West Seattle, Washington
12 Friday
Thinking of taking the Water Taxi today, after what commenters say has been a steadily worsening Highway 99 commute post-lane reductions? Here’s the schedule. The county tells us that through the first three days of the week, ridership has been consistently higher than the previous week, particularly on the afternoon runs. We stopped by Seacrest for photos on Wednesday and counted 31 people disembarking around 4:30 pm. We’re expecting official numbers in a week-one wrapup on Monday.
With three months till the primary, and candidate forums and campaign kickoffs starting to intensify, we’re stepping up coverage of the 2011 election. Last night at the Admiral Theater, West Seattleite Diana Toledo launched her second campaign for King County Council District 8 (which includes West Seattle and White Center), with an all-ages party, friends and family chatting in the theater’s loft, while little ones brought by partygoers romped down on the main floor. Toledo says she chose the venue to support a local business that could use more patrons.
Among those at the party was Tim Fahey, one of the three other candidates that ran for the office last year. You’ll see him in our clip from the short speech Toledo gave last night:
Toledo is a former King County employee who says her experience inside county government will help her reform it (here’s her online bio). The candidate to whom Toledo lost in last year’s general election, now-King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, is the only other declared candidate so far; he has a kickoff party scheduled next week. The official filing period opens this Friday for candidates filing by mail. (Wondering why there’s another election so soon after the last one? That was for the remainder of the term that had been won by Dow Constantine before he moved up to King County Executive two years ago, so this time a full 4-year council term is up for grabs.)
Just in case you’re wondering: K-9 is helping with a police search that is related to at least two complaints in the Fairmount Park/Fairmount Springs area. WSB contributor Katie Meyer heard the early scanner traffic and reports that two people were reportedly seen in at least one backyard, one possibly with a ladder; the 5400 block of 41st SW was mentioned. There has also been a report of someone suspicious seen east of the park. We’ll add more information when/if we get it.
1:47 AM UPDATE: We haven’t heard back from police yet, but we have it from a neighborhood source that one suspect was taken into custody, believed to be the man spotted going through a car.
2:07 AM UPDATE: Confirmation from Lt. Alan Williams at the Southwest Precinct: “At about 11:54, a citizen who lives in the 5400 block of 42nd SW [map] saw someone inside his (unlocked) car. The suspect ran when the victim yelled at him. The victim called 9-1-1. Several patrol units and one K9 unit responded. The dog and handler were able to locate and detain a possible suspect in the 5600 block of 41st SW. The victim identified the suspect as the person he had seen inside his car. The suspect, a 20-year-old man, was booked into jail for Car Prowling.”
Got a calendar? Plenty of dates worth noting, in the toplines from tonight’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting – plus discussions about business and crimefighting – read on!Read More
(WSB photo from 2010 West Seattle 5K)
Organizers of the third annual West Seattle 5K tell WSB tonight that almost 1,000 people are signed up for Sunday’s walk/run, with a few hundred more expected in the typical last-minute surge. Two-thirds female, one-third male so far, and while the vast majority are from Washington, there are also two from California, two from Hawaii, and even two from … Wisconsin (!?). Online registration closes at 6 pm tomorrow (Thursday) – here’s where to do that – and if you miss that deadline, you’re invited to last-minute signup at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor as well as, like us, a race co-sponsor) 1-4 pm Saturday, which is ALSO when you can pick up your packet, no matter how you registered. Then there’s one last chance, at Alki Bathhouse starting at 8 am on race day. But why procrastinate? Sign up now. (Kids 6 and under are free, incidentally.)
You’re also urged to walk, bike, or take transit, since it’ll be car-free day along Alki (Seattle Summer Streets – with a shorter day-long closure route than last year, as reported here Monday). If you have friends coming from the other side of the bay, they can take the 8:30 Water Taxi run, and then catch the Route 775 shuttle bus from Seacrest.
(Photo by Kevin McClintic, taken Monday evening)
Five days have now passed since the homeless encampment that calls itself “Nickelsville” returned to the eastern West Seattle site where it began almost three years ago, at West Marginal Way SW/Highland Park Way (as reported here Friday afternoon). Its first stay there in 2008 ended with city leaders sending in Seattle Police to evict the campers, but that’s not going to happen this time, according to Mayor McGinn‘s office. We had asked his spokesperson Aaron Pickus yesterday about whether the mayor would seek to remove the camp as his predecessor had done, and the answer came back a little while ago: No. Pickus’s reply in its entirety:
We will not seek their eviction. By way of context, this site was originally a candidate for a new City Jail. We recently made a long-term agreement with King County that ensures we don’t have a to build a jail, though.
Last year, we proposed a plan for a safe, city-sanctioned place for an encampment to the City Council. While the Council has decided to not act on that plan, they have committed to weigh in on an alternative location by July. And we remain open to their ideas.
The camp had been at a former fire station in Lake City prior to its somewhat-surprise move last Friday. We’re checking with Nickelsville’s media liaison for their reaction; the newest statement on their website gives no indication that they had heard this previously, as it includes the entreaty: “Please let us stay. Let us create a community Seattle can be proud of. Attached is our plan for our home. All we ask from City Government is this land, and access to nearby utilities. We respectfully ask you and your able Deputy to negotiate with us.”
10:15 PM UPDATE: Through Nickelsville’s media liaison, their official reaction to the mayor’s decision to “not seek their eviction”:
It’s a relief that we can stay. Mayor McGinn’s administration recognizes the value of an organization like Nickelsville. It’s also particularly gratifying that, after 16 moves we can stay put for awhile and people can feel some security. And now we can have the dream of Nickelsville come to reality: a safe, organized eco-village that will ultimately shelter up to a thousand people.
P.S. A WSB Forums member asked tonight about what sort of donations the camp would accept. Two other members who have been there offered detailed answers – you can see the Forums thread here.
5:06 PM: Thanks to Adam and Courtney for the tips on a car/pedestrian crash at 35th/Morgan about half an hour ago. We got there fairly quickly, but the scene was already cleared – Adam says the northbound lanes were blocked at one point – and the police cars in our photo were the only evidence left. Police confirm one person was hit by a car and injured. The victim was taken to a hospital by private ambulance, indicating the injuries weren’t major, but that’s all we know at this point – they were still talking to people to try to figure out what happened; we’ll check back later. 5:40 PM: A few more details from Bill, who says word is that the car was headed westbound on Morgan, turning onto southbound 35th, when the pedestrian was hit.
ADDED EARLY THURSDAY: According to Lt. Alan Williams from the Southwest Precinct, the driver, a 63-year-old man, was cited for “right of way at a crosswalk.” The person he hit is a 38-year-old woman who suffered “non-life-threatening injuries.”
One month ago, on behalf of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, we asked for your thoughts on priorities for West Seattle’s transportation future – what’s the #1 problem to solve here? Some have since asked, where do the resulting 70+ answers go next? Here’s one place: The Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee is coming to West Seattle for a public workshop next Monday (May 23; one of three citywide), with the City Council’s Transportation Committee chair Tom Rasmussen on hand . 5:30-7:30 pm at Southwest Library‘s meeting room (35th/Henderson) – the first half-hour is an open house, followed by half an hour of presentations with SDOT director Peter Hahn participating, and then an hour of small-group discussions. If you can’t go, here’s an online survey you can take. (P.S. The committee got results of a phone survey at its meeting last week. “Southwest Seattle” participants said our biggest problem is potholes/bad roads. We found that in its document library, which you can browse here.)
If you missed it at the Admiral Theater two months ago – or if you want to see it again – here’s your next chance to see the education-system documentary “Race to Nowhere“: The Arbor Heights Elementary PTSA is sponsoring a screening one week from tonight at the Chief Sealth International High School auditorium Little Theater. AHPTSA is inviting the entire community to come watch the film and discuss the issues it raises. Ticket details are here and organizers are offering a $5 faculty/student ticket with valid ID. AHPTSA coordinator Elise Olson explains, “The film is 85 minutes and we’ll be having a post-film discussion: How can we best prepare our youth to become healthy, bright, and contributing citizens? How do we define achievement? How can we make choices that support the healthy development of young people? How can we end the race to nowhere? We are hoping to get as many West Seattle families, students and educators there as possible to join in this important community discussion.” 6 pm Wednesday, May 25th, 2600 SW Thistle.
(4/30/11 photo by Katie Meyer from the Admiral Way Viewpoint drug-takeback dropoff)
The drug-takeback events on April 30th netted 256 pounds of prescription drugs in West Seattle alone, according to the local DEA office. But if you doubt that matters – check out the toplines from last night’s presentation to the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council. While drug-abuse expert Steve Freng talked about all categories of drug abuse, over and over again, he reiterated that it’s legal drugs, not illegal drugs, causing the most problems these days.
Freng is with the team focused on the Northwest HIDTA – high-intensity drug-trafficking area. He also spoke to the WSCPC at the Southwest Precinct two and a half years ago (here’s our report from that meeting), at which time he warned that prescription-drug abuse was on the upswing. His information is not West Seattle-specific, but it’s regional and likely a good indicator of what’s happening here:Read More
We’re not putting these under the Crime Watch label because there’s no proof either person was a criminal or intending to commit a crime. But the two people who sent these reports felt concerned enough to want to share them – a man who approached a child in Lincoln Park last night, and a man who turned up in a stranger’s back yard – read on:Read More
You have probably passed its huge North Delridge facility myriad times, but unless you work at Nucor, chances are you’ve never been inside. Want a firsthand look? Here’s a chance to go behind the scenes while contributing to a cause:
For the past 3 years Nucor Seattle has participated in the West Seattle Relay for Life, raising funds for cancer research in the quest to find a cure. Last year Nucor donated $7,500 to this worthwhile cause and is currently fundraising with hopes of beating that donation.
Team Nucor would like to host a “Tour for the Cure” event on Saturday, June 4th. Nucor employees will be available to take up to 50 people on a tour of the Seattle Steel Plant in return for a suggested monetary donation of $10 (although we will happily accept larger donations). All donations received will be matched by Nucor in hopes of meeting our overall fundraising goal of $10,000. We will have 3 tours – 10 am, 10:30 am, and 1 pm.
If you are interested in participating, please contact Tricia Sweat at 206-933-2316 or tricia.sweat@nucor.com. Again, the tour is limited to the first 50 responses and will be available on a first contact, first signed up basis. Please keep in mind you must be at least 18 years of age, be capable of climbing stairs, and wear long pants and closed-toe shoes with socks.
The Relay for Life-West Seattle event is taking place on June 10th – 11th at the West Seattle Stadium. Please see its website for more information.
(WSB has joined the R4LWS sponsor lineup this year for the first time. If you would like to participate in the overnight relay itself, it’s not too late – find out more here.)
(WSB file photo of Hiawatha’s wading pool)
One brilliantly sunny day like today, and it’s hard not to think ahead to the heart of summer. We just checked the Seattle Parks wading-pools page to see if this year’s pool schedule is out – and yes, it is. The pools don’t open for another month, but in case you’re outlining summer plans, here’s the schedule (PDF). It looks a lot like last year – Lincoln Park remains the only West Seattle wading pool that will be open 7 days a week; Delridge will be open Thursdays-Fridays-Saturdays, EC Hughes will be open Wednesdays-Thursdays-Fridays, and Hiawatha will be open Mondays-Tuesdays-Wednesdays. Highland Park remains closed, with spray-park construction planned for next year (the community meeting for that project is coming up one week from tonight). As for West Seattle’s other city-run outdoor swimming facility: Colman Pool opens May 28th (for the first of 3 pre-season weekends), and its schedule is available now too.
It’s not happening in West Seattle, but lots of West Seattleites are involved – and organizers are hoping for more. We’ve heard from Heather and Jo, West Seattle volunteers, about the upcoming Girls on the Run of Puget Sound 5K this Saturday at Seward Park. GOTR is a coaching program for girls and has 5K’s twice a year as a “graduation” of sorts. It’s not just for program participants – Heather explains that it’s a fun run for everyone, keyword, FUN! “You can run or walk with leashed dogs, kids, strollers. It’s non-competitive, and it’s not timed – just a great way to spend a Saturday in the beautiful outdoors supporting a program that makes a difference in the lives of girls. If you have kids, it’s a great way to expose them to healthy living and positive reinforcement. PLEASE come and support this amazing organization! I hope you’ll consider running, jogging, and/or walking with us at Seward Park on May 21st. You can sign up here – girlsrun.org – you, your friends, your kids – anyone. The more the merrier, and it’s for a great cause. We also really encourage guys to come out too and support the girls. Dads, brothers – it’s not just for girls and moms. If running or walking a 5k isn’t in the cards for you, please consider participating as a volunteer. We need to recruit more than 80 volunteers to do everything from cheering along the route to photographing the event. Interested in learning more? Click the link.”
As reported this morning by our partners at the Seattle Times: The teenager who beat an Alki woman unconscious in Tukwila, while she was working as a Metro bus driver, is back in jail. Thirteen months ago, we were at Juvenile Court on Capitol Hill (story here) to cover the sentencing of the then-14-year-old boy, who wrote a letter of apology that described what he did as “touching,” and who was described by his mother as a “good kid” while she also attempted to blame the victim for not preventing what happened. We didn’t identify Solinuu Leae by name at that time, as he was charged as a juvenile; now 15, he has been arrested again, charged as an adult for a violent robbery that, like the attack on the driver from Alki, also rendered its victim – robbed while waiting for a bus in Renton – unconscious. According to the King County Jail Register, Leae’s bail is set at $200,000; he’s been jailed since May 10th. The bus driver he attacked in January of last year told WSB back in March that she was returning to work as a driver. Court documents in the new case against Leae say his sentence for attacking her was completed in January.
(Photo by Bill Bacon, who says it’s an anemone photographed during Tuesday’s low tide)
Besides today’s low tide – lowest of the month at 12:10 pm – here are other highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
EARLY DISMISSAL: Seattle Public Schools classes end two hours early today (professional-development time).
DELRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL: 7 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW).
DIVERSITY DISCUSSION: Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon Street) presents the next “One World: Discussions on Diversity and Inclusion” facilitated-discussion session, looking at sexual orientation. 10:45-noon, all welcome.
CAMPAIGN KICKOFFS: West Seattleite Diana Toledo launches her King County Council campaign, 6:30-9 pm at Admiral Theater (2343 California SW), appetizers and refreshments, all ages welcome … West Seattleite Tom Rasmussen launches his Seattle City Council re-election campaign, 5:30-7 pm at the Swedish Cultural Center, 1920 Dexter Av. N.
THEATER: “Shipwrecked! An Entertainment …” begins its final week (through Saturday) at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), 7:30 pm … West Seattle High School Drama Club and Music Department present “Oklahoma!” at the WSHS Theater (3000 California Ave SW) at 7:30 pm.
When West Seattle’s most populous elementary school begins the 2011-2012 year, the projected 550+ students will have an upgraded playground. Tonight the Lafayette Elementary Playground Committee laid out the plan for how the project will unfold this summer: After the last day of school on June 22nd, fences will go up around the construction site on the playground. Then the first of two volunteer work parties is planned, June 25-26, to remove the existing playground bark (which will be saved for future use). Sometime after the 4th of July, a Seattle Public Schools crew will go in and tear out what’s there now, and prep the area for construction – the job hasn’t gone out to bid yet, so that part of the schedule isn’t finalized. Once that phase of the work is done, the “big toy” (above) that was chosen in a vote involving the entire school community (including the students) will be built on August 27-28.
The Playground Committee needs volunteer help for both those work parties – if you have a student at Lafayette, look for the brightly colored flyer with a form you can return to the project’s mail slot at the school office. Or, anyone and everyone interested in volunteering is welcome to e-mail Holly at rhgrambihler@msn.com.
A bicyclist on the ride of a lifetime made a stopover in West Seattle this week. Glen Boyd shares the story of playing host to Juan Tuñon Martinez – photographed Monday morning in Glen’s Admiral District backyard – who is from Spain and currently bicycling to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, on a journey that began at the southern tip of Argentina in November 2009. Glen says, “He has many stories, including being woken up at 3 AM on the beach during the Chilean earthquake just in time to run to higher ground before his bike and all his gear got swept out to sea.” Juan’s story can be followed on his website, panamerikana.org (if you don’t read Spanish, we recommend Google Translator), where he explains that he lost his job in 2009 and started planning this journey. So how did Juan wind up staying at Glen’s house? we asked. Glen says a friend of his met Juan at a Northern California campground last month and called to ask if they could host him during his Seattle stop: “Of course! was our reply, because we were treated with great generosity on our own international long-distance travel experiences and wanted to give back.” According to Glen, Juan is hoping to bike home via Asia after he makes it to Alaska, but is looking for a bicycle company or group to sponsor him. (P.S. For bicyclists wondering about his gear – we found this.)
First of two reports from tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting at the Southwest Precinct: The burglary “spike” reported last month by Capt. Steve Paulsen is over, according to operations Lt. Pierre Davis. He presented one specific statistic as evidence: The second full week in April, this area had 23 burglaries. Second full week in May, there were five. (We doublechecked the online police-reports map, which shows even fewer, if you configure it for 5/8-5/14.) Lt. Davis attributes the drop to more arrests: “We went out and corralled a bunch of our bad guys – we really knocked ’em dead.” But don’t let your guard down, he said (and while he didn’t mention them specifically, yesterday’s Arbor Heights incidents underscored that) – keep an eye out in your neighborhood, particularly as vacation season kicks in next month and more people are away, and when you see someone or something, get as much descriptive information as you can – car descriptions, suspect descriptions.
Speaking of keeping an eye out, Karen Berge from the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network announced at meeting’s end that their next meeting is next Tuesday, 6:30 pm, also at SW Precinct. Coming up later: Current drug-abuse trends, from tonight’s guest speaker, a regional expert who spoke to the group 2 1/2 years ago (WSB coverage here).
Tentative plans for a West Seattle Town Hall meeting with Mayor McGinn have come up at various community meetings – but just now, we heard the first announcement of a date: Steve Louie from the Department of Neighborhoods dropped by the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council to suggest you save the date, June 23, for a mayoral town hall at Hiawatha Community Center. More details to come.
From left, Fauntleroy Church pastor Rev. David Kratz, Kim Petram, and Phil Sweetland are among the Fauntleroy community supporters we found at Endolyne Joe’s in the early going of tonight’s dine-out fundraiser: Eat at Joe’s (as its famous sign exhorts) before midnight, and half the proceeds go to the Fauntleroy Fall Festival (set for October 16th this year). This is a major fundraiser for the festival, which has grown each year but is still free – and FFF organizers want to keep it that way. The pastor’s in shades and holding a mike because he’s emceeing tonight, by the way – and the basket? Part of a raffle (2 tickets for $5). Endolyne Joe’s is at 9261 45th SW, a few blocks southeast of the Fauntleroy ferry terminal.
On this day 2 of lane-reduced Highway 99 north of the West Seattle Bridge, we’re hearing some stories about bigger crowds on buses and the West Seattle Water Taxi, so we asked King County Department of Transportation what they’re seeing. With the caveat: “Right now, most of our information is based on field observations. We won’t have actual ridership data until later, and then it will be more of a sampling,” KCDOT’s Linda Thielke nonetheless offers this information:
* We are already seeing ups-and-downs with traffic, ridership and travel times based on time of day, location, route…so, we’ll need to give it a few weeks to measure impact of the lane reductions;
* We have some extra buses on standby in case the buses get so packed that they have to pass up passengers. The extra buses were not used on Monday, but we did have to use two Tuesday morning on one trip each of the routes 120 and 125;
* We know there are many bus trips with standing loads, and are assigning someone to start monitoring those both in the morning and afternoon commute;
* So far, with two AM and one PM commute completed, the worst choke point is the Columbia ramp and approach during the afternoon commute, particularly after 5 p.m. SPD is assisting Metro by placing a traffic officer at 2nd & Columbia to help WB buses get on the ramp. Cars going from SB Second to WB Columbia are not stopping on the red light, and just continuing to stream through the intersection. That blocks the traffic coming downhill on Columbia, which backs up buses turning right from Third to Columbia (most of the West Seattle service does this). So, we really want to stay on top of that problem.
* We are also asking SPD & WSP to monitor to the bus-only lanes on the West Seattle Bridge and NB SR 99 for cheaters, so that the buses can keep moving.
As for the Water Taxi, Thielke says it’s also too early for numbers there but the crew has noticed a “significant” bump – estimating 25 to 40 percent above previous levels, at least through this morning.
That’s “Technicolor Love” by Rachel Townsend, one of three local student filmmakers whose work is being showcased in relation to the Seattle International Film Festival. The festival officially opens Thursday, but there is a special event at SIFF Cinema downtown tonight, as part of Adobe Youth Voices. The free screening at 6 pm will include another of the showcased films, Brooke Sarver‘s “Love Stems” – like Rachel’s film, a stop-animation short about love lost and found:
Rachel and Brooke are both Chief Sealth International High School students. And the collection of youth works that SIFF is showcasing as part of the project also includes a short directed by students from West Seattle Elementary, “Our Hijabs”:
The public is welcome at the free event tonight, 6 pm, SIFF Cinema at 321 Mercer downtown. You can see some of the youth shorts paired with official SIFF showings at venues including West Seattle’s Admiral Theater – the festival formally opens Thursday and you can see the schedule here.
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