work. He soon took on the career as “professional grandpa” and manager of the Westview Plaza apartments.
Eric was a tried and true West Seattleite with strong ties to his community. He regularly frequented the West Seattle Thriftway to chat up the people at the deli or you would see him at The Bridge enjoying a burger. He would tell anyone who would listen about childhood escapades in Schmitz Park or how Alki has changed since he was a boy. He would bring his yellow roses as gifts to anyone who might want them. He had a sense of humor like no other and would even joke at his own expense just to bring a smile to anyone around him.
He is survived by his wife Heather, two children, Jennifer and Louis III (Kara), stepdaughter Rebecca (Ryan), and ten grandchildren (Nautica, Isaiah, Chrisheil, Jayloni, Kaylia, Tobin, Rex, Pearl, June, and Evelyn). He loved his kids and grandkids more than anything, and was having a great time being a grandpa, or “pop pop” as he was also called. He will be deeply missed.
Services will be held at Alki Congregational Church on January 12, 2019 from 12-2 pm. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Emerald City Pet Rescue/Kitty Harbor at emeraldcitypetrescue.org.
(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)
(File photo: Log House Museum, SWSHS HQ)
The new year brings new leadership to the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. Here’s the announcement:
The SWSHS Board of Trustees announces the departure of Jeff McCord from the position of Executive Director. Jeff’s leadership role with the society began in July 2017, and during this time, he oversaw successful exhibits in the Log House Museum and the many programs sponsored by the historical society.
Jeff is looking forward to focusing on his family, serving on non-profit boards and additional volunteerism in the community, as well as exploring other creative business pursuits in game design, videography, and drone photography. A search for a new Executive Director begins this month.
A new Board of Directors takes office in January to lead the organization in its mission to promote local heritage through education, preservation and advocacy. Officers include Kathy Blackwell, President; Nancy Sorensen, Vice-President; Lissa Kramer, Interim Treasurer; Sandie Wilkinson, Secretary; John Sweetland, Membership Secretary.
The society is pleased to have two new trustees: Carol Vincent, one of the founders of the Log House Museum, and Lissa Kramer, former Museum Curator. Dora-Faye Hendricks, Kerry Korsgaard, Burke Dykes, Marcy Johnsen, and Ken Workman continue as Trustees.
The SWSHS board is grateful to three departing board members: Karen Sisson, who served as President for 2 years; Ron Arant, Treasurer and technology guru for many years; and Jenni Bodnar, Trustee for 3 years.
SWSHS looks forward to the New Year that will include fresh emphasis on embracing the entire Duwamish Peninsula, highlighting its rich heritage and fascinating stories.
The next SWSHS event is this Thursday (January 10th), when the Words, Writers, West Seattle author series features our state’s Poet Laureate Claudia Castro Luna, 6 pm at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW).
The crowd in our photo was at Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of 10 local schools that received special deliveries today of hatchery-harvested salmon eggs:
The eggs will be reared in tanks at the schools until spring, when the fry are released into Fauntleroy Creek. Making the rounds again this year on behalf of Salmon in the Schools are Judy Pickens (photo below) and Phil Sweetland (second photo below, with OLG teacher Sarah Nadalin):
At OLG, first- and sixth-graders are involved; the other schools scheduled to receive eggs today in Phil and Judy’s five-plus-hour delivery marathon were Pathfinder K-8, Louisa Boren STEM K-8, Westside School (WSB sponsor), and six elementaries: Alki, Sanislo, Highland Park, West Seattle, Gatewood, and Arbor Heights.
(WSB photo, October 20, 2018)
A new skirmish in the ongoing fight over the future of the West Seattle Junction Association‘s free-to-shoppers parking lots. We’ve reported on the WSJA’s donation-seeking efforts to help cover the cost of dramatically increased rent. Now the lots’ owners, the consortium known as West Seattle Trusteed Properties, have served WSJA with a notice saying the donation boxes put up at the lots in October violate the lease, and giving the merchants’ organization 10 days to remove them or “vacate” (as in, give up the lots).
The paperwork headed “10-Day Notice to Cure Lease Defaults or Vacate” was shown to WSB by Junction Association executive director Lora Radford. It alleges three violations – that soliciting donations equals charging for parking, and that the donation boxes and signage were put up without “prior written consent” of Trusteed Properties. Radford said WSJA consulted its attorney and does not believe the donation campaign is a lease violation. The association was planning to send a response letter to Trusteed Properties, whose secretary Tyler M. Johnson signed the notice, dated January 4th but received Monday. Radford says they will stress that they don’t believe the donation boxes are a violation, but will request retroactive permission anyway.
WSJA says its rent this year – due largely to a property-tax increase that’s passed through under lease terms – will be more than $245,000, almost triple what it was in 2016. Ten separate parcels owned by Trusteed Properties comprise the four lots (three on 44th SW, one on 42nd SW). For more backstory on the rent situation, see our coverage from last March.
First – Todd just found this bicycle in Riverview:
Second – A texter found this one on a trail in Roxhill Park “behind the ballfield”:
If you recognize either, please let us know and we’ll connect you with the finder. Also a note – another reader asked us to remind bicycle owners to register with Bike Index (it’s free) as another way of increasing the chance of a reunion if yours is ever taken.
11:59 AM: Thanks to Phil for the tip/photo. That crash on southbouhd 35th SW at SW Alaska might back things up for a bit. No SFD callout so far, so apparently no serious injuries.
12:26 PM: Now another crash of note – westbound West Seattle Bridge at the Delridge exit. This one DOES have an SFD dispatch.
It’s on the offramp itself, according to SDOT (traffic-cam framegrab added).
1 PM: SDOT says 35th/Alaska is clear.
1:07 PM: And now the Delridge offramp is, too.
(Rhinoceros Auklet, photographed by Matt Olson)
First busy night of 2019 – from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: 6:30 pm at The Sanctuary @ Admiral, all welcome. Agenda items are in our calendar listing. (42nd SW/SW Lander)
COTTAGE GROVE COMMONS COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE: 6:30 pm at Cottage Grove Commons (now open five years, as we recently noted), community members are invited to bring questions/concerns to this meeting of its community advisory committee. (5444 Delridge Way SW)
WEST SEATTLE BIKE CONNECTIONS: This community group meets at 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House High Point, all welcome. (6400 Sylvan Way)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: 7 pm in the conference room at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, the FCA board meets, community members welcome. Agenda items are in our calendar listing. (9131 California SW)
FLY-TYING WORKSHOP: 7 pm at Emerald Water Anglers (WSB sponsor) – tonight, the Wiggle Minnow! The registration link is in our calendar listing. (4502 42nd SW)
LOOK INTO THE FUTURE … via our complete calendar!
The heart of winter is time for many families to get ready for summer, by signing up for camp. Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) and Boom Studios LLC have just opened registration and are also offering a camp fair this weekend if you want to sign up in person:
Mode Music Studios and Boom Studios LLC are collaborating to bring you half day and full day summer camps in a variety of ways. Choose from music, theater, or dance camps alone or pair them with another half day to make it a full day of the arts! Enrollment is open starting January 7th at noon to the public. Take advantage of 10% off early enrollment from now until March 15th!
We are hosting a Boom and Mode Studios Summer Camp Fair Sunday, January 13th from 3-6:00 pm. Spin our prize wheel for the chance to win discounts on our full day camps! Performances from our Mode Music Studios students and Boom Dance Hip Hop Crew will be popping up through out the day. Snacks and crafts are available to the kids, as well as a glimpse into our new studio space and winter class signup.
We hope to see you there!
Visit any of our websites for summer camp signup and winter class information.
modemusicstudios.com
modemusicandperformingarts.org
boomstudiosllc.comWe can’t wait to start 2019 with a bang and secure your spots in our awesome summer camps this year!
Sunday’s fair is at 3801 Delridge Way SW.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
7:11 AM: Good morning! No incidents or transit alerts in our area so far.
REMINDER: The Highway 99 closure starts 10 pm Friday (here’s the timeline).
7:50 AM: SDOT reports a “blocking bus” at 5th/Roxbury.
That’s Seattle Channel video of today’s City Council committee meeting resuming consideration of HALA Mandatory Housing Affordability upzoning. The meeting was a refresher of sorts, including an update on city staffers’ progress working on a historic-resources addendum to the HALA MHA Environmental Impact Statement, as ordered by the city Hearing Examiner. It’s expected to be completed by the end of the month, councilmembers were told. (Here’s the slide deck from that part of the briefing.) The briefing also looked at potential amendments to the HALA MHA housing – those are detailed in this memo, along with a different type of amendments – proposed changes to the city comprehensive plan.
Among the latter are neighborhood-planning-related proposals made by the Morgan Community Association two years ago. Speaking in the public-comment period at the end of today’s meeting were MoCA’s Cindi Barker and Deb Barker, who observed that it’s been frustrating to await their fate; “We could have had a really nice neighborhood planning process since then.”
Of note, West Seattle/South Park Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who met last week with local neighborhood advocates about HALA MHA issues, wasn’t at today’s council meeting. She and at-large Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda were in New York City speaking to an organization that is upset about Amazon’s plan to locate part of its second headquarters there, Make the Road. That group paid for Herbold’s trip, according to her staffer Alex Clardy. In case you’re interested in what she said – the event’s host, New York’s Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, published this video; Herbold’s speech starts about 39 minutes in:
The event included New York politicians with whom Herbold was shown in photos on Twitter:
It was great to join @SeattleCouncil Members @Lisa_Herbold & @TeresaCMosqueda for RWDSU’s #AMZHQ2Brief. Their experiences fighting Amazon’s anti-union, anti-progressive tactics in Seattle should be a lesson for us all in NYC. Amazon must respect workers & our #LIC community. pic.twitter.com/q5E5d2hPP8
— Jimmy Van Bramer (@JimmyVanBramer) January 7, 2019
Seattle City Council member Lisa Herbold shares how her city’s experience with @amazon HQ became the perfect model for this company to try to take over the world, “this company has to put in place a new model for accountability and better conditions for workers” #AMXHQ2Brief pic.twitter.com/fGFmC3WM2F
— NYCC (@nychange) January 7, 2019
Herbold and Mosqueda were not the only absences from today’s HALA meeting; also not there, Councilmembers Lorena González and Kshama Sawant. As Deb Barker detailed to the Southwest District Council last week (WSB coverage here), the council has a busy schedule of HALA-related meetings from hereon out – including Monday and Wednesday of next week (January 14 and 16) – with a final vote on the upzoning proposal expected in mid-March.
With crews resolving the last West Seattle outage of note from Sunday’s windstorm, Puget Ridge has power again and the main South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus will reopen tomorrow. That word is just in from SSC. One of Puget Ridge’s two triple-digit outages was fixed this morning, the other one this afternoon. Seattle City Light is now down to just over 50 customers out of power around its service area – it peaked at more than 50,000 after wind as high as 60 mph moved through early Sunday.
As of today, with days to go until the Highway 99 closure (starting at 10 pm Friday) kicks off the Seattle Squeeze, second bikeshare option is available in West Seattle. The fluorescent-red e-bikes of JUMP have started popping up, joining the green Lime bikes. We noticed them in several areas including Junction Plaza Park, where we photographed by the one above, shortly after JUMP’s parent company Uber sent the announcement that the local service area has expanded to add West Seattle. JUMP bikes have been available in some other parts of the city since November. The expansion announcement notes that “Seattle is one of the first cities to receive JUMP’s next generation bikes, which feature integrated cable locks and a QR code unlocking mechanism.” The company says it’s waiving its $1 unlock fees through February 15th, and that it also has a special price plan for lower-income riders. Today’s expansion also added South Seattle and parts of Queen Anne and Magnolia, Montlake, along with more of the University District. The entire city will be in the service area within “the coming months,” the announcement says.
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