July 2020

SDOT offers plan to repair and preserve the West Seattle Low Bridge after new cracks are revealed

The Seattle Department of Transportation, after it was revealed that new cracks have been found in the 1991 built Swing Bridge just north of the High Rise Bridge, has released information regarding their plan to repair and preserve that bridge. 

low bridge opening

 

Information from the Seattle Department of Transportation

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Message from the new Southwest Precinct Commander Kevin Grossman

As Westside Seattle was the first to report on June 19, following the departure of Captain Pierre Davis, Captain Kevin Grossman took over on July 1.

He has served in a wide variety of assignments, including patrol, detective in the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit, liaison officer to the Seattle Housing Authority, supervisor in the Audit, Policy, and Research Section, aide in the Chief’s Office, supervisor in the Office of Police Accountability, watch commander in two precincts, the North Precinct Operations Lieutenant, and the South Precinct commander.  He was also a Hostage Negotiator for seven years.  

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Questions about the West Seattle Bridge failure we should be asking; An independent forensic engineering study is necessary

By Patrick Robinson

When a vital transportation artery like the West Seattle Bridge fails, you would think that the most vital question to be answered would be why?

And the why of that leads to accountability.

We are living in a time when our leaders are increasingly being held accountable.

The same should be true of those whose duties include looking after our infrastructure.

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Don't rain on our Bumbershoot

By Jean Godden

While it was no surprise, it's still a sorrow to learn that Bumbershoot, once called "the Mother of All Festivals," will not take place this year due to Corvid-19 concerns.

Bumbershoot, the city's beloved celebration of music and arts, is one thing that says Seattle like nothing else. The festival has enlivened late summer weekends for 48 years, ever since Mayor Wes Uhlman saw what Mayor John Lindsay had cooked up in New York City.

Although Uhlman took inspiration from Lindsay's arts festival, he immediately made it Seattle-centric. With a meager city budget, the event debuted August 13-15, 1971, as "Festival '71," three days of homegrown talent: stilt-walkers, bands, buskers, film screenings and free admission. Despite minimal publicity, the festival drew 120,000 to the Seattle Center.

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Ken's View: When the cops are a private club

By Ken Robinson

Managing Editor

Our story about the King County Deputy who reposted an offensive diatribe/meme on Facebook rings a sour note with us.

The story is brief but powerful in its revelation of the mind of the deputy whose hateful words make us cringe.

The deputy seems to be astonishingly stupid to believe his private thoughts carry no weight and is immune to back lash. Since the offensive post went up, he has been “put on administrative leave’.

This is where we take issue with the practice of police departments circling the wagons when a paid representative  of the department commits wheat appears to clearly be an odious offense.

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Vote for your top five West Seattle Bridge T-Shirt designs

The West Seattle Junction Association has collected the entries from local artists for their West Seattle Bridge T-Shirt contest. Now you can vote for your top five designs.

Powered by your votes, three designs will be produced into West Seattle Bridge T-Shirts available for pre-sale, and at local West Seattle retailers. 

The voting ends July 31st.

See the entries here

or on the Junction Association's Facebook page here.

You can also vote directly on the Google form

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New park land in North Highline acquired by King County will open to the public next year

Information from King County

Executive Dow Constantine  announced on Thursday July 9 that King County will transform newly acquired property in urban unincorporated North Highline into a much-needed forest park featuring trails, overlooks, and wetlands. 

King County Parks will manage the 5-acre site as public greenspace that is within walking distance of schools where 83 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Parks staff will partner with Washington Trails Association to create a path through the forest and a bridge across the ravine. The new park is located on 8th Ave South east of Highway 509 near South 104th Street

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If police funding is cut by 50% the Southwest Precinct will close says Chief Best; 7 of 9 Council members support such a cut

Impacts on other kinds of law enforcement in Seattle would be major

Seven of the nine members of the Seattle City Council support a 50% cut in the budget for the Seattle Police Department following events in recent weeks and demands to defund the police. In a letter to Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, Chief Carmen Best outlined what that kind of funding cut would mean to operations and law enforcement in Seattle. Perhaps most significantly for West Seattle it would mean the closure of the Southwest Precinct which opened 17 years ago.

July 10, 2020
To: Mayor Jenny Durkan
CC: Senior Deputy Mayor Mike Fong, City Budget Director Ben Noble
From: Carmen Best, Chief of Police
RE: Assessing Impacts of Proposed Council Budget Actions to Cut SPD’s Budget by 50%

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