West Seattle, Washington
15 Tuesday
1:05 PM: As reported here, WSDOT announced Thursday that notices had been posted at the northeast-side Myers Way encampment advising the people there that site clearing would start this week. So we went by about an hour ago to see what was happening. In view from the street were predominantly law-enforcement vehicles and officers – both Washington State Patrol and Seattle Police – as well as a few junk-hauling-type trucks and one heavy-duty truck with traffic barrels/cones (and signage).
Also notable since the last time we went by a few days ago, fewer RVs. We’ll be checking with WSDOT later today to see if there’s an update on what was done today and what’s next. The WSDOT announcement Thursday had said the plan for this week was to “begin cleaning and repairing the site, removing excess vegetation, and making other modifications at the site to help prevent resettlement.” The agency also said more than 80 percent of the known occupants of the site – 52, per previous updates – had “been matched with shelter or housing that will work for them.” If you missed the original explanation of how the placement process works, it’s in our report on the most-recent community meeting about the encampment, held in July at Arrowhead Gardens senior-living complex on the other side of Myers Way, where residents say they’ve been beset by crime and safety problems as the now-being-cleared encampment continued to grow in recent months.
P.S. The last major clearing of this site happened five years ago.
ADDED 3:14 PM: Here’s what WSDOT spokesperson James Poling told us after we requested an update: “The site was vacated by 9 a.m. this morning, thus allowing WSDOT crews and contractors to begin site cleanup and restoration work shortly afterward. Contractors had begun towing some abandoned vehicles off the site during lunchtime hours. I would expect to see rearrangement of the concrete blocks along Myers Way sometime in the next 24 hours (pending equipment availability). This site is more than 20 acres on varying terrain, so this cleanup will likely be more than a week(s) rather than days.”
PCC Community Markets‘ West Seattle store (WSB sponsor) has two accessibility-related updates to share today:
The elevator at West Seattle PCC is back in service. It was a pain point in accessing the store for the last few weeks…
We are also updating to have permanent reserved accessible parking when the parking lot is restriped this coming month.
The store is open 6 am to 11 pm daily at 2749 California SW (corner of SW Stevens).
(Labor Day volleyball at Alki, photographed by James Bratsanos)
Mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, here’s our list of possibilities for the hours ahead:
TRANSPORTATION PLAN INFO: Today brings the third of four SDOT informational pop-ups at West Seattle libraries to talk about the newly released draft Seattle Transportation Plan, 12 pm-1 pm at High Point Library (35th/Raymond). Here are other ways to get info/offer feedback.
CHESS CLUB: Tuesdays 1:30-3 pm at the air-conditioned Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon): “Are you looking for a new activity to keep your brain sharp and clear? The Senior Center Chess Club welcomes both novice and experienced players. Join us at 1:30 p.m. for lessons, short tutorials, and chess for all levels of expertise.” (Questions? Email conwell@conwelld.net.)
DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Long-running weekly sign-waving demonstration at 16th/Holden. 5-6 pm. Signs available if you don’t have your own.
STORYTIME IN THE GARDEN: 6 pm stories and activities for kids at the Delridge P-Patch, weekly throughout the summer. (5078 25th SW)
SCRABBLE NIGHT: 6-10 pm, you can play Scrabble at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW).
FREE TRACK RUN: Meet at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) for this free weekly run at 6:15 pm.
WEST SEATTLE BIKE CONNECTIONS: Talk about the city’s new draft Transportation Plan and more, 6:30 pm in-person meeting at High Point Neighborhood House (6400 Sylvan Way SW).
TOASTMASTERS 832: Online gathering where you can work on your communication/speaking skills, 6:30 pm – our calendar listing explains how to RSVP to get the link.
THE CLAY CAULDRON: 6:30-9 pm “girls’ night” at pottery studio The Clay Cauldron (5214 Delridge Way SW), sign up in advance or drop in to work on your project(s).
SING! Another local choir starts its new season tonight, with an open invitation to join the Seattle Metropolitan Singers:
FALL SEASON STARTS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th at 7 pm
Senior Center of West Seattle
4217 SW Oregon St.Rehearsals are every Tuesday from 7 pm-9 pm. The “audition” is just singing with us! Nothing formal. Our fabulous director may change your vocal part based on her thoughts on where you are needed most. ALL TREBLE VOICES WELCOME.
TRIVIA X 4: Four places to play Tuesday nights – 7 pm at Ounces (3803 Delridge Way SW), free and hosted by Beat the Geek Trivia; 7 pm at Zeeks Pizza West Seattle (6459 California SW), hosted by Geeks Who Drink; 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW); also, 7:30 and 8:30 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at The Lodge (4209 SW Alaska).
BELLE OF THE BALLS BINGO: Play bingo with Cookie Couture at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), 8 pm. Free, all ages!
You can peek into the future any time via our event calendar – if you have something to include on it, please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
This Saturday, on a rooftop deck overlooking Elliott Bay, Lake Washington Physical Therapy in West Seattle (1309 Harbor SW; WSB sponsor) is offering one last free summer outdoor workout with a view! =LWPT’s Mark Bouma says signups are open now, while they last:
It’s our FINAL rooftop class this summer — Sunset Mobility. The class will be on Saturday, Sept 9th, at 6 pm. We are once again collaborating with HIIT Lab, and they will be supplying some Happy Hour refreshments following the class for participants to enjoy on the rooftop.
It will be about a 30-minute full-body mobility class for people of all fitness levels. I’ll be leading the class and sharing some of my favorite movements to improve mobility and balance. It looks like the weather forecast is cooperating and it will be a beautiful evening! Participants are encouraged to bring a yoga mat or towel.
6:03 AM: Good morning! It’s Tuesday, September 5th.
WEATHER AND SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Partly sunny, high in the upper 60s. Today’s sunrise will be at 6:33 am; sunset will be at 7:41 pm.
(Sunday’s sunset, photographed by Bruce Gaumond)
BACK TO SCHOOL
Five more schools start classes today – Tilden School (WSB sponsor), Hope Lutheran School, Holy Rosary Catholic School, Holy Family Bilingual Catholic School, and The Bridge School.
TRANSIT TODAY
Washington State Ferries – The Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run is on the 2-boat schedule. Check Vessel Watch to see where your ferry is.
Metro – regular schedule; it’s the first weekday since the September “service change” – in West Seattle, Route 55 was suspended, and Routes 50 and 22 have changes.
Water Taxi – regular schedule.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Henderson), cameras are also at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Oregon.
High Bridge – the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
Low-bridge cam:
1st Ave. S. Bridge – alternate route across the river:
Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges Twitter/X feed shows whether the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/bay, please text or call us (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities). Thank you!
With Seattle Public Schools scheduled to start Wednesday, we have three notes tonight:
CONTRACT TALKS: We hope to hear more Tuesday about the district’s contract talks with Operating Engineers Local 302, the union for several categories of staff including culinary services, custodians, grounds, security, and alarm monitoring. SPS acknowledged Friday that the contract had expired Thursday but insisted, “It is not unusual to go past the contract end date for these negotiations.” The South Seattle Emerald reported that union reps speaking at last week’s school-board meeting said talks had been under way since spring but the district just made its first money proposal a week earlier. Meantime, the question many are asking is whether teachers would refuse to cross the picket line if this union goes out on strike. There’s been no public statement on that, though it’s been requested that teachers not step in to do the work IUOE members would do. (Tuesday morning semi-update: We asked SPS for the latest. They sent us a statement that is word-for-word what they published on the SPS website Friday. So, no update yet.
NOT-READY PORTABLES: After we reported a week and a half ago that West Seattle High School‘s new portables were in place in the parking lot, a commenter said staff had been told they won’t be ready to occupy for the start of the year.
(WSB photo, last month)
We asked SPS if that was true, and if so, why. Spokesperson Tina Christiansen replied, “According to the senior project manager, it’s an issue with the availability of electrical contractors.”
WEST SEATTLE ELEMENTARY CEREMONY: Last month we showed you the renovations and expansion at West Seattle Elementary School, where classes are resuming after two years at the former Schmitz Park Elementary.
(WSB photo, last month)
WSES will celebrate the project before school on Wednesday morning, combined with their red-carpet rally to welcome the students, starting around 7:15 am
As we’ve been noting since mid-August, some students are already back in class. Most of those who aren’t yet are about to be. Here’s who starts tomorrow (Tuesday, September 5th):
Tilden School (WSB sponsor)
Holy Family Bilingual Catholic School
Watch out for more people walking and biking, and more traffic in general in school zones.
In a Labor Day tradition, a new American flag was raised today at Alki Masonic Lodge in The Junction. The VFW assisted – with the old flag, below, are state commander Traci K. Williams (Renton #1263) and Thomas Snead (Puyallup #2224):
The old flag will be kept at the lodge in honor of a former lodge master who passed away this year. Also at today’s ceremony were members of the youth group Rainbow Girls:
Rainbow Girl Malyia Williams gave a brief speech about what the flag stands for:
Lodge 152, which is at 40th/Edmunds, has a public event coming up later this month – Oktoberfest on September 23rd.
4:38 PM: Almost 3,300 customers are out of power as of moments ago in north West Seattle. We’re working to find out if this is related to police blocking off Avalon Way between Charlestown and Yancy, where SFD has an hour-old “wires down” call.
4:55 PM: We’re getting reports of restoration, at least for some. (added) The map shows it’s down to 483 homes/businesses.
5:07 PM: Those still out are close to the original “wires down” call on Avalon, where the southbound direction is about to reopen, while northbound remains closed. (added) SFD tells us at the scene that the “wires down” were the result of a pole fire; SCL is bringing in a new pole, so the northbound side of Avalon will likely remain closed at least a few hours.
(Reader photo – pole delivery)
8:03 PM: We went through the work zone (since uphill on Avalon, aka southbound, remains open), and the crews are still working with the new and replacement poles. Also note that the continuing outage has lights dark at the Avalon/Spokane/Harbor intersection, which means it’s an all-way stop.
(Reader photo from Melissa)
8:28 PM: Other lights on Avalon are affected too – commenter KD says 35th/Avalon is still out.
11:07 PM: Not restored yet.
1:30 AM: Still out, and public-safety personnel just told dispatch that the SCL crew told them it might take another two hours.
5:30 AM: Commenters report power was restored just after 2:30.
ADDED 1 PM TUESDAY: As promised, we asked SCL about the cause. The reply from spokesperson Jenn Strang: “The cause was the center wire came loose from its head pin. When it came down, it contacted the cross arm and started the fire. We received a report of a smoking wire from Seattle Fire and were responding prior to the outage occurring. Our operations staff was able to quickly reduce the outage down to the smaller number affected. The crew deemed it necessary to replace the entire pole.”
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Last week, we reported on the city’s release of the draft Seattle Transportation Plan – an outline of goals and actions laying out a potential path forward on how people will be getting around for the next 20 years, and what projects/policies/funding it would take to get there. The first big announcement was that the city wants your feedback. Now, three more notes:
CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE BRIEFING: Tuesday (September 5th) at 9:30 am, the City Council’s Transportation and Public Utilities Committee meeting will include a briefing on the draft plan, which eventually will require a council vote to be finalized. No vote is planned at this meeting, but there is a public-comment period at the beginning. The agenda explains how to comment and/or how to watch/attend, online or in person – and if you just want to graze the toplines, it also includes this slide deck prepared for the briefing.
WEST SEATTLE BIKE CONNECTIONS: We just got word today that he draft plan will be a major topic of discussion when West Seattle Bike Connections meets Tuesday night, 6:30 pm at High Point Neighborhood House (6400 Sylvan Way SW). All are welcome.
DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT: Along with the release of the draft plan itself, the city also has outlined its potential effects in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, for which a formal comment period is open through October 16th. This is an entirely separate voluminous document, which you can find linked here, along with a summary and information on how to comment.
P.S. Reminder that there are two more midday “pop-ups” this week at West Seattle libraries where you can talk with SDOT reps – they’re at the end of our original story.
On this Labor Day, we have news from West Seattle’s professional, non-profit theater ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), where more than 100 local artists are employed each year. The 2023-2024 season – themed “Sometimes I Dream …” – begins with “Matt & Ben,” written by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers, directed by Zenaida Rose Smith. ArtsWest’s announcement explains:
… Matt & Ben serves as a perfectly funny introduction to a season that explores how different people pursue their dreams and promises audiences a refreshing way to end their summer. … Matt & Ben is a witty and irreverent play that reimagines the lives of Hollywood’s beloved bro-buddies, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, in the 1990s, just before they skyrocketed to fame. In a hilarious twist, Kaling and Withers wrote the roles for female-presenting performers. Seattle actors Nabilah Ahmed and Jacquelyn Miedema will portray the two Oscar-winning actors as they navigate fame, friendship, and the fateful script that would eventually become “Good Will Hunting.”
ArtsWests artistic director Mathew Wright calls it a “biting and brilliant comedy about celebrity and the Hollywood dream.” After a preview performance at 7:30 pm Wednesday (September 6th), “Matt & Ben” will continue at 7:30 pm Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and 3 pm Sundays, through October 1st. You can get tickets online by going here.
(Late summer’s classic flower – a dahlia, photographed by Susan Whiting Kemp)
Good morning! Holiday notes:
TRANSIT/TRAFFIC
–Metro is on a Sunday schedule
–West Seattle Water Taxi is also on a Sunday schedule
–Sound Transit buses and light rail are on Sunday schedules too
-If you’re going to an area of the city with pay-station street parking, there’s no charge today
-Check local traffic cams here, citywide cams here
HAPPENING TODAY/TONIGHT
Last day of the season for city outdoor aquatic facilities – After today, city-run wading pools, sprayparks, and outdoor pools are all closed until next year – so it’s your last day for Colman Pool, open noon-7 pm, and Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale), 11 am-8 pm. The forecast so far doesn’t seem to meet the bar for opening Lincoln Park’s wading pool, but the hotline (206-684-7796) will say for sure after 9 am.
Last scheduled night of the season for 10 pm closure and beach fires at Alki
Community stand-up paddleboarding – Alki Kayak Tours’ weekly 6 pm SUP event is scheduled from Seacrest (1660 Harbor SW) at 6 pm.
Art on the Corner – artist’s home-studio sale benefiting food banks, ~8:30 am-5:30 pm at 39th/Holden
NOT HAPPENING TODAY
Banking (holiday)
U.S. Postal Service (holiday)
Libraries (closed)
Many Parks facilities (here’s the list)
WEATHER AND SUNRISE/SUNSET
Partly sunny by afternoon, with a high in the upper 60s. Sunrise will be at 6:31 am, sunset at 7:43 pm.
(Added: Reader photo)
11:39 PM: Police have told dispatch that a crash in the 1900 block of Harbor Avenue SW is blocking the road in both directions. No serious injuries reported but police say the three people in one of the cars fled the scene on foot. Officers are calling for two tow trucks as well as SDOT cleanup for a fluid spill and debris on the road.
12:26 AM: Police just told dispatch that the road has reopened. No further word on the occupants who fled the scene from one car, nor on whether the car was stolen.
(Water Taxi during August sunrise – photo by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
With Metro making its fall “service change” adjustments to bus routes this weekend, you might be wondering about the West Seattle Water Taxi. Its summer schedule, with late-night runs on Fridays and Saturdays, is planned to last six more weeks, until October 14. Before the pandemic and West Seattle Bridge closure brought big changes, the Water Taxi downshifted in fall/winter to running five days a week, commute times only. But the past two years, Metro has kept the foot ferry running all day, seven days a week, year-round. We asked Metro repeatedly whether that would continue this year; the answer was that they didn’t know yet. So with fall approaching and no announcement yet, we asked County Councilmember Joe McDermott if the council had perhaps been briefed on a plan. In fact, he told us, Metro notified the County Council in mid-June that it would continue all-day, every-day service again this year. The memo sent to councilmembers noted that not only does that make for a service on which customers can rely, but a survey of Marine Division staff showed it’s popular with them too “as they will no longer be laid off during the winter months (allowing) Metro to be more competitive for workforce in the challenging marine industry.” The memo also noted that ridership last winter, after the West Seattle Bridge reopened, was even higher than the previous winter, when it was still closed. And the memo included one more point – that “the extended service bridges an important gap in our current bus service, due to bus operator workforce shortages.”
West Seattle’s Vietnamese Cultural Center was brightly decorated this afternoon for one of the most festive occasions of fall, Tết Nhi Đồng, the Children’s Moonlight Festival. It drew a sizable crowd of all ages:
While a lion dance and martial-arts demonstration were part of the afternoon, kids’ activities were the centerpiece:
Young participants got lanterns for a parade around the center’s North Delridge grounds before the festival wrapped up. Never been to the Cultural Center? In addition to special occasions like this, it’s open most Saturdays for the general public to visit.
ADDED: Thanks to Lynda Bui with the Cultural Center for video of the lion dance:
Vovinam Martial Arts from Burien performed the lion dance as well as the martial-arts demonstration, while artist Rick Klu did face-painting.
(WSB photo)
After two reader tips, we just went over to the Walgreens in South Delridge and confirmed it’s closed, with the front entrance boarded up. Its website also describes the store as currently “temporarily closed.” Archived police-radio audio explains why: Around 5:45 am, a 911 call came in from a security firm monitoring live video of the store and seeing a vehicle crash into the entrance. Police arriving in the area saw a white pickup truck speeding away, though the audio isn’t clear on whether that was definitely the vehicle involved. We don’t know what if anything was taken from the Walgreens, since the store is closed and we won’t be able to request the police-report narrative until after the weekend.
We start this bird gallery with a sighting northeast of The Junction. We heard about those birds from two people this week, including Ian, who sent the photos.
Brought back memories of The West Seattle Turkey, though online matching suggests these are probably Guinea Fowl – perhaps with a home nearby, because the sightings were in the same general area.
Other recent photos (thanks for everyone who continues sending bird pics) start with two charming Steller’s Jay views by Jerry Simmons:
Two more backyard birds – a Northern Flicker, photographed by Samantha Wren:
And a Red-breasted Nuthatch, from Jon Anderson:
And two waterfowl – a Western Sandpiper, photographed by James Tilley:
And Gene Pavola‘s photo of a Great Blue Heron:
Thanks again to everyone who shares photos, from birds to breaking news – if not urgent, email is the best way, westseattleblog@gmail.com, but otherwise, you can also text us 24/7 at 206-293-6302.
First one appears to be a definite candidate for the dumped-likely-stolen file:
Abandoned burgundy KIA found on 27th and Kenyon. Obvious signs of being stolen (broken windows, ignition, etc.) and signals of drug use. This has been reported to police and assume it will be towed soon. Also footage from camera shows multiple people and cars involved during the dump.
The second one is a little more of a mystery. The reader report came in Saturday; we looked about an hour ago, and the truck is still there, so we’re publishing this:
Appears to be abandoned at 41st and Ida. Half in parking strip. Side work door attempted to be pried open.
It’s also parked facing the wrong way. The person who emailed said they’ve reported to police. Also of note – that’s the same Gatewood intersection where a stolen Hyundai was dumped earlier this week.
Both of West Seattle’s public high schools have started their football seasons with victories. We covered West Seattle HS‘s home win on Friday; then on Saturday, Chief Sealth IHS opened their season on the road at Bellingham. That game ended with a 32-27 victory for the Seahawks. Next week, head coach Daron Camacho‘s team is on the road again, 5 pm Friday (September 8th) vs. Lakeside at Memorial Stadium downtown.
The latest in the resurgence of West Seattle coyote sightings is from Alexis: “My brother saw a coyote last night at 48th and Hinds heading south.” We publish these for awareness, not alarm; you can help ensure uneventful coexistence by not providing potential food sources, from outdoor pet food to unsecured trash to unaccompanied pets. You can read more about them in this state Fish and Wildlife fact sheet. (See past sighting reports by scrolling through this WSB archive.)
(Saturday’s sunrise, photographed by Stewart L.)
Day 2 of the holiday weekend – here’s what’s happening:
ART ON THE CORNER: Gatewood artist Bonnie is again selling her work to benefit local food banks. 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, stop by 39th/Holden.
WESTIES RUN CLUB: Now they’re running on Sunday mornings too – meet at 9 am at Dough Joy Donuts (4310 SW Oregon).
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, the market is open between SW Alaska and SW Oregon on California, offering late-summer fruit and vegetables as well as flowers, cheese, fish, meat, baked goods, condiments, fresh-cooked food, beverages (from kombucha to beer/wine), nuts, more. Here’s today’s vendor list.
DONUTS ON DELRIDGE: 10 am-2 pm at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW), Dough Joy Donuts will pop up.
FREE STARCYCLE CLASS: 10:15 am – our calendar listing explains how to register, and has other free-class dates. (4532 42nd SW)
HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK OPEN: 11 am-8 pm, second-to-last day. (1100 SW Cloverdale)
LINCOLN PARK WADING POOL: The weather forecast is iffy so check the hotline after 9 am, 206-684-7796; if it’s open, it’ll be noon-7 pm, second-to-last day of the season. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
COLMAN POOL OPEN: Also at Lincoln Park, rain or shine, second-to-last day of the season for this outdoor salt-water pool, open noon-7 pm. See the session schedule here.
ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE TOURS: Last chance this year for a free tour, 1-4 pm, last tour starts at 3:45. (3201 Alki SW)
CHILDREN’S MOONLIGHT FESTIVAL: 2-4 pm at Vietnamese Cultural Center (2236 SW Orchard), crafts, treats, lion dance, face painting, and a lantern parade.
JEWISH STORY HOUR: 3:30 pm, the Torah Learning Center of West Seattle will present a story hour at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond).
SUNDAY NIGHT JAZZ: Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW), 8 pm and 9 pm sets.
Something for our calendar – one-time or recurring? Email us the info – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
9:58 PM: Seattle Police say northbound 35th SW is blocked at Rose in Gatewood because of a crash. No SFD medical response so far so apparently no serious injuries, but avoid the area for a while.
(Added: Reader photo)
10:48 PM: Police just told dispatch that northbound 35th is open again.
(WSB photo from 2019 Fiestas Patrias parade)
Before summer officially ends, another tradition will return for the first time in four years – the Fiestas Patrias parade in South Park. Sea-Mar Community Health Centers present the parade, and a weekend-long festival at Seattle Center, as a celebration of Latin American culture, and two weeks from today will bring the first parade since 2019. You can watch along 14th Avenue South (Henderson north to Cloverdale) or South Cloverdale Street (14th west to 8th, where the parade ends at the community center) starting at 11 am Saturday, September 16th.
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