West Seattle, Washington
01 Sunday
(WSB photo of Water Taxi line at Seacrest, January 2019)
One month into the new year, a notable stat from the old year: Record ridership on the King County Water Taxi‘s two routes, including West Seattle to downtown, boosted of course by the Viaduct-to-Tunnel transition. Here’s the announcement sent this afternoon:
The King County Water Taxi celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2019 with a record-breaking year of connecting West Seattle and Vashon Island to downtown Seattle. In 2019, the West Seattle Water Taxi’s ridership was 443,993 and the Vashon Island route’s ridership was 257,615, for a grand total of 701,608 boardings.
In comparison, ridership for 2018 was 414,967 in West Seattle and 249,398 for the Vashon Island route. King County Water Taxi has carried 5.4 million riders since starting service for the King County Ferry District in 2009, and this year’s record-setting ridership represents a 115% increase over its humble beginnings.
“It’s no surprise that more and more people are catching on to all that the Water Taxi has to offer – scenic views, ample seating, fast sailings, and zero traffic,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “We’re continually seeking innovative, expanded ways to help our region’s growing population get around, and the Water Taxi is a perfect example of that, providing a creative transportation solution to commuters, local explorers, and visitors alike.”
Though ridership has increased nearly every year, one notable variable contributed to the Water Taxi’s strong performance in 2019.
Throughout the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure in January, the Water Taxi provided a congestion-free alternative to the Seattle Squeeze. During the first Monday commute, 1,350 passengers boarded West Seattle Water Taxi compared to 350 on the same day in 2018. The route maintained double the ridership throughout the closure, up 142% compared to the same dates in 2018.
“From a persistent pilot project to 700,000 riders, the water taxi has proven an integral part of our transit system,” said King County Councilmember Joe McDermott. “During the viaduct closure, the West Seattle route was up 142% as people sought a fast and reliable commute downtown. As more people look for ways to get out of their cars, preserving and expanding water taxi service will be key to our region’s success.”
Annual ridership isn’t the only record broken by the Water Taxi. In December 2019, 6,575 people responded to a public survey on possible water taxi expansion, a record for any Metro survey. The survey was requested by the King County Council to consider potential future water taxi service to Ballard and Kenmore. Comprehensive survey results will be transmitted to council in July 2020.
Meet the new owners of what has been The Pacific Room on Alki since just last summer, but not for much longer
(WSB photo)
Jisun Jackson and Bobbie Robinson are the new owners of the restaurant/bar at 2808 Alki SW, which they plan to transform into The Avenue.
The changes are happening without a closure, so it’s still open for food, drink, and entertainment while the metamorphosis takes place. But they’re changing just about everything, bit by bit – the menu (with a new executive chef), the aesthetics, the decor (adding local art, for one).
And the hours; They’re planning to add lunch and weekend brunch.
Live music will stay – in fact, Jisun and Bobbie are both musicians themselves. But while The Pacific Room was focusing heavily on jazz, The Avenue will diversify, adding other genres of music, and some late-night DJs in summer. Plus a local favorite – CC from the Chelan Café – will perform every Monday. “That’s her piano!” Jisun pointed out during our conversation on Tuesday.
The Avenue’s atmosphere will be “classy but casual,” as described by Bobbie. “Accessible and inviting,” added Jisun, who says the intention is for customers to feel like the people at The Avenue are neighbors. “We want this to be a place where people feel comfortable.” All ages welcome (even the kids’ menu is getting overhauled). They’ve just added TVs at the bar, which means they’ll be able to offer sports-geared specials too. More local wines and beers will be part of the revamped beverage menu.
Once The Avenue is up to full speed, and you’ve tried it, they will be eager for your feedback, Jisun promised. If something’s not working, “I’ll want to change it.”
But in the meantime, they’re already appreciative of the warm welcome they’re getting. Jisun, who came to Seattle from Chicago, enthused, “Everybody’s been so friendly!”
Look for the name change and other changes over the next month or so.
After two days with two boats, the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferry route is back to all three. Washington State Ferries says M/V Issaquah is fixed and back in service, so the regular schedule has resumed.
West Seattle’s next big transportation project is moving forward. That was noted during a Move Seattle levy update during today’s City Council Transportation and Utilities Committee meeting. The project is the conversion of Metro Route 120 to the RapidRide H Line, a joint project of SOOT and Metro with components including extensive repaving of Delridge Way (north of the section that was repaved in 2013). During the levy briefing, which started 38:17 into the meeting (video above), SDOT reps said they expect the project to go out to bid later this month. Before then, they’ll provide a project-specific briefing to the council on what’s happened between 90 percent and 100 percent design. (We reported on the 90-percent stage back in November.)
P.S. Back to the Move Seattle status – here’s the overview slide deck presented during the meeting:
One other note of local interest – on page 7, the Lander Street Overpass project in SODO is mentioned, with a projected opening in “late 2020,” though the project website still says “summer 2020.” (We’re asking about the discrepancy.)
From Kristin:
Our car was broken into some time Tuesday night/Wednesday morning between the hours of 8 pm and 6 am. We were parked in front of the Salvation Army White Center Corps on 16th Ave between Henderson & Barton. Our passenger-side window was smashed and a backpack was stolen containing various electronics worth over $400.
(Photo by Sarah Chadd)
Highlights for the hours ahead:
TALK ABOUT THE LEGISLATURE: That’s the focus of today’s Hot Topics for Seniors discussion, noon-1:30 pm at Southwest Library. All welcome. (9010 35th SW)
JUNCTION RALLY: 5:30 pm, a pro-impeachment rally is planned in The Junction along with others across the country. (California/Alaska)
DANCE TIME WITH LAUREN PETRIE: Dance to live music at the Senior Center of West Seattle, 6-8 pm. (4217 SW Oregon)
DISTRICT 1 COMMUNITY NETWORK: As previewed here, this West Seattle/South Park community group meets at 7 tonight at The Kenney; all welcome. (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)
HOT ROD: Live music at Parliament Tavern, 9 pm. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
LOTS MORE! See the full list on our complete calendar.
Just in from Seattle Public Schools:
On Thursday, February 6, 2020, The Creative Advantage will host the first of multiple regional arts festivals, starting in the southwest region of Seattle. The festival will take place at Chief Sealth High School from 5-8:00 p.m. and will feature visual and performing arts by elementary, middle, and high school students from the community.
From 5-6:00 p.m., there will be a free community dinner featuring African and Latin cuisine, along with visual and media arts displays, and community art activities, hosted by the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). At 6:00 p.m., student performances will begin in the Chief Sealth High School Performing Arts Center.
The Southwest Regional Arts Festival will be the first of three regional arts festivals, with others taking place in the southeast and the central regions of the city. Each regional festival will highlight arts learning in SPS schools and arts programs, and will feature student art and performances from all grade levels.
“We have incredible artists in Seattle Public Schools – creatives in dance, media arts, music, theatre,” said Gail Selhorst, SPS Manager of Visual and Performing Arts. “Regional Arts Festivals are a way to highlight this creativity with the broader community, and students have asked for more opportunities to showcase the arts in our district. Come see the show – all are welcome!”
The participating southwest region schools include Arbor Heights Elementary, Chief Sealth International High School, Concord International Elementary, Denny International Middle School, Gatewood Elementary, Highland Park Elementary, Interagency Southwest at Youngstown, Roxhill Elementary, Sanislo Elementary, and West Seattle Elementary.
The Creative Advantage, a citywide initiative to expand equitable access to arts learning for every SPS student, is a coordinated network that includes Seattle Public Schools, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, the Seattle Foundation, and more than 100 community arts partners. All of this is made possible through a generous grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
6:59 AM: Good morning. The only alert for our area so far this morning is that the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferry route is still on the 2-boat schedule.
7:23 AM: Of note for south-enders, from SDOT – “Traffic signals in flash on 4th Ave S & E Marginal Way S. Please treat as all-way stop sign.”
A new playground at Louisa Boren STEM K-8 would benefit the Delridge neighborhood beyond the school community – and you can help make it happen. Here’s an update:
Louisa Boren’s Friends of a New Playground needs a show of community support and engagement to be eligible for a $50,000 grant that will be used to create a master plan for a school and community playground.
Currently, there are 20 volunteers that have pledged time and we need pledge support from at least 100 people. Volunteering, for this phase of the project, looks like attending meetings, providing feedback on designs, and donating supplies for meetings.
Children are encouraged to be a part of this process and they can be included in the volunteer pledge portion of the application, adding to the total hours that we need to reach to be considered for grant approval (and can count as volunteer hours for them as well!).
If you know of community members that want to see improvements to the Delridge Neighborhood, please share the link with them and get them to support our playground.
Please take a minute to fill out the online form to pledge volunteer time and support.
1. Sign up!
2. Share!
3. Show up!
For more information: louisaborenplaygroundcommittee@gmail.com
When we first reported back in October on the plan for the West Seattle Food Bank and West Seattle Helpline to merge, some decisions were yet to be made – including what name the merged agency would use. That’s now been decided, as noted in an email update today from the Helpline – together they’ll be the West Seattle Food Bank, starting March 1st. The Helpline’s services, including emergency homelessness-prevention assistance and its clothing bank, will become part of WSFB – the organizations’ leaders promised no service cuts. They were also working on a fundraiser schedule and have announced that the big May WSFB gala, Instruments of Change, will continue as a fundraising dinner/auction for the merged agency. This year’s IOC is set for Saturday, May 9th – more details to come.
P.S. Lots of other fundraisers continue – this Saturday (February 8th), for example, you can support the Helpline by getting your hair cut during the annual Have A Heart Day at Illusions Hair Design (5619 California SW; WSB sponsor), 10 am-2 pm, with $10 off all haircuts, donating all proceeds to WSH. Make your appointment ASAP at 206-938-3675.
6:39 PM UPDATE: SPD just announced that the 10-year-old girl reported missing in West Seattle has been found and is OK.
ORIGINAL POST:
West Seattle/South Park City Councilmember Lisa Herbold has agreed to pay $500 to settle an ethics complaint. It stems from last fall’s appearance of an unhitched trailer on the street outside her Highland Park home, shortly after a former council candidate had threatened to tow RVs to councilmembers’ homes. The night it turned up, Herbold texted Police Chief Carmen Best to ask what to do, and the Ethics and Elections Commission said she shouldn’t have done that. The backstory, allegation, and even the texts are all in the settlement document, which you can read here (PDF) or below:
The trailer was eventually found to have belonged to a woman who had it towed there, near her family’s house. The settlement is expected to be finalized at the commission’s meeting tomorrow (4 pm at the Municipal Tower downtown).
What is the city doing to help Sound Transit inform residents about light-rail planning? That’s a spotlight topic at tomorrow’s monthly meeting of the District 1 Community Network, open to everyone interested in working on/hearing about key issues in West Seattle and South Park. This month’s meeting is in the lower-level community area at The Kenney (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW), starting at 7 pm Wednesday (February 5th). You can see the full agenda in our calendar listing. (Our coverage of January’s D1CN meeting is here.)
After selling their building at 5409 California SW, salon ef-fekts’ has moved to Burien. Here’s the announcement we just received from proprietor Missy Wheat:
To the Wonderful Community of West Seattle,
We just wanted to let you all know that we so appreciated your amazing support and love for salon, ef-fekts’. We loved being a part of the community for the last 24 years. We made the hard decision back in November to sell our building; the sale closed on January 24th.
Does that mean the end of salon, ef-fekts’?? Absolutely Not!!! As many of you know, 8 years ago my husband fell and crushed his spinal cord. As a result he has become permanently disabled. These last few years have been quite daunting, so we made the decision to sell our building and downsize.
Our house, which used to be a duplex, will now host our new salon. It has its own entrance and plenty of parking. Our new location, which will be “by appointment only,” is 700 SW 131st St. Burien, which is exactly 7 miles from our current location. Our phone number is
the same 206 935-7050; our email is salonef-fekts@comcast.net, and our website
http://www.salonef-fekts.com/salon,_ef-fekts/Home.htmlWe are very sad about leaving West Seattle but very Excited to share our new salon with you.
Please know we have appreciated your patronage and we hope to continue our relationship. You all have become very dear to us and we consider you more than a client but dear friends.
You all…. especially those that live in West Seattle will be glad to know….The building will stay as it is and will not be developed into more condos with no parking…So this charming building we have called home for the last 24 years will stay standing as it is!
Here’s what we published in 2015, when the salon celebrated its 20th anniversary.
Thanks to Emily for photographing The West Seattle Turkey last weekend – we saved the pic for an encore of #TurkeyTuesday. Meantime, here’s what’s up for the rest of this snow-sprinkled day:
HOMEWORK HELP: Students K-12 are welcome to drop by High Point Library 4-7:30 pm to talk with volunteers ready to offer encouragement and support. (3411 SW Raymond)
BE READY! 5:30-7:30 pm, the city Office of Emergency Management offers a free workshop, described here, at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. (2306 42nd SW)
SPERRY HUNT: Singer-songwriter performs 6-8 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor). No cover. All ages. (5612 California SW)
HIGHLAND PARK ELEMENTARY OPEN HOUSE: Prospective families are invited to visit Highland Park Elementary 6:30-7:30 pm. (1012 SW Trenton)
WEST SEATTLE BIKE CONNECTIONS: Monthly meeting, 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House High Point. Announced agenda topics:
1. What are good small projects for 2020 Y”our Voice Your Choice” funding for streets and parks?
2. What could we tell SDOT and SPR to help them improve the YVYC process to achieve the City’s goals of more equitable and broad participation?
All welcome. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
10:13 AM: That light snow that’s been a possibility for the past day-plus has finally shown up. The National Weather Service says it’s in the forecast until late afternoon, but isn’t expecting much if any accumulation.
12:46 PM: The light snow continues, but it’s not even sticking to parked cars.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
6:59 AM: Good morning.
One alert: The Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferry route is now on the 2-boat schedule, with M/V Issaquah still out.
The photo and report are just in from Reese: “We had our U-Haul, with our car attached, stolen this morning. Possibly around 3 am. It was parked at Willow St. and 35th Ave SW. Black Kia Forte, California License Plate 7TUN117; 15-foot U-Haul, Arizona License Plate AH01818.” If you see either, call 911.
Big news for Camp Crockett (WSB sponsor), the “dog day camp” with West Seattle and Burien locations. They’re expanding to add another West Seattle location. Here’s the announcement made tonight by proprietors Joe and Vanessa Crevling:
We are very happy to announce that we will be opening Camp Crockett Little Campers; a Puppies and Littles branch, added to our West Seattle location.
Located at 6531 35th Ave SW, this new expansion will be for Little Campers (under 35 pounds) and Puppy Campers (12 weeks – 6 months or 50 pounds). We will offer a beautiful 4200-square-foot outdoor area attached to a warm and cozy 1200-square-foot indoor area. This space will be a great first stepping stone to your puppy’s socialization, or for a Little Camper that won’t be overwhelmed by the “size” of the pack.
We are looking to open our doors in the first half of March, so stay tuned for more updates!!!! Thank you for all of your continued support as we strive to make the best OUTDOOR space for your CAMPER through ALL stages of life.
They also tell WSB this will be the largest playspace of its kind in Seattle. Camp Crockett’s other 2 locations will stay open; its original West Seattle location is at 5611 Delridge Way SW, just a mile and a half from the new site, which is just south of 35th/Morgan.
7:20 PM: If you’re headed out, avoid the California/Lander intersection for a while. It’s at least partly blocked by the response to a crash. At least one person is hurt – a medic unit’s been called in to take someone to the hospital. We’re on our way to find out more.
7:46 PM: Added a photo. Police say the driver of the silver car hit the white truck, which was parked. The truck’s owner told us he was across the street when he heard it happen. The silver car’s driver is being taken to the hospital and police say they’re investigating him for possible DUI. NB California is blocked from the WSHS entrance north to Lander until this scene is cleared.
8:21 PM: Per scanner, the road has reopened.
While walking in The Junction at midday today, we spotted that bus, unmarked except for a small Metro logo. We asked Metro about it, and spokesperson Torie Rynning explained:
The coach you spotted is one of Metro’s leased 40-foot-long battery-electric buses by BYD, currently in revenue service as we test and evaluate its performance. We currently have leased test buses in revenue service from New Flyer, Proterra, and BYD. Leasing buses from different manufacturers allows us to quickly collect data, learn how they perform in all four seasons, and develop new systems and procedures for how we operate. We’re learning as much as we can as quickly as we can, and applying that to our decision-making process for our future bus fleet purchases.
Just last week, Metro announced a plan to buy more battery-electric buses, from New Flyer.
(WSB photo)
That’s the Dragonfly Pavilion in North Delridge, and it’s one of nine spots around the city on a new Seattle Parks list of locations where an incentive is offered for performance-based art – here’s the announcement:
Beginning this year, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is offering to waive fees for community members or groups to host performance-based art in select Seattle parks. Performances can consist of an array of styles, including theatrical, comedic, spoken word, toast masters, acoustical concert, and more.
This opportunity is open to new permittees that host their event in one of nine Seattle parks near or around the park’s amphitheater. Parks include: 6th Ave. NW Pocket Park, A.B. Ernst Park, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Civil Rights Memorial Park, Dr. Jose Rizal Park, Dragonfly Pavilion in Longfellow Creek Greenspace, Greenwood Park, Jimi Hendrix Park, Magnuson Park, and Othello Park.
Applications are based on a first come, first served basis on a rolling calendar. To qualify, applicants must be willing to meet the requirements for the fees to be waived. Requirements include the following: events must be open to the public, no amplified sound and no money collection is allowed, and selected applicants must provide event insurance, and commit to do outreach to the neighborhood where the event will take place.
Interested in applying? You can apply by visiting seattle.gov/parks/reserve/park-use-permits and downloading a Park Use Application. Application forms must be turned in to Seattle Parks and Recreation staff at the Event Scheduling Office or e-mailed to parkusepermits@seattle.gov. Approval can take 5-10 business days.
Outreach can include publication of an announcement – so if you decide to have a show there, let us know too!
2:49 PM: Washington State Ferries says the Triangle Route is down to two boats because: “Vessel #3 Issaquah is out of service for the remainder of the service day due to an issue with the propulsion system.” However, that does NOT in this case trigger the two-boat schedule. Instead, WSF says: “The Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route will continue to operate on a 3-boat schedule with 2 vessels (#1 Cathlamet and #2 Kittitas).” So that means these schedules – Fauntleroy/Vashon, Fauntleroy/Southworth, Vashon/Southworth – minus the runs that are labeled “3.”
3:37 PM: An update from WSF: “The 3:55 p.m. sailing from Southworth will make an unscheduled stop at Vashon to pick up students due to the service disruption.”
7:20 PM: The Issaquah is expected to be out of service TFN so WSF says it’ll start the official two-boat schedule on the Triangle Route tomorrow (Tuesday).
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