December 2012

Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, released this statement regarding the shooting tragedy earlier today in Connecticut:

“As a mother, grandmother and former public school teacher, it saddens me to realize that our society has evolved to the point where what once were rare and unthinkable actions now occur with numbing, but no more acceptable, regularity.

“It is time — indeed, it is well past time — that we put public safety ahead of our society’s blind, unthinking resistance to any effort to crack down on illegal gun purchases or access by the mentally unstable.

“I look forward to reviving this dialogue in the coming legislative session and challenging Washingtonians from all perspectives to put aside their personal interests to work earnestly toward a solution that insists on legal, responsible gun ownership instead of blanket ownership by anyone at any time under any conditions.”

Earlier this month on Dec. 5, West Seattle resident and Swedish Medical Center nurse Troy Cavanaugh was honored with a DAISY Award “for his extraordinary patient care … Troy exemplifies social responsibility, service excellence, ethical behavior, safe patient care, quality care, and continual education,” according to a press release.

Cavanaugh works as a registered nurse at the Ballard Swedish campus. Here is an excerpt from his nomination:

Troy Cavanaugh, RN, Ballard (hire date – 2007; West Seattle)

One of Troy’s most inspiring clinical experiences was when he was working in a hospital with no perinatal services. On one particular evening he was working in the ED, a car pulled up to the ambulance entrance with a mother in the final stages of labor. Troy delivered the boy, directed the other staff to find the never used infant warmer and created the environment that resulted in both patients doing very well. The exceptional part of this story is Troy’s calm under fire and his ability to direct his team through this unusual and stressful situation.

Background on the DAISY Award:

press release:
On Saturday, Dec. 15, traffic crews from the Seattle Department of Transportation plan to replace the traffic camera located on the off-ramp from the westbound lanes of the West Seattle Bridge to Delridge Way SW. They will close the inside lane of the ramp at approximately 5:45 a.m. and will reopen the lane by 4 p.m.

During the closure, the crews will replace a traffic camera that provides real-time streaming video of traffic at that location. The new camera should be more reliable. It will automatically reset itself when needed, and traffic engineers will also be able to reset the camera remotely. The camera is expected to be fully functional after traffic engineers complete their work on the installation during the following week.

Detour from Admiral Way SW to eastbound West Seattle Bridge on Monday night

Local developer Bill Parks is inviting the public to attend a development review meeting at Sunset Hill Community Clubhouse at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 19 to learn about plans for the Ballard Lofts project on southeast corner of NW 65th St and 24th Ave NW.

The scope of the project has changed since Design Review meetings held earlier, with the addition of the properties south of the existing auto body shop, which includes The Viking, the barber and a residence.

In order to address community questions Parks is inviting interested citizens to hear a presentation of the revised project, an overview of the parking and traffic study and identify additional concerns in a question/comment period. Per Mr. Parks public input has already led to changes in the number of parking spaces and a reduction in units from 95 to 72. He knows this project is also of interest to those tracking on another development proposed for NW 64th St and 32nd Ave NW because he proposes to relocate the Sunset Hill Green Market which resides there to the 24th Ave NW location during its later construction.

Information from Seattle Police Department, in the aftermath of a deadly Connecticut school shooting on the morning of Dec. 14:

Officers Stepping Up Patrols Around Schools

The Seattle Police Department wishes to offer its condolences to the families affected by today’s tragedy.
In light of today’s horrific tragedy in Connecticut, the department has received a number of questions about whether SPD is providing any extra security around local schools.

While there have not been any threats to schools in Seattle, SPD has increased patrols around local schools today.

The department believes it is important for officers to be highly visible at a time like this, and hopes to provide some reassurance to families and school faculty who are understandably concerned about school safety.

SPD’s officers are trained to respond to crisis situations like the events that unfolded this morning, and SPD continues to work with Seattle Public Schools to ensure our schools are safe.

Seattle Public Schools Superintendent José Banda has sent a letter to the families of students in the district regarding the tragic school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut.

Dear families:

We were deeply saddened to learn of the shooting that occurred this morning at an elementary school in Connecticut. In the aftermath of such tragic events, we want to share with you how we are working to make sure that our students’ needs are fully addressed.

We are closely monitoring the situation and have asked our principals to be extra vigilant in their schools today. We have not heard of any threats in Seattle, and our Security department reports normal operations in schools throughout the District.

According to state law, schools must conduct at least one safety-related drill each month that school is in session. Every school has a safety plan that outlines procedures for prevention, mitigation, response and recovery in the event of a crisis. Please know that we take safety in our buildings very seriously; the well-being of our students is our top concern.

UPDATE for Jan. 8
The Highline School District has denied reports in other news media that Superintendent Susan Enfield has recommended security officers be disarmed.

Here is the district's press release:

"Contrary to recent news reports, Highline Public Schools has not announced a change to its school security model. Staff is currently drafting a proposal to update the district’s security model to reflect current best practices. The proposal is to be presented to the school board and the public later this month or early next month.

"Last spring, the district initiated an assessment of its security model, a study of security models in comparable districts, and a review of current local and national standards for school security. The purpose of this evaluation was to assess the need to update the district’s security model to ensure optimum student safety.

The Highline School District has denied reports in other news media that Superintendent Susan Enfield has recommended security officers be disarmed.

Here is the district's press release:

"Contrary to recent news reports, Highline Public Schools has not announced a change to its school security model. Staff is currently drafting a proposal to update the district’s security model to reflect current best practices. The proposal is to be presented to the school board and the public later this month or early next month.

"Last spring, the district initiated an assessment of its security model, a study of security models in comparable districts, and a review of current local and national standards for school security. The purpose of this evaluation was to assess the need to update the district’s security model to ensure optimum student safety.

Information from Seattle Police Department, in the aftermath of a deadly Connecticut school shooting on the morning of Dec. 14:

Officers Stepping Up Patrols Around Schools

The Seattle Police Department wishes to offer its condolences to the families affected by today’s tragedy.

In light of today’s horrific tragedy in Connecticut, the department has received a number of questions about whether SPD is providing any extra security around local schools.

While there have not been any threats to schools in Seattle, SPD has increased patrols around local schools today.

The department believes it is important for officers to be highly visible at a time like this, and hopes to provide some reassurance to families and school faculty who are understandably concerned about school safety.

SPD’s officers are trained to respond to crisis situations like the events that unfolded this morning, and SPD continues to work with Seattle Public Schools to ensure our schools are safe.

It was only fitting that the community meeting on short term capacity solutions at Seattle Public Schools on Dec. 11 was filled beyond capacity, with parents concerned about overcrowding and student relocation resorting to standing or tracking down chairs in the hallways.

There are 49,677 students enrolled in Seattle Public Schools this year, and with projections of that number continuing to grow with no end in sight, capacity becomes a full time concern. New or expanded schools are in the theoretical pipeline to help ease the pressure, but their fruition is dependent on Seattle voters passing the BEX IV Levy in February, 2013.

In West Seattle, for example, passage of the BEX IV (building excellence) Levy would mean replacing Arbor Heights Elementary with a new, larger facility by 2018 and, sooner, moving Schmitz Park Elementary staff and students to a new school on the Genesee Hill site by 2015 (and in doing so, opening up the Schmitz Park building for another elementary use).