West Seattle, Washington
28 Wednesday
(#SB photo from fall 2018 Recycle Roundup)
One more reminder – Sunday is the day for Fauntleroy Church‘s first Recycle Roundup since before the pandemic. It’s a drive-up/ride-up, free-of-charge event in the church parking lot – Sunday (April 25th), 9 am-3 pm. 1 Green Planet will be there to accept recyclables as listed here. The church is at 9140 California SW (map). Though you’re asked to stay in your vehicle, please wear a mask.
P.S. This happens rain or shine, so if Sunday’s soggy, don’t worry, this will still happen.
We’re now less than one week away from Fauntleroy Church‘s first Recycle Roundup since pre-pandemic. Here’s a reminder from Judy Pickens:
It’s time to top off your bag, box, or bin of recyclables because we’re less than one week away from the return of the Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church! The building is still closed but the parking lot will be wide open on Sunday, April 25, 9 am-3 pm, for free, responsible recycling by 1 Green Planet. Plan to wear a mask and stay in your vehicle. Donation optional. The updated list of what they will/won’t accept this time is here (PDF). The church is at 9140 California SW (map).
Pre-pandemic, the church hosted these events twice a year; the last one was in September 2019.
Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STOLEN RED TRUCK: We have two reports about this theft in Upper Fauntleroy, near 40th/Cloverdale. The red 2002 Ford F-250 HD has a red canopy and black roof rack.
(Added: Photo of truck. Not carrying kayaks or bikes when taken)
Plate B30800H. Call 911 if you see it.
CATALYTIC-CONVERTER THEFTS: In a comment, John reports, “Lost mine yesterday morning at 2:35 at 39th and Graham. A neighbor reported a muffled sawing noise but did not see anybody.” Also yesterday morning in Seaview, a texter reports, “My elderly mother’s Prius had the catalytic converter stolen. Thieves jacked up the car and use a sawz-all. Neighbor saw a group of three men. Too dark for details.” The same block had at least one car prowled, too.
For a second year, the Fauntleroy Community Association won’t be able to have the Food Fest in connection with its annual meeting, but the meeting will happen anyway, online, 7 pm next Tuesday (April 13th). FCA president Mike Dey explains, “We plan to review the FCA accomplishments and what the FCA has been working on during 2020. Additionally there will be a vote for the board members and officers to serve during 2021. Following the annual meeting, we will continue into our monthly business meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend by just staying on the same Zoom link. No additional registration required. The business meeting will run from approximately 7:30 to 9:00 PM.” Registration is required to get the link – go here for that.
If you’re planning on late-night ferry travel, note that the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run is down to 1 boat for the rest of the night. The #2 vessel, M/V Issaquah, has a “shortage of Coast Guard-documented crew” requiring it to go out of service, Washington State Ferries says, so the only sailings tonight are those scheduled for the #1 vessel M/V Kittitas.
(WSB file photo)
When Washington State Ferries held public meetings last month (WSB coverage here) to launch planning for its Fauntleroy terminal replacement, creation of a new Community Advisory Group was promised. Today, WSF is inviting interested community members to apply:
Today through April 23, we are accepting applications from community members interested in joining a Community Advisory Group (CAG) for the project. The CAG, along with an Executive Leadership Group and Technical Advisory Group, will play a critical role in helping WSF shape plans that address transportation needs while balancing the needs of multiple communities served by and adjacent to the terminal.
The CAG will advise WSF and work collaboratively to generate ideas and provide input on which issues should be addressed in this project. Members also will help identify and provide input about potential alternatives and share ongoing feedback on the broader community engagement process. The CAG will include membership from the three communities served by the “Triangle Route” (Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth) to encourage cross-community dialogue and collaborative solutions.
We are seeking people to apply who live near the ferry terminal, regularly ride the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth ferry route, or have an understanding of the area’s regional transportation, economic, community, and environmental issues. …
-WSF is recruiting approximately 20 people to serve on the CAG.
-The CAG will meet regularly throughout the planning phase, expected to last through 2023.
-Meetings will last a few hours and could take place during the day/evening and virtually or in person (once it is safe to do so).
In our coverage of this month’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting, we mentioned the group planned a community egg hunt – board members would hide non-perishable eggs around the area. This morning, we got word it’s happening this weekend: “FCA has hidden hundreds of wooden and plastic eggs full of surprises around the Fauntleroy business triangle [Brace Point/Wildwood/45th], Fauntleroy Schoolhouse and surrounding neighborhoods.” If you find one, you’re invited to post a photo on social media and tag it #FCAEggHunt. FCA’s announcement adds, “Any plastic eggs you can’t reuse may be dropped off in bins located at the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, located at 9131 California Ave SW, or 8801 Fauntleroy Way SW
12:44 AM: Big response in the 8400 block of California SW for a report of a car going down the dead end (which leads to a hillside over Fauntlee Hills). Updates to come.
12:49 AM: SFD says the driver, a man, got out OK and is now “being evaluated by medics.” However, towing the crashed car up a 25-foot slope will apparently be a challenge, responders warned dispatch.
1:03 AM: An AMR ambulance has arrived, which indicates the driver’s injuries are not major.
1:20 AM: Most of the responders have departed; a tow truck has arrived.
7:32 AM: Police are investigating the driver for DUI.
Now there are TWO upcoming chances for dropoff electronics-and-more recycling in West Seattle:
(WSB photo, September 2020)
SATURDAY: We’ve told you about this one several times already – now it’s already here! The West Seattle Junction Association and Chamber of Commerce are presenting a spring recycle/reuse/shredding event 9 am-noon this Saturday (March 20th), different location this year – the north parking lot of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor). Drive up, ride up, walk up! This preview explains how it’ll work as well as what they will and won’t take. Masks required!
APRIL 25: Just announced, Fauntleroy Church is bringing back the Recycle Roundup – usually held in spring and fall, but last year both were skipped because of the pandemic. Details on what will and won’t be accepted are still in the works but the time/date is set – 10 am-3 pm Sunday, April 25, in the church parking lot (9140 California SW).
(WSB file photo, Fauntleroy WSF terminal)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“We have to do something – we can’t just sit on our thumbs and hope it’ll be OK.”
That’s how Washington State Ferries director of terminal engineering Dave Sowers explains the need to replace the Fauntleroy dock, a project its neighbors have been long anticipating/dreading.
He was one of several WSF managers who took part in a midday community meeting today to “launch the planning process” for what will likely be the largest West Seattle transportation project between the city’s bridge repair/reopening and Sound Transit‘s light rail. The meeting, which was one-third presentation and two-thirds Q&A, was the first of two online kickoff meetings, with the second planned for 6 pm tomorrow (Thursday, March 18th). Here’s the slide deck with toplines:
Though the terminal is part of West Seattle’s Fauntleroy neighborhood, it’s not seen as a solely West Seattle project, the WSF reps made it clear.
4:35 PM: Thanks to Ethan for the tip via Twitter – M/V Kittitas on the Triangle Route is out of service for a while. Email alert from WSF says at least its next four runs are canceled due to a crew shortage – “the 4:30 pm from Southworth to Vashon, the 4:50 pm from Vashon to Fauntleroy, the 5:20 pm from Fauntleroy to Vashon, and the 5:45 pm from Vashon to Southworth.” Ethan says people on board Kittitas now are being dropped off at Southworth to await the arrival of M/V Cathlamet in half an hour.
6:50 PM: WSF’s latest email alert says Kittitas is back in service but still short on crew and “will sail at reduced capacity for the remainder of the service day. This may limit a customer’s ability to sail on the sailing they prefer. Customers are encouraged to arrive early.” Vessel Watch shows it is still at Southworth, while Cathlamet has just left Vashon for Southworth, 30+ minutes late.
7:51 PM: The latest email update from WSF:
Both vessels are an estimated 35-45 minutes behind schedule due to an earlier service disruption. This delays the following sailings:
7:05 p.m., 7:25 p.m., 8:25 p.m. and the 8:40 p.m. from Vashon to Fauntleroy
7:35 p.m., 7:55 p.m., 8:50 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. from Fauntleroy to Vashon
8:00 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. from Vashon to Southworth
8:20 p.m. from Southworth to Vashon
Toplines from the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s March board meeting ranged from ferries to police to a spring celebration:
WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES: WSF’s Hadley Rodero was there to talk about the kickoff of the planning process for the replacement of the circa-1950s Fauntleroy ferry terminal.
(WSB photo – maintenance work at Fauntleroy dock last month)
The current dock’s problems include deterioration and its low level. She memtioned next week’s public meetings (March 17-18, details here) and a process that will follow to recruit Community Advisory Group members for the project.
(WSB file photo)
Between the reopening of the West Seattle Bridge in 2022 and the opening of Sound Transit light rail in 2031 (or later), at least one more major West Seattle transportation project looms: Overhauling the Fauntleroy ferry terminal. Washington State Ferries has been talking about it for years, and terminal neighbors have been girding for battle over potential expansion as part of the plan. Now WSF says it’s ready to start the official “community engagement” part of what it says will be a “multi-year planning process, and has announced two online community meetings for later this month – 11 am Wednesday, March 17th, and 6 pm Thursday, March 18th. WSF’s announcement notes:
The Fauntleroy terminal was built in the 1950s and needs substantial work to address deficiencies of the aging and seismically vulnerable structure to maintain safe and reliable service on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth ferry route. The meetings will include information on why the current Fauntleroy terminal needs to be replaced, how project plans will be developed and how the community can expect to be involved.
You’ll have to pre-register to get the meeting links – go here for March 17th; go here for March 18th. (WSF says the presentations at both meetings will be the same.) The project is expected to be built around 2025-2027.
The state ferry MV Cathlamet has just returned to the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth much sooner than expected, after repairs were completed quickly, so that route is now back to two Issaquah-class vessels.
6:55 PM: Thanks for the tip. A “car fire” callout in the 4000 block of SW Barton is actually a solid-waste truck fire, says our texter, and police are being dispatched for traffic control – the dispatcher described it as a “large trash fire in the roadway.’ We’re on the way to check it out.
7:11 PM: Adding reader video sent by Eric Nordlund. As it shows, and as our crew reports, the truck had to dump trash in the street after the truck broke out – and that’s where the trash burned. No injuries.
(Photo by Mike George)
Now they have to figure out how to get it cleaned up.
(WSB photo)
7:24 PM: Police have just told dispatch that the road is likely to be blocked “for several hours.”
A(M/V Cathlamet approaching Fauntleroy during last Saturday’s windy weather – photo by Jerry Simmons)
Two questions during the first of two Washington State Ferries community meetings dealt with a major WSF project that’s just a few years away in West Seattle – the Fauntleroy dock overhaul.
“We’re just starting to look at (it),” said WSF’s Nicole McIntosh. I-976 and COVID pushed back planning but “the 2025-2027 biennium” is when they expect construction, “but we have a lot of planning to get there.” Will WSF consider separating passenger and vehicle loading? McIntosh said they’ll be looking at a wide range of alternatives as they plan – those could include overhead loading, a larger dock, even relocating the dock. She promised the process would include “interacting with our customers and stakeholders.”
At the start of the meeting, Patty Rubstello, new WSDOT assistant secretary in charge of WSF, introduced herself. She said she spent most of her career – with an engineering background – “on the highways side of WSDOT.” She’s been in charge of the WSDOT toll program. She mentioned the recently reported ridership drop – 41 percent, lowest since 1975, first time since 1951 that the systems carried more vehicles than people. They’re still stressing travel “for essential trips only.”
(WSB photo, September 2019)
In overall highlights, ferry-system electrification – spotlighted when Gov. Inslee visited Vigor on Harbor Island a year and a half ago – remains a priority. A new hybrid Olympic-class ferry starts construction later this year, to go into service in 2024. In Q&A, more details came up – one is funded, they could build four more. They’re expected to run on the Mukilteo-Clinton and Seattle-Bremerton routes. WSF’s Matt von Ruden said they’ve just completed preliminary design and haven’t yet negotiated the price.
WSF’s Stephanie Cirkovich reviewed service plans for this spring and summer, after a quick review of how service changed and was reduced because of the pandemic. It’s still too “unpredictable” to set service-change dates like in the past, so now they are focused on the “four pillars of service.” That’s why they are expecting to make a few changes on May 9th, including returning a third vessel to the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route, to operate “8 hours a day on weekends.”
More questions: Will WSF require vaccination for employees in customer-facing roles? No, replied McIntosh. But they’ll continue requiring masks for everyone.
When will galleys be reopened on the ferries? Their vendor is ready to get back up and running, said Cirkovich, but it’s not safe yet. When they do return to service, it’ll be gradual. “At this time we’re still telling people to stay in their cars,” for example.
Has the staffing shortage stabilized? Short answer, no. WSF’s Kim Monroe said training has been difficult during the pandemic which means hiring has been tough. They used to have 18 people per training class – now they’re limited to 5. And of course COVID has affected existing staff, too.
What’s the remaining lifespan on the Issaquah-class ferries (three of which usually serve Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth)? They’re just past midlife, said von Ruden. “They’re very good designs … the workhorse of the fleet.” No vessel-replacement plan for them yet.
Future changes? Cirkovich hopes they’ll be good ones but the pandemic is still unpredictable – hoping to get back eventually to something that resembles “normal, regular service.” No plan to restore late-night sailings any time soon since there aren’t events that would require them. Jon Vezina added that funding is uncertain too – since budget matters aren’t final and the legislature runs to April.
Eleven WSF managers were there to answer questions, so if you have one, tonight’s 6 pm meeting is an excellent chance to ask yours – register here to get attendance info. Or you can send questions any time to wsfcomms@wsdot.wa.gov.
10:49 AM: Even if you don’t use Washington State Ferries, if you’re within view of the Fauntleroy dock, you might be wondering about that crane. It’s there for maintenance work that is scheduled to continue through Friday. WSF says the work “will require single-lane loading/unloading” 7:30 am-4:30 pm each day. We have a message out seeking more details on the work that’s being done.
1:12 PM: In response to our inquiry, WSF’s Hadley Rodero explains the work:
The work at the Fauntleroy terminal is preservation work to replace three steel H-piles near the terminal building. The piles were identified as needing replacement during a routine inspection, and replacing them allows WSF to avoid weight restrictions or other operational impacts in the future. All of this is to be expected for a terminal built in the 1950s.
The crane will be onsite until Friday to install the new piles and then crews will be doing welding and other work under the dock. We’re working to complete the installation before restrictions on in-water work begin on Feb. 15 to protect migratory salmon. We will be loading and unloading ferry traffic in a single lane during work hours for the rest of this week. Work hours will be 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (there won’t be any night work). Neighbors may hear some noise as the contractor vibrates in the new piles – each of the three piles takes about 15 minutes of vibratory pile driving.
Two months ago, Endolyne Joe’s in Fauntleroy announced it would close until “this nightmare is at least close to over.” Now that our area is in Phase 2 and indoor dining is allowed at 25 percent capacity, the restaurant at 9261 45th SW has decided to reopen next week, starting Tuesday, February 16th. The restaurant’s announcement says, “We have been freshening up our dining room and are having our wood floors refinished this upcoming week in anticipation of us giving indoor dining another roll of the dice!” Hours “for both in-house dining and low-contact curbside pickup” will be Monday-Friday 11 am-8 pm, Saturday and Sunday 8 am-8 pm.
(Triangle Route ferry, photographed from Lincoln Park by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
Like other transportation/transit modes, Washington State Ferries has seen reduced traffic/usage during the pandemic. That’s meant two-boat service on the Triangle Route – Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth – and WSF says it’s not planning on adding a third boat for three more months:
As Washington State Ferries continues to operate under the constraints of the COVID pandemic, it is extending the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route’s current 2-boat schedule through May 8. However, WSF plans to restore three-boat service to the route beginning May 9 as part of a modified “peak season” schedule. The peak season schedule will be posted online in the coming weeks.
The route’s usage was down more than a third last year. Got questions about this or another aspect of WSF operations? Community meetings are coming up next week, as previewed here.
(Photo by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
In the wake of a change at the top, Washington State Ferries has scheduled two online community meetings “to provide updates and answer questions.” New WSF head Patty Rubstello will lead the meetings with her predecessor Amy Scarton (now WSDOT deputy secretary), at 11 am Tuesday, February 9th, and 6 pm Wednesday, February 10th. WSF’s announcement says, “Both meetings will cover the same material and are designed to give participants the option to join the meeting that best fits their schedule. Meeting participants will be able to ask questions and provide comments.” Pre-register by going here for the February 9th meeting, here for the February 10th meeting, You can also attend a meeting for Ferry Advisory Committees at 6 pm Thursday, February 4th “to discuss issues related to their role in advising WSF on customer service and schedules”; preregister here.
Toplines from the Fauntleroy Community Association board’s first 2021 meeting, online last Tuesday night:
FERRY TERMINAL: Frank Immel, the board’s point person for ferry issues, said the Fauntleroy terminal-replacement project is now expected to start construction in 2025. (WSF’s official name for it is “terminal preservation project.”) The budget will be $93 million and the project will address issues such as sea-level rising and seismic safety. A meeting with WSF in early December was informational but, he observed, did not seem to be open to comments or dialogue. FCA will “develop a list of what we will and won’t accept” regarding elements of the long-anticipated project. They also are considering seeking other West Seattle community groups’ support once they have an official position. A major concern is that the state will seek to expand the dock; environmental sensitivities on both sides – including the mouth of Fauntleroy Creek immediately south – might preclude that, he said. The board debated for a while about how much the rest of the peninsula might or might not care, while some members pointed out that in the end this boils down to traffic, and almost everyone cares about that. The FCA’s ferry subcommittee will discuss further.
COMMUNITY SURVEY: FCA’s every-two-years community survey is complete. Postcards went out to 3,000 households. 450 responded (including 100 on the final day after we published a “last chance” reminder, coordinator Catherine Bailey noted). 333 of the 450 respondents were nonmembers; more than half said they weren’t previously aware of FCA, while others cited reasons from not knowing how to join to not being interested in membership. Almost half the community, responding to one of the questions, reported they’d been a victim of a car prowl. Burglaries and car prowls were the crime issues respondents reported interested them most – though it was noted, the question wasn’t open-ended. Many other insight/summaries from the survey will be rolled out soon on the FCA website and in the quarterly “Neighbors” newsletter.
COMMUNITY CONCERNS: The survey did not address current issues such as housing and food insecurity, observed a community member who implored the board to diversify its membership and agenda. Members agreed the board needs to “open up.” One pointed out that the group has already broadened its interest and membership in the relatively short time she’s been involved. They talked about setting aside time at a future meeting to strategize. One member noted that schools in the area are very diverse, so reaching more community members through the schools might be one tactic.
POLICE UPDATE: Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Sina Ebinger is retiring and will be leaving within the month, she told FCA (as noted here earlier this week). Joining her at the start of the FCA meeting was the precinct’s new second-watch Lt. Dorothy Kim, who spoke about the recent tire-slashing suspect arrest and how an officer compiled evidence to both find the suspect and solidify that it was a felony crime. “Auto thefts are up everywhere in West Seattle – 75% – 23 in 2019, 40 in 2020 – in Fauntleroy. Everything else is down,” including burglaries, which are down citywide. Lt. Kim said they hope to have SPD represented at future meetings by an officer who patrols the area.
NEXT MEETING: The FCA board meets, online TFN, most second Tuesdays at 7 pm, so February 9th will be the next meeting. Watch fauntleroy.net for updates and the link to register to attend.
(WSB file photo, Fauntleroy WSF terminal)
As with other transit/transportation, Washington State Ferries has seen usage fall during the pandemic. Today WSF went public with its year-end report, showing just how much. Systemwide, 2020 ridership was down 41 percent from a year earlier. That includes 2020 becoming the first year ever – since WSF began operations in 1951 – that the system carried fewer passengers (6.4 million) than vehicles (7.6 million). The two routes serving downtown Seattle, from Bremerton and Bainbridge Island, saw the biggest drops. For Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth, WSF reports that total riders were down 39%, vehicles down 31% (of the three legs of the so-called Triangle Route, Fauntleroy-Southworth saw the biggest drops). The other route serving Vashon Island – Tahlequah-Point Defiance – was the route with the smallest drop. See the full 2020 report here. P.S. WSF says ridership has been rebounding, lately back to 60 percent of pre-pandemic levels, with vehicle usage at 70 percent of 2019 usage levels.
Kaari Higgins died 10 years ago today, the victim of one of West Seattle’s unsolved murders.
One of her two children, now a grown woman, continues trying to find justice for her mom. Lindsay Higgins asked that we publish her plea:
Kaari Higgins was found brutally beaten in her Fauntlee Hills home on December 31st, 2010, and succumbed to her injuries one week later on January 7th, 2011. The attack occurred sometime between 6 am and noon on that New Year’s Eve. On the 10th anniversary of her death, I want to remind the West Seattle community of this unsolved homicide. I was 12 at the time, and now that I am older I still hope to find answers.
Unfortunately, my mom’s case was not widely covered in the media, but there were a few articles published. This Seattle PI story most accurately reported the key details surrounding the case:
It was a few minutes past noon on New Year’s Eve 2010 when a medic dispatcher received a call about a woman unresponsive in West Seattle.
“There’s someone unconscious bleeding from the mouth, face down on the floor in the hallway,” a man said, directing medics to the 4000 block of Southwest Concord Street.
Homicide detectives were unaware of Higgins’ case until after her death – more than a week after her injuries were reported. It was only when her body was examined that investigators realized that it was unlikely her injuries came from a simple fall.
Police say Higgins had a split lip, two black eyes, a bruise on her lower left back, a bruise on her shoulders and a fractured bone. Investigators think she was beaten that New Year’s Eve – her 47th birthday.
I hope that somebody knows something, and that this post might trigger a memory. I urge anyone with possible information or tips on Kaari’s death to contact SPD’s Homicide Tip Line: 206-233-5000.
We reported on Ms. Higgins’s death in 2012, after SPD brought the case to light via a list of unsolved murders.
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