West Seattle, Washington
22 Thursday
(Fauntleroy ferry dock, photographed in this week’s fog by Vlad Oustimovitch)
Washington State Ferries says its ridership continued rebounding last year from the 2020 pandemic low. This week, it released the year-end ridership report for 2021. The accompanying announcement included the overview on some of the trends:
For only the second time since it began operations in 1951, and the second year in a row, WSF carried more vehicles with a driver (8.9 million) than passengers (8.4 million) in 2021, as many continued to work from home or chose to drive on board because of the pandemic.
Current ridership trends
State ferry ridership in 2021 rose to roughly 72% of 2019 pre-COVID-19 numbers, with vehicles climbing to 85% and walk-on customers up to 42% of pre-pandemic levels. Ridership is expected to rebound further when COVID-19 eases and as WSF restores sailings closer to pre-pandemic levels.
“We’re in the process of planning our service restoration efforts as we continue to aggressively recruit, hire and train new employees,” said WSF Assistant Secretary Patty Rubstello. “Pandemic-related vessel crewing challenges and the temporary loss of one of our biggest ferries due to an engine room fire were two major service obstacles for us in 2021.”
2021 route-by-route ridership highlights
The greatest year-to-year increase came on the Seattle/Bainbridge Island route, where total ridership – vehicles and passengers combined – was up 44%. The boost lifts the run back into the top spot as the system’s busiest after dropping behind Mukilteo/Clinton and Edmonds/Kingston in 2020 for the first time in more than 40 years. The Anacortes/San Juan Islands route had the second largest growth at 36% with ridership on those runs reaching 95% of pre-pandemic levels. System highlights include:
Seattle/Bainbridge Island: Biggest year-to-year increase with total riders up 44%, led by a system-high rise in walk-on passengers of 54%; vehicles jumped a system high 32%.
Edmonds/Kingston: Total riders climbed 20%, vehicles grew 14%.
Mukilteo/Clinton: Total riders rose 14%, vehicles increased 11% to remain as busiest route for drivers.
Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth: Total riders up 13%, vehicles jumped 9%.
Anacortes/San Juan Islands: Total riders surged 36%, vehicles climbed 23%.
Seattle/Bremerton: Total riders grew 29%, vehicles rose 20%.
Point Defiance/Tahlequah: Total riders increased 18%, vehicles up 13%.
Port Townsend/Coupeville: Total riders jumped 22%, vehicles climbed 14%.
Anacortes/Friday Harbor/Sidney, British Columbia: The international route did not resume service in 2021 due to U.S.-Canada border restrictions and continued crewing and vessel availability challenges.
You can see annual ridership reports dating back to 2002 by going here. For a quick comparison, Fauntleroy-Vashon ridership in 2021, 1.4 million, was down from 1.8 million in 2019, while Fauntleroy-Southworth’s 2021 total, 554,000, was down from 2019’s 976,000.
Reminder that if you want to participate in Washington State Ferries‘ winter community meetings, tomorrow’s your last chance – you can participate in the 1 pm Tuesday meeting. Hot topics for WSF right now range from ongoing schedule reductions to planning for projects like the Fauntleroy dock/terminal replacement. You can also watch the recording of the evening version of the meeting, held last Wednesday – find the link here, same webpage where you can register to be part of tomorrow’s session.
Thanks to the texter who sent the photo. We’ve received a few questions about what that crane is doing alongside the Fauntleroy ferry dock. First – no, this is not related to the ongoing planning for future replacement of the dock. The crane is from Pacific Pile & Marine, doing “routine maintenance” on the dock, Washington State Ferries tells us. It’s happening a bit later than originally scheduled because of the weather and should last a few days. The WSF maintenance-updates page notes that the terminal has been scheduled for counterweight-cable replacement.
P.S. If you missed last night’s first session of WSF’s winter community meetings, you have a second chance – 1 pm next Tuesday (January 11th); the registration link is here.
2:23 PM: Avoid Fauntleroy Way near the south end of Lincoln Park – a downed wire has led to the street being blocked off. Updates as we get them.
2:35 PM: Here’s a live view of the scene, looking south down Fauntleroy:
For now, you can only reach the ferry dock from the south, until this is cleared.
2:48 PM: As the live image above shows, the road’s open again.
1:26 AM: So far we have two reports that power’s out in Arbor Heights. Flickered here in Upper Fauntleroy, Not on City Light map yet. Anyone else out?
1:29 AM: Add Fauntlee Hills.
1:32 AM: The outage is mapped now – 4,880 customers, mostly southwest West Seattle.
1:39 AM: No cause yet but a few people report it was preceded by a “boom.” We noticed the wind kicking up. (The forecast was updated again after 9:30 pm and notes “Gusts to 30 mph after midnight.”)
2:24 AM: One hour in. No word on the cause yet.
2:31 AM: Just got a text about restored power in Arbor Heights. (added) Commenters from other areas, too.
2:36 AM: Map shows the outage is down to just under 1,000 customers. Mostly Sunrise Heights, and a bit of Gatewood, plus a stretch along SW Holden reaching into Highland Park. Updated map:
3:43 AM: And after a little more than two hours, everybody else is back on. We’ll follow up later this morning with SCL regarding the cause.
11:37 AM: Just got that info from SCL’s Julie Moore: “The cause was a large tree that came down on our lines just south of SW Juneau and 26th Ave SW. Initially the outage at 1:22 a.m. impacted 4,879 customers, but within about an hour we were able to determine it was safe to re-energize a large section of our system as the crews continued to patrol and locate the issue. Once they did, the remaining 982 customers were restored by 3:30 a.m.”
(Fauntleroy ferry dock photographed from Lincoln Park by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
It’s been an eventful year for Washington State Ferries and its riders, from crew shortages to vessel challenges to the start of planning for the Fauntleroy terminal/dock replacement. WSF plans to start the new year with online community meetings, and the dates/times have just been announced:
Commuters, occasional riders and community members are invited to attend Washington State Ferries’ upcoming virtual community meetings designed to provide updates and answer questions about the ferry system.
On Wednesday, Jan. 5 and Tuesday, Jan. 11, members of WSF staff will discuss the ferry system’s service and ongoing efforts to mitigate challenges as well as progress on key projects. WSF Assistant Secretary Patty Rubstello will lead the meetings in coordination with the Ferry Advisory Committees, appointed representatives of ferry-served communities who advise WSF.
Both meetings will cover the same material and are designed to give people the option to join the meeting that best fits their schedule. Meeting participants will be able to ask questions and provide comments. People can join the meeting from a laptop, desktop computer or mobile device, but advanced registration is required to participate.
Registration for the January virtual community meetings:
Registration for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 5.
Registration for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11.Participants must provide a name and valid email address and have access to a computer or mobile device with an internet connection.
Once registered, participants will receive an email with detailed instructions on how to log in to the webinar.The day after each meeting, a video recording will be available online on our community participation webpage.
(WSB photos)
Just weeks after the end of the biggest spawning season in nine years on Fauntleroy Creek, the Salmon in Schools program is starting another year. Teachers whose classes raise salmon for spring releases picked up eggs this week, distributed by longtime program volunteers Judy Pickens and Phil Sweetland. Pickens explains:
Coho eggs arrived early for the 10 West Seattle schools participating in Salmon in the Schools this term. Schools normally get their eggs the first week of January, but warm water at the state’s Soos Creek Hatchery caused eggs to develop more quickly. Teachers and volunteers scrambled to settle their eggs in cold aquarium water before leaving for the two-week winter break. Students can expect to return from break to find alevin absorbing the food that sustains them for their first few weeks of life.
Students will help care for their fish while learning about salmon biology, habitat, and culture, then release them in upper Fauntleroy Creek in May. Habitat in the lower creek will be reserved for “home hatch” left by the 244 spawners that came in several weeks ago.
In our second photo above, Our Lady of Guadalupe School‘s Kelsey Fish is one of the teachers who stopped by to pick up salmon eggs. Other participating schools include Louisa Boren STEM K-8, Gatewood Elementary, Pathfinder K-8, Roxhill Elementary, Sanislo Elementary, Westside School (WSB sponsor), Fauntleroy Children’s Center, Cove School, and A Child Becomes.
One reader report in West Seattle Crime Watch today, from Diane in Fauntleroy:
A man came to our door at 1:43 am (Wednesday) and tried to open our door.
When it didn’t open, he left. We were not home at the time but it was captured on cameras. He was wearing very reflective clothing. I am still in the process of filing a police report. This was in the 9200 block of Fauntleroy Way SW.
(WSB file photo)
West Seattle’s next big transportation project, post-bridge, is still early in the planning process, but that’s a great time to start paying attention, as its Community Advisory Group was brought together again this week for another step forward. It’s the project to replace the Fauntleroy ferry terminal/dock, and it’s tentatively expected to start construction no sooner than 2025. But long before the ferry system gets to a design, they have to review alternatives, and before a list of those can be developed, the advisory group is being asked to help shape the criteria for screening them. So that’s where they are now (after reviewing the Preliminary Purpose and Need Statement for the project – here’s the latest version). At Wednesday night’s online meeting, which only lasted an hour, members were separated into breakout groups for each of the three communities on the route served by the dock – Fauntleroy, Vashon, and Southworth; other meeting attendees got to talk with ferry staffers about other concerns. Here are the toplines of what was shared when everyone regrouped:
SOUTHWORTH
-Improving efficiency
-Finding ways to reach community members who aren’t already knowledgeable about the project
-Acknowledging that many ferry riders from Kitsap County head to points south instead of to Seattle
VASHON
-Similar concerns, especially operational efficiency
FAUNTLEROY
-Ensuring the new terminal/dock is multimodally oriented
-Figuring out how to reduce the high percentage of single-occupancy vehicle use
-Accurate assessment of the relatively recent schedule change, since that happened just before COVID
-Recognize that traffic to/from the terminal affects neighborhoods far beyond Fauntleroy (Duwamish Valley, for example)
-Still concerned the Purpose/Need statement may suggest this project is more than it’s meant to be
WSF plans larger community meetings in the first quarter of next year – to be held online. Before then, they’re asking members of this advisory group to help them determine “what your fellow community members will need to understand and engage with this process.” Before the group’s next meeting, they’ll get a draft of the “screening criteria” based on discussions at and before this meeting, You can comment at any time via the email address for feedback and questions, FauntleroyTermProj@wsdot.wa.gov. And keep watch on this webpage for future meeting dates, plus a recording of this meeting when it’s available.
When the Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist, closed at what then became The Sanctuary at Admiral, it merged with the Fourteenth Church of Christ, Scientist, in Upper Fauntleroy. Now that church building too is being sold. The church at 3601 SW Barton is on an acre of land, listed for $2.3 million, and already has a sale pending, according to webpages featuring the listing, The description of the site notes that the new owner could “build 8 new homes” – since it’s zoned Single-Family 5000. The church phone number is disconnected, so we contacted a regional spokesperson for Christian Science to ask what happened to the church itself. According to the state website, it had shrunk to the smallest organized unit, a society, and the spokesperson tells us the Society based at that building is disbanding. West Seattle also had a Christian Science Reading Room until last year, in the Junction space that became home to Mystery Made. Back to the Fauntleroy church – no word yet on who’s buying it, as the sale hasn’t closed yet and the listing agent didn’t reply to our inquiry.
(Spawning pair, photographed by Tom Trulin)
By Judy Pickens
Special to West Seattle Blog
The longest salmon watch since counting of coho spawners in Fauntleroy Creek started in 1999 ended Sunday with a near-record 244 fish.
(Photo by Judy Pickens)
The seven-week watch began in mid October, and a month later watchers were about to call it a day when the count stood at 10 – a typical number for this small creek. Then high tides, an “atmospheric river” weather system, and perhaps barometric pressure brought in the most spawners since 2012, when the tally was 274.
Dating back more than 20 years, the family-run Hall at Fauntleroy has welcomed hundreds to an elegant sit-down Thanksgiving dinner – free. This year, though, is different. With the help of 50 volunteers, The Hall at Fauntleroy is feeding hundreds a takeout dinner – but otherwise “as traditional as you can get,” with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and other holiday classics (pumpkin lasagna is the vegetarian option). Donated socks are available too (but they’ve already handed out all the blankets they had).
They started curbside pickup (and limited deliveries) at 11 am and by noon had already served up 300 dinners, with 110+ left to go, They requested RSVPs but at this point can also serve people who just show up – while the food lasts (or 2 pm, whichever comes first).
The Hall at Fauntleroy is at the south end of the historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, 9131 California SW. They had hoped to serve a takeaway Thanksgiving last year but due to the state of the pandemic at the time, they had to cancel it altogether.
P.S. If you missed out on this, the West Seattle Eagles are serving a free sit-down holiday dinner to everyone who shows up – 2 to 5 pm at 4426 California SW.
As of this morning, the sudden surge of spawning salmon into Fauntleroy Creek has brought this fall’s total to 87. The last 11-foot-plus high tide for a while is at 3 pm today, so this might be your last chance for a look – Judy Pickens of the Fauntleroy Watershed Council says instructions are the same as yesterday, at or after 2 pm:
If you want to take a chance on seeing spawners, come to the fish-ladder viewpoint (SW Director and upper Fauntleroy Way SW, overlooking the ferry terminal). Catch the attention of a salmon watcher below and you’ll be invited down to the creek. Children must come with a parent, and dogs must be on leash. You may stay as long as the watcher does.
In case you don’t see them or can’t go look, here’s video by Tom Trulin (who also took the top photo):
Last year, volunteer watchers only counted two entering the creek; the last big year was 2012, when 274 were counted, but other recent years have brought smaller showings, especially 2015, when none were seen. The creek’s mouth is on private property near the Fauntleroy ferry dock, and it’s undergrounded through a culvert beneath Fauntleroy Way, daylighting beneath the overlook mentioned above. The Fauntleroy Watershed Council stewards the creek – we reported on the group’s 20th anniversary, and its hopes for more community involvement, in September.
(Photo by Palmer Richardson)
12:37 PM: More word of recent rains drawing salmon into local creeks! This time we have an update from Fauntleroy Creek, courtesy of Judy Pickens:
Nearly a month ago, volunteer salmon watchers began seeing a few coho spawners come into Fauntleroy Creek. After several days with no new fish, we were about to call it quits at seven but, because of tides at or exceeding 11 feet, we decided to keep going. By Sunday (Nov. 14), watchers had tallied 10 – a good year for this small creek.
Yesterday’s high tides were still high enough to give spawners easy access from Fauntleroy Cove. Watchers braved rain and gusty wind and were rewarded when spawners began to pour into the creek.
(Video by Dennis Hinton)
By dark, the tally had jumped to 48, the most in nine years. And it may not be over. Watchers will be back this afternoon to see if another very high tide brings in more.If you want to take a chance on seeing spawners, come to the fish-ladder viewpoint (SW Director and upper Fauntleroy Way SW, overlooking the ferry terminal). Catch the attention of a salmon watcher below and you’ll be invited down to the creek. Children must come with a parent, and dogs must be on leash. You may stay as long as the watcher does.
Judy says a watcher is expecting to be there by 2 pm.
ADDED TUESDAY NIGHT: Thanks to Michelle Green Arnson for the photo of a fish she saw there today:
One more community-council meeting to recap after a week of many, before a new week begins. Here are our toplines from the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s November board meeting, held online:
CRIME UPDATE: From the Southwest Precinct, night-shift Lt. David Terry spoke briefly. October saw what he called a “little uptick” in crime in the precinct’s coverage area (West Seattle and South Park); Fauntleroy is still the safest area in the precinct’s jurisdiction. He was asked whether things are any better at Westwood Village (not in FCA’s coverage area, but not far east of it).
Washington State Ferries‘ planning process for the Fauntleroy terminal/dock replacement remains in the very early stages. Two of the three advisory groups for the project met last week, and another one meets tomorrow afternoon. We covered the first two meetings, which mostly reviewed the same material, then invited questions from advisory-group members. All meetings in this process continue to be held online. Here’s the slide deck, followed by highlights of what we saw/heard:
Love wildlife? Go see what Jen Vanderhoof has, at the Fauntleroy Fine Art and Holiday Gift Show, now in its first of three sessions this weekend. Her underwater seal photos are especially enchanting. Across from her booth, you’ll see Rance Curtis Holiman:
The vivid sunset painting was reminiscent of so many sunset drives westward on West Seattle’s water-facing hills. More local scenes are part of Tom Costantini‘s work:
Classic cars, too! Steps away, you’ll see Linda Zhao and her creations, including these cuddly bees:
They’re just a few of the more than one dozen artists from whom you can buy local to get your holiday shopping going – we also saw jewelry, cards, plants, textiles, garden art, more. Get in the holiday spirit with some music and decorations, in the Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW) Fellowship Hall until 8 tonight, 10 am-4 pm Saturday, 11 am-2 pm Sunday. No admission fee.
(Art by Linda McClamrock)
Your next chance to do early holiday shopping by buying directly from local artists and crafters is only a few days away. The three-day Fauntleroy Fine Art and Holiday Gift Show starts Friday. Here’s what you need to know.
These 15 artists and artistic crafters will be showing, discussing, and selling their specialties at the annual Fauntleroy Fine Art & Holiday Gift Show when it returns to Fauntleroy Church (9140 California Ave. SW) this coming weekend (Nov. 5-7). Show hours in Fellowship Hall will be Friday 5-8 pm, Saturday 10 am-4 pm, and Sunday 11 am-2 pm. ADA access from off-street parking; masks required.
Leslee Avery-Beausoleil – hand-crafted soaps
Tom Costantini – fine watercolors, prints & cards
Apple Cox – whimsical media cards & prints
Gretchen Curtis – hand-knit wearable art
Rose Grandbois – glass ornaments, sun-catchers & garden art
Rance Holiman – everyday sightings in oil
Tim James – miniature landscapes in terraria
Espie Lazo – wrapped & hammered beaded jewelry
Johanna Lindsay – twisted, fused & hammered beaded jewelry
Kathryn Lorenzini – fine greeting cards, packaging & fabric art
Linda McClamrock – fine collage art
Dee Miller – welded & fused glass art for the garden
Linda Thorson – molded concrete designs for home & garden
Jen Vanderhoof – fine photographic images of water worlds
Linda Zhao – hand-crafted critters, polished stones & crystal balls
(File photo)
A new month starts tomorrow and a new round of community meetings is ahead. On Wednesday, Washington State Ferries reconvenes the Community Advisory Group for the project that will replace the Fauntleroy ferry terminal/dock. This will be the third meeting since the group launched in June. It’s online, 6 pm Wednesday (November 3rd), and all are welcome to attend via Zoom – register here to get the link. This group’s meetings do not have public-comment periods – nor do they include votes/decisions, just briefings/discussion – but if you have a comment on the project, emqil FauntleroyTermProj@wsdot.wa.gov. (Our coverage of the group’s most-recent meeting, in July, is here.)
(Photo and video by Palmer Richardson)
So far this salmon-watching season, volunteers have seen two spawners – on separate occasions – in Fauntleroy Creek. So they’ve decided to host an “open creek” for the community on Saturday afternoon (when the weather should be MUCH calmer than today). Here’s the invitation, sent by Judy Pickens:
Volunteers with the Fauntleroy Watershed Council will host an all-ages open creek on Saturday noon-3 pm in lower Fauntleroy Creek. Stroll on over to the fish ladder viewpoint at SW Director and upper Fauntleroy Way SW and come down the nearby long driveway at 4539 SW Director Place to the creek level. Tuck a mask in your pocket and come prepared to check out the habitat, get your questions answered, and maybe see a coho spawner on what is forecast to be a beautiful fall afternoon. Children should bring a parent.
No guarantee you’ll see a fish, but here’s what to look for:
The state Transportation Commission, which has the final say in naming state highways, bridges, and ferries, has announced six finalists for naming the next new state ferry. They are:
Wishkah
Stillaguamish
Snoqualmie
Enie Marie
Stehekin
Muckleshoot
The nominated names are explained here, which is also where you’ll see how to comment. The commission chose those six from what it says were 19 proposed names that met its requirements and guidelines. Their decision is due in mid-December. The name will be given to a 144-car hybrid-electric Olympic Class ferry that’ll be built starting next year on Harbor Island, at the Vigor shipyard, and launched in 2025.
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Thanks to Brandy for the top photo – part of the haul from this year’s drive-up/ride-up/walk-up Fauntleroy Fall Festival. It went on as planned despite the stormy weather that swept through this afternoon. Volunteers were at stations to offer some traditional festival favorites – with the salmon hats, Jeff and Chantille from John L. Scott Real Estate-Westwood (WSB sponsor):
(WSB photos from here down)
With hot chocolate and cider, the Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering team:
With puzzles and pencils for kids, Ginger and Shellie from HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor):
Mike from the Fauntleroy Community Association offered takeaways including street-safety signs:
Music, too! Organizers asked festival visitors to sign up in advance for a time slot to go through, to avoid a traffic jam. They’d hosted more than 150 visitors by the time we stopped by around the end of the first of three hours. The festival is always free, powered by donations and volunteers.
(45th/Wildwood, looking northeast)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Like a giant domino setup twisting and turning as the pieces fall, traffic side effects from the West Seattle Bridge closure have manifested all over the peninsula.
But SDOT‘s traffic-mitigation efforts – from speed humps to radar-enhanced signage – have been concentrated in a few areas.
Fauntleroy is not one of them. But traffic was the top concern in the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s most-recent community-wide survey, so they catalogued specific trouble spots – some longstanding – and invited SDOT and SPD to come talk about problems and possible solutions. (Added Friday – here’s the video recording of the meeting:)
While much was discussed at Tuesday night’s online meeting, few commitments were made (as was the case with a similar meeting in 2014) – many suggestions were deemed too costly, infeasible, unwarranted, or not possible due to staffing.
Heather Marx, who leads the West Seattle Bridge program at SDOT, started with an overview of what’s happening now, as they get ready for the “final push that’s going to (make us able) to open the bridge,” with repair construction starting by late November. 100 percent design will be done by the start of November. They’re doing “early work,” as we’ve previously reported, including constructing work platforms offsite. No new timeline for opening – still “mid-2022.”
Sara Zora, who manages the Reconnect West Seattle traffic-mitigation program, gave an overview of that – dozens of projects, including what’s been done in the so-called Home Zone areas – in West Seattle, primarily Highland Park and Riverview.
Then she launched into the Fauntleroy list highlighting what’s been done and what’s not happening. Details are in the full slide deck:
Toplines:
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