West Seattle, Washington
02 Monday
6:52 PM: We’ve had a few questions about which West Seattle establishments are planning to open early Sunday morning to watch the Seahawks‘ game against Tampa Bay in Germany – with a pre-dawn kickoff time, 6:30 am. So far, we’ve heard from one – Larry’s Tavern (3405 California SW) plans to open at 6:15 am. Anyone else? Let us know so we can build a list – westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!
10:41 PM: Two more:
–Christo’s on Alki (2508 Alki SW), opening 6 am
–Prost! West Seattle (3407 California SW), opening 6:30 am, taking reservations
The second post-election vote count from King County Elections is in. Last night, 31.8% of ballots had been counted; for tonight’s update, the total counted is up to 35.8%. But many more ballots remain to be counted – so far KCE has received 51.3% of all ballots, and while drop boxes have been emptied, ballots mailed via USPS will keep coming in. Now, the latest results on the 10 races/measures we’re watching:
KING COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
Jim Ferrell 44%
Leesa Manion 55%
U.S. SENATE (statewide count)
Patty Murray* (D) 57%
Tiffany Smiley (R) 43%
U.S. HOUSE DISTRICT 7
Pramila Jayapal* (D) 85%
Cliff Moon (R) 15%
34TH DISTRICT STATE HOUSE POSITION 1
Emily Alvarado (D) 69%
Leah Griffin (D) 29%
34TH DISTRICT STATE HOUSE POSITION 2
Joe Fitzgibbon* (D) 83%
Andrew Pilloud (R) 17%
34TH DISTRICT STATE SENATE
Joe Nguyen* (D) 85%
John Potter (R) 15%
SEATTLE PROPOSITIONS 1A/1B (city voting-method change)
Yes 49.2%
No 50.8%
Prefer 1A 26%
Prefer 1B 74%
KING COUNTY CHARTER AMENDMENT 1 (county election-date change)
Yes 69%
No 31%
KING COUNTY PROPOSITION 1 (Conservation Futures levy)
Approve 68%
Reject 32%
WASHINGTON SECRETARY OF STATE (statewide count)
Steve Hobbs* (D) 50%
Julie Anderson (NP) 47%
All percentages above are rounded – .5 and up rounds up, .4 and down rounds down – except for the only close contest, the Seattle ranked-choice/approval voting measure.
-Full list of state and federal results here
-Full list of King County/Seattle results here
Next King County results will be out around 4 pm Thursday.
Location, location, location.
The real-estate maxim also applies to the new space that West Seattle Realty (WSB sponsor) just moved into. You’re invited to visit Thursday night, as WSR hosts muralist Desmond Hansen and shows off his new creation on one of their walls.
The location in the brand-new Admiral Station building is barely a block from West Seattle Realty’s old space on 42nd SW east of Admiral Safeway, but now they’re on West Seattle’s main street, at 2715 California Avenue SW, across from Hiawatha, Lafayette Elementary, and in the heart of a block of other local businesses such as West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) and Good Society. “It’s a huge difference!” enthused broker Hayley Martin Hampton when we visited Tuesday to talk with some of the team.
(WSB photo: L-R, Hayley Martin Hampton, Kevin Broveleit, Robert Kelly)
But first, a little re-introduction to West Seattle Realty: “We are a group of five brokers primarily focused on West Seattle. Being hyper-focused helps us better serve our clients,” says WSR principal Kevin Broveleit. They’re all West Seattle residents. “You’re better with what you know,” adds broker Robert Kelly. “The schools, the traffic patterns …”
They’re hoping the new office space will itself better serve the community – it’s set up as a mostly open “living room” that they’re offering as meeting/event space for neighborhood groups and nonprofits to use free of charge. And on Thursday night (November 10), you can see it for yourself as they open the doors for a West Seattle Art Walk reception that’s doubling as a grand-opening party. The guest artist’s work graces the office’s north interior wall – seen as the backdrop of the photo above. It’s by West Seattle muralist Desmond Hansen, renowned for his work all around the peninsula (and beyond). Kevin says they connected with him through one of the workers on the new office’s buildout. They discussed concepts with him and settled on the Seacrest pier, which Kevin says was painted in 20 hours. The artist will be at Thursday night’s 5-10 pm event showcasing some of his other work, too.
And that’s part of what the West Seattle Realty team – which also includes WSR founder Shelby White and broker Tracey Kipp – love about their namesake community. Even their new home itself is more local than some new local buildings, as it was developed by lifelong West Seattleite Paul Cesmat.
As for the business, currently the rising loan rates are having some effect, but they’re not seeing “panic selling.” The longterm appeal of West Seattle is manyfold, including future light rail – expected to open in 10 years. “I think it’s going to be a game-changer,” observes Kevin. And that fits in with more words of wisdom: “If you want to avoid a mistake, buy a house you’ll be comfortable in for at least 10 years.”
With their new Admiral space, West Seattle Realty has taken its own advice. You can see for yourself Thursday night.
(SDOT photo)
Long-awaited improvements on a major route for bicyclists between West Seattle and downtown are closer to reality with this SDOT announcement today, one year after they announced the project was fully funded:
We’ve reached a final design for the north segment of the East Marginal Way Corridor Improvement Project. The project is now advertised for construction contractors to bid on! The community has long awaited this project and we share in the excitement of reaching this major milestone. We appreciate community members’ patience, support, and commitment as the design was developed and informed by public input.
The project will serve people biking, walking, rolling, and driving, and improve safety and mobility along this busy freight corridor. We’ll reconstruct pavement, rebuild and improve signals, build a protected bike lane, and more. Construction of the North Segment, which runs between S Spokane St and S Atlantic St, will begin in 2023.
We encourage you to visit the project website to learn more about key features, benefits, and phased construction plans. You can also learn more about the North Segment of the project. …
After we hire a contractor, we’ll go through a materials procurement period to purchase items that can have a long lead time. This time frame is dependent on the supply chain, which has seen significant delays since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Once the contractor is on board and we have a better sense of how long materials procurement will take, we’ll set a construction start date and share more detailed information about what you can expect during construction.
Construction will disrupt traffic along East Marginal Way S. We’ll maintain freight truck access to the Port of Seattle terminals along East Marginal Way S but anticipate detouring all non-Port of Seattle vehicle traffic in the North Segment project area. We will maintain a way for people biking and walking to use East Marginal Way S, but the route will shift to avoid active construction areas. We’ll have mitigation and detour plans in place to minimize the effects where possible.
The project – estimated last year at $43 million – will be paid for with local, state, and federal funding. SDOT says it’s still looking for funding to cover sections of East Marginal south of the West Seattle Bridge.
The report and photo are from Dan:
Our 1995 Ford 150 was stolen from in front of our house on Admiral Way near Schmitz Park yesterday afternoon or early evening. It’s white and should have a white canopy on the back now. Glass on street indicates driver-side window (possibly wing) is broken. License #B53335T and incident #2022-300959 in case anyone sees it and is kind enough to contact police.
We covered two community meetings last night – here are two brief notes from the first one, the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s monthly board meeting:
TRANSPORTATION: FCA invited new SDOT director Greg Spotts to the neighborhood for one of his “walking tours,” and he accepted. He’ll be visiting next month. Ferry-related traffic is always high on the list of Fauntleroy community concerns, so that’s likely to be a central topic.
FALL FESTIVAL REPORT: FCA doesn’t present the Fauntleroy Fall Festival but does support it, and received a report last night on the October 23rd event, the first full-fledged Fall Festival since 2019.
(WSB photo from last month’s festival)
About 2,000 people attended over the course of the afternoon. A new feature, the bunny “petting zoo” (above), was a hit. Some of the volunteers are already interested in next year; the date’s not set yet but will be soon.
The Fauntleroy Community Association meets second Tuesdays, 7 pm, most months, at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse; updates and info can be found at fauntleroy.net.
(Photo by David Hutchinson, as The Olympics peeked out briefly Tuesday)
Here’s our list of what’s up for the rest of today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
DINE OUT FOR HOPE: 4 pm-10 pm, get food from/at Pegasus Pizza (2768 Alki SW) and tell them you’re supporting the Hope Lutheran 7th/8th-grade trip fuhdraiser – a percentage of proceeds will be donated.
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: 6 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW), this month’s meeting of our area’s largest political organization will include the annual awards and a tribute to outgoing longtime 34th District State Rep. Eileen Cody.
ALKI POINT ‘HEALTHY STREET’ OPEN HOUSE: 6:30-7:45 pm at Alki Bathhouse (60th/Alki), drop in to see and comment on design proposals for the no-through-traffic street around Alki Point.
JAZZ AT OTTER ON THE ROCKS: Piano/bass duet tonight, starting at 6:30 pm. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
LIVE AT LOCOL: Locöl Barley & Vine (7902 35th SW) spotlights live music 6:30-8:30 pm Wednesdays, no cover, 21+, rotating artists.
MUSIC BINGO: Play weekly at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7 pm.
TRIVIA x 4: At 7 pm, you can play trivia at the West Seattle Brewing Mothership (4415 Fauntleroy Way SW); Larry’s Tavern (3405 California SW) hosts Wednesday-night trivia starting at 7:30 pm; trivia starts at 8 pm at Beveridge Place Pub (6413 California SW); at 8:30 pm, trivia is back at Talarico’s (4718 California SW) with Phil T.
SKYLARK OPEN MIC: 7:30 pm signups @ West Seattle’s longest-running open mic – no cover to watch. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
Have an event – one-time or recurring – to add to West Seattle’s only comprehensive event calendar? Please email westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
(Added: Photos by Robin Sinner)
9:40 AM: For a third consecutive day, Southern Resident Killer Whales are in central Puget Sound. Kersti Muul reports resident orcas were seen passing West Point on the north side of Elliott Bay a little while ago, heading southbound, quickly.
10:11 AM: Commenter Shannon says they’re now in view from Alki, looking toward Bainbridge.
10:21 AM: Donna Sandstrom from The Whale Trail texted to say they’re is at Constellation Park with binoculars to share.
11:22 AM: Just got a text about a sighting near the Fauntleroy ferry dock.
2:36 PM: Just heard again from Donna, and also from Jeff Hogan of Killer Whale Tales, reporting the orcas are now northbound, visible from Lowman Beach/Lincoln Park.
3:11 PM: Donna says they’re visible now from Alki, if you look west/northwest.
(WSB file photo)
Yet another holiday tradition is coming back from pandemic hiatus. The West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) Holiday Taste sampling event returns Thursday (November 10th), 4-7 pm. That’s when the store and its vendors serve up tastes of a wide variety of foods you might consider for your holiday menus; this will be the first time since 2019! The store is at California/Fauntleroy.
6:01 AM: Good morning! It’s Wednesday, November 9th.
WEATHER
Mostly sunny and breezy again – high around 40, followed by another cold night. (Tuesday’s high was 43, 11 degrees below what’s normal for that date.)
ROAD WORK
-West Seattle Bridge lane closures again tonight and tomorrow: “11 PM Wednesday to 5 AM Thursday and 11 PM Thursday to 5 AM Friday: All westbound travel lanes on the Spokane St Viaduct approaching the West Seattle bridge will be closed. Access to westbound lanes on the West Seattle Bridge from southbound SR 99 will be maintained during this time. People driving should detour to the Spokane St Swing Bridge (low bridge) to avoid delays and construction.”
-The east end of Sylvan Way just west of the Home Depot entrance remains closed for drainaage work.
TRANSIT STATUS
–Metro buses are on their regular schedules; watch @kcmetroalerts for trip cancellations/reroute alerts.
-The West Seattle Water Taxi resumes service today, running its fall/winter schedule (still daily, all dayparts, but no late Friday/Saturday runs). No service Friday for Veterans Day.
-Still a 2-boat schedule for WSF’s Triangle Route (check here for alerts/updates).
SPOTLIGHT CAMERAS
High Bridge – here’s the camera at the top.
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (if SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way).
Low Bridge: Or nearby, depending on where SDOT points the camera.
1st Ave. S. Bridge: The alternate route.
Highway 99: Here’s the northbound side at Lander.
All functional city traffic cams can be seen here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are also on this WSB page … Are movable city bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed.
If you see trouble on the roads/paths/water, please text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
The night’s first (and only) round of King County election results is in – here are the 10 key local, state, and federal races/measures we’re following:
KING COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
Jim Ferrell 44%
Leesa Manion 55%
U.S. SENATE (updated 8:47 pm)
Patty Murray* (D) 57%
Tiffany Smiley (R) 43%
U.S. HOUSE DISTRICT 7
Pramila Jayapal* (D) 84%
Cliff Moon (R) 15%
34TH DISTRICT STATE HOUSE POSITION 1
Emily Alvarado (D) 69%
Leah Griffin (D) 30%
34TH DISTRICT STATE HOUSE POSITION 2
Joe Fitzgibbon* (D) 82%
Andrew Pilloud (R) 18%
34TH DISTRICT STATE SENATE
Joe Nguyen* (D) 85%
John Potter (R) 15%
SEATTLE PROPOSITIONS 1A/1B (city voting-method change)
Yes 49%
No 51%
Prefer 1A 26%
Prefer 1B 74%
KING COUNTY CHARTER AMENDMENT 1 (county election-date change)
Yes 69%
No 31%
KING COUNTY PROPOSITION 1 (Conservation Futures levy)
Approve 68%
Reject 32%
WASHINGTON SECRETARY OF STATE (updated 8:47 pm)
Steve Hobbs* (D) 50%
Julie Anderson (NP) 47%
Full list of state and federal results here
Full list of King County/Seattle results here
The U.S. Senate and Secretary of State race results will change because of later counts from other counties, so we’ll update those throughout the night. Otherwise, next round of King County results is expected tomorrow afternoon,
In addition to the big power outage, here’s what else the north wind did today:
Wind-fueled waves battered the Alki seawall this afternoon – an example of the choppy seas that led King County Metro to cancel the West Seattle Water Taxi‘s runs for this afternoon/evening. Thanks to Jeremy Barton for the video. And via text, here’s a tree that fell on Ferry Avenue SW, no traffic or power effects:
It could be breezy again tomorrow – here’s the National Weather Service forecast – with wind from the northeast. First, we have a clear, cold night ahead, maybe even into the upper 20s; Suzanne emailed us to suggest a reminder that you need to protect your pipes from freezing, earlier than most years. Here’s some advice.
1:09 PM: Power’s out for what appears to be a wide stretch – signals out along California as we drove north.
1:20 PM UPDATE: 10,000 customers (mostly) from the Junction north. No word yet on the cause.
1:35 PM: This hit just as we were heading out on an interview – the signal lights started going out all along California, from The Junction northward. Have made our way back now. Remember that any non-functioning signalized intersection is a four-way stop. Also note that if you’re hearing sirens – when the power goes out, some automatic fire alarms are triggered, and some elevators get stuck, and Seattle Fire crews have to respond to all of that.
1:47 PM: Note that schools and businesses are part of this sizable outage zone. … As you can see on the SCL map, the outage zone stretches some blocks south of The Junction in spots.
2:05 PM: This happened amid strong north winds, though we don’t have official word of a cause. As a result of the wind, the West Seattle Water Taxi‘s pm sailings have just been canceled.
2:09 PM: As noted in comments, a tree limb falling in North Admiral appears to be the problem.
2:19 PM: SCL spokesperson Jenn Strang confirms that’s the cause and tells WSB, “Crews are starting to work on the problem and we’ll start restoring customers as soon as we can.”
(Reader photo, from comments)
2:29 PM: We just talked to SCL crew at the scene. They say the fallen tree limb has been removed and now they’re doing some final work before determining how soon it’ll be safe to “re-energize.”
2:39 PM: Commenters are reporting getting power back, and the map shows more than half the originally affected 10,000+ customers (homes/businesses/schools etc. each count as one customer) are back on after an hour and a half.
3:09 PM: Now down to 2,637 customers still out.
4:20 PM: No change.
4:34 PM: Going back through The Junction, it appears the businesses on the west side of California are still without power, while those on the east side have it.
5:33 PM: Heading back south – west side of Junction still out. That includes ballot drop box area – no streetlights or lot lights – lots of foot and vehicle traffic – be careful!
5:40 PM: Power just returned to the west side of The Junction. … Map shows 108 still out.
8:58 PM: More than three hours later, that pocket of 108, mostly wrapped around the southwest corner of Camp Long, is still out.
1:08 AM: Down to 58 now, and attributed to “equipment failure” for this pocket:
2:52 AM: The map now shows everyone restored since our last check.
(WSB photo: FTWS founder Bonnie Katz Sailors and new owner Bryan Habas)
Another successful West Seattle Junction business has just changed ownership.
But that’s the only thing changing about Fitness Together West Seattle (4546 California SW; WSB sponsor), say founder Bonnie Katz Sailors and new owner Bryan Habas.
Bonnie founded the personal-training fitness studio 16 years ago. “It’s been amazing, crazy, wonderful,” she told us during a chat in the studio. She even met her husband Duncan Sailors through FT – after hiring him as her second employee. And Fitness Together West Seattle not only survived the pandemic, but thrived – Bonnie says the past two years have been her best two years, “so we’re ending on a high note.”
Fitness Together started offering online training during the height of the pandemic, but even once in-person training resumed, one other crisis proved something of a boon: The West Seattle Bridge closure increased interest in fitness options close to home. And this family-owned business was ready to respond. Now, Bonnie’s ready for her next chapter, and that’s where Bryan comes in.
He is a U.S. Air Force veteran, still active in the Air National Guard, as well as an experienced management consultant with 15 years in the corporate world. But about a year and a half ago, he started looking for his own business to run. He found this one specializing in “something I love – fitness. … I fell in love with the idea of helping people.” After meeting Bonnie, he was impressed by Fitness Together West Seattle’s “great trainers, and great community.” Those trainers are all staying, Bonnie adds. The studio overall will continue “as similar as possible” to the way it’s been operating, Bryan says – “what Bonnie has built is so special.”
What’s next for her? She plans to concentrate full time on her art, examples of which are hanging in the studio – painting and photography.
And Bryan is now the leader of Fitness Together’s one-on-one training team. They’re always accepting new clients, and the studio is open six days a week (weekday evenings too). The model works, Bonnie says, because “everyone needs a coach!”
(WSB photo from 2019’s Thanksgiving dinner at The Hall at Fauntleroy)
We mentioned a week and a half ago that The Hall at Fauntleroy plans to resume its full free sit-down community Thanksgiving dinner, but details were pending. Today we have the full plan for this year’s return of the 20+-year tradition, from Reed Haggerty of The Hall’s parent DSquared Hospitality:
We are back for 2022 with a full FREE meal from 12 pm-3 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy!
This event is meant for anyone who would like to attend, and everyone is welcome!
We are also asking for WARM clothes donations (NEW socks, NEW blankets, winter jackets, etc.) as well as dessert donations – mmmm pumpkin pie!
Our goal is to “Fill the van” (we would like to overflow one of our catering vans with warm clothes … It has been so cold already this year!)
In addition to donations, we are looking for volunteers to assist with setup, service, and cleanup on the day of. Please see the sign up link here.
If you know someone who would like to donate, they can bring clothing donations or dessert donations to our warehouse in SODO starting Monday 11/21-Wednesday 11/23. Our business hours are 9-5.
If the trek down to SODO is too much, we will be taking donations the day of Thanksgiving starting at 9 am at The Hall.
The Hall at Fauntleroy is at the south end of the historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, 9131 California SW.
We start the list for today/tonight with one last election reminder:
VOTE BY TONIGHT! This is Election Day, which means the voting ends and the vote-counting starts. As we’ve been reminding you, there are two ways to return your ballot: King County Elections drop box (West Seattle has three), by 8 pm tonight; USPS mail, ASAP so you can be sure it gets today’s postmarked. Only 42 percent of ballots from West Seattle/South Park had been received by last night. Our previews include an overview of what you’re deciding. First vote-count is due by 8:15 pm and we’ll show the results here.
(ADDED 9:40 AM: We’ve had reports the Junction and High Point ballot boxes needed emptying. KC Elections says their teams are “on the way” if not there already. If you happen onto a drop-box problem, report it ASAP to 206-296-VOTE.)
Here’s what else is up for today/tonight:
CITY BUDGET HEARING: As previewed last night, starting at 9:30 am online and in-person, city councilmembers have a public hearing about what should (and shouldn’t) be in the two-year budget plan they’ll be finalizing this month.
POSTCARDS TO VOTERS: A local way to take national action – participating in the 10:30 am drop-in weekly gathering at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor). Today, they’ll celebrate the work they did for the midterm election, and look ahead.
CHESS CLUB: Play chess at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon), 1:30 pm. Beginners welcome!
DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Longstanding weekly 4:30-6 pm sign-waving demonstration continues at 16th/Holden. Signs available if you don’t have your own.
WESTSIDE SCHOOL INFORMATION NIGHT: 6 pm, prospective preschool-4th grade families are invited to come learn about Westside School (10404 34th SW; WSB sponsor). Our calendar listing includes the preregistration link.
CAMP SECOND CHANCE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL: 6 pm, online meeting to hear updates, and ask questions, about the tiny-house encampment in southeast West Seattle. Connection/call-in information is in our calendar listing.
SCRABBLE NIGHT: 6-10 pm, you can play Scrabble at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW).
BOOK SIGNING/TALK: Gerald Elias talks about and signs his new Western mystery “Roundtree Days,” 6:30-8 pm at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW).
STAR WARS MINIATURES NIGHT: Meeples Games (3727 California SW) hosts this weekly 7 pm event.
TRIVIA X 3: Three of the venues where you can play Tuesday nights – 7 pm at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW), 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), 7:30 and 8:30 pm at The Lodge (4209 SW Alaska).
BELLE OF THE BALLS BINGO: Play bingo with Cookie Couture at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), 8 pm. Free, all ages!
You can always see more, and preview future events, via our event calendar – if you have something to add, please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
For a second day, orcas are reported in central Puget Sound. Kersti Muul says they’re reported southbound. off West Point (north side of Elliott Bay).
6:00 AM: Good morning. It’s Tuesday, November 8th.
WEATHER
Mostly sunny and breezy – high around 40.
ROAD WORK
-West Seattle Bridge lane closures the next three nights. Tonight, “11 pm Tuesday – 5 am Wednesday, right-hand lane and off-ramp to Harbor Island closed for westbound travelers on the Spokane St Viaduct approaching the West Seattle bridge.”
-The east end of Sylvan Way just west of the Home Depot entrance remains closed for drainaage work.
TRANSIT STATUS
–Metro buses are on their regular schedules; watch @kcmetroalerts for trip cancellations/reroute alerts.
-The West Seattle Water Taxi is on its fall/winter schedule (still daily, all dayparts, but no late Friday/Saturday runs). No service this Friday for Veterans Day.
-Still a 2-boat schedule for WSF’s Triangle Route (check here for alerts/updates).
SPOTLIGHT CAMERAS
High Bridge – here’s the camera at the top.
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (if SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way).
Low Bridge: Or nearby, depending on where SDOT points the camera.
1st Ave. S. Bridge: The alternate route.
Highway 99: Here’s the northbound side at Lander.
All functional city traffic cams can be seen here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are also on this WSB page … Are movable city bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed.
If you see trouble on the roads/paths/water, please text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
Tomorrow morning is the last City Council public hearing on the city budget before councilmembers go into the final stretch of budget revisions for the next two years. As reported here last week, presentation of a “balancing plan” incorporating some of the council’s proposed changes was delayed a week after new revenue numbers came in lower than hoped. But tomorrow morning’s public hearing is still on, and now you can show support for, or opposition to, spending proposals before the “balancing plan” is finished. Here are West Seattle-specific amendments that have been proposed by City Councilmember Lisa Herbold:
FAUNTLEROY BOULEVARD: $15 million over the next two years to revive the Fauntleroy Way Boulevard Project (shelved until light rail’s likely route became clearer). Here’s how the amendment document describes it:
This Council Budget Action would add $7.5 million Transportation Fund in 2023 and $7.5 million Transportation Fund in 2024 (one-time) in the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) for the Fauntleroy Way SW Boulevard (MC-TR-C046) CIP project. This project was previously funded by the 2015 Move Seattle Levy. SDOT placed the project on hold in 2018 while the corridor was under consideration by Sound Transit for the West Seattle Link light rail extension. The Sound Transit Board has selected a tunnel to West Seattle [Junction] as the preferred alternative, which would no longer conflict with the Fauntleroy Way SW Boulevard project. The Fauntleroy Way SW Boulevard project completed final design in 2017 …
This project transforms Fauntleroy Way SW into a boulevard. The project elements include: a planted median, signature lighting fixtures, a protected bicycle facility, a pedestrian zone with sidewalks and planting areas including street trees, pedestrian lighting, potential stormwater infrastructure and art, as well as safety improvements for crossing movements for all modes. These safety improvements include bicycle and pedestrian crossings, signals, reconfigured intersections and bulbs, and pavement improvements
That’s part of a tall stack of transportation-related amendment proposals you can see here.
This one, we’ve mentioned before:
(WSB photo: Ladder 13 at a West Seattle fire response in July)
KEEPING LADDER 13 AND MEDIC 26: This would add about $6 million over the next two years to keep the Seattle Fire resources that were originally added to this area because of the bridge closure – Ladder 13 (now at Station 37 in Sunrise Heights) and Medic 26 (now at Station 26 in South Park). Previously our area had only one ladder truck and one medic unit, both based at Station 32 in The Junction. Here’s the explanation from the amendment document:
This Council Budget Action would add $439,000 GF in 2023 and $1.2 million GF in 2024 (one-time) to the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) to support the permanent operation of resources that were implemented temporarily during the closure of the West Seattle Bridge. These resources are a ladder truck at Fire Station 37 and a medic unit at Fire Station 26. To meet the temporary need, SFD kept in service vehicles that were past their replacement age, but the department would need to purchase new vehicles if the need for them were permanent. One-time funding would support (1) the maintenance\ costs of a ladder truck until its anticipated replacement in late 2025 and (2) the maintenance costs of a medic unit until its anticipated replacement in late 2024. One-time funding would also support the training of eight SFD firefighters as paramedics to staff the new medic unit.
In addition, this Council Budget Action would add $4.3 million GF in 2023 (ongoing) to support the staffing costs associated with both resources. The Council Budget Action would increase SFD’s minimum daily staffing level from 216 to 222, but no funding is added to train new SFD recruits because current SFD firefighters would staff the new ladder truck and medic shifts on an overtime basis. Ongoing funding is also added, beginning in late 2023, to support the pro-rated lease costs for the new medic unit. On an annual basis, these costs are $72,000 per year. There would be a 2025 one-time cost of $2 million, for a new ladder truck, associated with this Council Budget Action, and at the time of that vehicle’s delivery SFD would begin incurring a pro-rated annual lease cost of $164,000 per year. These costs would be included in the 2025 Proposed Budget.
The amendment document goes on to say that the two added units make a difference in response times:
SFD data suggest that removing the medic unit at Fire Station 26 would triple the department’s response time to Advanced Life Support calls in the area of the station, such that SFD response would be well outside the NFPA response standard. SFD data also suggest that removing the ladder truck at Fire Station 27 would double the department’s current response time to fire calls in the south part of West Seattle, although it would remain within the NFPA response standard.
You can read the full amendment in this document.
HOW TO SPEAK OUT AT TUESDAY HEARING, OR OTHERWISE: Since tomorrow’s hearing starts at 9:30 am, online registration begins at 7:30 am – it’s explained here. As the agenda explains, you can also speak in person at City Hall. The hearing will go until everyone signed up to speak has had their turn. Or if you’d rather just send email with your thoughts on these or other budget matters, council@seattle.gov is the address. There’ll be one more hearing just before the budget is finalized, but this one is at a pivotal moment.
Today’s high was 45, nine degrees below the normal high for this date, and the temperature’s heading lower. The newest forecast update says lows could be near freezing the next few nights, with daytime highs in the low 40s. In addition to the emergency shelter that’s now open at the West Seattle Veteran Center (3618 SW Alaska), there’s also a daytime warming center at the Salvation Army campus in South Delridge, 8 am-7 pm weekdays (9050 16th SW).
Two West Seattle Bridge notes:
WESTBOUND TROUBLE SPOT: After yet another crash Thursday night where the westbound West Seattle Bridge meets the ramp from southbound Highway 99, we inquired again with SDOT, which had told us after the first four crashes that it couldn’t figure out any particular problem there. In the meantime, we received this dash-cam video today from a reader who reported being involved in Thursday night collision – you’ll see it about :30 in:
Also, in a comment on last week’s crash report, a reader posted this link to a compilation of traffic-cam video from the prior recent incidents. Meantime, here’s the reply sent by SDOT today in response to our Friday inquiry:
We continue to monitor the area after each request. We have not found any construction related issues as we have not worked there since the opening of the bridge in September. Given the number of crashes to date, those vehicles could be leaving oil and other fluids on the roadway. We will take a closer look at this on nights this week as we will be doing work on the West Seattle Bridge. While we do that work we will take a closer look at the trouble spot again and will try to get a sweeper if available, to pass over the area.
(As we were writing this, an SPD dispatcher told officers they’d received a call about a new problem at that same spot, but we watched the live video camera as SDOT’s control center scanned the area looking for evidence of a crashed or stalled car, and none was found.)
OVERNIGHT WORK: Regarding the aforementioned work, here’s that SDOT announcement:
We will be conducting overnight closures of westbound lanes on the West Seattle Bridge Tuesday, November 8 through Thursday, November 10 to complete sign installation and adjustment work.
11:00 p.m. Tuesday – 5:00 a.m. Wednesday: Right hand lane and off-ramp to Harbor Island closed for westbound travelers on the Spokane St Viaduct approaching the West Seattle bridge.
11:00 p.m. Wednesday – 5:00 a.m. Thursday: All westbound travel lanes on the Spokane St Viaduct approaching the West Seattle bridge closed. Access to westbound lanes on the West Seattle Bridge from southbound SR-99 will be maintained during this period.
11:00 p.m. Thursday – 5:00 a.m. Friday: All westbound travel lanes on the Spokane St Viaduct approaching the West Seattle bridge closed. Access to westbound lanes on the West Seattle Bridge from southbound SR-99 will be maintained during this period.
A signed detour route, directing travelers across the Spokane St Swing Bridge (low bridge) will be in place during the closure. Once work is complete, all westbound travel lanes on the bridge will be restored.
Five notes in West Seattle Crime Watch:
GUNFIRE THIS MORNING: 911 got calls around 10:30 am of gunfire heard near 29th/Barton. The preliminary SPD report isn’t in yet but the communications team confirms evidence of gunfire was found – a damaged car window. If you have any information, the incident number is 2022-299590. (added) Seattle Public Schools confirms that the former Roxhill building, now home to several SPS programs, was in shelter-in-place for about 20 minutes because of this. ADDED TUESDAY: Here’s the SPD summary made available today:
Passenger in a gray sedan fired multiple gunshots at another vehicle near 29 AV SW/SW Barton Street. Officers responded and recovered several shotgun shells at the scene. Citizens were walking in the immediate area during the incident, however no one was shot or injured. (Victim) called and vehicle contained evidence consistent with being fired upon.
2 GUNFIRE INCIDENTS SATURDAY NIGHT: We reported briefly on the incident in High Point just before 10 pm Saturday. Here’s the SPD summary:
Officers responded to a report of shots heard near 29 Ave SW and SW Morgan St. Additional calls to 911 indicated that possible parties involved were running in multiple directions. A possible victim description was provided by callers and officers located him near the scene. The victim was uninjured and stated that he and 2 friends had just arrived at the location after visiting a cannabis dispensary in White Center. As they were about to park an unknown male emerged from an alley and began firing at them without provocation. The victim(s) immediately fled on foot. The single suspect fled the scene on foot and an area check did not locate him at this time. Evidence of a shooting was recovered from the scene. Guardian One was unavailable and a K9 Track was not feasible. … Two vehicles and 2 homes were struck by gunfire. Victims were notified of the damage.
Commenters mentioned an incident earlier in North Delridge. Here’s the summary for that incident, reported just before 8 pm:
Officers responded to 5000 block of 25 Ave SW to a report of shots heard along a nearby park. Officers located the scene and found evidence of a shooting in the middle of the road. Witnesses had limited information and no suspect physical description or vehicle description were provided. An area check found no injured persons and no property damage.
If you have any information, the incident numbers are 2022-298318 for the High Point case and 2022-297207 for the North Delridge case.
Also today, two reader reports about car prowls overnight:
FAUNTLEROY BREAK-IN: From Tom:
Someone overnight broke into my car and broke out a small window in the back. They got in, took all paperwork, and also broke the ignition.
No police report # yet.
GATEWOOD BREAK-IN: Laura reports a car break-in overnight, second one in a week on her block in Gatewood. The report number is 2022-923925.
Thanks to Lacey for the tip. More than three dozen customers are mapped as out of water at the moment, mostly along 18th SW just east of Holy Family Church/School. The outage is attributed to “emergency repairs.” Lacey says Seattle Public Utilities reported that crews are fixing a broken water main. Sometimes this kind of work can affect water service beyond the immediate outage zone, so if you’re anywhere near there and experiencing water problems, that could be the cause – but let 206-386-1800 know, just to be sure. (Update: SPU says this was fixed as of 3:10 pm.)
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