May 2016

The monthly Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting set for 7:00 pm Tuesday, May 10, 2016 will feature
Mick Shultz (Port of Seattle’s Public Affairs office) - representing The Port of Seattle/Northwest Seaport Alliance - who will provide an overview of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) currently being finalized for the proposed Terminal 5 Improvements project. The Draft EIS is scheduled to be released to the public on May 23.

Urban Homestead Foundation Grant

Katie Stemp - founder of Seattle Farm School - will discuss “The Urban Homestead Foundation” – a new nonprofit project founded by West Seattle residents which is seeking fiscal sponsorship from ANA. This project will provide a green-built, community education and gathering center for West Seattle with benefits to our neighborhood which include modern day home economics programs for K-12 students, a beautiful open green space, neighborhood events, and urban agriculture demonstration gardens.

Other business

information from SDOT

The previously delayed start of the Fauntleroy Expressway (West Seattle Freeway) Bearing Pad Replacement Project has been rescheduled, with the first overnight closure of the structure now slated for Sunday, May 15. This will be the first of an expected 40-50 weeknight closures of the structure, with closures each week beginning on Sunday evening and finishing on Friday morning. The bridge will be closed from 9 p.m. each night until 5 a.m. the following morning. The Expressway will NOT be closed on Friday or Saturday nights. SDOT appreciates the public’s patience while this work is being done.

On those weeknights with Mariners or Sounders games with attendance of 20,000 or more, the Expressway closures will not begin until 11 p.m.

Daytime preparatory work underneath the bridge will begin next Monday, May 9. This will include pressure washing the underside of the structure, which will require to closure of the parking underneath the structure. (Once the overnight closures begin, the parking restrictions below the bridge will be limited to the work zone under active construction.)

Sports Roundup

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Thursday, May 5
Baseball
Chief Sealth 5, Ingraham 3
The Seahawks scored a victory at Ingraham on Thursday as the Metro League baseball tournament opened, keeping them alive for a loser-out Friday game against West Seattle scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Southwest Athletic Complex.

Fastpitch softball
Seattle Prep 11, West Seattle 6
West Seattle dropped its season finale Thursday but still finished in a tie with Ballard for first place at 12-3 in Metro League play.

Wednesday, May 4
Baseball
SCS 10, Foster 7
Seattle Christian beat the Bulldogs in a non-league battle Wednesday.

Fastpitch softball
West Seattle 5, Ballard 1
The Wildcats prevailed in a big Metro League battle at Ballard on Wednesday.
Chief Sealth 1, Franklin 0
Chief Sealth dealt the Quakers a defeat Wednesday.
Evergreen 10, Foster 0
Evergreen improved to 8-3 in Seamount League action with Wednesday's win.
Kennedy 15, Lindbergh 0
Kennedy Catholic clobbered the Eagles of Lindbergh on Wednesday.
Tyee 3, Renton 2

Warmer weather brings people to the beach and while it has been largely dominated by the construction of the Murray Basin CSO across the street. Lowman Beach Park still sees a lot of people visiting. But the seawall there began moving and developed severe cracks leading Seattle Parks to cordon off the area as the West Seattle Herald reported last fall. Karen O'Connor of Seattle Parks (SPR) explained the situation:

"The Lowman Beach Seawall shifted in position last Thanksgiving weekend and through a portion of the month of December, 2015. The wall tilted out towards the water due to scouring of the foundation soils, likely due to tidal activity. Currently the wall is resting on the dense soils underlying the rocky beach, the interface of which can be seen at low tides. The majority of the movement occurred during the last month of 2015. Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) has been monitoring the wall since Thanksgiving by surveying the tops of the wall for horizontal and vertical movement. Once the wall came to rest of the denser soils at the end of 2015, we have only noted approximately 0.5 inch of movement.

information from King County Sheriff

Warm air temperatures don’t translate to warm water temperatures. In fact, unseasonably warm weather will accelerate the typical Cascade Range spring snowmelt, and rivers will be running swift with icy cold runoff for weeks to come. Lakes and Puget Sound are also quite cold this time of year, and swimmers can suffer from cold-water shock after just a few minutes in the water.

King County officials are on high alert because 17 people died in preventable drownings in the county in 2015.*

King County, Public Health – Seattle & King County, and the King County Sheriff’s Office encourage kayakers, boaters, rafters, swimmers and other river users to check conditions and scout rivers thoroughly for hazards before entering the water.

“I urge everyone to use caution when going into the water, particularly in springtime when warm weather and cold water create a deadly combination,” said King County Sheriff John Urquhart. “Don’t drink, and always wear a life jacket.”

Damn the torpedos! Well, there may not be any torpedos, but it's been full speed ahead for our Water Taxis during the first week of 'Viageddon.'

As the Battle of the Bridge raged, this small flotilla flawlessly executed their plan for a quantum (and record) increase in service, rescuing commuters from hours of traffic jams and road rage. Boats have been added and schedules flexed so commuters arrive on time and relaxed.

Kudos to the management, crew and shuttles for their outstanding service to our transit-challenged communities.

So, damn something! And full speed ahead!!

John Gerhard
Daily Commuter, WSea

By Officer Randy Weaver
Tonight, local police and King County Sheriff’s deputies will be forced to drive suspects into Seattle to be booked into the downtown King County jail. Every time this happens, the people of south King County are made a little less safe, as fewer officers are left to patrol and respond. This problem is especially acute in the rural eastern areas of the county where police response times are already a big problem. Forcing officers to drive from Enumclaw to Seattle in the middle of the night is absurd.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. When the people of south King County agreed to accept a new jail in their region it was with the promise that justice services would be brought closer to them. The Regional Justice Center in Kent (now the Maleng Regional Justice Center, or MRJC) would allow the people of south King County to go to Kent for civil and criminal matters, and to serve on juries. And the people of south King County were promised that their police would be able to book prisoners into the MRJC jail in Kent around the clock, and no longer be forced to drive to Seattle.

By Officer Randy Weaver
Tonight, local police and King County Sheriff’s deputies will be forced to drive suspects into Seattle to be booked into the downtown King County jail. Every time this happens, the people of south King County are made a little less safe, as fewer officers are left to patrol and respond. This problem is especially acute in the rural eastern areas of the county where police response times are already a big problem. Forcing officers to drive from Enumclaw to Seattle in the middle of the night is absurd.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. When the people of south King County agreed to accept a new jail in their region it was with the promise that justice services would be brought closer to them. The Regional Justice Center in Kent (now the Maleng Regional Justice Center, or MRJC) would allow the people of south King County to go to Kent for civil and criminal matters, and to serve on juries. And the people of south King County were promised that their police would be able to book prisoners into the MRJC jail in Kent around the clock, and no longer be forced to drive to Seattle.

By Officer Randy Weaver
Tonight, local police and King County Sheriff’s deputies will be forced to drive suspects into Seattle to be booked into the downtown King County jail. Every time this happens, the people of south King County are made a little less safe, as fewer officers are left to patrol and respond. This problem is especially acute in the rural eastern areas of the county where police response times are already a big problem. Forcing officers to drive from Enumclaw to Seattle in the middle of the night is absurd.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. When the people of south King County agreed to accept a new jail in their region it was with the promise that justice services would be brought closer to them. The Regional Justice Center in Kent (now the Maleng Regional Justice Center, or MRJC) would allow the people of south King County to go to Kent for civil and criminal matters, and to serve on juries. And the people of south King County were promised that their police would be able to book prisoners into the MRJC jail in Kent around the clock, and no longer be forced to drive to Seattle.

Police are investigating after they found a man dead this morning in the alleyway between Umpqua Bank and Johnny’s Ballard Shoe Services on 22nd Avenue N.W.

The initial call was made at 8:36 a.m. The caller reported a man down in the alley and not breathing. Police and emergency units were dispatched and found the man dead.

The Ballard News-Tribune called Johnny’s Shoe Service and an employee said she hadn’t seen the body, but police were outside the shop when she opened.

Right now Seattle Police Department report the man was dead on arrival. There was no mention of foul play.

Look to the Ballard News-Tribune as the story develops.