West Seattle, Washington
26 Thursday
The crew from Seattle Fire Engine 36, based at North Delridge’s Station 36 by the bridge, had an education call this morning – Firefighter Story Time at the Delridge Library.
They of course read the classic “No Dragons for Tea” (written by Jean E. Pendziwol and illustrated by Martine Gourbalt), which teaches kids about fire safety. They also brought along gear so that if kids ever find themselves face to face with suited-up firefighters in an emergency, they will remember not to be scared.
SFD sends crews around the city to visit libraries periodically for Firefighter Story Times. This was the only West Seattle stop in the current round, but one month from today, you have another chance to bring the family to meet firefighters and learn about fire safety – “Fired Up Family Day” at the Homestead parking lot on Alki (2717 61st SW), 11 am-1 pm August 25th – explained in our calendar listing.
(WSB photo: Part of memorial at stabbing scene)
Across Delridge from the scene of Friday night’s deadly stabbing of 34-year-old Michael Abay, the Southwest Precinct’s second-in-command has just provided a short update on the case. Asked to speak to those gathered for a 34th District State Senate candidates’ forum (separate forum story later), Lt. Steve Strand said police believe Abay was “targeted.” He did not comment on why. He also said that while they haven’t identified a suspect yet, he believes they will. Mr. Abay’s death was the third homicide case of the year in West Seattle and police have described all three as “targeted.”
(WSB photo from Friday night)
3:35 PM: The King County Medical Examiner has just identified the victim of last Friday night’s deadly stabbing in South Delridge as 34-year-old Michael Abay. His cause of death is listed as multiple stab wounds. We also asked Seattle Police for an update on the case, but they have no new information. Police told WSB on Friday night that they received a call about someone lying in the street in the 1600 block of SW Cambridge, and when they arrived, the victim was already dead.
As noted here on Friday night, this was the third homicide of the year in West Seattle, after the May shooting of Lorenzo Marr at West Seattle Stadium and the June stabbing of Jonathan Pecina near Luna/Anchor Park, and no arrests have been reported in those cases either. If you have any information in any of those cases, the SPD Homicide Unit tip line is 206-233-5000.
9:47 PM: In a comment, Marianne shared this crowdfunding link through which Mr. Abay’s family is seeking help with funeral expenses.
(See full-size version as PDF by going here)
Six months after last we checked in on the design for Delridge Way SW as part of the RapidRide H Line conversion (WSB coverage here), the City Council’s Transportation Committee just got a briefing. Shown above is the 10 percent design concept for the Delridge section of the route.
One major change since what we saw/heard in January – the launch date for the Route 120 conversion is now described as 2021; it had been 2020.
Today’s briefing was related to a requirement that the council see the project at 10 percent design before spending goes beyond $1.4 million (the full project will cost at least $42 million, SDOT reps said at today’s meeting). This is still a very “early” stage of design, it was stressed, and District 1 Councilmember Lisa Herbold expressed interest in seeing south-end elements including improvements to the neighborhood greenway on 17th SW as well as connections to White Center. She was assured that those will be ready to review when the project gets to the 30 percent phase. That’s also when they’ll know more about how much repaving will be included as well as how and where sidewalk improvements will be addressed.
The final vote on allowing the project to proceed to the next phase of design is due at the full City Council meeting one week from next Monday – that’s July 30th. We’ll add video from today’s discussion – the committee meeting is still under way, on other topics, and about to enter its fourth hour – when it’s available.
That photo is from one of several people who messaged to ask/tip us about a big police response near Delridge/Brandon this past hour. We headed out to find out, but the police had all cleared the scene by the time we arrived, so we stopped at the Southwest Precinct to ask at the front desk. The log notation: Very loud argument between a man and woman, in or along the street. No injuries, as there was no aid dispatch. (Thanks again for the tips – 206-293-6302, text or voice, is the fastest way to reach us, 24/7.)
Thanks to Mary for the photo and report:
An energetic group of neighborhood volunteers came together on this sunny morning to clean up the Delridge Triangle at Delridge Way SW/18th Ave SW/SW Barton St, and to clean up surrounding blocks. The clean-up was a joint effort between the South Delridge Community Group (SDCG) and Friends Of The Delridge Triangle (FDT). This is one step of a greater project in the works to redevelop the Triangle into a safe and usable community space where the neighborhood can play. The Delridge Triangle project was a Your Voice, Your Choice 2017 award recipient. The project is now moving forward and hopes for a boost from the 2018 Neighborhood Matching Fund.
The next Delridge Triangle clean-up will take place on Saturday 08/11 from 10:00 am – 11:00 am. All are welcome to join us. It’s a great way to start the weekend, keep our neighborhood clean, meet neighbors, and build community!
Contact the South Delridge Community Group @:
sdelridgecommunitygroup@gmail.com
Or visit our website:
southdelridgecommunitygroup.wordpress.comContact Friends Of The Delridge Triangle @:
delridgetriangle@gmail.com
Or visit our website:
Friends of The Delridge Triangle
8:01 AM: SFD and SPD are arriving at a flipped-car crash in the 5000 block of Delridge Way SW [map]. SFD reports that everyone’s out of the vehicle and that no one is seriously hurt. Avoid the area.
8:11 AM: The crash response is primarily affecting the southbound side of Delridge, per texter and scanner.
8:20 AM: Photo added. Our crew reports driver of flipped car hit two parked cars. Nobody required hospitalization. Tow truck has arrived; traffic is getting by both ways with use of center lane as well as NB lane.
Mozart duets at Music Under The Stars. pic.twitter.com/MoAIlSeF6L
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 10, 2018
7:36 PM: A raindrop here and there isn’t getting in the way of the second of four Music Under The Stars events, presented by the Seattle Chamber Music Society at Delridge Community Center Park (Genesee/26th) – live music by a student ensemble until 8, then live audio streamed in from the SCMS Summer Festival concert at Benaroya Hall. (Added – two longer clips from the live-at-Delridge mini-concert:)
Free – and North Delridge’s own Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) is here too with a kids’ activity booth.
7:59 PM: The live concert has ended – but the UW student musicians (who are awesome – we’ll add a clip or two when back at HQ) will be back during intermission, the SCMS rep has announced. Also: A prize drawing for everybody here – concert tickets. We’re headed in but the live audio from downtown is just about to start and there’s a lot of fun to be had at the park. (The drizzle, by the way, has long since stopped.)
Music Under the Stars begins at @SeattleParks Delridge CC park! @UW grad students play until 8, then live audio of @SEAChamberMusic Summer Festival concert @benaroyahall pic.twitter.com/S16nIG7Dts
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 3, 2018
7:41 PM: The evening sunshine is gracing the park outside Delridge Community Center as the Seattle Chamber Music Society‘s first of four “Music Under the Stars“ concerts gets under way.
As previewed this morning, University of Washington graduate students are playing until 8 pm, when the event switches to live audio from the society’s Summer Festival concert at Benaroya Hall.
This is free, and kids are welcome – the West Seattle Art Nest is in fact here with activities for any young attendees who are interested. Just bring your own blanket or chair. If you can’t make it to this one – the series continues for each of the next three Monday nights, 7:30 pm at Delridge/26th. More video, plus photos, when we’re back at HQ.
8:07 PM: The broadcast from Benaroya has begun, and we’ve moved on, but a beautiful night full of music continues at the park. And before leaving, we heard something we hadn’t heard before – the live musicians return when the Benaroya broadcast concert goes to intermission, so it’s not too late to head to the park for in-person music as well as the live audio feed.
9:23 PM: Photos added; another clip to come added:
Tonight’s musicians were Caitlin Beare and Brian Schappals on clarinet, Abbey Blackwell on bass, and Emerson Wahl on drums. Their program had a big helping of jazz.
(File photo from Music Under the Stars @ Delridge, courtesy SCMS)
Just one major calendar highlight for today/tonight (the full list of what’s going on is here): The first of four free Music Under the Stars mini-concerts at Delridge Community Center park! This is the third year that the Seattle Chamber Music Society has presented this free outdoor classical-music series, perfect for a picnic dinner. It starts at 7:30 pm with live music by a student ensemble and continues at 8 pm with live audio from the SCMS’s Summer Festival at Benaroya Hall. (Tonight, SCMS tells us, “The ensemble is a quartet of UW grad students. They will be performing a variety of music, combining in various ways as the UW Grad Clarinet Duo, UW Jazz Trio, and the UW Clarinet and Bass Duo.”) As shown in the photo, you’ll find the event north of the community center, toward the west side of the park (Genesee/26th is the best locator). See you there!
9:45 PM: If you’re wondering about the sirens – police are heading to join the search for a robbery suspect. We don’t have the location narrowed down yet but will update when we do.
9:47 PM: Update – police now say that what happened wasn’t a robbery, it was an interrupted car prowl. One possible suspect has been detained. The search starting point is 14th/Barton.
10:22 PM: Added a photo of the scene where police had a suspect in custody. He’s been taken to the precinct.
Thanks to Tony Welch for photos from the Delridge Skatepark celebration of Mark “Monk” Hubbard‘s life.
Delridge and Roxhill were two of the many skateparks that Mr. Hubbard’s world-renowned West Seattle-headquartered Grindline has built. And as skating was a major part of his life, so it was for his memorial.
He was only 47 when he died earlier this month.
Those not in or near Delridge were urged to gather at their local skateparks on Friday so it would be a “global celebration” in his memory – and the Grindline Instagram feed features some of the other gatherings. At Delridge, the celebration rolled into the second evening of summer, with all ages participating:
Delridge Skatepark opened almost seven years ago.
P.S. As Tony mentioned in a comment, there is a GoFundMe crowdfunding page for Mark’s family.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
At a time of year when neighbors should be getting together for something fun like a block party, a gathering tonight at one South Delridge house was sparked by a series of burglaries.
So they gathered with pizza – and police.
More than two dozen people crowded into a bungalow living room on 13th SW a short distance north of Roxbury to hear from, and get answers from, Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis.
Within the span of just a few blocks, since Sunday morning, four burglaries have been reported to police, he confirmed, while neighbors wondered if there might have been at least one more. (Our previous report on them is here.) In at least two cases, the burglar’s description was the same – a 6’2″, 220-pound black man who turned up in the house in the middle of the night, “young” but at least 25, clean-shaven, a gap in his op teeth, a “soothing” voice.
No one’s been hurt physically, but the experience was terrifying.
Capt. Davis promised more police presence; he said the night shifts are on orders to do “emphasis patrols” in the area. That doesn’t mean you can expect to see police just parked there – but they’ll frequently be in the area.
Should neighbors go out and walk around on patrols of their own? he was asked.
Davis said he wouldn’t recommend that – “arbitrarily putting yourself in harm’s way is not good.” He did recommend that neighbors stay in close touch with each other, Block Watch-style; they already do, he was assured (a major reason for the crowd in the organizer’s living room), including via their own e-mail list.
One resident said she’s leaving her lights on all night. The captain suggested contacting Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner (jennifer.danner@seattle.gov) for a home assessment that would lead to suggestions of other ways to beef up security.
What if your landlord doesn’t want to make the changes? “We can strongly recommend that they do,” Davis replied.
The neighbors’ questions continued. Would the burglar come back to the same house? “We’re not sure what this individual wants,” Davis said. One victim said he seemed lonely – seemed to be “looking for love.”
Some wondered if he lives in the area – there’s a “halfway house” nearby, neighbors noted; one said she had contacted people there but no leads so far.
A burglary detective is on the case and will be talking with each victim, Davis reassured the neighbors.
With the city-county line so close by, are police talking to the King County Sheriff’s Office? Yes.
Will police talk with neighbors beyond those who have reported the crimes, just in case somebody saw something? Yes.
Has anything like this happened in any other West Seattle neighborhood? No.
In one case, the burglar bled from broken window glass, so that’s providing evidence that police can test, though Capt. Davis wasn’t certain how soon results would be available. Neighbors’ vigilance is the best way to help with the investigation, he said – “if you see something, say something … so we can get this individual off the street.”
By Randall Hauk
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
The South Delridge area will see the arrival of a new neighborhood bar and restaurant later this summer, with Can Bar set to sail into the stretch of 17th Avenue SW between Delridge and Roxbury.
David Gradwohl says he and his partners — Josh Baymiller and James Imonti — are hoping for a mid-July open of their nautically themed bar and restaurant, with an eye toward being able to meet the community during White Center Jubilee Days (July 18-22).
The “Can” in Can Bar is a reference to the prominent role canned beer will play in the bar’s offerings. While there will be six taps for draft beer and a full bar, there will be no bottled beer available.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes:
EARLY-MORNING INCIDENT NEAR 20TH/BARTON: We got some questions today about an early-morning police search in the 20th/Barton vicinity. Following up took some time – the full report wasn’t available, but we did get some information from Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Strand. Police responded to a report of “a person with a gun,” he says, and while that person got away, a second armed suspect – “a convicted felon” – was found and three guns, one stolen, were found too. A rental truck associated with the call was impounded, awaiting a search warrant. No one was shot, no shots fired, but someone “had been maced somewhere along the way,” Lt. Strand added.
GATEWOOD CAR PROWL: Caught on security video around 5:30 am, near California/Ida:
I don’t think it would have been visible from the street but apparently we left our minivan unlocked with the window down last night and this guy took the opportunity to make off with a couple of gift cards. … That black car behind him is what he pulled up in.
Police report # is 18-226065.
One more early-morning incident that woke up more than a few people early today – suspected gunfire heard in South Delridge, Westwood, and as far north as Sunrise Heights. This security video is from a camera near 17th and Cloverdale. We couldn’t find a police report number showing that any evidence of gunfire had been found; if anyone reading this knows of a related report number, the video’s owner was wondering how to call it to police’s attention in case the vehicle seen going by in the background was related. Meantime, just a reminder, if you think you hear gunfire, call 911, because the more calls they get, the more chance they have of figuring out where it happened and if there’s any damage/evidence.
That’s a view of the Delridge Triangle (18th/Barton). We’ve reported before on community plans to give it a brighter, safer future, and now there’s a simple, fast way to show your support. From Kim Barnes:
Did you know the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Coalition is working in partnership with Highland Park Action Committee and South Delridge Community Group to improve one of our community public spaces in South Delridge?
On June 25th, The Friends of the Delridge Triangle will submit its application to the Neighborhood Matching Fund. The goal? To get the Delridge Triangle (9200 Delridge Way, across from Burger Boss and 2 Fingers Social) redesigned to create a space that is safe and usable for the community.
The Delridge Triangle lies at the center of the South Delridge community. With Highland Park to the east and Westwood-Roxhill to the west, the public right of way is central feature to the South Delridge corridor. The space has a long history of negative social behaviors that have created fear and avoidance and the surrounding community is in desperate need of easily accessible outdoor space. Your pledge to participate in the redesign project over Fall 2018-Spring 2019 is a critical step toward filling the need for easily accessible green space in South Delridge.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
For the grant application to be successful we need your pledge of interest to participate as the Community Match to the grant award over the October 2018-April 2019 period. Can you spare two minutes today and complete the volunteer pledge form here?
For project information along with online pledge form, you can go here: DelridgeTriangle.org Your details will not be shared beyond the Delridge Triangle team, and you’ll be updated on the progress of the application submission starting at the end of June.
Can you help with getting more pledges? Would you like to consider pledging cash, materials or have questions? Email the steering committee at DelridgeTriangle@gmail.com. Thank you for supporting our community!
9:10 PM: What started as a Seattle Fire “heavy rescue” to Delridge/Graham is being downsized. According to radio transmissions, the initial report was about someone possibly trapped under a vehicle. Updates as we get them.
9:14 PM: All SFD crews except one engine have been canceled. Delridge is reported to be down to one lane at Graham, though.
Tria‘s car is the latest stolen vehicle that you’re being asked to watch for: “Black BMW 328i, 2008; car was stolen from 9200 block of 17th Ave SW in West Seattle sometime after 1:30 am. Plate BMJ8962.” If you see it, call 911.
Thanks to Shawna for the photo! June is Pride Month and the Pride flag is flying at Louisa Boren STEM K-8 along with the USA and Washington flags. Seattle Public Schools headquarters in SODO is also flying the Pride flag, for the first time, after a ceremony this morning.
Back in 2014, we noted a flood-control plan in the works for the neighborhood along 24th SW in mid-Delridge. Now, it is getting closer to reality – and a community conversation is the next step.
Here’s what they’ll be talking about:
Project Area: Longfellow Creek Corridor between SW Willow St and SW Graham St, including 24th Ave SW and Longfellow Legacy Creek Trail
The Issues:
• 24th Ave SW often floods during rainstorms, affecting access to homes
• Water from rainstorms does not drain well from the street and forms large puddles, creating unsafe conditions in the winter
• 24th Ave SW is a confusing area for users of the Longfellow Creek Legacy Trail because it’s difficult to see where the trail ends are and there’s nowhere to walk except the middle of the street
The Solutions – What we want to hear from you:
Based on community input, ideas will be developed on how to change 24th Ave SW to reduce flooding, improve trail connections, and make other improvements the community is interested in.
For more information on the project, go here.
5:23 PM: Firefighters have made quick work of what’s described as a “car fire near a structure under construction” in the 4500 block of 23rd SW [map of vicinity]. We’re on our way to check it out.
5:37 PM: At the scene. Added photo of the vehicle that caught fire.
5:40 PM: Our crew is told the vehicle caught fire after crashing into the under-construction building, which is just south of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. The driver took off and is not yet in custody.
7:25 PM: The vehicle’s been towed and police have left the scene. We checked the area just as they were departing – and shortly thereafter found ourselves behind the tow truck taking the vehicle away:
The tow driver had paused (for reasons unknown). And a P.S. – as mentioned in comments, “Avalon Tom” caught some video that shows the thick dark smoke that briefly called this fire to many people’s attention:
We’ll be following up on this post-holiday.
Running a small business? And/or launching one? The Seattle Public Library has free consultation appointments open starting soon for its Library to Business program. Librarian Nancy Slote, who’s part of the L2B team, explains, “We help research business questions, particularly with market research. The library has great subscription databases, available in the branches and remotely, with a library card, which can provide consumer buying data and identify competitors and market trends. We meet with entrepreneurs in all stages of business development, from people with an idea, to those writing business plans, to those operating businesses.” They have appointments at the Delridge, High Point, and South Park branches – this flyer shows the day/time windows, and the number(s) to call to get yourself set up to go in for help (or, Nancy says, you can schedule via e-mail at L2B@spl.org).
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