West Seattle, Washington
30 Friday
Thanks for the tip. Police are on upper Fauntleroy Way across from the ferry dock, awaiting the Medical Examiner, after a man was found dead on a bench in what’s known as “Captain’s Park.” A neighbor told us it first looked like he was taking a nap – and then a passerby realized otherwise, so 911 was called. SFD verified the death and tells us the man was “about 60.” Police did find ID on him but the officer at the scene had no further comment. We don’t have any other details except that it’s not being treated as a crime scene.
(WSB photo from September 2018 Recycle Roundup)
Get your recyclables together – we’re now one week away from the next Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church! You’ll be able to drive up/ride up/walk up and drop off recyclables for free with 1 Green Planet, 9 am-3 pm next Sunday (September 22nd). The latest list of what they will/won’t accept this time is here (PDF). The church is at 9140 California SW (map).
Tomorrow and Sunday, it’s one of fall’s biggest sales – the 2nd-Time Sale. The preview is from Judy Pickens, with photos by Mpnika Lidman:
The 25th annual 2nd Time Sale starting Saturday morning at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California Ave. SW) promises something for everyone, from that saucepan you’ve been needing to toys and books galore and even fine jewelry.
Volunteers have culled thousands of items for quality, cleaned and organized them, and put a bargain price on each. Proceeds will benefit church ministries, including responses to homelessness and immigration injustice.
Sale hours are 9 am – 4 pm Saturday and 11:30 am – 3 pm Sunday. Cash and check only. On Metro’s RapidRide C line; free delivery of major purchases.
Toplines from the Fauntleroy Community Association meeting Tuesday night, led by treasurer Alexis Zolner because of several other board members’ absence:
FAUNTLEROY FALL FESTIVAL: October 27th is this year’s date (which is the same date as the West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival), 2-5 pm. FCA doesn’t present the festival but supports it so it’s a big topic. Organizer Chantille Henry (from WSB sponsor John L. Scott-Westwood Real Estate) said the plan is coming together; the FCA Board voted to approve their usual financial support for the festival, and FCA will staff an info table at the festival, too. P.S. The quarterly FCA newsletter includes the news that Caspar Babypants will perform at 1 pm, right before the festival!
ART WALK: Lora Radford and Reeve Washburn talked about the revival of the West Seattle Art Walk, with venues hosting artists and food/beverage venues offering specials to support it. It’s still mostly in The Junction, though, said Radford, so they are now presenting it to “key neighborhood groups” to explore whether other areas want to get involved. Washburn talked about its growth and promotion. And: “So much energy happening in The Junction, what can we do to share that energy in other areas?” Radford said there are “pockets of small businesses” outside The Junction already participating but there needs to be leadership in other areas to take it beyond that. They’re offering “Art Walk in a Box” tools to help others become part of it. In Q&A, Radford explained that the more you get into it, the more you get back. It’s been a boon to local businesses, with increased foot traffic. This is their first presentation; they were headed next to talk to the Admiral Neighborhood Association (as reported here), and planning to talk with the Morgan Community Association in October. Also: many different types of art can be part of the Art Walk. No decision by FCA this meeting.
FERRY LINE-CUTTING: The recent incident we reported generated some discussion among the board. One board member said he would like to see Washington State Ferries take more responsibility for fully managing “the line and what it does to this neighborhood.” They agreed that line cutting “is getting worse, no doubt,” another board member said, and noted that SPD and WSF seem to be pointing fingers at each other regarding who is accountable for enforcement. There was also discussion of the status of WSF’s contract with SPD at the dock. Education and signage about line etiquette would be helpful too, it was suggested. This also veered into a discussion of people’s general disregard for the rules/laws (as noted in this Seattle Times story). A community member in attendance is considering making signs to let people know how to report line cutters.
FERRY DOCK: FCA is keeping close watch on the future Fauntleroy dock replacement project. The next public meeting won’t be before next month, said FCA’s ferry point person Frank Immel. It’ll be several years before WSF even comes up with a design of what they’re going to build – they have an expert adviser who warns it’s going to be “a long process.”
The Fauntleroy Community Association board meets second Tuesdays most months at the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, 7 pm; watch fauntleroy.net for updates.
(Saturday photo, sent by Kenneth)
We found out more today about a case of line-cutting that led to an arrest on the Fauntleroy ferry dock Saturday afternoon. WSF spokesperson Ian Sterling says it started around 2 pm with someone who got cut off reacting very intensely. A third person a few cars back, according to the police report, drew a gun to try to defuse the situation. That didn’t really help. A tollbooth attendant called police, and ultimately the person who drew the gun was arrested; the line-cutter apparently left the scene. No injuries reported; the ferry at the dock at the time was slightly delayed because the captain opted to hold off until everything was sorted out. Sterling tells us that August is peak time for line-cutting complaints, which have been on the rise in general – the state’s special hotline for ferry-line cutting had 2,000 calls in 2017, 2,400 last year, and is on pace to likely exceed that this year. Mukilteo and Edmonds generally bring in the most complaints – for example, 39 last August in Fauntleroy, compared to about 200 in Mukilteo. You can report line-cutting to 877-764-HERO – it’s a $139 fine.
P.S. Back to Saturday’s case – records show the 68-year-old man was arrested for investigation of “use of a weapon to intimidate,” and that after two days in jail, he’s being released today.
(WSB photo, April 2019)
The rain’s one reminder that fall isn’t far away. Also, we have another reminder: Fauntleroy Church‘s Recycle Roundup, 9 am-3 pm Sunday, September 22, is now one month (and a day) away (and yes, we know that’s technically the last day of summer). On behalf of the organizers, Judy Pickens just sent the updated one-sheet (PDF) of what their partner 1 Green Planet will and won’t be accepting this time around. Judy notes one point of special emphasis – if you’re recycling a gas-powered tool (mower, trimmer, etc.), please be sure the fuel’s been emptied. Recycle Roundup is free and happens in the church’s lot at 9140 California SW.
Sent late tonight by the King County Wastewater Treatment District:
Seattle & King County approved re-opening of a small area of Lincoln Park just north of the Fauntleroy Ferry terminal in West Seattle yesterday following two consecutive days of water quality sampling results that tested below the state threshold.
On Aug. 3, the Department of Natural Resources and Parks reported an overflow at a relief value that spilled between 200-400 gallons, most of which was cleaned up by a vactor (vacuum) truck that night.
Here’s our original report from last Saturday.
The photo and announcement were sent by Randee:
Immigrant Families Together has put a call out to kids for lemonade stands to raise money for immigrant families. The kids at Taproot School are answering that call.
From 3:30 to 5:30 at the Fauntleroy Ferry terminal on August 9th, the families from Taproot School will be selling lemonade with all proceeds going to Immigrant Families Together. We want to not only raise money, but also to raise awareness and to inspire others to have their own stands to raise money for Immigrant Families Together.
Immigrant Families Together is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organization working to keep families together by providing bond money for parents, legal services, safe housing, clothing, food, cellphones among other vital services to help families have the best possible chance at receiving asylum.
For more information about how to help immigrant families stay together, hosting your own lemonade stand and to donate directly, please go (here).
(WSB photo)
If you use Washington State Ferries, you’ll want to know about the fare increases approved today by the Washington State Transportation Commission. They include:
-On October 1st and then again next May 1st, vehicle fares will go up 2.5 percent and passenger fares will go up 2 percent
-Also on May 1st, a 25-cent increase to help fund building a new ferry
The commission also gave WSF the go-ahead to test two programs, a special passenger fare for low-income people, and “Good To Go,” already used to collect highway/bridge tolls. No details yet when/where those pilot programs will happen.
On Saturday, we reported on the King County Wastewater Treatment Division‘s announcement of a 200-to-400-gallon sewage leak that resulted in warning signs along part of the Fauntleroy shoreline. We checked back with KCWTD spokesperson Norm Mah today to see if the warning was still in effect. Short answer: Yes. Longer: “The beach is not closed, a limited area around the vault located in the southernmost end of the park along the beach trail has been cordoned off to public access. Signs remain posted advising the public to avoid contact in the area out of an abundance of caution. We are still conducting water quality sampling in the area that is posted. Water quality tests are done until there are two consecutive days below the state threshold.” KCWTD blamed the overflow on “a leaking pressure relief valve on the Barton Pump Station pipeline that travels through Lincoln Park.”
10:17 AM: Just in from King County Wastewater Treatment Division:
King County Wastewater Treatment Division is investigating a leaking pressure relief valve on the Barton Pump Station pipeline that travels through Lincoln Park located in West Seattle that resulted in a small sewer overflow.
Signs have been posted advising the public to avoid contact in the area located in the southern-most end of the park along the beach trail north of the Fauntleroy Ferry Dock. King County dispatched a crew to clean up the site and water quality testing will be done throughout the weekend. The overflow has been reported to health and regulatory agencies.
We have followup questions about the size/volume of the overflow and the stretch of shore affected, since there’s a stretch of private shoreline north of the dock, as well as little Cove Park, before you get to the south end of Lincoln Park. We’re also headed out to look for signage/work crews.
11:25 AM: No reply yet, but we did find a “stay out of the water” sign at Cove Park; photo added above.
1:03 PM: From KCWTD spokesperson Norm Mah: “The estimate is between 200-400 gallons, most of which was cleaned up by a vactor (vacuum) truck last night. Some of it was within the vault that houses the valves.”
1:25 PM: The trucks in our photo are part of the crew that’s at Lincoln Park setting up for tomorrow’s “Sesame Street” 50th-anniversary event, expected to draw 4,000 people (who had to register in advance) over the course of the day. Inside the park, the baseball field south of the wading pool/play area is the hub of activity:
Here’s the newest update on likely afternoon traffic effects: Washington State Ferries had been told last night that the trucks on Fauntleroy Way would clear out for the afternoon no-parking period (2-7 pm) after all. But then, WSF spokesperson Hadley Rodero told WSB this afternoon, the production company instead said they were trying to hire off-duty police to direct traffic around the trucks this afternoon instead. We’ll be checking back at the scene after 2 pm. (added) Here’s the live traffic cam:
Also note if you’re driving to the park, the staging has also taken over some of the spaces toward the north end of the north lot.
2:59 PM: The camera shows the trucks have since moved out of the staging lane. Heading down the hill to see if anything else remains aside from standard Friday afternoon traffic.
3:40 PM: Verified that nothing remains in the queueing lane. (Saw a private car getting towed, though, with an SPD Parking Enforcement officer right behind.) Just the “usual” Friday afternoon ferry backup, almost to the north edge of Lincoln Park as of about 15 minutes ago.
(Photos courtesy Southwest Seattle Historical Society)
Yet another big event this Saturday – the historic Colman House in Fauntleroy is featured on this year’s Southwest Seattle Historical Society-presented “If These Walls Could Talk” tour. The details from SWSHS:
This historic Colman House tour will bring history alive with stories about Arthur Loveless and the Colman family. James M. Colman, a Scottish immigrant, moved to Seattle in the 1860s and brought the rest of his family over in the 1870s. James made a fortune investing in many enterprises such as Yesler’s mill and the Walla Walla Railroad.
The family bought property in Fauntleroy in 1905 and James’s son Laurence Colman recruited his
friend Arthur Loveless to design a new home for him and his family in 1922.
The Colman family is known today through their impact of their philanthropy. The family donated the land for Camp Colman, Colman Pool, and financially supported the Fauntleroy church, their local YMCA, as well as countless contributions to their community.
The VIP tour is an intimate, behind the scenes look at the history of the Colman home. Enjoy refreshments while taking in the beauty of the home’s immaculately landscaped gardens. The VIP tour includes a talk about the work of Arthur Loveless presented by his great grand-niece, Susan Shorett. Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s curator, Tasia Williams, will show and talk about artifacts from the historical society’s collection which illustrate the history of the Colman family.
General admission participants will get to wander through this amazing house with volunteers that are able to answer questions and give a brief overview.
To purchase tickets and learn more about this tour, please click on this link.
The VIP tour is 12-2 pm, $100/person; general admission 2-4 pm, $10 SWSHS members, $15 nonmembers.
Along with Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor), The Original Bakery, and Wildwood Market, the Fauntleroy business district now has one more food option: The El Camion food truck. We mentioned in our recent Fauntleroy Community Association meeting report that it was on the way to 9250 45th SW, and Jonathan just sent the photo with word that it’s arrived. He says they told him they’ll be open daily 11 am-7 pm.
Trouble again for the ferry Kittitas. It had trouble getting from Fauntleroy to Vashon, as Heidi tweeted, and once there, it was taken out of service; steering issues again, says WSF, which as a result canceled four trips and further delaying Southworth-bound passengers, who had to disembark at Vashon instead.
5:41 PM: We got a question via Twitter about why a major law-enforcement contingent, reportedly including King County Sheriff’s Office SWAT, was headed for the Fauntleroy ferry. Also via Twitter, the answer: The man who was found dead after an incident at an immigration-detention center in Tacoma this morning was from Vashon. The Tacoma News-Tribune’s coverage is here.
10:31 PM: The Vashon Beachcomber has published this report mentioning the large law-enforcement response on the island.
Toplines from the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s board meeting last night at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse:
POLICE UPDATE, INCLUDING THE 4TH: Southwest Precinct operations commander Lt. Steve Strand started with an overall West Seattle update. He said summer emphasis patrols have included speeding vehicles (2- and 4-wheels) leaving the Fauntleroy ferry terminal early in the morning (5:30-ish). One board member said people leaving 4:50 am boat are the biggest offenders. (A later question asked about traffic problems related to ferry lines. Lt. Strand mentioned the state paying off-duty officers to direct traffic at the dock.) The 4th of July included more officers at Lincoln Park including a Gator utility vehicle with lights and a loudspeaker.
Thanks to Jim Spraker for the photo of sea stars under the Fauntleroy ferry dock, seen on this low-low-tide day, with summer’s lowest tides this week (as previewed here). Tomorrow will be mega-low, too – out to -3.0 feet at 1:31 pm Friday.
2:50 PM: With the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run still down to two boats (Issaquah‘s been out with steering trouble since this morning), and the holiday getaway beginning, there’s a huge vehicle backup headed toward the dock – all the way to California/Fauntleroy, per both police and texters. WSF estimates the wait at 2 1/2 hours. The run is continuing to stay on the 3-boat schedule but all trips that would be the #2 boat are canceled TFN.
3:36 PM: Some good news – the Issaquah has just gone back into service, so the run is back to three boats.
5 PM: For everybody starting to call/text about the helicopter, just a TV chopper checking out the ferry traffic.
After 30 years at Little Pilgrim School, Lorrie Cook gets to take a break. And she has a special bench for that purpose, if she takes time out of retirement to visit the school she has directed for more than a decade at Fauntleroy Church. The bench was dedicated this afternoon at a celebration with multiple generations from local families on hand:
Little Pilgrim School serves children ages two to five. The church has not yet announced Lorrie’s successor.
We’re at the “big bridge” on Fauntleroy Creek – walk in through Fauntleroy Park, off Barton (here’s a map) – where Fauntleroy Watershed Council volunteers welcome you until 3 pm. It’s the coda to another busy Salmon in the Schools release season, and a chance for a hands-on moment – and/or close-up look at – one of the city’s few salmon-supporting creeks. Volunteer Dennis Hinton tells us they brought 102 fry, so plenty for all – beautiful day in the park!
As reported here last week, the fry-release season at Fauntleroy Creek has just wrapped up for Salmon in the Schools participants – but the Fauntleroy Watershed Council is offering community members a special chance to participate, and it’s this Saturday (June 8th), 1-3 pm, at the big bridge in Fauntleroy Park.
Even after 1,800 fry were released by more than 700 students, 100 fry were reserved for the occasion.
It’s free – first-come, first-served.
For a map showing where the bridge is – go here.
(“Live” WSDOT camera view of Fauntleroy dock)
12:46 PM: Work planned at the Fauntleroy ferry terminal will lead to some late-night sailing cancellations, but should result in noise reduction. The announcement is from Washington State Ferries spokesperson Hadley Rodero:
Next week, crews will begin nighttime maintenance work at the Fauntleroy terminal to improve safety and reduce noise caused by vehicles traveling across the transfer span. We’ve heard a number of complaints from neighbors that loading/unloading ferries can be noisy and this work should help address the problem.
Work will take place on Wednesday, June 12th, Thursday, June 13th, Wednesday, June 19th and Thursday, June 20th, and will require the cancellation of the following late-night sailings:
· Fauntleroy to Vashon and Southworth: 11:45 p.m., 1 a.m. and 2:20 a.m.
· Vashon to Fauntleroy: 10:50 p.m., 12:10 a.m. and 1:25 a.m.
· Southworth to Fauntleroy: 11:10 p.m., 12:30 a.m. and 1:45 a.m.
Service will continue between Vashon and Southworth as scheduled. Fauntleroy neighbors may hear some construction noise and see more activity than usual at the dock during the maintenance work.
We have a follow-up question out seeking specifics about the work.
ADDED 3:10 PM: Here’s Rodero’s reply: “Crews will be replacing parts of the apron, which is the flap that connects the transfer span to the ferry when the ramp lowers for cars to drive on and off. They will be welding the new parts on and fixing parts that are currently loose, which is what’s causing the noise that’s been bothering neighbors.”
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