The operators of The Station coffee house, across from El Centro at 2533 16th Avenue South, have applied for a “Beer/Wine Restaurant” liquor license. According to the Liquor Control Board, this type of license would allow them to “sell beer and/or wine for on-premises consumption in conjunction with food sales, either on tap or in opened bottles or cans.” The City is seeking comments on whether to support the issuance of the license.
If you have any comments on the matter, either positive or negative, send them to Bill Reddy, Department of Executive Administration/Revenue and Consumer Affairs/License Enforcement Unit, 700 Fifth Avenue, Suite 4250, P.O. Box 34214, Seattle, WA 98104-5020. The Station's grand opening day, earlier this year. Photo by Wendi.
Sound Transit is continuing subsurface void remediation work near Beacon Hill Station, including drilling within the right of way on South Lander Street. For about a month, Lander will be closed between 17th and 18th Avenues South, with a one-block detour to either South Waite Street or South McClellan Street. There will be flaggers to assist drivers. The work will be done between 7:00 am to 7:00 pm Monday through Friday, and there will be heavy equipment and support vehicles operating in the area during these times. The street will remain closed overnight and potentially over weekends.
Drilling will also continue to take place on private properties on 17th (if you haven’t already been contacted by Sound Transit, your property isn’t included).
Jennifer Lemus of Sound Transit sent us this useful information for the folks who live on South Lander: “Normally the sanitation trucks travel east (down the hill) on S. Lander St. to pick up trash/recycle/yard waste. Our contractors will be happy to bring your trash cans up to 17th Ave S so there is ease in pick-up and less of a chance for a missed pick-up. Cans will also be returned to your property. We have communicated this to Waste Management as well.”
If you have any questions or concerns about the project, contact Jennifer Lemus, Sound Transit Community Outreach, at 206-398-5314 (work), 206-423-1407 (cell), or at Jennifer.Lemus@soundtransit.org.
Click this to see a larger version of the event poster.This Saturday you can meet your local police officers, tour the precinct building, and enjoy music, dancing, and free food at this year’s Picnic at the Precinct. All South Precinct residents are invited to this free community event, which will be held from 1:00 – 4:00 pm in the South Precinct parking lot, 3001 South Myrtle Street.
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Nearby in the South Beacon Hill area, Seattle Parks and Recreation will host a meeting for the Othello Playground Safety and Lighting Improvement project on Monday, September 20 from 7:00 – 8:30 pm at the Van Asselt Community Center, 2820 South Myrtle Street.
At this meeting, the design team will present schematic designs for the project, based on information gathered at the first meeting in May and at the August Othello Park International Music and Art Festival.
The Beacon Hill branch of the Seattle Public Library will host a special story time for children on Saturday, October 2 at 3:30 pm featuring an actor in costume as the television character Kai-lan from Ni Hao, Kai-lan. The story time is free and registration is not required. Kai-lan will read from one of her Mandarin Chinese/English bilingual books, and giveaways and photo opportunities will be available. The story time is presented in partnership with the Seattle Theatre Group in promotion of the upcoming stage show Storytime Live! at the Paramount Theatre.
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Neighbor Julie writes, “This very friendly cat appeared at our door last night (9/8/10). It is a small, black and white, with an interesting tail. We live in the 19th Ave S. and Horton neighborhood. Please call Julie at 206-999-9231 to claim it.”
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You still have time to submit an application with the Seattle Releaf “Trees for Neighborhoods” program. The application deadline has been extended to October 4 for the program, in which participants receive free trees, training, and some supplies to get started caring for their trees. Trees may be planted along the street or in your yard. To find out more and to get your application, check out the website.
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Another way to help green-up your neighborhood is coming on October 10, with a Maple School Natural Area Invasive Species Removal and Native Planting work party. The work party is from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, followed by a social party until 6:00 pm. All you need to bring is yourself—refreshments, tools, and gloves will be provided.
Pottery classes are among those available for $2 Try-Its at Jefferson Community Center. Photo by Robert Nunnally via Creative Commons/Flickr.It’s September, and if your thoughts are turning back-to-school, you might be interested in some of the classes being offered here in (or near) the neighborhood.
Jefferson Community Center, along with all of the other city community centers, is once again offering $2 Try-Its. Anytime between September 20 and October 9, you can try a class for $2. If you like the class, you can then register at a pro-rated amount. Certain classes and childcare are not included in the promotion.
Some of the classes available in this promotion include:
Adults: ZUMBA!, Kundalini Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Mat Pilates, Pottery ( first two weeks only), guitar
Wellspring Family Services is offering a parenting class for couples, starting this weekend. It’s a workshop for expecting couples and parents of infants, based on Gottman Institute research. Wellspring says that in this class, students will “discover how to stay connected with your partner when becoming parents, cope with conflict, and create a nurturing home.”
The course is $150 per couple, with scholarships available. Classes are on September 11 and 25 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. For further information, contact pgray@wellspringfs.org or call 206-826-3039. Wellspring is located at 1900 Rainier Avenue South.
(Article updated 9/13/10 to reflect date correction — the $2 Try-It promotion runs from September 20-October 9, not September 8-October 8).
The postponed-due-to-the-week-long-library-closure September North Beacon Hill Council Meeting is happening this Thursday at 7pm in the Beacon Hill Library Community Room. Everyone is welcome, and if you’ve been to at least one meeting, you’re eligible to vote!
The agenda as posted on the NBHC website with some added emphasis:
7:00 Introductions and Welcome
7:05 Allison Schwartz, Transportation Planner, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Mike Podowski, Planner, Department of Planning and Development (DPD) will give an update on light rail station area parking and get feedback on the Restricted Parking Zones – how are they working for us. Q & A follows five minute presentations by each.
7:40 City Councilmember Mike O’Brien, Chair, Seattle Public Utilities and Neighborhoods Committee: CC member O’Brien’s City Council Committee will be making a decision this month on the Neighborhood Plan as presented by DPD; he has asked for this opportunity to receive neighborhood feedback. Mike will also be soliciting members for the Action Teams which are forming to implement the Neighborhood Plan.
8:10 Neighborhood updates
Beacon Rocks
Beacon Hill Business Association
Nomination of new North Beacon Hill Council Board Member
Resignation accepted from Shelly Bates, Board Member – thank you so much, Shelly, for all you have done for us!
Other announcements, events
8:30 Executive Board Meeting (open to all, however only Board Members are allowed to speak and take any needed votes. If you choose to leave at this time, it’s understood!)
Election of new board member(s)
Updates on plans made at the August Board Social meeting
Today and for the next couple of days, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will be doing restoration work on the sidewalk at Beacon Avenue South and South Forest Street, next to the Beacon Hill Library, where flashing lights have been installed in the crosswalk. (As far as we know, the flashing lights aren’t operating just yet.) In order to do the work, SDOT will close the curb lanes on both the north and south sides of the street. The sidewalk between South Forest and South McClellan streets will remain open during the work. The work is expected to be completed within two to three days.
Photo by Two Ladies & Two Cats.Ryan Harrison sent this announcement with information and an invitation from Beacon BIKES!:
As many of you know, there is a growing movement among Beacon Hill residents interested in safely getting people of all ages and abilities around and to destinations within our neighborhood on foot and bicycle. This propelled Beacon BIKES!, a growing group of community members, to obtain the knowledge and expertise of a consultant to bring our collective vision to fruition. (Links available describing some of our ideas can be found on the September 3rd posting on this blog.)
Friday, we chose Alta Planning + Design as our consultant from among three enthusiastic applicants. Beacon BIKES! believes that pedestrians and cyclists encounter similar obstacles in getting around our neighborhood and that facilities that address both modes make the most sense. This philosophy is in line with Alta’s belief in “integrating all modes of travel (including walking and bicycling) into the daily lives of residents and creating healthy, safe, and sustainable communities.â€Â Most importantly, they offer an interactive approach geared to keeping the neighborhood informed and involved throughout the process.
All this is great news, but in order for this to work, we’ll need anyone and everyone to chime in at our monthly Beacon BIKES! meetings to make this a uniquely Beacon Hill plan. The next meeting will be held at the community room of the Library at 6:30 PM on Monday, September 13th. SDOT representatives will be in attendance, so the more Beaconites there, the more seriously our work will be taken. If you’re not involved already, you will want to be after this meeting!
In addition, there will be opportunities to participate through community forums, walks and other interactive outings to make this circulation plan for us and by us.
As always, you can prepare for the next Beacon BIKES! Family Bike and Pedestrian Circulation Plan meeting by visiting our Facebook page: Beacon BIKES!
You may also contact Sandra Woods or Brian Dougherty of SDOT and our City Council members to let them know you are a participant in and support our Family Bike and Pedestrian Circulation Plan.
Be sure to check back to the blog for updates. We hope to see many of you at the meeting.
Workers taking down the fence at the Jefferson Park Play Area. Photo by Joel Lee.The playground at Jefferson Park is open at last, and in the words of Joel Lee, “It was already mobbed by children tonight. For adults it’s a good vantage point to see the rest of the park and of course an amazing view of downtown.”
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It’s been all over the local news, but we thought we’d mention it too. Long-time Seattle institution Dick’s Drive-in is hosting a poll on their website, asking where they should build a new Dick’s—north of Seattle, South Seattle (as far south as SeaTac), or the Eastside? Now, we know that Beacon Hill itself wouldn’t be a good location for Dick’s. But we think that a new Dick’s location would fit perfectly into, say, Sodo. We would also like to point out that every single existing Dick’s location is already north of Downtown (though Broadway is only slightly north) and it’s time to give South Seattle some love—and some chocolate milkshakes. Currently we are in second place with 29%, and the north end is running away with the election. Go here to vote.
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If you prefer coffee to a Dick’s milkshake, fear not—Victrola has begun a weekly “cupping” (coffee tasting) at their Beacon Hill location, every Saturday at noon. The café is located at 3215 Beacon Avenue South. — Coffee City blog at The Seattle Times
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Jessie McKenna of ROCKiT space sent along an announcement:
Just a quick announcement that as many of you know, Suzanne Sumi will be taking over Kids’ Dance, Sing & Play. The classes are weekly on Wednesdays, will begin at 9am and are one hour sessions.
The cost is still just $5 per class, but is per family, not per child. This class is big fun for toddler/pre-school aged children and you will just LOVE Suzanne. She’s wonderful! She has 26 years of early childhood education under her belt and will share stories, songs and more with you and your children.
Hope to see you with kids in tow some Wednesday soon!
We see also on their website that ROCKiT space is offering $5 Spanish language classes for both kids and adults, beginning Saturday, September 11. Find out more on the site.
ROCKiT space is at 3315 Beacon Avenue South. Please note that they will be closed from Sunday September 5 through Sunday September 12.
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Publicola and Seattle Transit Blog recently ran articles praising Beacon Bikes! and noting that the group has been awarded $15,000 to make biking safer in the neighborhood.
Publicola reported a while back that loss of the city’s tree canopy is worst in Southeast Seattle, including part of Beacon Hill. The city is hosting an Urban Forestry open house on September 21 to discuss city plans and proposals to increase and enhance our urban forest. More information about the open house here.
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Have a great Labor Day weekend and enjoy what remains of our very odd summer this year!
(Melissa Jonas also contributed to writing this edition of Beacon Bits. Thanks, Melissa!)
King County International Airport (the one we usually call Boeing Field) is accepting applications from community members to fill the role of a “community representative living in the Beacon Hill/Rainier Valley neighborhood” on the King County International Airport Roundtable.
The position is a volunteer, unpaid position, appointed by the King County Executive and the King County Council. Terms are three years in length, with a two-term maximum. Please contact Leslie Barstow at 206-296-7431 for an application or additional information.
Another organization currently seeking volunteers is the Technology Access Foundation, located on Rainier Avenue South. Their mission is “to prepare underserved children of color for higher education and professional success by providing a rigorous and relevant K-12 curriculum.”
TAF tells us,
We are currently accepting applications for classroom assistants for our TechStart afterschool program. Volunteers support the teacher by answering questions, keeping students on task and determining which students need extra support in the areas of Science, Technology, math and reading. TechStart is a free after-school academic enrichment program that uses technology to improve math, science and language literacy for students in grades K-9. TechStart students use technology tools in project-based learning experiences. While working on their projects, students gain valuable computer knowledge and communication skills, as well as other essential life skills such as time management, teamwork, fulfilling goals, and presenting information to audiences.
This opportunity is great experience for those seeking a career in teaching. Also this position is ideal for volunteers who enjoy working with younger children, are passionate about technology, and are looking to be part of a dynamic and diverse learning community.
The North Beacon Hill Council meeting, usually the first Thursday each month, has been rescheduled this month to next Thursday, September 9 at 7:00 pm. NBHC meetings are usually held at the Beacon Hill Library, 2821 Beacon Avenue South. Stay tuned—we usually post the agenda here a few days before the meeting. All are welcome to participate in the neighborhood council.
The meeting cannot be held at the library tonight, as all branches of the Seattle Public Library are closed this week due to budget cuts.
