West Seattle, Washington
17 Tuesday
(WSB photo: Crows watching over a newly mulched raised bed)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Two weeks until spring. Daffodils are blooming. Tulips are on the way. Thinking about gardening this year? The most-recent meeting of HPAC – community council for Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge – was for you. Here’s what happened:
GARDENING: The spotlight presentation was all about growing food. Chris Hoffer, community-education manager from Tilth Alliance, was the featured speaker, with lots of ideas and inspiration.
From Tina:
I noticed my car was stolen this morning at 5:50 am. I last saw it at 6 pm last night.
It’s a 1998 Volkswagen Jetta GLS. Dark blue. Stick shift. Plate # APV8292. It’s the only car I’ve ever owned. I’ve had it for 20 years. I live in S. Delridge, next to the Police Station. It looks similar to this. Looks darker in cloudy weather. Looks similar even w/ door striping removed. Rear right light is busted; it’s a round crack.
Police report is 21-053409. Call 911 if you see it.
(WSB file photo)
Last week we published this report about a Longfellow Creek footbridge that was removed and won’t be replaced before next year. Today, word that another bridge across the creek is out for a while – the “Fishbone Bridge” that crosses the creek south of Dragonfly Pavilion at 28th/Dakota. Seattle Parks says the bridge is “temporarily closed while Seattle Public Utilities works on repairing and replacing portions of the bridge deck.” The closure is expected to continue through the end of the month. P.S. The bridge’s official name is Salmon Bone Bridge; it was designed by artist Lorna Jordan.
Nicole is hoping you can help find a dog that bit a 5-year-old girl in North Delridge. She reports it happened around 3:15 Monday afternoon near the Shell gas station north of Delridge/Findlay, as the child was walking with her mom:
The dog’s owner didn’t have it on leash and it ran straight for the little girl. She fled toward the gas pumps to try to escape but it caught up with her and bit her on the face and ear. The owner retrieved the dog and took off. The little girl had wounds serious enough to require a hospital trip. Per animal control, the dog and owner have not been located. The dog was described as “maybe a large black Labrador type.” No official description of the owner. If a neighbor thinks they know the location of the dog’s owner, they should contact animal control at 206-386-7387.
Local nonprofits have been called on to help sustain the community more than ever this past pandemic year – but they’ve also had to fight for funding, without in-person galas, with many routine donors struggling. But they’re coming up with creative ways to keep going. The Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association has launched its major spring fundraiser by counting down to its online “Destination Delridge: Live from the Heart” event at 7 pm March 13th. Everyone who donates in the days leading up to the event will get a ticket to the event. DNDA hopes to raise $90,000 to sustain the art, nature, and neighborhood programs it continues to present. You can donate and/or buy a ticket (with a dinner option!) by going here.
The Delridge repaving/utility work, preparing for the RapidRide H Line conversion, continues. SDOT’s weekly update on upcoming work includes these key points:
*21st Ave SW will be closed to local access only for several weeks beginning Monday, March 1 to complete utility work
*Paving on the east side of Delridge Way SW between SW Findlay St and SW Juneau St is scheduled to begin as early as March 8
*On Thursday, March 4, SPU will be working overnight to complete tie-ins near SW Juneau St. SPU will notify residents of any interruptions to their service in advance of this work taking place.
*Sidewalk demolition between SW Thistle and SW Cloverdale St continues, with paving scheduled to begin as early as March 4
*Intersection work continues at SW Kenyon St and SW Holden St and will last for several weeks. The intersections will remain open during this work.
The full update for the week ahead is here.
P.S. Remember that businesses are open even if there’s work nearby – they appreciate your patronage.
Pickleball is popular – and you have a new option for where to play in West Seattle. The photo and announcement were sent by Verne:
Lifelong Recreation, in coordination with a program called Rec ’N the Streets, is offering a new playing option at Delridge Community Center courts.
Every Wednesday from 11 – 1 p.m. all four pickleball courts are being reserved for pickleball play. They are hoping to entice players to use these courts and to introduce new players to the game. Nets have been purchased, along with paddles and balls as well as some bright reflective court markers to help players see the court lines better.
Got a friend that wants to learn to play? Have them show up on Wednesdays at Delridge, 11 am-1 pm. Got some teens who need to get some PE credit? bring em to Delridge on Wednesdays.
It only lasts till mid April. Proper social distancing and masks are required.
The courts are next to the community center at 4501 Delridge Way SW.
For the second time in three weeks, somebody has stolen a vehicle from the Chevron station at Delridge/Orchard – and a suspect’s been arrested. (Same service station, different suspect.) Last time, the arrest happened blocks away, after the stolen vehicle ended up crashed on its side. This time, the vehicle was a work truck, taken after its driver parked it and left it running around 6:30 this morning. A tracking device led police to an area in South Seattle, where they found the truck, with the suspected thief – ID’d by the Delridge victim – in it. He also turned out to have a felony warrant from another auto-theft case in which he is charged, so we are identifying him as 24-year-old Cainan Bear-Garza, whose previous arrest was one month ago today for allegedly robbing Delridge Home Depot (he spent 11 days in jail after that arrest). The warrant’s not for that case, though; it’s for an October auto theft in the Roxhill area, for which he was charged a day after he was jailed in the Home Depot case. The warrant was issued, documents say, because Bear-Garza failed to show up for the day-reporting program to which he was assigned when he was released on February 5th.
Doug Ollerenshaw sent us the photos and report after looking into a bridge situation in West Seattle that reminds him, though on a much-smaller scale, of the “other” bridge situation that’s now in its 12th month – a maintenance problem and closure that won’t be resolved before next year. Above is his 2020 photo of a bridge across Longfellow Creek, near Greg Davis Park, that he noticed last year was showing signs of deterioration. Last summer, he noticed it had been removed, without public notice. “I figured it was a short-term thing, but finally started trying to figure out what was going on (this week) after seeing no sign of work on a replacement.” This is how the spot looks now:
He was pointed to the Parks Department, and got this explanation:
The bridge was removed in late summer/early fall this past year by our heavy equipment crew … The bridge had previously been compromised structurally for several years and the cracked stringer finally broke completely and was in the creek. We are looking for funding so we can identify a replacement timeframe/schedule. At this point it is uncertain, but hopefully, in 2022.
We’ll be following up on the funding issue, but in the meantime, this is one for the “in case you wondered too” file.
If you’re in need of a COVID-19 test today, one more option – a public pop-up presented by Neighborcare and Seattle Housing Authority at Longfellow Creek Apartments, 5915 Delridge Way SW. They tell us all are welcome – just show up and they’ll register you. If you have health insurance that covers it, they’ll bill it, but if not, the test is free. This is continuing until 4 pm today; here’s the flyer.
Ever since the West Seattle Bridge closed 11 months ago, transportation topics have dominated most neighborhood meetings. But this Wednesday, HPAC – the community council for Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge – has a palate cleanser: Gardening. Here’s the agenda for the online meeting at 7 pm Wednesday (February 24):
Announcements – learn about upcoming free compost giveaway events!
Report from Waste Management on best compost practices
Presentation & Discussion:
Your Pandemic Garden 2.0: “You started it last year, now what?”
Led by neighbor gardener and Seattle Tilth Alliance Community Education Manager Chris Hoffer. Learn more about starting and maintaining a garden to grow food in the city. Meet other neighborhood gardeners and share ideas and inspiration!
Chris will take us through:
Getting Started: Beds, Boxes and Containers
Plants for Success
Tips for Long-term Success
Resource sharing + Q&A
Participation info is on the HPAC website.
Work continues in all three zones of Delridge Way where pavement and utility upgrades are preparing for the RapidRide H Line conversion. Here is the SDOT list of key points for the week ahead:
*Intersection demolition and restoration at SW Holden St and SW Kenyon St continues this week. Work at both intersections will be completed in phases to maintain access to the roadway.
*Electrical upgrades near SW Oregon St and SW Alaska St continue, with sidewalk and driveway restoration beginning next week. Residents will be notified in advance of driveway closures.
*Water-main installation and upgrades near SW Juneau St to continue into early March
*Roadway demolition on the east side of Delridge Way SW between Croft Pl SW and SW Orchard St to begin as soon as March 1
The full project update for this week is here.
The Southwest Design Review Board‘s calendar has been empty for months, but now it shows the tentative date for a review meeting: The second Early Design Guidance review for 9218 18th SW [map] is set for 5 pm April 1st, online. The project is expected to be mixed use, 5 stories, 56 units, some retail space, and 28 offstreet-parking spaces, according to Caron Architecture‘s draft packet for the next review. Its first review was four months ago; the board told the architects to try again. Our report from the October meeting details the concerns voiced by board members. The meeting will include a public-comment period; when it gets closer, viewing information and the final design packet will be accessible on this webpage.
7:33 AM: Big SFD response for what has turned out to be a small fire at a construction site near 26th/Genesee [vicinity map]. The response has been reduced but avoid the area.
7:50 AM: Five SFD units remain on scene, about half of those that weren’t canceled before arrival. Their investigator has been dispatched to look into the cause. Metro has rerouted Route 50 off SW Genesee for now.
8:01 AM: Photos added. SFD tells us at the scene that no one was hurt. The fire was in a center building of a cluster of under-construction residences. … Officers told dispatch the fire is “suspicious.”
9:01 AM: Genesee is open; Metro says Route 50 is back to its usual route.
7:40 PM: SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley tells WSB that the fire’s cause has been ruled “undetermined,” with damage estimated at $20,000.
2:51 PM: Few details yet but avoid Delridge/Andover – multiple injuries are reported after a collision, at Delridge/Andover and also on Andover west and uphill. We’re on our way to find out more.
3:18 PM: We’re having difficulty getting close enough to talk with police, between the slush and the emergency vehicles. Nearby resident Mark sent photos of the two scenes – at Delridge/Andover:
And uphill to the west, at 23rd/Andover:
3:28 PM: Just in from our crew, a wider view – note that Andover is taped off, west of Delridge:
Here’s what police at the scene told us happened: The motorhome’s driver was heading eastbound up Andover and got stuck. A police officer was trying to help him get unstuck when the driver put the motorhome into reverse and hit both a pedestrian and two vehicles, including the one in the photo above, and this tanker (photo from Evan):
The only person who needed to be taken to the hospital was the pedestrian. No other serious injuries. We will be checking on the pedestrian’s condition.
3:42 PM: SPD adds via Twitter that the motorhome driver is in custody and the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is responding, so the area will likely be blocked off for a while.
3:58 PM: Commenters who were in the area have a different account, saying police were following/pursuing the motorhome before the crash. Meantime, SFD spokesperson David Cuerpo tells us the pedestrian is a 79-year-old man taken to the hospital in serious condition, and the driver of the car hit uphill on Andover was a 44-year-old woman treated at the scene.
ADDED 7:12 PM: Just received, the initial police summary:
A patrol unit initiated a traffic stop on an older, 20-foot RV near Delridge Way SW and SW Andover St. The adult male driver appeared to disregard the signals to stop and turned up the steep grade, which hindered the suspect’s escape near 23 Av SW. The suspect reversed down the hill, colliding with an occupied passenger vehicle and deploying its airbags before crossing the arterial and striking a petroleum tanker and then a pedestrian. The suspect driver fled on foot, but was arrested a short time later. The adult male pedestrian sustained injuries thought to be substantial. Other injuries were minor. TCIS responded. A DRE evaluated the suspect and detected signs of impairment. The suspect was arrested for Vehicular Assault, Hit and Run, Eluding, VUCSA, and warrants.
(DRE means Drug Recognition Expert; VUCSA is a drug-related allegation, Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.) The summary does not mentions the grounds for the initial stop attempt.
9:18 PM: More information about the suspect, from this SPD Blotter item posted tonight: He’s 47 and “police discovered he had a felony warrant for theft of a motor vehicle, reckless endangerment and domestic violence-related assault. Officers also found what appeared to be narcotics on his person …”
Southwest Precinct police have sent an alert about a mail-theft suspect who they say is active in North Delridge, 37-year-old Jason A. Turner:
Turner is a repeat offender who continues to victimize the residents of West Seattle. Turner continues to steal mail and packages from mailboxes and porches, most commonly in the area of 4800-5200 Delridge Way SW.
Turner has 3 arrests for mail theft since 2020. Turner’s most-recent arrest was Feb. 3. He was released the following day and returned to the area, where additional mail was stolen. Residents are fed up with his actions.
Turner has been witnessed following USPS and UPS drivers and stealing mail and packages that were just delivered. He does this in broad daylight, often in the morning hours before noon, showing no concern for being witnessed.
Turner has no felony record but as noted by police, has multiple misdemeanor theft arrests. If you have any information about the suspect, contact Det. Nick Kartes at nick.kartes@seattle.gov.
In West Seattle Crime Watch this morning, two Delridge crashes that resulted in arrests for more than the crash:
DELRIDGE/ALASKA: This crash just after 7 pm last night led to the arrest of a suspect who police say had been harassing employees at a South Park coffee stand, trying to break into the stand at least twice after they refused his solicitation of sex for money. Police had responded multiple times but had been unable to catch the suspect. Then last night, a driver crashed into “multiple vehicles and a business” at Delridge/Alaska and was recognized as the suspect officers had been seeking in the South Park case. He was arrested and booked into jail for what the report describes as “investigation of burglary, eluding, DUI, and requests for solicitation and assault.”
STOLEN-CAR CRASH FOLLOWUP: On Saturday we reported on this car-on-side crash at Delridge/22nd that led to the arrest of an auto-theft suspect:
(Saturday photo sent by Nate)
The suspect, 35-year-old Allan Navas-Panchame of Kent, is now charged with one count of felony auto theft. The court documents say the car’s owner left it running while in the mini-mart at the Chevron station (our initial report erroneously said it happened at the Arco station) at Delridge/Orchard, and that Navas-Panchame ran from the sidewalk, got into the car, and sped away. Witnesses say the car was going about 100 mph when it crashed and went sideways in the construction zone a few blocks north. They told police Navas-Panchame ran out of the car and got into a nearby parked car, where officers found him. The charging papers say he has six felony convictions, for assault, theft, and vehicle prowling; jail records say he was arrested last week in an indecent-liberties case in South King County and had been out of jail less than 48 hours before the Delridge theft and crash. He remains in jail today, bail set at $2,500.
While we await the mid-afternoon forecast update to get the latest on snow probability, many are preparing, just in case. The West Seattle Tool Library wants you to know it has 12 snow shovels available for rent, first-come first-served, for just $1. The Tool Library is on the northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW. Executive director Eric Renn adds, “Also note that kindness is key in these challenging times, and if you’ve got neighbors that are elderly or unable, please help them out and shovel their sidewalks or vehicles.” The Tool Library is open 5 pm-8 pm today and its inventory is online at wstools.org.
The Delridge/Oregon pedestrian overpass has reopened. That’s part of this week’s update on the Delridge road work that’s paving the way for the RapidRide H Line conversion. The project team notes these key points:
Intermittent side-street restrictions may occur along 22nd Ave SW and SW Trenton St as crews work in the area. These streets will remain open, but drivers may experience short delays as construction activities take place.
Sidewalk and curb ramp upgrades on the west side of Delridge Way SW between SW Oregon St and SW Alaska St to begin this week.
Night work and water service impacts as part of the SW Juneau St watermain upgrades coming soon. SPU will begin notifying impacted properties this week.
Roadway paving nearly complete in Zone B. Once completed, traffic will flip from the east side of the roadway to the west. New reflective road markers will be placed to help designate this shift.
Demolition on the east side of Delridge Way SW for electrical and bus stop upgrades between SW Thistle St and SW Cloverdale St continue. This work will require driveways to be rebuilt. Residents who will be impacted will be notified in advance.
Speaking of Thistle, we asked how much longer that street will be closed east of Delridge. The reply: “While we don’t have a specific completion date scheduled for this work, you can expect this closure to last for several more weeks.” For the entire project zone, here’s the full update for the week ahead.
Police were dispatched to North Delridge after multiple reports of gunfire a short time ago. No victims have turned up, and no damage has been reported so far, but officers just told dispatch that they have found “multiple shell casings” near 26th and Brandon.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports:
(Photo sent by Nate)
STOLEN-CAR-ON-SIDE CRASH: The crash happened in the construction zone at 22nd/Delridge just before noon. According to SPD, the Subaru was stolen from the Arco station qt Delridge/Orchard and the thief “fled northbound on Delridge Way SW at a high rate of speed. The suspect lost control of the vehicle in an active construction zone.” He then fled on foot; officers pursued and arrested him. Police add, “Thankfully no construction workers were hit or injured.” Some were on scene doing Saturday work, as the photos show.
(SPD photo)
The suspect was taken to jail.
CAR PROWL LOOT TO LOOK FOR: Katie says this happened at 37th/Ida in Gatewood:
I left our car unlocked last night and my son’s backpack was taken. It’s pretty bright, so easy to spot. [stock photo] It also had his favorite hat, a black and white Vans beanie with a pom pom, and a blue fleece blanket with snowflakes. Also, bright blue fingerless gloves. If you see any of this, please let me know! Nothing is worth much, I’d just like to recover anything that was dumped!
If you find any of the above, contact us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – and we’ll connect you.
Just two weeks until Valentine’s Day. One gift idea from a local nonprofit – the Delridge Grocery Co-op is offering Valentine’s “treat bags.” For $35, pickup or delivery, you get these treats:
*Bellflower Chocolate bar
*Wanna Date? date spread
*Jacobsen Salt Co. Sea Salt Caramels
*Big Heart Tea Co. Cup of Love Tea (Loose Leaf)
*Sister Sage Herbs Weekend Warrior Muscle Balm
Pickup is at the Delridge Grocery Co-op space (5444 Delridge Way SW) 10:30 am-12:30 am on Saturday, February 13th, and deliveries will be made that afternoon. To be eligible for delivery, you have to be, DGC stipulates, on “the West Seattle peninsula (as far south as Roxbury) … in the following zip codes: 98106, 98116, 98126, and 98136.” Order here by February 10th.
P.S. DGC also announces:
Our Equity Committee is also looking for people interested in being part of a focus group as part of a new Community Advisory Board (CAB) of Black, Duwamish, and Disabled members to talk about creating a community survey.
Here’s how to get involved with that.
As the repaving-and-more Delridge project preparing for the RapidRide H Line continues, SDOT has sent the weekly update on upcoming work. First, the key points:
*SW Thistle St, SW Myrtle St, and 20th Ave SW at Delridge Way SW remain closed for demolition and paving activities
*Electrical upgrades beginning soon along the west side of SW Webster St to Sylvan Way. Restoration and paving to follow.
*New traffic patterns in Zone B coming soon as we finish paving on the west side of the roadway
*Paving and roadway demolition happening on the west side of Delridge Way SW between SW Holden St and SW Kenyon St as we restore the roadway where duct bank installation took place
*Bus stop upgrades are happening in several places throughout Zone A
The full weekly preview is here.
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