West Seattle, Washington
19 Monday
That is one of four Seattle Police-created maps, each tracking a certain category of crime in the area covered by the Southwest Precinct — West Seattle and South Park — over the Dec. 8-Jan. 4 period, just received and circulated by Pete Spalding via the Pigeon Point Council e-mail list. (The letter/number designations are the official names of the patrol sectors in the precinct’s coverage area.) As far as we know, these aren’t available online, but Pete confirmed he was encouraged to share them with neighbors, and certainly you’re a neighbor. Read on to see the other three:Read More
This came into the inbox Friday night from a longtime WSB’er who prefers to be unidentified:
After dark tonight a young woman knocked on our door near 45th & Edmunds [map] to offer new windows and energy efficiency survey. She was polite and left when we declined. Within an hour we found a gang ‘drop box’ on our corner. While assuming the two activities are unrelated it makes me
uneasy and we will be more than usually vigilant tonight.
We hadn’t heard about “gang drop boxes,” so asked a followup:
Seems gangs ‘drop’ a cardboard box where they want to mark territory or schedule some event. Because it’s just a cardboard box most of us would ignore it. Our corner box was heavy cardboard 8x8x3ft. A gang name was painted on it. We don’t know if there is an event code on it because we don’t know about this stuff. The box would have been dropped between 6:00 and 8:00 tonight. The original shipping label was to an individual on Queen Anne.
A family member with law-enforcement ties is the one who spotted it, our e-mail correspondent explained, adding that the family member subsequently spoke with a police officer who offered this additional information: “… that the boxes (or spray paint on garages, etc.) act like a GPS system for the gangs. He said for us not to worry because the paint color on this box would say ‘keep going’ as an arrow would.” We can’t find any evidence of this phenomenon on Google, but maybe it’s known by another name – we’ll make a note to follow up with police next week to find out if this is something new and if there’s something you should do if you spot one. (Or maybe YOU have expertise to share?)
Keep the flashlight at bedside, just in case – this is the wind advisory renewed by the National Weather Service a little more than an hour ago:
…WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST WEDNESDAY…
A STRONG STORM WHICH IS BRINGING HEAVY RAIN TO THE MOUNTAINS IS ALSO CAUSING STRONG WINDS ACROSS THE URBAN CORRIDOR FROM TACOMA NORTHWARD TO EVERETT INCLUDING THE SEATTLE AREA. EXPECT SUSTAINED SOUTH WINDS OF 20 TO 30 WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH. THESE WINDS WILL CONTINUE OFF AND ON THROUGH THE NIGHT AND DIMINISH WEDNESDAY MORNING.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WIND ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 39 MPH OR GUSTS OF 45 TO 57 MPH ARE LIKELY. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN SNAP SMALL TREE BRANCHES…TOPPLE SMALL OR SHALLOW-ROOTED TREES…AND CAUSE LOCAL POWER OUTAGES.
A flood warning also is in effect through Thursday morning for possible “small stream” and urban flooding. We’ve just been out for a drive around some of the usual areas where this hits first – no trouble yet but if heavy rainfall continues as expected for hours to come, could be a different situation by morning.
12:28 AM UPDATE: We’re working on some other stories so we’re keeping watch on weather too; midnight readings from the NWS included 30 mph sustained/40 mph gusts at Alki Point (K91S on our favorite hourly list). Nothing on the City Light online list of outages.
1:14 AM NOTE: 34 mph speed, 44 mph gusts at Alki Point at 1 am.
That’s 13-year-old Liam Etheridge. His dad Mark Etheridge, an Admiral resident, sent the photo with this note:
After seeing how effective the crosswalk flags are at some of the crosswalks in West Seattle, my son Liam and I decided to try and make the very dangerous crosswalk at California Ave SW and SW College St in the Admiral District safer. This is a busy traffic area and also a heavily used pedestrian crossing.
We investigated the local website for pedestrian news, bought the safety flags ourselves, designed a mounting system and bought the hardware.
On Sunday, 12/28, we mounted the holders and installed the flags. Within an hour we watched people using the flags and showing obvious approval of the new addition.
On Monday, 12/29 two of the eight flags were already missing. My son and I had learned from the pedestrian website to expect some attrition of the flags so we weren’t too concerned. By Tuesday, 12/30, all of the flags were gone except for one that we found thrown in the Blockbuster parking lot across the street.
I have to say I expected far better of the West Seattle community. This was supposed to be, among other things, a lesson for my 13 year old son on the benefits of community service. Instead, it became a lesson on the less fortunate aspects of human nature.
Liam and I have resolved to try again with one more stocking of the crossing flags. I cannot afford to continue to buy flags just so a few idiots can steal them and spoil things for the rest of the community.
And what possible use would anyone have for seven small orange flags? Are they practicing semaphore signals at home?
We received Mark’s note this morning; before we could publish it tonight, he sent this followup:
In a strange update to the story, two of the eight flags have returned, and highly decorated. One has a pretty good sketch of a bus almost running a guy down, complete with the “55” on the bus (correct route) and the caption “Don’t be this guy.” The other has a really messy green painted peace sign. Now my son and I are intrigued with what may happen next.
Here’s a map of the intersection in question. The city supplies flags for several crossings in West Seattle (including Yancy/Avalon, California/Dakota, and California/Dawson), and this is now one of several more where flags have been privately supplied by citizens trying to do a good deed.
A warning about the major road on West Seattle’s eastern border, sent by Laura in Highland Park (we also got a short Facebook note that mentioned West Marginal Way hazards, so perhaps the same stretch):
Want to alert drivers to a hazardous road condition. I was just out doing errands–happily driving on bare, wet streets. As I was going northbound in the right lane on West Marginal Way at normal speed (40 mph) I came around a curve and hit major slush/ice. I lost control of my car–as did the car in front of me. Luckily we managed to come out of it unscathed, but it was scary for a moment, and could have resulted in an accident. I kept going (in the left lane–and much slower this time) and saw that the right lane continued to have many slushy/icy spots AND a few large fallen branches from the greenbelt. So…two warnings: 1) Specifically, be careful on W Marginal and 2) In general, continue to be extra careful driving–though many streets are bare and wet, you never know when you might come upon a spot that hasn’t melted yet.
And now, of course, the rain is back, which may make it worse before major melt makes it better.
Now that weather woes have mostly passed (for now, at least), we’re going back through the WSB inbox to be sure we didn’t miss anything to share with you. Here are two alerts from WSB’ers who wanted to get out the word about scary incidents that happened to them – read on for the details:Read More
Out of the WSB inbox from Ann; she sent it this morning, but now that night has fallen, it remains relevant for some slushy-sidewalk spots around town:
Folks are exercising (running) in the streets around Admiral – which is fine, we understand that the sidewalks are still dicey – but folks really need to wear light colored clothing. A runner (wearing dark clothing also wearing earphones) just slipped on ice in CA Ave in front of my car, she corrected herself in time and luckily I was going slowly so I didn’t come near her. I’m not sure if there is way to remind people to be safe during the thaw as there is still ice in the streets, even major ones.
Once again this very-early morning, we’re hearing on the scanner that police are being called out to deal with allegedly rowdy sledders and snowmobilers on Charlestown hill (a few blocks west of California SW). That reminded us that the above photos had come in on Monday with the following beef:
OK, so maybe I am getting a bit older these days but having six 4-wheel ATV’s and a snowmobile tearing up Alki at 11:45 pm is a bit much… Loud and obnoxious, will we have to wait until one of them hits a pole or worse yet a person out enjoying the snow for a walk? I get using one to run up to Safeway or the Met, but does Alki Beach have to turn into an obstacle race course if it snows?
Included are pictures of the result of these folks. Unfortunate result of what should have been another beautiful scene from that master artist in the sky… Instead we have dirt kicked up from the doughnuts and loud racing last and previous nights. I doubt this activity is legal, these folks are going way too fast for my comfort level having my car parked on Alki Ave and friends/neighbors out and about.
Sincerely, Concerned at Alki
Before we launch our Sunday night edition of snow coverage, wanted to mention this – since it turned out to be particularly timely: Saturday morning, hours before the snow hit, volunteers from neighborhoods all over West Seattle got together to test emergency radios that could be used for West Seattle-wide info-relaying in case of catastrophe – the photo above shows preliminary results (broken lines are iffy, solid, better) – here are photos taken before participants fanned out for the actual test:
That second photo is Ron Zuber, a radio expert who coordinated the test (and the one we mentioned on Night Out in August) — that test had mixed results, so this time, they tried more powerful radios. Cindi Barker from the Morgan Community Association reports, “Not a perfect result, but there were enough inter-neighborhood connections that we think we can stick with family service style radios, and that way Block Watch and SNAP groups can hear our communications. Alki and Fauntleroy will be our biggest challenges, we may have to get a repeater to boost the signal all the way from end to end.” They’ll meet again next month to further develop the plan.
A West Seattleite who wishes to remain anonymous sent this in to give you a heads-up:
I was shopping at Target (West Seattle) at 4:45 today. I got hot, took my coat off (and my bag), put all in cart, turned my back to it and then – poof – it was gone.
The brazen thing was, even as I was reporting it to security and the police, the thieves were shopping at the store! They spent 682.98 at Target (at 6 pm) and then ran off to Best Buy for another splurge of 635.44.
I cancelled my credit and debit cards and then something I’d never heard of until now – I put fraud alert on all my accounts.
This Seattle Police webpage includes some handy info regarding what to do if (hope not) this happens to you. We’re adding it to the “resources” list at the bottom of the WSB Crime Watch page.
Most mornings, we can just write one roundup that highlights several notable events happening in the ensuing 12 hours or so. Today – so much going on (as listed in our current West Seattle Weekend Lineup), we’re just starting with the morning highlights:
PANCAKES, SANTA, ROYALTY, MORE: 7 am-11 am, Masonic Hall (4736 40th SW – here’s a map), the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s long-awaited Community Pancake Breakfast – a great deal ($6 adults/$3 kids) for good food, and it goes to benefit Kiwanis charitable work – bring an unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots too. Along with breakfast, you can get Santa pix plus meet West Seattle Hi-Yu royalty (and another chance to buy those beautiful glass ornaments they’re selling).
SAFETY: The weather’s been so calm lately, you may have forgotten about the potential treachery of fall/winter rain. Don’t let that keep you away from the city’s landslide-awareness workshop – free! – 10 am-noon at South Seattle Community College (as previewed here last month).
GOLF: As announced back in October, today’s the day for the West Seattle version of the Parks Department open house to update the city’s Golf Master Plan and hear from local course users. Drop by the West Seattle Golf Course between 10:30 am and noon.
HIGHLAND PARK ELEMENTARY HOLIDAY BAZAAR: This isn’t just a chance for holiday shopping, but also an opportunity for family fun – 10 am-3 pm, you’ll find carnival games, raffles, craft items and more at Highland Park Elementary.
More later on what’s ahead tonight – though we have to mention, of course, the top of the ticket is the West Seattle Tree Lighting, with musical and theatrical entertainment as well as a holiday singalong and the first drawings in The Junction’s $5,000 Holiday Giveaway (entered yet?). 5 pm, Farmers’ Market parking lot, we’re helping emcee and we hope to see you there! (Dozens more events are listed here.)
The Seattle City Council and King County Council both took final budget votes today (city news release here, county news release here); 
no last-minute drama – that was all worked out last week. Many of those councilmembers also send out newsletters, and one of them, Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess (left), followed up his budget note with his thoughts on what should be done to help stop the youth violence that flared in a particularly ugly, and deadly, way this past weekend – in several incidents including the Southcenter shooting. We wanted to share what he has to say – his voice is particularly loud in this matter, as he chairs the council’s Public Safety Committee:Read More
At this past week’s Delridge District Council meeting attendees heard a moving presentation about the Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership — which needs more people power to help keep local kids out of trouble with alcohol and other drugs, not just to keep them safe for now, but also to reduce their chances of lifelong problems – the sooner you start drinking, the more likely you are to struggle with alcohol abuse as an adult. Since knowledge is power, as the saying goes, one simple way to help — if you’re a West Seattle parent — is to complete a new survey – and you can do it online. Here’s how Renae Gaines, a local leader in this fight, explains it:
The Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership is interested in getting feedback from community members about the attitudes and perceptions of underage youth using alcohol and/or other drugs. We realize that you are a valuable source of information and the information will help the coalition to address alcohol and drug use in the community.
In late November, a survey will be sent out to 1233 community members to gather information on attitudes, knowledge and perceptions around this issue. The coalition will use the community information to develop community strategies and solutions. The survey data is important for understanding the issue surrounding underage use of alcohol and other drugs in the community and we strongly encourage community members to participate. The community members were selected randomly and will receive a survey via the United Stated States Postal Service which will include a postage paid return envelope. Or you can have the option of completing this on-line survey:
www.surveymonkey.com/WestSeattleParentSurvey . If you are a West Seattle parent and you haven’t received the survey via US mail or completed it through Madison Middle School, please take it online.The results of the survey will be distributed throughout the community after the data analysis and community members will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the results.
If you have questions about the community survey and/or information about the coalition, please contact the SPF-SIG Community Coordinator, Renaé T. Gaines: (206) 396-2945 or her e-mail: rtgaines@seattleschools.org
Another way for you to join forces with the Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership is to attend the next meeting, coming up Tuesday night — 6-8 pm, Southwest Library branch; here’s a map. (All the group’s meetings through next May are listed now on the WSB Events calendar.)
West Seattle has one official off-leash area for dogs. Go off-leash at any other park, and you’re running a costly risk. When WSB Forum members noticed a city crackdown at Lincoln Park (photo above from park’s southeast entrance), University of Washington News Lab reporter Monique Vague saw the opportunity for a news story. Not only did she find out more about the LP crackdown, but she also discovered the city’s future enforcement-expansion plans:Read More
We’ve been tracking the county budget crunch here and on White Center Now; many components of the county budget affect far more than those in unincorporated areas — it also affects public-safety and other services provided for everyone in King County. Council leaders just announced they’ve found a way to save some of the services that were on the chopping block – here’s the entirety of their (long) announcement (P.S., you can send comments online by going here):Read More
From tonight’s Alki Community Council meeting: Crime prevention was the major topic on the agenda, as the ACC held its last scheduled meeting of the year. Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Benjamin Kinlow had been invited to speak as a followup to a meeting last month with neighbors in the 1500 through 1700 blocks of Alki SW. That in turn was a followup to a late summer wave of break-ins in those two blocks (which spawned this WSB reader report at the time). Kinlow gave an abbreviated version of his standard Block Watch presentation, saying he hoped to return with more detailed information tailored to both the neighborhood and the residences involved. He said the security issues involved in a condo building are very different than those of single-family residences, noting that the neighborhood had both. Also he encouraged the Council to have an informal meeting prior to Night Out next August so that neighbors could meet and share information about what they see going on in their neighborhoods. ALSO: The ACC gave out recognition awards to former board members of their board. Receiving personalized coffee mugs and gift certificates to the Phoenician restaurant were Jackie Ramels, Gary Ogden, Peter Stekel, and Don Wahl.
Two nights of major meetings — you’re invited, indeed encouraged, to attend any and all:
7 PM TONIGHT: Southwest Precinct meeting room — Delridge District Council with a busy agenda including a jail-site update from Highland Park Action Committee and the latest on the Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership (whose online survey will be available shortly).
6:30 PM TOMORROW: West Seattle (Admiral) Library branch — the next Southwest Design Review Board meeting (first mentioned here 10/30) for the proposed Admiral Safeway rebuild (here’s our report on the last one in September).
7 PM TOMORROW: Alki Community Center — the Alki Community Council‘s agenda includes a Block Watch presentation by SW Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Benjamin Kinlow.
That was the scene this morning near 37th and Lander (map). We stopped by after a call from city arborist Nolan Rundquist, who thought some passersby might be interested in why the trees were coming down: He says six big trees there had to go because of Dutch Elm disease — three were dead; the other three were dying and in danger of infecting others if not taken down. (We published a city warning about this disease, with some explanatory details, last August.) Rundquist told us a crew had a two-day window open during work being done for City Light, so they got busy in this neighborhood, at no cost to the homeowners. He added that some Bridging the Gap money might be available to replant in the neighborhood as soon as next spring.
So many times in recent weeks, we’ve seen the power of neighbors banding together to do what needs to be done – including fighting crime – and that task gets easier when you have the latest info on what’s happening in our area. Tonight, it’s your last chance of the year to get that info, and answers to your crime/safety questions, by attending one of the most worth-your-time monthly events in West Seattle, if you’re at all concerned about neighborhood safety: The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct meeting room (Google Street View above shows where you’re going). See you there.
Just found this on the National Weather Service’s Seattle website – they’ve put up the PowerPoint presentation from the official “hazardous weather briefing” delivered a bit earlier today. See it here. (Still awaiting updated forecasts — should be out any time now — but that “briefing” indicates the rain won’t be quite so bad here in the metro area, half-inch to an inch by tomorrow afternoon.) 3:48 PM UPDATE: The updated forecasts and advisories are coming online now – a wind advisory is in effect starting at 10 pm (read about it here), for starters, and it says 45 mph gusts are possible.
(click to see larger, citywide version)
That’s part of a city map distributed at a media briefing we attended this morning at Don Armeni (with the steep slide-prone slope of California Way, and North Admiral ridgetop homes, as a backdrop) – red marks the steepest areas, blue marks other potential landslide zones. Reps from Seattle Public Utilities and the Department of Planning and Development warn that last week’s heavy, sustained rain raised the landslide risk – and one more storm (there’s more rain in the forecast) could elevate it further – so they are distributing information on what to look out for, as well as publicizing a workshop you’ll want to attend if your home or business is in a potential slide zone – read on to find out more, and to hear about one of the West Seattle spots that experts watch closely:Read More
(photo added Tuesday morning — Wally said he had a mossed-over roof gutter and we asked for a pic!)
The forecast summaries don’t look too apocalyptic but Wally sent a note pointing us to the forecast “discussion” for Thursday-Friday – the possibility of heavy rain and breezy weather resulted in this note from the National Weather Service:
COULD ALSO SEE SOME LOCALLY HEAVY ACCUMULATIONS OVER THE LOWLANDS…FALL LEAVES CLOGGING DRAINS COULD EXACERBATE THE PROBLEM…SO THE SWING SHIFT SENT A SPS HIGH-LIGHTING THE POTENTIAL FOR MOUNTAIN AND LOWLAND LEAF CLOGGED DRAIN FLOODING.
Bottom line, check those drains again in the next day or two – those colorful leaves are beautiful but once they’re down, they can cause big trouble if they wind up blocking your drains, private and public property.
Now that it’s 2 am Sunday on time-change day, it’s really 1 am, so it’ll be 2 am again in an hour. Anyway, here we are joining the chorus of fall-back reminders, with the smoke-detector add-on: Change those batteries. Even if you have an ultravigilant smoke detector like ours, which thinks every roast is an inferno, it still needs functioning batteries to save your life. Go change ’em.
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