Jeff Gilbert of the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) is a longtime humorist as well as rock ‘n’ roller, entrepreneur, etc., and mashed that scenario up in honor of the all-day wake he’s holding for the South Park Bridge starting at 6 pm June 30, an hour before it closes forever, with no concrete commitments yet for full funding of a new bridge. (At the Feedback that night, they’ll supply the materials, you help build the symbolic replacement!) The people of South Park are still hashing out their plans for C-Day – the South Park Yahoo! group has been abuzz with ideas. And for the businesses of South Park, who suddenly will no longer have people walking, riding and driving across the bridge to dine and shop, they’ve got a big brainstorming session ahead this Wednesday – city reps from departments including the Office of Economic Development will be at the SP Community Center on 8th South at 6:30 pm (here’s a flyer in English/Spanish/Vietnamese). MONDAY NIGHT UPDATE: SDOT has announced sharrow-painting ahead in South Park – read on:Read More
2:52 PM ORIGINAL REPORT: From the state Department of Ecology, word of an oil spill in the Duwamish River:
The Washington Department of Ecology and U.S. Coast Guard are investigating the source of an oil spill on the Duwamish River about one half mile north of the South Park Bridge.
A sheen and diesel odor were reported to Ecology at 8:30 a.m. today and spill responders found an unknown amount of recoverable diesel oil in an inlet on private property at 7400 Eighth Ave. S. next to Boeing property.
A cleanup contractor called by Ecology and the Coast Guard has arrived at the scene and will begin work on recovering the diesel oil this afternoon. Further information will be released when it becomes available.
4:12 PM UPDATE: New information from Dan Partridge of Ecology:
There is no cleanup contractor working on site. A contractor hired by the Coast Guard arrived earlier and was about to begin work when the tide shifted. The diesel spill that was thought to be recoverable no longer was recoverable with the shifting of the tide so the contractor has left the site. There’s 100-by-3 foot sheen visible on the water but it’s expected to dissipate with the shifting of the tide. We still have not determined the source of the spill but Ecology will continue to investigate.
5:36 PM: Ecology estimates the spill at no more than 25 gallons. We went looking for, but didn’t find, any publicly visible sign of it.
(County rendering of what the South Park end of the SP Bridge will look like, right after 6/30 shutdown) By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“This is challenging.”
That declaration repeated a few times Tuesday night by King County Transportation Director Harold Taniguchi summed up not only the logistics of closing the South Park Bridge forever and getting people around after the June 30th closure, but also the logistics of trying to round up money to replace it.
For the first time in the most recent series of public meetings about the impending bridge closure, elected officials appeared and spoke – first King County Executive Dow Constantine, who represented this area as a county councilmember before moving up to the top job last year, second State Sen. Joe McDermott, who doesn’t represent South Park in the Legislature, but is seeking to represent the area as its next county councilmember. Here’s our video of Constantine’s entire 8-minute speech:
And Sen. McDermott, whose remarks were much shorter, but drew a pointed challenge fairly quickly:
Aside from Constantine’s extensive recap of how we got to this point – past funding attempts, the defeat of the bridge-money-containing Roads and Transit ballot measure, etc. – their appearances, and much of the first two-thirds of the meeting, looked to the future: Will there really be money at some point for a new South Park Bridge (which is at least 3 years away, even if money were found today, those on hand were warned repeatedly)?Read More
(Photo courtesy King County Department of Transportation)
Midway between two major community meetings on the South Park Bridge closure plan, a smaller “inter-agency” group is just wrapping up a meeting this morning. Some new information has emerged, inspired, those on hand say, by feedback they’ve received at previous meetings as well as via e-mail and other channels. That information includes changes to planned bus reroutes, as well as one major new element for the road that will become a dead end of sorts when the bridge closes at 7 pm June 30 – read on:Read More
Five neighborhood-council meetings of note make this “Neighborhood Night” – 6:30 pm at Ginomai (42nd/Genesee), Junction Neighborhood Organization starts the night, with an agenda including a Junction crime update from SPD; 6:30 pm is also when North Delridge Neighborhood Council has its regular monthly meeting, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Then at 7 pm, three meetings of note – Admiral Neighborhood Association @ Admiral Congregational Church, the Fauntleroy Community Association @ Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, and South Park Neighborhood Association @ SPARC Building (10th/Southern), with City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw expected. Also, a midday highlight: The Senior Center of West Seattle hosts a Salute to Veterans luncheon at 11:45, free to all veterans, $5 suggested donation for all others, call ahead for reservations: 206-932-4044.
(Photo courtesy King County Department of Transportation)
As reported in previous coverage of the King County plan to close the South Park Bridge on June 30th, they’ve been awaiting one last consultant analysis to confirm their assessment that the bridge is too unsafe to keep open. This afternoon, that report is complete, and the county says it indeed underscores their decision. According to a news release from the county (read it here), the bridge “is in such poor condition it can no longer be safely used by the public.” The county also has posted the full report – you can see it here. Still no funding to replace the bridge, but logistical planning for its closure continues, with two meetings ahead May 11 and 25, as noted in our coverage of last week’s meeting about the “draft closure plan.”
The meeting was supposed to be about explaining the newly released draft plan for helping people get around and helping businesses stay afloat once the deteriorating bridge closes June 30.
But when public-comment time kicked in, it was more like venting – both at the mike and from the audience, demonstrating the community’s indignation that the situation has even come to this.
One woman said she had bought her home in Boulevard Park in 1978, at which time, “I was told the South Park Bridge needed to be retrofitted and replaced. My (child) was 5. He’s 37 now. Why are we sitting here today and why wasn’t this taken care of sooner?”
King County Department of Transportation Director Harold Taniguchi had no easy answer. Besieged repeatedly by audience calls of “how did this happen? why did this happen,” he finally had to say, “We are at where we are at. If we had 32 years to put a funding plan together – we didn’t do it.”
Some community culpability was acknowledged in the middle of a fiery 5-minute speech by Christina Gallegos. Listen to it – as she addresses almost every topic that came up tonight, with clarity as well as fury.
Taniguchi’s response, plus highlights of the draft closure plan – including West Seattle effects – and the search for money for a new bridge, after the jump:Read More
(Seattle Fire Department TwitPic photo, added 10:01 am; thanks to David for the link) ORIGINAL 9:32 AM REPORT: In case you heard this from eastern West Seattle, or a workplace along the Duwamish: Fire crews are still on the scene at a South Park business where something exploded within the past hour. KIRO TV links aerial photos from its online story and identifies the business as Independent Metals; SFD spokesperson Helen Fitzpatricktells our partners at the Seattle Times as well as KING5 (their report here) that everyone’s accounted for. While the 911 log shows a massive response, scanner traffic indicates some of the units have been canceled. There’s no official word yet on injuries, though the scanner mentioned at least two patients, one of which was being handled with a private ambulance, which indicates non-life-threatening injuries. According to its website, Independent Metals is a scrap-metal recycling company that’s been in business more than a quarter-century.
10:01 AM: SFD has just posted online that indeed, there were two people hurt, “minor injuries.” The explosion is blamed on a propane tank going into a metal shredder. We’re adding an SFD photo of some of the damage on the building’s exterior.
Just announced: Plans for “Hands Across the Duwamish” tomorrow. People concerned about the upcoming permanent closure of the South Park Bridge hope to form a human chain across the bridge (on the sidewalk, NOT blocking traffic) to raise awareness about the scheduled June 30th closure. Organizers say they’ll need 332 people to span the entire length of the bridge. They’re timing it to start at 1:30 pm, as the Duwamish Alive! work parties are wrapping up. Meantime, as reported yesterday at partner site White Center Now, King County has scheduled two community meetings to talk about logistics of the closure – 6 pm April 27 and 6 pm May 25, both at the International Association of Machinists Local 751 Hall in South Park (map). March 2009 photo courtesy Dale Brayden
Four weeks ago, we covered two community meetings about the impending South Park Bridge closure. During both, local business owners hoped their stories could be told, before the bridge closure endangered their enterprises’ survival. We assigned this story to a student journalist in hopes of continuing to tell those stories.
Story and photos by Briana Watts
University of Washington News Lab
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
“No Cierren El Puente” signs fill the windows of restaurants and businesses along 14th Avenue South. They sit along the street corners and occupy reader boards. The signs read “Do not close the bridge” because the revenue of these family-owned businesses is dependent on the traffic that moves across the South Park Bridge, slated to be closed June 30.
“There’s no way we can survive this,” says Gurdev Singh, co-owner of the South Park 76 gas station and the connected Subway shop on 14th Avenue South.
With the South Park community on one side of the Duwamish River andBoeing Field on the other, the SP Bridge is one of two connectors. Diverting traffic to the other, the First Avenue Bridge, could add 20 minutes to the commutes of South Park Bridge users, which include West Seattle and White Center residents.
“The First Avenue Bridge will be a parking lot,” predicted Bill Owens, owner of Seattle Canine Outfitters.
As promised yesterday, we followed up with police on the “Highland Park burglary pattern” mentioned during a Community Police Team briefing at the Admiral Crime Prevention Summit Tuesday night. Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James summarizes what’s happening:
We have had a string of daytime residential burglaries – 29 in the month of March. The one significant pattern for them is that they are forced entries. We have made a couple of burglary arrests and identified suspects of burglaries in that neighborhood but haven’t tied those to the string of burglaries. We’ve put extra patrols in that neighborhood. Again, as you know – we’ve stated over and over how much we need the citizens out there to be vigilant and call when they see something suspicious.
If you see that suspicious activity/person NOW – call 911. Meantime, we also asked Lt. James about overnight robberies. He confirms that the 7-11 at California/Charlestown (map) was held up just before 2 am today, by robbers described as “two males,” one with a handgun. Police believe the same suspects may have been responsible for a robbery attempt in South Park three hours earlier, at the SP Grocery in the 8900 block of 14th S. (map) And back in West Seattle, Lt. James also confirms a call we heard on the scanner and mentioned via Twitter – A man in the 5400 block of 31st SW (map) answered his door around midnight, and a man “brandished a handgun and forced his way in. The victim got the suspect to leave somehow without being injured or taking anything. This suspect doesn’t match the two commercial robbery suspects.” (Thanks to Diane for the 7-11 tip, after she heard it on a Channel 5 newscast.)
Hundreds of people had packed the big event room at the IAM Local 751 Hall in South Park by the time Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, Governor Chris Gregoire, U.S. Reps. Jay Inslee and Brian Baird and others took the stage for a rally this afternoon celebrating the recently signed health-care legislation. We were there for the first hour; the speakers we heard were taking care not to sound too triumphant – Sen. Murray said, “This is not a moment to gloat; this is a moment to build on.” Rep. Inslee said, “This isn’t the beginning of the end; this is the end of the beginning,” though he also took the opportunity to get in a dig at state Attorney General Rob McKenna‘s plan to sue to overturn the legislation:
Also among the speakers, the 11-year-old boy who was with President Obama when he signed the legislation, Marcelas Owens:
Not on the stage but seen in the crowd and mentioned from the podium – West Seattle’s Rep. Eileen Cody, a nurse by profession who focuses much of her legislative work on health-related issues, and former Gov. Mike Lowry. As for counter-protesters – there was a cordoned-off area outside marked “Free Speech Zone Area,” but no one was there (we should note, it was raining ferociously by then). Photo (added 9:01 pm):
Chanting “save our bridge,” shaking noisemakers, waving pom-poms, and drawing honks from passing drivers, dozens of people concerned about the upcoming permanent closure of the South Park Bridge lined its southern half for a while this afternoon. They were hoping to be seen by some of the politicians who were on their way to South Park for a rally celebrating the recently signed federal health-care legislation (separate story on that event coming up). We don’t know if they were indeed seen; shortly after we shot that video, it started to rain – hard – and some of the participants left (though we did notice some staying, undaunted, with umbrellas). The bridge closure is set for 7 pm June 30th; last week, reps from multiple agencies were summoned to start talking about coordination of resulting traffic and public-safety issues (WSB coverage here), while the highlight of the funding search was the Seattle City Council‘s declaration it would support the county’s quest for money (WSB coverage here). ADDED 10:55 PM: Noemie Maxwell has posted her story about today’s rally on Washblog, with lots of photos – see it here.
We’ve been watching this take shape on the South Park Yahoo! group, and now that we’ve received a phone call as an official advisory, it looks like this is definitely happening: Tomorrow afternoon, U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are due at the International Association of Machinists Hall in South Park to talk about the health-care-reform legislation. South Park residents and business owners plan a peaceful, non-obstructive rally ahead of time to show their concern about the fact the South Park Bridge is scheduled to be shut down June 30th with no plan yet for funding to build a new one, and if you are interested in joining them to show concern, you are invited to be part of it. ADDED 4 PM: This update on the SP mail group explains where rally participants are gathering at 2 tomorrow. Also, according to an announcement in a separate post there, the senators will be joined at the event by U.S. Reps. Jay Inslee and Brian Baird, as well as Gov. Gregoire.
(Our coverage of the South Park Bridge situation is archived here.)
As we reported last night, Seattle Mayor McGinn said the city would be hard-pressed to chip in money to help build a new South Park Bridge. Today, City Councilmembers have issued a statement saying they will “support” the county’s efforts to find money, adding – as the mayor had said yesterday – they “remain open to the possibility of making a contribution to the project from the City.” Read on for their news release (AND, ADDED 4:04 PM, reaction from the King County Executive):Read More
We’ve been talking about it a lot lately, and right now there’s a traffic alert about it: A caller told us the South Park Bridge is closed because of a crash, and indeed, KIRO 7’s chopper is showing the scene, with a vehicle on its side. No word on injuries, but that route’s likely to be blocked a while. 6:36 AM: Last aerial showed a tow truck there, so it should be cleared soon. Tipster Tony B sent this photo showing the pickup on its side:
More developments today as the South Park Bridge – a lifeline not just for its namesake community, but also for many people in south West Seattle and White Center who use it – nears the county’s planned June 30th shutdown date:
For one, more than two dozen representatives of government agencies gathered this morning in South Park for the first of at least two sessions to strategize the closure plan. Also, we’ve gathered some updates on the quest for money to build a new bridge.
Those first: After the closure meeting this morning, county rep Andrew Glass Hastings spoke with WSB about what’s being done to find money for a new bridge. He said a “stakeholders’ meeting” is being assembled for mid-April and said the project will certainly require a “different level of partnership” from entities including the city of Seattle – in other words, some monetary contribution.
But will the cash-strapped city even consider chipping in money toward the project’s $100 million-plus cost, money the county has been unable to find for years? Shortly after the South Park meeting, we put the question to Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, as he hosted media reps in his conference room for one of his periodic roundtable chats:
(If you can’t take two minutes to watch the clip – or are unable to – his answer boiled down to: The city doesn’t HAVE money to chip in, but maybe we should all look at our regional priorities, considering, for example, the Port of Seattle is getting ready to raise $300 million to chip in on the “proposed bored tunnel.”)
Given what the mayor said – will the port consider a contribution? Port commissioner Gael Tarleton was visible and vocal at both South Park Bridge community meetings two weeks ago (WSB coverage here and here). We’ll be checking with her. Meantime, read on for toplines — and maps — from the multi-agency closure-plan meeting this morning:Read More
We’re at the South Portal Working Group meeting looking at what’s ahead for the Alaskan Way Viaduct – an ongoing process – and one group member, Marty Oppenheimer from South Park, brought up the issue of the South Park Bridge‘s impending June 30th closure. For those following the issue – of interest to many in south West Seattle and White Center, too – there were a few interesting replies from various city, state and port reps who are here. Ron Paananen from WSDOT noted the situation is “starting to get the attention of people in Olympia.” Ron Judd, also from WSDOT, said Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond asked him to “sit down with various folks to see if there’s a way in which we could provide some sort of assistance or help in solving this problem” – especially regarding putting together a “competitive” package to seek money for the bridge project. He added, “Pressure solves problems – and pressure is beginning to build.” Mike Merritt from the Port said, “We’re all engaged – we need to find a path that the project hasn’t had in the past.” He noted there’s a “big meeting” regarding the South Park Bridge situation tomorrow with multiple agencies/jurisdictions involved; we’re checking to find out more about that. Meantime, we’ll have a full report later on the main subject of this working-group meeting: What it’ll be like as Viaduct/South End construction is staged over the next five years – what closes when, who detours where and when, what’s getting built when, etc. Lots and lots of changes, twists and turns – we’ll try to help you make some sense of it.
(Tuesday photo by Bruce Trotter)
That’s the word from Chris Arkills in King County Executive Dow Constantine‘s office. We checked in with him as part of a series of followups to last week’s intense South Park community meetings (WSB coverage here and here) on the county’s plan to close the deteriorating South Park Bridge as of June 30. He says the Executive “has tasked a budget office team with developing a concrete funding proposal,” that a “stakeholders’ group of interested parties” is forming “to help lobby for funding,” and also that meetings with multiple agencies affected by the bridge situation (including the fire and police departments) will start next week. Wednesday night, we talked briefly with City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, who had gone to South Park last week to offer help; as reported here, she told us she’s exploring an idea to see if boats downstream from the SP Bridge could be moved upstream temporarily so that it could refrain from opening and closing, and remain in service for vehicles and pedestrians. Meantime, for those interested in the bridge situation, a Facebook page (citizen-run, not government) has been set up – find it here.
(Photo courtesy Dale Brayden, from the “Captain Dave river tour” last weekend)
Wednesday night of last week, City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw was at the second of two consecutive-night meetings in South Park (WSB coverage here), talking with – and listening to – community members regarding the county’s scheduled shutdown of the deteriorating South Park Bridge. She promised them, “I’ll be here with you.” One week later, after she wrapped up an appearance last night at the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting, we caught up with her to ask what’s happened since then. She mentioned meetings with other key elected officials – but most notably, a new idea she’s exploring: Since the bridge’s biggest safety issues come from the wear and tear of repeated openings and closures for marine traffic, she’s trying to find out if there are vessels based south of the SP Bridge that could be moved upstream (north) for a year or so – till a new bridge could be built. If the bridge didn’t have to open for marine traffic, Bagshaw says, it could have an extended life of availability for vehicle and pedestrian traffic. She emphasizes that a lot of research has to be done to see if this would be feasible, including conversations with the Port of Seattle and the Coast Guard.
One thing is clear, after two nights of standing-room-only meetings about the South Park Bridge‘s scheduled June 30 closure – if the residents and businesspeople of South Park could build the unfunded replacement bridge themselves, they would.
The second meeting, organized by South Park Action Agenda at the SP Community Center last night, ended with an attendee pleading with County Councilmember Jan Drago, “Tell us what to do.”
Drago was one of three elected officials in attendance last night – triple that turnout from the night before, at the official county-publicized briefing during the South Park Neighborhood Association‘s regular monthly meeting (WSB coverage here).
More than 100 people filled, and spilled out from, tonight’s South Park Neighborhood Association meeting, facing a county rep who came to confirm the South Park Bridge – their “lifeline,” many called it – is virtually certain to close June 30. (The time is even set – 7 pm.)
The fury: “If this was the University or Fremont or Montlake Bridge … would you be doing this? You come here so casually to tell us you’re closing it!”
The fear: “If you shut that bridge, you’re going to be cutting my arm off, and I’m going to bleed to death.”
The frustration: “It’s very clear that you all know what’s at stake. I know what’s at stake. The captain of the port knows what’s at stake. But somehow that voice, that story has not penetrated the powers-that-be that make the decision (regarding funding).”
The fighting spirit: “Who do we need to contact NOW to get the money we need for the bridge? We can’t undo the last 13 or 40 years, but we need to get the money NOW.”
The voice of frustration was that of Gael Tarleton, Seattle Port Commissioner, the only elected official present at the meeting, though representatives were there on behalf of King County Executive Dow Constantine, County Councilmember Jan Drago, and City Councilmembers Sally Bagshaw and Mike O’Brien. Tarleton was not a scheduled speaker, but finally spoke up from the sidelines, where she was one of several dozen standing against the walls when the South Park Neighborhood Center‘s chairs were all gone.
Just announced: Plans for “Hands Across the Duwamish” tomorrow. People concerned about the upcoming 
As promised yesterday, we followed up with police on the “Highland Park burglary pattern” mentioned during a 
We’ve been watching this take shape on the 
and one group member, Marty Oppenheimer from South Park, brought up the issue of the South Park Bridge‘s impending June 30th closure. For those following the issue – of interest to many in south West Seattle and White Center, too – there were a few interesting replies from various city, state and port reps who are here. Ron Paananen from WSDOT noted the situation is “starting to get the attention of people in Olympia.” Ron Judd, also from WSDOT, said Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond asked him to “sit down with various folks to see if there’s a way in which we could provide some sort of assistance or help in solving this problem” – especially regarding putting together a “competitive” package to seek money for the bridge project. He added, “Pressure solves problems – and pressure is beginning to build.” Mike Merritt from the Port said, “We’re all engaged – we need to find a path that the project hasn’t had in the past.” He noted there’s a “big meeting” regarding the South Park Bridge situation tomorrow with multiple agencies/jurisdictions involved; we’re checking to find out more about that. Meantime, we’ll have a full report later on the main subject of this working-group meeting: What it’ll be like as Viaduct/South End construction is staged over the next five years – what closes when, who detours where and when, what’s getting built when, etc. Lots and lots of changes, twists and turns – we’ll try to help you make some sense of it.
One thing is clear, after two nights of standing-room-only meetings about the 
More than 100 people filled, and spilled out from, tonight’s
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