West Seattle, Washington
04 Friday
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Even once there’s a repair-or-immediately-replace decision for the West Seattle Bridge, that won’t necessarily be the absolute final word.
That bit of information emerged in breakout-group discussion during today’s seventh meeting of the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force, which dealt with a variety of topics, and began with a mayoral guest appearance. Our video below shows the first 1 1/2 hours of the 2 1/2-hour meeting:
Task Force co-chair Paulina López opened the meeting, previewing the agenda. Co-chair Greg Nickels introduced the current holder of his former job, Mayor Jenny Durkan. “The job of mayor in the best times is a hard job … (this) mayor has had an incredible amount of hard stuff on her plate this year,” from COVID-19 to racial-injustice protests to the topic at hand, the emergency closure of the West Seattle Bridge almost five months ago.
(NW Seaport Alliance photo: Matson Mahimahi docking at Terminal 5 in 2019)
Two changes ahead at Terminal 5 in West Seattle. Temporary tenant Matson will call there for the last time this week; it’s consolidating Hawaii operations with the Alaska operations it runs from the West Sitcum terminal in Tacoma starting August 28th. As a result, three of the cranes at T-5 will be moved there starting next week; the Northwest Seaport Alliance‘s announcement says, “The cranes will be raised with hydraulic jacks and the wheels/trucks rotated 90 degrees and loaded on a barge.” The remaining three will be dismantled and removed later this year; new cranes will arrive next year as the first expanded berth of the T-5 modernization project prepares to open.
The Wash Dog has a spacious new home, and the “bath house and spa for pets” is sponsoring WSB to make sure everybody knows about the move. Here’s what they would like you to know:
The Wash Dog has moved! We are very happy to be able to welcome furry customers to our new and larger location: 10623 16th Ave SW in White Center [map].
At The Wash Dog, there’s a grooming service for every need:
*Self-Service Dog Wash Rooms – Walk-In Service
*Professional Bathing Service – by appointment
*Professional Grooming – by appointment
*Nail Trims – Walk-In Service
Customers can also drop by with their dog just to say “hi” and pick up a treat.
The Wash Dog is located at 10623 16th Ave SW, on the west side of the street. Hours for walk-in services are Monday–Friday, 10 am to 7:00 pm, and Saturday/Sunday, 9 am to 5:00 pm. Holiday hours are always posted online at thewashdog.com or on The Wash Dog’s Facebook page.
We thank The Wash Dog for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
We checked in today with WSDOT on the status of the ongoing nighttime work to replace deck panels on the northbound 1st Avenue South Bridge. Here’s what spokesperson Tom Pearce tells us:
Our contractor has used five nights of full closures on the NB SR 99 Duwamish River Bridge. Per our agreement, the contractor is allowed to have nine more full closures. They are scheduling three more for Sept. 8-9-10.
During the next two weeks, the northbound bridge will reduce to one lane nightly Sundays through Thursdays, 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. No work on Friday or Saturday nights. These do not count against the nighttime full directional closures.
They have replaced six panels on the bridge; they still have eight to do.
As a reminder, if you have to cross the Duwamish late at night/early in the morning, the West Seattle low bridge is open to all 9 pm-5 am.
(Added 4:46 pm: Archived meeting video)
The City Council Transportation Committee has just given unanimous approval to a funding source – intracity borrowing paid off by a bond sale – for the initial major costs of the West Seattle Bridge project. That followed an extensive briefing on what has transpired in the past almost-five months. First, here are some toplines of how that funding will work:
This money will cover program costs through the first quarter of next year – what will be needed beyond that, too soon to tell, but the just-announced design contractor should be able to come up with an estimate not long after the October repair-or-immediately-replace decision, SDOT says, while also stressing that partner funding is expected – federal, state, etc.
A final vote on the initial funding plan approved this morning (added: here’s the legislation) is set for the next full Council meeting on September 8th. This mornings discussion and vote followed a major briefing on various bridge-related matters, first official briefing for the council since shortly after the sudden shutdown of the bridge on March 23rd. First, SDOT director Sam Zimbabwe recapped what’s happened in the almost five months since safety concerns shut down the bridge, including the determination that repair is possible, while they have not yet determined whether it’s feasible.
SDOT’s WS Bridge program director Heather Marx also spoke, breaking down current work into three categories: On The Bridge, On The Ground, In The Community. The first list included yesterday’s announcement of HNTB as the contractor to design an eventual replacement (whether that needs to happen ASAP or a decade-plus down the road). She also updated the stabilization work (which Marx said will continue into “early winter”):
And the low bridge’s need for “strengthening” (“probably a 2-year project,” per Marx:
She also said in response to a question from Councilmember Lisa Herbold that no major low-bridge closures were likely because of that work.
Meantime, there was a preview of how low-bridge camera enforcement will work:
Meantime, “On The Ground” focused mostly on what detour-route improvements have been made so far:
And more are ahead, Marx noted in the Reconnect West Seattle overview – we expect to hear a lot more about that when the WS Bridge Community Task Force meets at noon today. Meantime, here are the In The Community toplines:
The committee meeting is continuing with non-bridge topics; when the meeting video is available later today, we will add it to this report.
10:04 AM: You can’t get to southbound Delridge Way SW from the five-way intersection right now because of a broken-down truck. Metro Routes 50, 120, and 125 are rerouted, too. Police are directing traffic. (added) The SDOT camera shows a tow truck has arrived.
11:21 AM: Traffic cam shows that the truck has been towed and the lane is open again.
(Caspian Terns at Alki – those are the angle-winged birds with the prehistoric-sounding call – photographed by David Hutchinson)
Good morning. 3 notes for the hours ahead:
BLOOD DRIVE EXTENDED: Last month, we wrote about a pop-up drive at Our Lady of Guadalupe. Now there’s word it’s been extended, with donation sessions added 9 am-5 pm today and next Monday and Wednesday. Here’s how to make an appointment.
TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: The City Council’s Transportation Committee meets online at 9:30 am, with agenda items including West Seattle Bridge funding and scooter-sharing. The agenda includes info on how to view and how to comment.
WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE COMMUNITY TASK FORCE: Online at noon, it’s the advisory group’s 7th meeting, with the agenda including remarks from and Q&A with the mayor. Our preview includes the agenda and how to watch.
6:07 AM: It’s Wednesday, the 149th morning without the West Seattle Bridge.
ROAD WORK/CLOSURES
*Major work continues along Delridge Way for the RapidRide H Line prep project – here’s the bulletin detailing where crews are working this week and how that affects traffic/access.
*The 1st Ave. S. Bridge work is scheduled to continue with another NB closure tonight, 10 pm-5 am.
CHECK THE TRAFFIC BEFORE YOU GO
Here’s the 5-way intersection camera (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/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). Here’s that camera:
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 – No recent changes – still reduced service and distancing – details here.
Water Taxi – Still on its “winter” schedule, with the 773 and 775 shuttles running – see the schedule here.
Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
“Good neighbor!” That’s how Kay describes Brooke, who you see above in a photo taken after Kay spotted Brooke working to clean a vandalized mural. It’s on the south side of the NB 35th SW bus stop near Thistle, depicting the faces of President Barack Obama and Albert Einstein, shown below via Google Street View:
You might see Brooke back at the bus shelter tomorrow – Kay reports she was trying multiple solvents to try to find something that worked, and was planning on “going to the hardware store to ask their advice.”
12:54 AM: Seattle Fire has just dispatched a “full response” to 30th/Charlestown [map] for a report of smoke and flames. Updates to come.
1 AM: Firefighters have radioed that it’s an “exterior rubbish fire” and are downsizing the response.
Tonight’s virus-crisis toplines:
KING COUNTY’S NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:
*17.980 people have tested positive, up 165 from yesterday’s total
*696 people have died, up 5 from yesterday’s total
*2,115 people have been hospitalized, up 6 from yesterday’s total
*327,109 people have been tested, up 4,343 from yesterday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 16,830/679/2,053/340,150.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
BRIEFING TOMORROW: To get the statewide status, watch the weekly media briefing with the state’s COVID-19 response leaders tomorrow (Wednesday) at 2 pm; it’ll be streamed here.
NEED FOOD? Again this week, 2-5 pm Wednesday and Friday, drive up or walk up to get a free box of food at Food Lifeline‘s HQ (815 S. 96th).
GOT GRANTS: The county announced pandemic-aid grants for arts/culture/nightlife, and there are two local recipients.
GOT INFO? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
8:53 PM: The protest group that’s been in West Seattle multiple recent nights, taking the Evening March to elected officials’ homes, is in the area again tonight, this time gathering at and heading out from Westwood Village. They have at least one streamer with them, so you should be able to watch the Seattle Protest Network stream.
9:16 PM: The group is now northbound on Delridge Way.
9:37 PM: The group is approaching the Southwest Precinct. In the nearby residential neighborhoods, their chanting focused on gentrification.
9:50 PM: They’ve gathered outside the precinct, in the plaza … writing on the pavement. The leaders told supporters not to damage anything. You’ll recall the precinct’s windows were boarded up weeks ago; the boards have since been painted black.
10:30 PM: Chalked messages cover the window boards by the precinct’s public entrance; streamers are showing some of them, including the names of people killed by police. They’re also spelling SUMMER in flower petals and tealight candles, after Summer Taylor, a group member killed during a protest earlier this summer. (added) The previous stream link has moved on to Portland, so if you’re interested in the Southwest Precinct demonstration, it’s still on ConcreteReporting.com.
11:15 PM: The group is leaving the precinct.
On the eve of the next West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force meeting, an announcement from SDOT – they’ve chosen
Seattle Department of Transportation has reached a major milestone in our work to restore mobility to West Seattle, the Duwamish Valley, and other communities impacted by the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge closure. Following a competitive Request for Qualifications process, we have selected the infrastructure solutions firm HNTB Corporation to design the West Seattle Bridge replacement.
This does NOT mean the “repair now and replace later, or replace now?” decision has been made – SDOT reiterates this step has to be taken now regardless of what that decision turns out to be. HNTB’s many projects, SDOT notes, include the Highway 99 tunnel, South Park Bridge, and Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The SDOT announcement adds:
By bringing on a firm to design a replacement of the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge now, we are ensuring that all of the pieces are in place to quickly pivot if it becomes clear that repairing the bridge is not advisable, and that we will not lose valuable time hiring a design team to begin the rebuilding process. It also prepares us for the inevitable need to replace this critical route, even if the original bridge can be repaired and reopened for some amount of time.
Read the full announcement here.
(Partial bridgetop view from SDOT camera)
At noon tomorrow (Wednesday, August 19th), the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force meets for the seventh time. We’ve just obtained the agenda and viewing instructions. The agenda starts with a notable guest, Mayor Jenny Durkan. Also included is a breakout-discussion period (1:30-2 pm), which means three different sets of viewing/listening instructions:
Full-group meeting – go here or call:
408-418-9388
Access code: 146 436 2216
Breakout Session A – go here or call:
408-418-9388
Access Code: 146 322 3340
Breakout Session B – go here or call:
408-418-9388
Access Code: 146 263 9282
After tomorrow, it’ll be three weeks until the advisory group’s next meeting on September 9th.
Just announced by the county:
King County provided $2 million in one-time grants to science, arts and culture organizations, and independent live music venues disrupted by COVID-19 across the region. The program is tailored to organizations that draw tourists and is designed to ease the economic burden of the pandemic while also increasing public health measures.
Story
With $2 million of funding backed by the federal CARES Act, King County awarded a total of 62 grants in three categories:• Music venues (35 awards)
• Arts, culture and science educations organizations (21 awards)
• Science organizations (6 awards)The grant funds will improve compliance with public health safety measures as these organizations reopen to support the county’s economic recovery and enhance residents’ quality of life.
Grants may be used to reimburse a variety of costs between March 1 and December, such as payroll, rent, mortgage payments (excluding property taxes), healthcare insurance for employees, and utility expenses necessary to sustain the business during and after the public health emergency.
In addition, the grants may also be used for public health measures necessary to prepare for safe reopening, including, for example, plastic barriers and floor markings or public outreach and education materials.
The list of recipients includes two in West Seattle, both in North Delridge – The Skylark ($19,500) and Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association ($10,000).
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
An online “petition” urging a recall of District 1 City Councilmember Lisa Herbold has almost 2,400 names so far.
But if you added your name thinking you’ve taken action to recall the West Seattle/South Park councilmember – you have not.
Certainly, a popular online petition like this is a major sign of discontent. However, state law spells out an entirely different process to remove an elected official. We looked into that, and into whether anyone had actually initiated that process.
(Aerial photo courtesy Paul Weatherman)
It’s been 2 1/2 months since West Seattle photographer Paul Weatherman took that aerial photo of the June 6th Black Lives Matter protest in The Junction; we featured it in our coverage. But today, it’s turning up on some social-media feeds, mislabeled and uncredited. This first came to our attention last night when a reader pointed out that President Trump had retweeted someone’s tweet claiming the photo was from a protest about mail-in voting:
(Screengrab from our phone last night)
Though the original tweet was apparently meant as a joke – for one, our state has had mail-in voting for years, and for two, the tweeting account describes itself as humorous – the presidential retweet drew corrections, pointing out the photo had appeared in our June story.
We mentioned all this on the WSB Twitter account last night and were just going to leave it at that until we got an inquiry this morning from an organization identifying itself as a “Facebook fact-checking partner.” The email noted that the tweet has been reposted on THAT platform, and they wanted to verify the actual source/truth of the photo. So we thought we had better make a note here too.
(One more look at that stormy Sunday sunset – photo by Mark Dale)
5 things happening today/tonight:
WEST SEATTLE YMCA REOPENS: First day for the Y’s Triangle facility, open Tuesday-Friday from 7-11 am and 3:30-7:30 pm and Saturdays from 10 am-2 pm, by reservation. The pool reopens one week from today. More info here. (3622 SW Snoqualmie)
DEMONSTRATION: All are invited, as announced by organizer Scott again this week:
Black Lives Matter sign-waving
Tuesday, Aug 18th, 4 to 6 pm, corner of 16th SW and SW Holden
Thursday, Aug 20th, 4 to 6 pm, 16th and Holden
SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS ‘TOWN HALL’: The district announced last night that the new school year will start for msot students on Friday, September 4th. Hear from Superintendent Denise Juneau in a live “town hall” online at 4:30 pm.
PARK BOARD MEETS WITH PARK DISTRICT OVERSIGHT BOARD: 6:30 pm online, with some big topics about Seattle Parks‘ present and future – see the agenda here, including details on how to view/participate in the meeting.
TALK WITH/HEAR FROM WEST SEATTLE POLICE: 7 pm online, the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets for the first time in six months – bring questions and concerns, and “meet” the new Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Kevin Grossman and operations Lt. Sina Ebinger. Attend via this link.
That flipped-car crash near the top of the east Admiral Way hill is from KH, who reports: “A car was speeding down Admiral, around the curve at the intersection of Olga and Admiral. The car was swerving, hit the embankment, and flipped over. ” By the time we got to the scene less than an hour after the 6:25 am callout, it was clear. We are following up with SFD and SPD.
ADDED: Photo above is by Veronika. SFD says no one was treated.
6:12 AM: It’s Tuesday, the 148th morning without the West Seattle Bridge.
ROAD WORK/CLOSURES
*Another day of major work along Delridge Way for the RapidRide H Line prep project – here’s the bulletin detailing where crews are working this week and how that affects traffic/access.
*The 1st Ave. S. Bridge work is scheduled to continue tonight with another NB closure, 10 pm-5 am.
CHECK THE TRAFFIC BEFORE YOU GO
Here’s the 5-way intersection camera (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/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). Here’s that camera:
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 – No recent changes – still reduced service and distancing – details here.
Water Taxi – Still on its “winter” schedule, with the 773 and 775 shuttles running – see the schedule here.
Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
Here are tonight’s toplines in the virus crisis:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here’s today’s daily summary from Public Health – the cumulative totals:
*17,824 people have tested positive, 181 more than yesterday’s total
*691 people have died, 4 more than yesterday’s total
*2,109 people have been hospitalized, 13 more than yesterday’s total
*322,766 people have been tested, 3,720 more than yesterday’s total*
One week ago, the totals were 16,749/676/2,043/337,664.
TESTING TOTALS DISCLAIMER: For the fifth day, the county’s daily summary includes this:
On Aug. 13, the state Department of Health provided an updated negative test total which is part of our daily outbreak summary. In this update, the negative test total for King County was reduced by 38,191. The current number of tests reflects the number of unique individuals tested. We hope to update our counts to also include the number of tests performed by the week of 8/17. Please note that this issue primarily affects negative lab results over the last several weeks, but does not impact the total number of positive tests.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
NEW START DATE: Seattle Public Schools announced tonight that the new school year will start two days later – September 4th – for most students.
REOPENING TOMORROW: Tuesday’s the first day the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) is welcoming members back to its Triangle facility. In case you missed last week’s announcement:
We are excited to welcome you back to the West Seattle YMCA beginning Tuesday, August 18, by reservation. In accordance with the Governor’s Safe Start guidelines, we have adjusted available services, the maximum branch capacity, and sanitization requirements to ensure your safety and that of our staff. Please see (here) for details on what you can expect when you return to the Y. Fauntleroy YMCA will remain closed to continue to serve our summer camp families.
In the meantime, we want you to know that we sincerely appreciate you for staying with us, and we can’t wait to see you soon!
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GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Seattle Public Schools just announced a slightly later start date for the 2020-2021 year: Friday, September 4th, with pre-K and kindergarten still starting Tuesday, September 8th, as planned. The announcement:
Seattle Education Association (SEA) and Seattle Public Schools have reached a tentative agreement on a professional development plan for the 2020-21 school year.
To ensure a strong start, school will begin on Friday, September 4. This will provide all educators with six (6) full days of training on common learning platforms, culturally responsive instruction in a remote setting, racial equity, and best practices in remote instruction to ensure students have the best education possible.
“I am really grateful to the hard-working bargaining team and our educators. We are committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure that every child can achieve in any learning environment. These additional days of professional development will help us meet that commitment,” stated Superintendent Denise Juneau.
“This agreement gives us additional time and training to improve our remote education practices and is the first step in ensuring a more equitable and inclusive system,” said Jennifer Matter, president of the Seattle Education Association. “We’re looking forward to being back with our students and doing everything we can to meet their needs, particularly those who face the most barriers in remote learning.”
The first day of preschool and kindergarten will not change. Preschool and kindergarten will begin on Tuesday, September 8.
The School Board will need to approve the revised 2020-21 calendar.
If you want to hear more from the superintendent, remember her next “town hall” is Tuesday at 4:30 pm.
The city’s new heating-oil tax – approved last year in hopes people would be encouraged to switch to cleaner heat – won’t take effect for at least another year. The City Council voted this afternoon to push it back because of the pandemic economic crunch. The 23-cents-a-gallon tax was supposed to start next month; instead, the council wants the Office of Sustainability and Environment to report next June on a number of related issues including “feedback from key stakeholders about whether the effective date of the Heating Oil Tax should be September 1, 2021, or if an additional delay is recommended due to economic conditions (and) the status of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The city estimates about 17,000 households still use heating oil. Much of the tax proceeds are supposed to go toward covering the cost of conversion for low-income households and expanding rebates available to others.
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