West Seattle, Washington
28 Sunday
Dizzying array of fun things to do this weekend here on the peninsula – never mind those big events elsewhere (Bite of Seattle, etc.) — and a few more have come to our attention in recent days, so besides putting them on the Events calendar page (and in tomorrow’s West Seattle Weekend Lineup), here are quick highlights, followed by a final word on West Seattle’s “Project Runway” contestant (and plans for more viewing parties). First, a fundraiser:
That’s the Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) car in last year’s West Seattle Grand Parade – they’ll be in this Saturday’s parade too (more parade updates here later today) to promote a fundraiser they’re putting on the very next day for one of their favorite nonprofits, Pencil Me In For Kids: A car wash on Sunday, 10 am-2 pm, West Seattle Eagles’ parking lot (by the Junction post office).
Sunday is also West Seattle Garden Tour day; we reminded you about that the other day, but then just heard from the WSGT folks that they are still “looking for a few good volunteers to assist in guiding attendees in the gardens this Sunday. Morning and afternoon shifts are available. (3-hour shifts) Please contact Lee Kramer, Volunteer Coordinator at (206)932-8662 if you are interested in helping out.”
Saturday, a couple of interesting sales have just been added to the calendar: First – the Ocean View Community Beach Club is inviting you to its quiet corner of southwest West Seattle:
The Ocean View Community Beach Club is having its periodic neighborhood garage sale this Saturday, July 19th from 8-5. The address is 11408 Marine View Dr SW. [map] West Seattleites are invited to drop by and have a chat with friendly neighbors.
Also having a sale Saturday – one of West Seattle’s many one-of-a-kind businesses, Casual Industrees. 6205 SW Admiral, 10 am “till dark,” they promise.
Last but not least, speaking of fun, a couple addendums on the “West Seattle barista Blayne on Project Runway” front. First, we made it back to Blayne’s workplace, Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) in The Junction, today for a brief debrief with proprietor Lora Lewis on how she thinks Blayne did in the season premiere last night:
Lora also confirmed that the viewing parties at Ginomai @ 42nd/Genesee (here’s our coverage of the first one last night) will continue for as long as Blayne remains a contender. So you’re invited again next Wednesday, show at 9 pm/doors open at 8 pm, bring a non-alcoholic beverage to share and a “small dessert.” (We’re told that fun was had at Shadow Land last night as well, for those who preferred adult beverages to accompany their viewing.)
As first reported here last week, the Jefferson Square Starbucks (the standalone store at the NW corner, not the “licensee” stand in the Safeway) is on the list of 600 company-owned stores that will close. Starbucks just released the full official list today. It’s the only West Seattle Starbucks on the list, which includes six other stores in Seattle: 328 15th Ave E, 620 Denny Way, 1220 Howell St., 2201 E. Madison Ave., 1218 N. 45th St., and the “Northgate Mall II” store. No timetable is mentioned (we’ll check with corporate PR tomorrow).
Thanks to David Hutchinson for those photos and word that the Tribal Journeys canoes have landed at Alki (which explains the Lincoln Park sighting earlier) – the canoes at Alki (on the sand east of the Bathhouse) are Muckleshoot canoes, according to the Tribal Journeys website. We visited during their stop last year (WSB coverage here) – quite something to see if you can get down to the beach tonight (reading the online schedule, looks like they may be here through tomorrow night too, with security watching the canoes while their occupants are bused to accommodations elsewhere). Canoes are traveling four routes as part of this event, all bound for a celebration in British Columbia.
Those renderings by the Viaduct Preservation Group are leaning against the wall in a briefing room at Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program HQ in the Wells Fargo building downtown (3rd/Madison), where we are covering a briefing at which the Stakeholders Advisory Committee is going to get more information on why the idea of retrofitting The Viaduct is no longer under consideration (as announced when the options that ARE under consideration were unveiled June 26, listed here under “Step 4”). We’ll be summarizing this later along with the information we gathered the other night at the West Seattle open house for the South End Replacement project. The committee members who are here include West Seattleite Vlad Oustimovitch, who says he’d asked for a briefing like this to get a more detailed explanation on why retrofitting was ruled out. Here’s a summary of the studies analyzed as part of the process of reaching the retrofit-off-the-table conclusion.
FIRST NOTE: We guessed wrong when we speculated about the source of the jets some saw/heard earlier today — turns out it was a Boeing F22 stealth-fighter arrival. Here’s video and info on the KING5 site. Seems they were en route to a Museum of Flight ceremony; the MoF is celebrating Boeing Field’s 80th anniversary later this month AND of course a week after that, it’s Blue Angels mania (see you there?).
SECOND NOTE: Road work just announced for Highland Park this weekend. Note from SDOT:
SDOT crews will repair the concrete pavement on SW Holden Street between 11th Avenue Southwest and Highland Parkway SW in Southwest Seattle. A detour will be in place for all traffic starting at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 19. By no later than 5 p.m. the same day the traffic will be reopened to eastbound traffic. By noon on Sunday, July 20, the street will be opened to westbound traffic. The street will remain open to pedestrians throughout the project.
(photo by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli)
Less than 24 hours after the construction-trench collapse that ended with that dramatic rescue, retty remarkable news just in from Sofia Zadra Goff, who with husband Sean Goff is creating Cafe Revo on Avalon, next to the site of the collapse and rescue operation (WSB coverage here and here):
Sean came down to meet with one of our vendors at the Cafe Revo space today. While he was there the man who was stuck in the trench yesterday came by to pick up something he left at the construction site in the parking lot. He is walking fine and is doing well! Sean got to meet him and his family. So I thought I would let you know to share the wonderful news :)
Bruce Butterfield of the Fauntleroy Community Association tipped us to this boat when he saw it passing southern West Seattle shores – by the time we got down to Lowman Beach for a look, it was on the beach at Williams Point (by Colman Pool) – we couldn’t take the time to walk over there right now to find out more, but caught this photo via zoom. 4:48 PM UPDATE: Looks like it’s part of Tribal Journeys – just got some photos from Alki – posting them separately. Web site here.
The semiweekly city Land Use Information Bulletin has just arrived, and the site shown above — 4103 SW Edmunds, proposed for teardown-to-five-townhomes (as first reported here in February) kitty-corner from the south side of Jefferson Square — is the only West Seattle project on it; the city has ruled that its land-use permit application doesn’t require environmental review even though it’s technically in an “Environmentally Critical Area” because of the steep slope. Its construction and demolition permits are still pending. Nothing unusual given that it’s in the densifying area around The Junction, but it comes at a time when the city is about to start reviewing “multifamily zoning” (as reported here). Related to that issue, a West Seattle resident just cc’d us on her letter to a councilmember expressing opposition to the changes – we’ve had some glowing reviews of them already, so we’re sharing this counterpoint – read on:Read More
That photo is courtesy of Martha Tuttle with the King County Wastewater Treatment Division, who just sent this update on the short-term 53rd Ave. Pump Station “bypass” that the county acknowledges made last night an extra-noisy one for Alki-area folks – she says its duration will be closer to 24 hours than the possible 36:
King County expects that the work will be completed this evening . The pipe installation is completed. This afternoon the County will use TV/video cameras to inspect the force main before restarting the pump station. We understand that this part of the construction was extremely noisy and disruptive and we appreciate how patient the nearby residents have been.
Till that’s done, all those orange trucks have been taking wastewater out of the system at 53rd and trucking it over to the pump station in the 3500 block of Harbor – more than a dozen 3,500-gallon trucks – and the pedestrian walkway on the water side of the work zone is closed, with flaggers helping people cross at both ends of it. The entire project at 53rd, which started in February, isn’t scheduled to be done till fall of next year.
Out of the WSB inbox, from Patricia:
During the usual morning dog walk, we were on Beach Drive headed towards Alki point, just across from the Sewage Treatment Plant when I heard a running sound. Looked down at the beach (tide was out) and a coyote was looking at us as it ran south along the beach.
Pretty exciting to see. Expect to see them up on the hills and in the parks, but not on the beach!
7 pm, Alki Community Center. Agenda is previewed here (where you also can download the latest Alki News Beacon if you haven’t read it yet). Many more events for today, tonight, the jampacked weekend that’s around the corner, and way beyond – all on our Events calendar page (including even more Saturday additions).
We didn’t entirely love the site search “widget” we’d been offering atop the sidebar … so we found something better. The new search box still uses Google to comb WSB, including the Forums, but results are on a more full-featured G-page. BONUS: If you need to search the whole Web, now you can do that from any WSB page – use that same box but uncheck the boxlet next to “search West Seattle Blog.” Problems? Let us know. Thanks!
No spoilers here on the home page, in case you’re watching later via TiVO etc. … we’ve got a viewing party report for starters:Read More
Almost lost amid all the other news, till the county just called with an update: Tonight’s the night that they’ve started to use pump trucks to move sewage flow from the 53rd Ave construction site (first warning posted here last week), so that it can briefly bypass the regular pipes. County spokesperson Martha Tuttle says, “It’s a bit more chaotic than we expected.” 15 trucks are operating right now – probably fewer later as the flow slows. Here’s the route the trucks are taking.
Trucks traveling to the West Seattle Pump Station will follow Alki Avenue Southwest to Harbor Avenue Southwest. Trucks traveling to the Alki Stormwater Treatment Plant will follow this route: Alki Avenue Southwest to 63rd Avenue Southwest to Beach Drive Southwest to 64th Avenue Southwest to Southwest Wilton Court.
The trucks involved are similar to the rigs involved in this afternoon’s Avalon rescue – “Vactors.” We just talked to another worker at the scene – she says traffic is down to one lane for the duration of this (24 to 36 hours, so possibly all the way till Friday morning); the pedestrian walkway on the water side is closed for a few blocks, so flaggers are helping people get to the other side of the street to use the sidewalk there. The county also stresses that if you have a major problem, please call their 24-hour construction hotline – it’s linked to a pager so you need to leave name/number – 206-205-5656.
WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli shot those photos (and all others in this report unless otherwise credited) as the rescued worker was taken to an aid car to be rushed to the hospital. Meantime, we’re starting a new post here to put together all the information we have, now that the construction worker’s been rescued (see previous post for our two-plus hours of frequent as-it-happened updates). Here’s Technical Rescue Lt. Powell explaining afterward what the operation was like:
The Fire Department says the bucket of an excavator that was being used at the scene is believed to have had something to do with the collapse that trapped the worker for more than two hours. You can see that excavator on the right side of this photo (which we’ve also added to our original series of updates below):
As the owners of nearby future restaurant Cafe Revo told WSB during our updates, the crew was doing drainage work on behalf of the landlord at that site, not related to their work turning the ex-Murphy’s into a restaurant. According to an SFD spokesperson, the rescued man is “alert” but since he is just now being evaluated at the hospital, there’s no further word yet on his condition or whether he suffered any internal injuries. Here’s a shot of the roadblock during the incident – sounds from the scanner like it’s now cleared (let us know if you’re seeing otherwise):
ADDED 7:25 PM: The entire rescue unfolded before the eyes of the folks who live in the residential unit at the back of the Revo building — Sarah sent us photos including these next three, starting with this bird’s-eye view of some of the fire equipment and its personnel:
As for the actual rescue scene itself, she had to shoot through a window screen, but if you missed the earlier live aerials many of us watched online and/or on-air, you can get an idea of the incredibly intense activity that surrounded the collapse site until the worker was pulled out:
A different kind of activity hub was across Avalon, where reporters and photographers were asked to stay, for safety’s sake (theirs and the crews involved in the rescue):
ADDED 7:55 PM: More photos taken by Christopher – first one, the scene before the Vactor trucks arrived to help clear the debris that were trapping the worker:
Workers began to assemble sections of pipe after a city truck brought it in:
Nearby salon Ola had to be evacuated after a while just in case the scene became more dangerous:
More rescue teams converged around the scene:
Firefighters from Ladder 11 rigged lines and pulleys to provide leverage so they could get the victim out:
P.S. The Fire Department just updated its media-info line with a few more details. They’re not releasing the worker’s name but say he is reported to be in stable condition. He became trapped in the 8-foot-deep trench when 1 side of it “collapsed in on him.” Technical-rescue experts worked with Seattle Public Utilities crews to get the man out – SPU’s two large Vactor trucks pumped dirt out of the hole; meantime, there were “about five” Technical Rescue team members in the hole with the worker as the operation continued, while medics monitored his condition, made sure he had pain medication, kept him hydrated. Christopher’s photos at the top of this post are vastly better, but we did also shoot video as the rescued man was being taken to the aid car:
11:21 PM UPDATE: KOMO identifies the man as Kelley Vielle and quotes family members as saying he’s on oxygen but able to talk and “moving his toes.”
Adding to the traffic closures related to the construction-worker rescue on Avalon (see post below, with continuous updates) – there’s an accident of some type on The Bridge, westbound at 1st Avenue So. Traffic “moving slowly.” 5:07 PM UPDATE: They are getting ready to reopen the 1st Ave. S. onramp to the westbound bridge.
(no more updates here – post-rescue updates and wrapup can be found here)
(photo by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli)
Two of us were driving through the Luna Park business district on the way to the Water Taxi when the first emergency vehicles rolled up – the callout was “trench rescue” – we saw what looked like the site of some digging toward the southwest side of the ex-Murphy’s/Cafe Revo building, with rescuers heading for it; some texts we received suggest it’s a sinkhole; another team member is just arriving now – stay away from that part of Avalon, which is now blocked off by emergency vehicles (between Yancy and The Bridge).
4:10 PM UPDATE: Scanner says the exit on The Bridge leading to Harbor is going to be closed off to minimize traffic to this scene. WSB team at the scene reports it’s a construction trench that collapsed. No word on the condition of the person(s) who needs to be rescued. SFD “heavy rescue” equipment just arrived.
4:16 PM UPDATE: In comments, Sarah says a friend who works at Ola salon next to the scene was told the construction work was related to the restaurant project and the salon is effectively closed right now because no one can get into or out of the scene.
4:21 PM UPDATE: Public information officer at the scene says the construction worker is stuck about 4 to 6 feet down, by loose soil and crumbled concrete — they’re bringing in more equipment to help clear the hole, including Vactor trucks. The worker is reported to be conscious and not currently in pain.
4:29 PM UPDATE: As Nancy posted in comments, KING 5 has a live aerial feed up at this link. We can’t compete with that one – no Chopper WSB – but there’s no narration on their feed so keep checking here periodically – we have two people at the scene feeding us info we’re posting as we get it, and we’re monitoring scanner traffic (“ongoing process” is how one rescuer just described it when someone else on the emergency frequency asked for an update).
4:33 PM UPDATE: New update from the scanner — “victim appears to be doing well, he is drinking Gatorade and participating in the rescue.”
4:43 PM UPDATE: Update at the scene from fire department PIO, the victim is trapped from the waist down but still conscious and alert, the Vactor trucks will be working to help clear some of the concrete, asphalt, and dirt that collapsed and trapped him. From the comments, two people report that Ola is going to be evacuated because more digging will be necessary “under the building” to help make this rescue happen. Also note that Nancy has posted bus reroute info in comments – we will seek to verify with Metro.
4:48 PM UPDATE: KING chopper feed went to color bars, will watch to see if anything else comes up. Meantime here’s a map showing known road closures because of this rescue effort:
Sounds on the scanner like rescuers have made progress at least partially freeing one of the worker’s legs.
4:55 PM UPDATE: Yet another “heavy rescue” vehicle just arrived. And our crew on the scene says “a stretcher’s gone up” (to the rescue scene). KING just reported the man who’s being rescued is in his 30s. Their live aerial feed is back up online – intermittently.
5:06 PM UPDATE: At the scene, they’ve just rolled a medic unit closer into position – hoping that might be a sign they’re getting closer to pulling the man out.
5:14 PM UPDATE: Scanner says rescuers who are in the hole with the victim are rotating in and out to keep fresh. Our team at the scene says lumber is being cut now to take in to shore up the hole so that it doesn’t collapse further.
5:28 PM UPDATE: At least one nearby business has closed for the day (Avalon Glass Works) since nobody can get into or out of the area. Rescue work continues.
5:35 PM UPDATE: Watching the live KING chopper feed – the rescuers appear to be rigging a hoist of some kind. Scanner traffic says a crew has to go get some kind of special equipment and/or piping from another location (the “Charles Street shop”) – and they’re going to get a police escort to go get it posthaste.
5:40 PM UPDATE: Thanks so much to JH for sending this photo – looking toward the rescue scene south of Revo, in front of Ola, from Avalon:
5:43 PM UPDATE: WSB just talked with Cafe Revo co-owner Sean Goff at the scene – and what he told us is pretty much the same thing his wife and Revo co-owner Sofia Zadra Goff just left in comments – pulling it up here to the main story too – note this is NOT part of the Revo conversion work, as she explains:
My husband and I own Cafe Revo. I just wanted to let everyone know that the construction going on has nothing to do with our business or renovation. We have not begun any construction yet. The workers there have been hired by the owner of the building (including Ola and the apartments, as well as our space). She is having work done to fix some bad drainage from the parking lot that has been leaking for some time into our space (while Murphys was there) and had caused the South Wall of the building to rot out. All of the men down there that have been working have been very nice and respectful of our space. We really hope that the man is not hurt and will be okay. Thank you! Sofia
5:52 PM UPDATE: Some of the key equipment is moving closer into position.
HE’S OUT! 5:53 pm. And has been transferred into medic unit. We took a pic of the TV screen which we should be able to upload till our pix can get back. No word on condition yet, we’ll let you know as soon as media crews at the scene get that word.
5:59 PM UPDATE: TV screen update. Rescued man on way to hospital. Emergency rigs will be starting to pull out from the scene. Just heard aid crew tell hospital via radio they’ll be there (Harborview, we would expect) in about five minutes.
6:03 PM UPDATE: KOMO zoomed-in aerial photo showed the man trying to sit up, as they secured him on the gurney. We’re awaiting an official update at the scene and also possibly a chance to talk with a firefighter about exactly what they had to do to get him out. He was trapped for more than 2 hours – this all began around 3:40 pm.
6:26 PM UPDATE: We’ll have more pix to add in a separate post shortly. Also still staked out at the scene awaiting a potential update.
City Councilmember Nick Licata has a special interest in pedestrian safety – among other things, he’s created a special website about it (here’s a page focused on the 59th/Stevens concerns), and now he’s inviting you to a downtown forum. His staff tells WSB the official participants will include West Seattle representation from the Southwest District Council, but many more voices should be there to speak up on behalf of our peninsula’s needs. He’s co-sponsoring the forum at City Hall downtown, 6 pm next Tuesday, with Safe Walks; here’s a topline:
Safe Walks is seeking an equitable solution to the problem of providing safe pedestrian passageway throughout the city, especially in neighborhoods in the north and south ends. The forum will help identify sidewalk needs citywide and begin the work of identifying funding sources for those needs. Representatives from the Seattle Department of Transportation, Feet First, and neighborhoods around Seattle will be attending the event.
“South ends” in cityspeak includes West Seattle. Be there if you can. ADDED THURSDAY MORNING: Just heard from Safe Walks – if you’re interested in staying in closer touch with what they’re up to, follow this link to their Google Group.
(photo by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli)
Time is running out if you want to have a say on the proposal to ban most rush-hour openings of the “low bridge.” We told you May 22nd about its publication in the Federal Register, which kicked off the official 2-month comment period; thanks to Scott J for the reminder that those two months are almost up (next Monday is the last day). The heart of the proposal, as published, is as follows:
The proposed rule would enable the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), the owner of the Spokane Street Bridge, to keep the draws of that bridge in the closed position in order to help alleviate roadway traffic Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with the proviso that openings shall be provided at any time for vessels of 5000 gross tons or more.
So far, the number of comments received hasn’t even hit triple digits, so your comment will carry a lot of weight. The bridge proposal has been championed by West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who tells WSB today, “I urge everyone who travels this corridor to write in now to let the Coast Guard know that they need reliable commuting routes as the city grows in population and especially when the viaduct replacement construction projects commence. People traveling to and from West Seattle are especially vulnerable as commuting route options are limited.” The easiest way to submit a comment is to do it online; here’s a direct link to the form you need, prelabeled with the official “docket number,” and including a chance to re-read the proposal if you want to. If you’d rather postal-mail or fax your comment(s), here’s how to do that (plus info on what happens next):Read More
A WSB Forum conversation about White Center included a reminder about Jubilee Days this weekend – we checked the Jubilee Days website, and it turns out the carnival starts today (3-11 pm daily, through Sunday), Steve Cox Memorial Park; this page has a map. The Jubilee Days street festival is Saturday and Sunday; here’s the full JD event schedule.
The state Ecology Department just sent word it’s investigating a diesel spill on the West Seattle side of the port, @ Terminal 5, involving a tug from Harbor Island-based Olympic. No word yet how big, but here’s the full news release:Read More
We first mentioned this here last November when the P-I wrote about it on the anniversary of the notorious Northwest skyjacking — and today, Times columnist Danny Westneat looks at the suspicion that the skyjacker known as D.B. Cooper might have been a West Seattle transsexual. (The Puyallup couple behind the theory have now apparently written a not-yet-published book.) P.S.: Here’s the FBI web section devoted to the DB Cooper mystery.
MORGAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION MEETING: Want the latest scoop on what’s happening in the greater Morgan Junction area? Be at The Kenney (map), 7 pm tonight, for the quarterly Morgan Community Association meeting, with updates on a variety of issues and projects.
PR5 PARTY: One month after we all learned West Seattle has a stake in the new season of “Project Runway,“ via Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) barista Blayne, you’re invited to watch the premiere with his boss Lora Lewis and a cheering crowd at the community room of Ginomai, right around the corner from Hotwire, southwest corner of 42nd/Genesee (with a good-sized FREE parking lot on the building’s south side), bring a non-alcoholic beverage to share and a small dessert, doors open 8 pm.
PARK $ HEARING: Will your ballot this November include a new city park levy to pick up where the expiring Pro Parks Levy is leaving off? The City Council’s getting closer to deciding whether to try to get the Parks and Green Spaces Levy onto the ballot despite the mayor’s objections; tonight is your last chance to speak out at a public hearing, 5:30 pm, City Hall downtown.
These aren’t the only West Seattle events tonight (as reported the other day, you’re also invited to tonight’s Delridge District Council screening of the mini-documentary involving High Point), of course; the full list, also stretching well into the future, can be found on our West Seattle Events calendar.
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