West Seattle, Washington
19 Saturday
From the WSB inbox this Valentine’s Day:
Jerry Simmons photographed the Steller’s Jay, above; below, Gabe Cadwell shares the pic of “Cupid Lilly”:
Hope you and yours are having a love-ly Valentine’s night.
(WSB photos, this afternoon)
3:49 PM: The Admiral Way Bridge earthquake-strengthening project is still months away from completion. We’d been pursuing an update from SDOT after noticing the project webpage said they expected to wrap up within weeks; SDOT now says that was a mistake (and has corrected the project page) – their estimate for completion remains “summer,” as we’ve previously reported. Here’s what’s ahead:
Admiral Way SW (on top of the bridge)
The work zone will change periodically over the next several months, but our construction plan is to leave at least one lane of Admiral Way SW on the bridge open in each direction. Both sidewalks will also remain open throughout construction.Fairmount Ave SW Closure (below the bridge)
Fairmount Ave SW will remain closed to all travelers throughout construction. This closure keeps everyone safe while work happens on the bridge above, and helps our crews work efficiently.
When the project started in early July of last year, the completion estimate was spring.
ADDED 7:52 PM: We asked SDOT for some info on what’s been done so far. Spokesperson Ethan Bergerson‘s reply also included their explanation why this is expected to take months longer than first projected:
The project is more than halfway complete. The following project elements are currently in progress:
-Installing carbon fiber wrapping to strengthen the bridge
-Slope stabilization
-Painting the steel structure
-Repairing cracks and damaged concrete
-Replacing the expansion joints at both ends of the bridge(Regarding the) previous estimate that the project would be completed in the spring. After the June 2024 factsheet was written, the project scope was expanded to include full painting of the steel structure. This extended the anticipated construction completion into the summer.
(Seattle Police photo, early Thursday)
We just checked on the status of the 28-year-old woman jailed for suspected drunk driving after hitting a townhouse on the east end of SW Roxbury early Thursday morning. The City Attorney’s Office charged 28-year-old Crystal Romo-Rivasof Renton today with DUI, and she’s still at the King County Jail, in lieu of $2,500 bail. The case was spotlighted on SPD Blotter; we’ve also read the police report via the Seattle Municipal Court files. Romo-Rivas went off the road and crashed her 2006 Honda Element – of which she’s the registered owner – in the 200 block of SW Roxbury around 12:15 am Thursday. No one was hurt. But she claimed to officers that she wasn’t driving, that the real driver was a man she’d met at a bar, though she didn’t know his name, nor the name of the bar. Officers say she also gave conflicting responses to other questions about where she’d been and where she was going, and that she was displaying various signs of intoxication, but wouldn’t cooperate with the field sobriety test, so an officer certified as a phlebotomist took a blood draw at the Southwest Precinct after they obtained a warrant to do that. Police say various evidence indicated she had indeed been driving, including a witness who saw her get out of the driver’s seat after the crash, alone. Whenever Romo-Rivas gets out of jail, Judge Andrea Chin ordered an ignition interlock device be installed on any vehicles she might drive, and that she only drive in connection with work.
We’ve mentioned a few sessions in our daily event lists but with two months to go until the federal tax deadline, local branches of the Seattle Public Library want to be sure you know they’re offering free tax help at some branches – three in this area, Southwest, West Seattle (Admiral), and South Park. Here’s what you need to know:
Trained volunteers will answer questions and help prepare personal tax returns. This service is free and available to individuals only. The service is not available for business tax returns. Drop-in tax help is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Southwest Branch: Fridays, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm through 4/11 via AARP Foundation (Appointments preferred)
West Seattle Branch: Thursdays, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, & Saturdays, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm via AARP Foundation (Appointments preferred)
South Park Branch: Saturdays & Sundays, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm through 4/19 in English and Spanish, via United Way of King County (this service has eligibility requirements)
What to Bring to Free In-Person Tax Help
Required:
-Photo identification
-Social Security cards or Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN) for everyone listed on the tax return
-Proof of income, for example, W2s and 1099s (Social Security benefits)
-Official documents on Social Security Administration letterhead
-Medicare card (if Social Security number is followed by an “A”)
-Be prepared to provide information about health care coverage for each person on the returnRecommended:
-Last year’s tax return, if available
-Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of refundsPhotocopies or computer print-outs of any these documents will be accepted. Original documents highly recommended.
Same-day appointments have been available, we’re told, but looking further ahead is your best bet.
P.S. Reminder that all Seattle Public Library locations will be closed Monday (February 17) for Presidents Day.
Our apologies if you’ve experienced trouble accessing our site today. We’re doing everything we can to address the problem. Thanks for your understanding!
(‘Hair ice’ fungus on Fauntleroy Creek – photo by Allen Lambert)
If you’re not yet all booked up for Valentine’s Day, here are our notes for today/tonight, mostly from the West Seattle Event Calendar:
STAY ‘N’ PLAY: This weekly free drop-in playtime is canceled today.
BLACK HISTORY ART EXHIBIT: Visit the Washington State Black Legacy Institute‘s first major exhibit, 11 am-6 pm. (2656 42nd SW)
FREE TAX HELP: Drop-in help at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW), 11 am-4 pm.
BABY STORY TIME: Canceled today.
HELPING YOUR RELATIONSHIP SURVIVE WORKING AT HOME: If both you and your partner work from home, navigating that and your relationship can be a challenge. A free workshop at West Seattle Coworking (9030 35th SW) at noon today is for you!
THE GOOD SOCIETY’S 5TH ANNIVERSARY: Three-day celebration starts today. (California/Lander)
FEATHER IN THE WIND: This three-day art show/sale is open again today in the Alki Arts (6030 California SW) upstairs annex – five artists; we stopped by last night for our West Seattle Art Walk coverage.
QI GONG AT VIVA ARTS: Fridays at 12:15 pm – info in our calendar listing. (4421 Fauntleroy Way SW)
VALENTINE’S DAY BIRD COUNT: Show your Valentine’s love for our feathered friends! Special community event at Westcrest Park (9000 8th SW), 12:30 pm-2 pm.
BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS: The Chief Sealth IHS girls – Metro champs! – host Foster tonight, 5:30 pm. (2600 SW Thistle)
VINYL NIGHT AT EASY STREET RECORDS: “Love, Lust, and 12-inch Singles” with Depeche Mike spinning, Valentine’s Day edition, 6-9 pm, free/all ages, and the kitchen’s open till 9 too. (4559 California SW).
LIVE AT KENYON HALL: MXMatch is sold out.
‘COVENANT’: Second weekend for the new play at ArtsWest (4711 California SW), 7:30 pm, tickets here.
LIVE AT THE SKYLARK: Lovers and Kings – Drag King Valentine’s Ball, 8 pm, details and tickets here. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
REVELRY ROOM DJ: 9 pm, DJ B——-d tonight! (4547 California SW)
MAKE IT LOUD: Skating to live music at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW), doors at 9 pm, $18 cover, $5 skates, 21+. Tonight’s slate: Vanilla Abstract, Seaside Tryst, Quilli Fin.
If you have something to showcase on our event lists or calendar, please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
(Photo by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
If you still have warm clothing and other items you can donate to help take the icy edge off winter weather for those in need, here are two ways:
HOMESTREET BANK: The West Seattle branch (a WSB spoonsor) is still collecting donations for people at Westside Neighbors’ Shelter:
Hats, gloves, shirts, socks, sweatshirts, coats and travel sized toothpaste. Socks will need to be new. Other items should be clean or gently used.
You can drop off donations until 6 pm today, 9 am-5 pm Mondays-Thursdays. The branch is at 4022 SW Alaska.
ALKI UCC’S MONTHLY DRIVE: This Sunday (February 16), 11 am-3 pm outside the church, here’s what they’re collecting:
This month’s priority: Food/Blankets/Outdoor Clothing
Alki UCC is sharing all we collect with the American Legion Shelter and Camp Second Chance. We also welcome socks, hats, gloves, long johns, hygiene products, men’s work clothing and outdoor gear. Donations are also distributed through the Westside Interfaith Network (WIN) Saturday lunch, hosted in White Center. Deepest gratitude to our community for your generous support of our neighbors in need.
Alki UCC is at 6115 SW Hinds.
6:01 AM: Good morning – it’s Friday, February 14, 2025.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
The forecast for today warms up a bit, starting with a chance of rain/snow, then partly sunny, high in the low 40s. Today’s sunrise/sunset – 7:15 am and 5:31 pm.
REMINDERS FOR NEXT WEEK
-Next week (February 17-21) is midwinter break for Seattle Public Schools (the Vashon district too).
-Monday is Presidents Day, with some changes/closures, but note that the Water Taxi – unlike last year – WILL sail on the holiday.
TRANSIT TODAY
Metro buses – Regular schedule.
Water Taxi – Also on a regular schedule today.
Washington State Ferries – Regular service on the Triangle Route, with M/V Issaquah and M/V Cathlamet, plus M/V Salish as the “bonus boat.”
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:
Spokane Street Viaduct – This view usually looks westward, with eastbound lanes at left and westbound lanes at right:
Low Bridge – Looking west:
1st Avenue South Bridge:
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page.
See trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
Thanks to Bill for the tip that fencing was up around the site of 4448 California SW [map], long planned for a seven-story mixed-use building. A spokesperson for the development team confirmed to WSB that demolition is expected within days, and a groundbreaking ceremony is planned in early March, now that the project has obtained financing. This is the same team that built the newly opened Harbor Flats apartments and is constructing 9201 Delridge Way SW, with the 17th/Roxbury site also in their portfolio – Housing Diversity Corporation, STS Construction Services, and Atelier Drome architects. The plans for 4448 California show its nearly 90 units are planned to be half apartments, half “lodging” (hotel). The online files also show that, like most developments, for the Mandatory Housing Affordability requirement, the owners have opted to pay the city a fee for affordable-housing development elsewhere rather than include it in their project; they were charged, and have paid, $595,000. (There will be some reduced-rent apartments because of the project’s participation in the city’s Multi-Family Tax Exemption program.) The development team spokesperson says that with construction about to start, completion is expected in fall of next year. (Note: Harbor Flats, STS, and Atelier Drome are WSB sponsors.)
(Added: Reader photo)
7:48 PM: Just happened onto this – police are blocking southbound Delridge at Thistle. Texter says it’s a crash, involving a Metro bus. The SFD dispatch was very short-lived, so apparently no serious injuries. Avoid the area for a while.
8:25 PM: Reopened. Checking with SFD re: injuries, if any.
7:07 PM: Out on February’s West Seattle Art Walk, we visited the Alki Arts upstairs annex for the first of three days for the Feather in the Wind group show:
That’s Kassie Hennessey, who organized the show. Her work is primarily in graphite. Other artists include Suzanne Uschold, whose work looks like paintings at a distance – but it’s all created from fiber!
Her work includes many West Seattle scenes – on the table, that’s Bruun Idun the Lincoln Park troll! Between Kassie’s work and Suzanne’s work, you’ll find Marie Tornow and her Beachwood Pottery:
Also in the show, Johanna Lindsay and Gretchen Flickinger. They’ll be in the annex (door is just north of the street-level Alki Arts gallery, which is open tonight with art and live music) 12-6 pm Friday and Saturday too. This, and most Art Walk receptions, continues until 8.
8:34 PM: One venue staying open later than that is Jet City Labs (4547 California SW) in The Junction, with the group show “Transplants,” described as “featur(ing) art and poetry from three artists who grew up together and through their own individual journey ended up thousands of of miles away.”
Visual art is by Kyle Bradford and Travis Johnson, poetry by Keziah Beed.
6:24 PM: Student-created pottery is part of what you’ll see if you visit Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle) for tonight’s ArtsWalk, on until 8 pm. Visual and performing arts showcases are happening in multiple spaces until everyone gathers in the theater for the “grand finale” at 7:30 pm.
It’s also a fundraiser for the school’s arts programs. More to come!
ADDED: WSB’s Aspen Anderson stopped in for a little jazz …
And poetry:
The greeters were Coral Dixon, Lida Henrikson, and Ronin Mann:
ORIGINAL THURSDAY REPORT: Just under four years after bravely opening during the pandemic, the eatery/music venue The Spot (2920 SW Avalon Way) is closing. It’s been a semi-long farewell, but proprietor Philip Sudore confirmed today that this is the final weekend:
This Sunday will be our last Brunch shift. The landlords decided not to renew our lease. … I will miss the strong community that organically grew at The Spot. All the love and support that was shared between everyone that walked in our doors. So many bands started as a result of hanging out at The Spot. So many amazing relationships and partnerships started in our little place. It was a safe place for Families to bring their kids to experience and participate in live music while enjoying great food. It was also beautifully a safe place for people to come and share their art. I am so honored I was able to share in this with everyone!!!
Before Sudore, a musician himself, took it over, the space was a coffeehouse for many years. It’s owned by the same property owners/preservationists as the neighboring building that houses Luna Park Café; we have a message out to them. (Thanks for the tips on this.)
ADDED FRIDAY AFTERNOON: Here’s the response from the ownership firm (we’d also asked about the building’s signage) in its entirety:
The Spot came in at a difficult [time] during COVID and we wish them the best with their future business plans. The classic signage has been on this site for decades, we are committed to preserving it and are currently working to restore the neon. Another small business is already slated to open in the coming months, we are excited to welcome them into the space.
4:06 PM: Thanks to Dörte for the tip. The Seattle Public Utilities water-trouble map confirms a break at 34th/Juneau, with more than 30 customers affected. SPU hopes to have it fixed within a few hours. This is just a block north of an 8-inch pipe break one week ago.
5:33 PM: This one, like the one last week, was fixed so fast, crews were gone before we got there to check it out.
All four local high-school varsity basketball teams are still in postseason play – the West Seattle HS boys play Blanchet at Franklin HS at 7 tonight in a district-qualifier game, the Chief Sealth IHS girls host Foster at 5:30 pm Friday night, (added) after winning the Metro 2A tournament with a 52-33 win over Cleveland Tuesday night:
Thanks to Sealth head coach Mario Martinez for the update and photo!
Meantime, the WSHS girls and CSIHS boys both have TBD games at 7 pm Saturday. The WSHS girls played last night, and WSB contributor Tracy Burrows was there:
(Alya Moore leads the fast break)
Wednesday night at the Cleveland High School gym, the West Seattle High School girls’ basketball team lost to Seattle Prep, 41-31, in the Metro League 3A Championship Tournament. The West Seattle Wildcats hung tough against a team with more height and experience at nearly every position. Seattle Prep pressured the ball effectively during much of the first half, causing turnovers and limiting West Seattle’s opportunities to execute their half-court offense. Prep led by a score of 28-14 at the half.
(Colby Timmons shooting from the line)
Scoring opportunities opened up for the Wildcats in the second half, but the shots just wouldn’t go in. The team played the entire game with a 6-person rotation, and fatigue may have contributed to an off-night of shooting. Still, the West Seattle girls played with tremendous intensity the entire game and pulled to within 10 in the fourth quarter after trailing by 15 at the end of the third.
(Seneca Lucas goes up for a shot)
This year’s West Seattle squad is a young team, with two freshmen and a sophomore as members of the starting five. Freshman Alya Moore led the scoring for the Wildcats, with 13 points and senior Colby Timmons racked up 10. Both teams will move on to the District Tournament, which starts on Saturday, February 15. West Seattle will play at either Inglemoor or Mercer Island at 7 pm on Saturday. The full District Tournament brackets will be finalized Friday night.
West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) branch executive Cleveland King sends word of three things to know about: First, the 2025 fundraising kickoff event is set for 6 pm March 5 at the Fauntleroy Church Fellowship Hall (9140 California SW) – here’s your invite to that; you are promised a fun time and a way to support making Y programs available to more people. Next, they’re starting up competitive basketball at both the Fauntleroy and Triangle locations, and tryouts are coming up next month, for girls and boys, 3rd through 8th grade. Here’s the flyer with dates and times; registration is open now. Finally, also for youth, sports-performance training will be offered at the main location in The Triangle, for ages 10 through 18 – you can find out more about that here.
Seattle Public Utilities is still catching up from weather-affected collections missed last week, and has just acknowledged the missed-recycling situation, which some WSB commenters brought up:
Recycling may have been missed for Wednesday customers this week.
Please report it as a missed collection by calling it in to customer service line as we are aware online reporting is having issues.
As a reminder to all, if your collections were missed, please report it!
You can do that online here.
Back on Tuesday morning, a multi-agency law-enforcement operation converged on a house in the 8800 block of 38th SW in Upper Fauntleroy, with a helicopter circling above. Though marked Seattle Police cars were part of it, SPD had no information to provide, and King County Sheriff’s Office told us the helicopter wasn’t theirs (we asked because the KCSO helicopter Guardian One is the main helicopter supporting local law-enforcement agencies). We also inquired with the Washington State Patrol, as the last vehicles leaving the scene included one with their logo. Today WSP answered our inquiry by saying the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was the lead agency. We subsequently contacted the local DEA to ask what they could tell us; the entirety of their reply – “It is part of an ongoing DEA narcotics investigation.”
Top of our list today, it’s the second Thursday of the month, which means it’s West Seattle Art Walk night!
That’s the list of winter-quarter Art Walk venues – some with receptions tonight, some with food/drink specials for Art Walk’ers, some with both! They’re scattered around the West Seattle peninsula, with concentrations in the three Junctions. Specific artists’ shows are previewed here, including group shows – Kyle Bradford leads one at Jet City Labs (4547 California SW), 6-10 pm, and Kassie Hennessey leads one in the upstairs annex at Alki Arts (6030 California SW), 5-8 pm. Have a great time wandering as many venues as you have time and transportation to visit!
You’re invited to an ArtsWalk tonight too:
CHIEF SEALTH IHS ARTSWALK: Music, drama, poetry, more in multiple venues on the Chief Sealth IHS campus (2600 SW Thistle), 6-7:30 pm in classrooms and then 7:30-8 in the theater, free!
Here’s what else is happening today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SCHOOL TOURS/OPEN HOUSES: Three yet to come today/tonight at Louisa Boren STEM K-8 (5950 Delridge Way SW):
Thursday, February 13th @ 10:30 am – Middle School Tour
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: Thursday, February 13th @ 6:00 PM
MIDDLE SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: Thursday, February 13th @ 6:45 PM
And tonight is the rescheduled open house at Concord International Elementary in South Park (723 S. Concord), 5 pm.
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER: The center is open Thursdays-Saturdays 10 am-3 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.
WEST SEATTLE UKULELE PLAYERS: All levels welcome to this weekly 1 pm gathering. Email westseattleukuleleplayerswsup@gmail.com for info on where they’re playing today.
HPCS FOOD-TRUCK VISIT: First of three events tonight at this venue – every Thursday, 4-8 pm, Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) gets a food-truck visit. Tonight it’s Jallos Jollof Rice.
WINE TASTING WITH CLARK: Also a regular Thursday event at HPCS, 5-7:30 pm – details here.
HIGHLAND PARK RUN CLUB: And then, run or walk the neighborhood with the Run Club, leaving from HPCS at 6:30 pm – info here.
VISCON CELLARS: The West Seattle winery’s warm, cozy tasting room/wine bar is open Thursdays, 5-9 pm (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor). Stop in for wine by the glass or bottle! Viscon Cellars is a West Seattle Art Walk venue, too.
WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES’ COMMUNITY MEETING: Second of two sessions, 6 pm, online – our calendar listing has the registration link. (Here’s our report on toplines from the first one, held Wednesday afternoon.)
WORDS, WRITERS, SOUTHWEST STORIES: 6 pm online, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s monthly presentation tells the story of Seattle’s Olmsted parks. Go here to register for the viewing link.
WESTIES RUN CLUB: This group’s 6 pm weekly Thursday run starts at Future Primitive on Alki (2536 Alki SW).
WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: Meet at 6 pm at 47th/Fauntleroy – details in our calendar listing.
TRIVIA: 7 pm at Burger Planet, hosted by Good Old-Fashioned Local Trivia (9614 14th SW).
‘COVENANT’ AT ARTSWEST: “Covenant” starts its second weekend, 7:30 pm. Ticket link is in our calendar listing. (4711 California SW)
ALTERNATIVE VALENTINE PARTY: As previewed here, the West Seattle Food Bank is benefiting from a show tonight at the Lumberyard Bar in White Center (9630 16th SW), featuring punk band No More Death Stars. Buy your ticket online here (it’s more at the door)!
DJ NIGHT: The weekend starts early at Revelry Room (4547 California SW), with DJ Nada ROsa, starting at 8 pm.
Are we missing anything for today/tonight? Also – looking ahead – are you planning an event that should be on our calendar and in our daily preview lists? Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Seattle Tilth has a training program coming up and asked us to help circulate the announcement so that West Seattleites are aware of it too. Half the sessions are online, and half are in-person in other parts of the city, but it’s for everyone in Seattle:
If you are a, or know a, Seattle resident interested in learning about compost and preventing waste, and then teaching others, here’s how to become a Master Composter/Sustainability Steward. This free training program is looking for individuals who want to learn more about these topics and then share what they learned in their communities.
Starting on March 19, we will teach 12 classes via Zoom and in person in both Seattle’s Wallingford and Rainier Beach neighborhoods, followed by volunteer activities throughout the city. Our teachers are subject-matter experts but there is no expectation of prior knowledge. A more detailed description of this year’s volunteer training and the link to the application form can be found on our webpage at tilthalliance.org/our-work/environmental-stewardship/master-composter-sustainability-stewards/mcss-training.
Application is open until February 21.
We strive to put together a diverse cohort that represents all of Seattle’s communities.
6:02 AM: Good morning – it’s Thursday, February 13, 2025.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
The Cold Weather Advisory is still in effect until noon, with wind chills as low as the teens; the forecast for today is again cold, cloudy, possible rain/snow showers in pm, high near 40. Today’s sunrise/sunset – 7:17 am and 5:30 pm.
(Wednesday moonrise, photographed by Mike Burns)
SCHOOL REMINDER
Next week (February 17-21) is midwinter break for Seattle Public Schools.
TRANSIT
Metro buses – Regular schedule.
Water Taxi – Also on a regular schedule today.
Washington State Ferries – Regular service on the Triangle Route, with M/V Issaquah and M/V Cathlamet, plus M/V Salish as the “bonus boat.”
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:
Spokane Street Viaduct – This view usually looks westward, with eastbound lanes at left and westbound lanes at right:
Low Bridge – Looking west:
1st Avenue South Bridge:
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page.
See trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
The flags raised this morning outside Denny International Middle School had a first-ever addition – the Pan-African flag along with the USA and Washington State flags. The flag-raising was at the conclusion of a celebration featuring student speakers from three schools, organized by Keenen Allen Ladd, who facilitates the Kingmakers program at Denny. He began the celebration, introducing emcee Heyab Gebru, a Denny 8th grader:
Speakers in that section of the program included Denny 8th grader Eyob Mengesha, who declared, “What matters is that we stand together … it doesn’t matter if our family came here generations ago or a few years ago.” He was followed by Denny 7th grader Kh’Monni Wilson, who spoke about the stories of Black women, “too often … overlooked.” And Chief Sealth IHS 9th grader Surafel Hadgu read three poems.
In the next section, featured speakers were Sealth 9th grader Ayub Ali – who spoke about being your true self, as reinforced by his time in the Kingmakers program, telling younger students to remember “your voices matter” – and Roxhill Elementary 5th grader Skye Kenard, who presented the Pan-African flag’s history.
Then a musical moment, with everyone invited to sing along to “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black National Anthem:
The flag-raising concluded this first-ever celebration, and everyone got out of the 25-degree chill and into their classrooms.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
A fair amount of Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth news was part of this afternoon’s Washington State Ferries online community meeting.
If you missed it, you have a chance to catch the second session tomorrow (Thursday, February 13). Or, you can read our recap of the toplines. For one, WSF external-relations director John Vezina said that while there’s still no date for restoration of full 3-boat service on the Triangle Route, an update of the 2-boat schedule is coming this summer.
First, Vezina said, look for “community engagement” this spring, seeking public input before the new schedule is finalized. A consultant has been working on the rewrite.
And as recently announced, WSF is ready to go to the wider community with its plan to design a Fauntleroy dock replacement that’s longer and larger – holding “at least a full boat” worth of cars – but which, Vezina said, avoids encroaching on Cove Park to the north.
He noted the plan for a February 24-March 21 online “open house” about it. But, as terminal-engineering director David Sowers pointed out during the meeting’s Q&A section, it’s not slated to be built before the end of the decade; a more immediate part of the project will be the signalization of the Fauntleroy Way intersection with the end of the dock, scheduled for construction later this year.
In systemwide updates from the meeting, which started with about half an hour of presentations before going to almost an hour and a half of Q&A, WSF boss Steve Nevey said this year is “off to a strong start” after 2024’s highlights, such as these:
They’re particularly proud of the one recent week in which they made 100 percent of scheduled sailings – 2,728 in all. Asked in Q&A what he saw as the main reason(s) for the improvement, Nevey answered, “Building back our workforce.”
Chief of Staff Nicole McIntosh had offered some details on that, saying they had a good “bench” of people training to move up to roles like mates and captains, important because 20 percent of their vessel employees are within five years of retirement eligibility, and an even-higher percentage of shoreside employees. Nevey also spoke about “culture change” within WSF, saying they’re working on six areas of improvement – quality of life, cohesion, employee engagement, levels of accountability, human resources, and communication practices.
Asked if automation was expected to gain increased use at WSF, leading to a smaller workforce, Nevey said that’s not feasible, for reasons such as the myriad safety roles that onboard personnel are tasked with, along with their regular duties. And in response to a question about how DEI factors into WSF hiring, Vezina said flatly that it’s vital – “you cannot operate a service like ours with just straight white men” – they need to be able to recruit the best and brightest from every demographic, from “all of Washington.”
Another question inspired by the changes in Washington, D.C. – does WSF rely on federal funding? Answer: It’s 19 percent of the system’s current funding, so “they’re monitoring very closely” what’s happening in the other Washington. (WSF’s budget, incidentally, is just under $1.5 billion this biennium, it was noted.)
About half that sum goes to capital costs, and a big one in the years ahead will be building new boats to replace the aging WSF fleet. On April 7, they’ll open the bids for five new boats; three “qualified shipbuilders” are working on those bids now. The Legislature, which determines WSF’s budget, also will continue paying for extra Vashon Island Water Taxi service while the WSF Triangle Route remains at reduced service levels.
About 200 people had logged in by the meeting’s start, it was announced; you can check out the 6 pm Wednesday edition by registering for the link here.
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