Art opening today at The Station

Today from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, The Station is hosting an art opening for this month’s featured artist, Damian Puggelli. Puggelli’s works are small painted landscapes from the Beacon Hill neighborhood, and will be featured on the walls of The Station through October 31. Here’s the Facebook page for the opening. The Station is located at 2533 16th Avenue South, just north of Beacon Hill Station and across from El Centro de la Raza.

Damian Puggelli works on a painting. Photo courtesy of Julissa Mirabal.

Happy birthday to us

Photo by Anssi Koskinen via Creative Commons.
We forgot to celebrate the Beacon Hill Blog’s second birthday on Sunday. The first post on the blog was on October 10, 2008. In our first month we posted about pancakes, dead electronics, presidential debates, and some topics that are still seen today: light rail and garden thefts. Our first crime report was about a shooting at 16th and Spokane in which a 17 year old was shot in the leg after he and his girlfriend “exchanged words.”

We also posted about some since-departed local businesses (Buggy, Grown Folks Coffee) and some that are still around (Hello Bicycle, and Beacon Pub—though the latter is leaving soon).

Our first Beacon Bits post was on October 17, 2008, and featured Spokane Street construction, cheap coffee in Sodo, and local bus route changes.

A few posts that generated a lot of discussion (at least, a lot for a brand new blog) in our first month were “Beacon Hill est omnis divisa in partes tres…”, an editorial about divisions within Greater Beacon Hill; What are five things you love about Beacon Hill?; and What are some things you’d like to improve on Beacon Hill?, which brought out a discussion on that covered topics from breakfast food to gentrification.

Here’s to a new year of Beacon Hill blogging!

Beacon Bits: Halloween, Election Day, and Friday night music

It's that time of year again -- time for all little ghosties to celebrate Halloween! Photo by Paul Sapiano via Creative Commons.
Seattle Parks and Recreation is hosting Halloween events for kids at our local community centers on Beacon Hill.

Jefferson Community Center will have a Halloween Howl and Carnival on Friday, October 22 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, with games, goodies, prizes, a haunted house, and more. Costumes are optional, but encouraged, and the event is for children of all ages. Admission is free but carnival tickets are 25 cents each. The JCC is also holding a Toddler Trick-or-Treat day on Thursday, October 21 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. The little ones can dress up, play games, then enjoy “tot time” in the gym. The toddler event is $2 per child. For more information, call 206-684-7481. Jefferson Community Center is located at 3801 Beacon Avenue South.

Van Asselt Community Center is hosting a Fall Harvest Festival for kids up to age 12 on Friday, October 29, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. They tell us it’s a “safe evening of games and goodies.” Kids can celebrate by wearing costumes and bringing a goodie bag or basket (optional). There is no fee for the event. Van Asselt Community Center is located at 2820 South Myrtle Street. For more information, call 206-386-1921.

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Live and local music is coming to Tasha’s Bistro Café on Friday nights, organized by Beacon Music (the folks behind this summer’s Beacon Rocks! music series).

Performances are every Friday night at 7:30 pm. Families are welcome. There is no cover charge. The first performance is October 22, with Jack LeNoir and Betty Jean playing jazz standards, eclectic rock and original music.

Performers who would like to perform at Tasha’s should contact Betty Jean at beaconrocks@gmail.com. Tasha’s Bistro Café is located at 2524 Beacon Avenue South.

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Sustainable South Seattle (S3) is hosting a Climate Co-op Workshop to share ideas about how we can work together as a community to save money, improve our neighborhood and do our part to take care of the planet for our children. Guest Speakers at the workshop include Deputy Mayor Darryl Smith, Brooks Kolb, Michael Murphy, and others.

The forum is on Wednesday, October 20, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Southside Commons, 3518 South Edmunds Street in Columbia City, just a block and a half away from Columbia City Station. Please RSVP to climate.coop@gmail.com. If you need language assistance please say which language within the email. Childcare will be available.

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The NAMSAYIN Beacon Hill shirts sold out on Sunday at Deli. You can see some of the happy buyers here, including BHB‘s own Jason. Stay tuned to the blog for some shirt giveaways, once we come up with a good contest idea or two!

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Laura Feinstein writes,

I’m hoping you will post a request to our south end neighbors to consider applying for a position on one of the citizen advisory committees that that city hosts. I am a member of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee and I am the only member from the south end of Seattle (south of I-90). Our part of the city is very under-represented. This is a way to weigh-in on key city decisions.

Application information is here and if you miss the October 15 deadline, send your application anyway… they will likely consider late applications.

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Speaking of civic responsibility, ballots for the General Election should be arriving in your mailbox any day now. Please vote thoughtfully, and don’t forget to mail the ballot in before it’s too late!

Nice shoes! Photo by Theresa Thompson via Creative Commons.

Town Center Action Team meeting this weekend

The North Beacon Town Center Action Team meeting has been shifted to an earlier time than our original announcement stated. It’s now scheduled from 9:00 am to noon this Saturday, October 16, at Beacon Lutheran Church, 1720 South Forest Street.

The meeting’s objective is to confirm the process for the action team’s work, and review and refine draft concepts for the North Beacon Urban Design Framework.

Here’s the draft agenda sent to us by Lyle Bicknell from the Department of Planning and Development:

  • 9:00 Introductions
  • 9:10 Outline of the Day (Lyle Bicknell)
    • Review schedule and approach to the action team’s work
    • Overview of Urban Design Framework
      • What it is and isn’t
      • Basic elements to address in N Beacon
  • 9:40 N Beacon Opportunities and Perspectives (10 minutes each)
    • Sara Robertson, Transportation issues/opportunities.
    • Sound Transit (tent)
  • 10:00 Town Center Walking Tour
  • 11:00 Breakout Groups
    • List of questions designed to take the community members to make recommendations taking the earlier panels/sessions into context. (Small group facilitation)
  • 11:45 Report Back
  • 12:00 Next Step/Next Meetings

Your new baby can help kids at BHIS

Neighbor Shelly Bates sent us a plea from Beacon Hill International School. Are you the parent of a new baby? Then read on for a way to help the kids at BHIS by being part of the Roots of Empathy program:

Are you a proud parent with a new baby?

Will your baby be 2-4 months old in October?

You and your baby could be a “Roots of Empathy Family”!

“Roots of Empathy” is a program that we are using for the 3rd year at BHIS. This year it will be in the 3rd grade.

The program’s aim is to increase a child’s ability to understand another person’s feelings (increasing empathy). This helps children learn to care and respect each other and contributes to less bullying and aggression.

What does a Roots of Empathy Family do?

  • A mother and/or father visits a classroom about 30-40 minutes each month until June (9 times).
  • The program helps children to learn about a baby’s needs and how babies develop. It lets children observe the loving relationship between a parent and baby.
  • Roots of Empathy families are volunteers.
  • The instructor will explain to parents what the class will be talking about each month and will lead all the lessons.
  • Parents are asked to talk about the baby and answer any questions the students may have.
  • Families are asked to make a commitment for the whole school year.
  • Only a parent can bring their baby to a classroom visit.

For more information, contact Markos Weiss, BHIS counselor, at 206-252-2702. You can also find out more about the Roots of Empathy program here and here. Here is a set of photos of the parents and babies in the program in 2009.

Lane closure on Rizal Bridge today

Today, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will close the right lane southbound on the Dr. Jose Rizal Bridge to conduct a routine inspection of the bridge. The closure will begin at 9:00 am with the lane reopening for traffic no later than 2:30 pm. The western sidewalk adjacent to the closed lane will remain open.

One lane will be closed on this bridge today so this nearly 100 year old bridge can undergo an inspection. Photo by Bridget Christian in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool.

Jefferson Park Food Forest planning meeting Thursday

The Jefferson Park Food Forest project group is having a planning meeting this Thursday, October 14, at 6:00 pm at the Beacon Hill Library, 2821 Beacon Avenue South. Everyone is welcome.

Here is an announcement and status report sent to us by project organizer Glenn Herlihy:

The good news:

Recently we were awarded a grant from the Department of Neighborhoods to hire a designer and begin the design process. In the near future everyone will be invited to participate in several design workshops. These will offer great opportunity for community members to learn about urban agriculture and permaculture methods in particular. We plan on designing a garden lush with fruit and nut trees, abundant with native edible perennials and patches of vegetables, gathering places and play areas all intertwined with walking and biking paths. A garden that will add to the beauty of Jefferson Park and honor the intelligence of our community.

We believe community gardening provides not only an inexpensive access to organic produce but great exercise for the whole family. Its a full mind and body workout with fruits to eat in the end. Not only that it builds community and creates a foundation for food security among all living things. We are working very hard to see that our neighbors and others have access to healthy nutritious food. This is not easy but our elected officials are catching on and have made great efforts to support projects like The Jefferson Park Food Forest. We thank and congratulate them, and will work to encourage their continued support of urban agriculture.

Continue reading Jefferson Park Food Forest planning meeting Thursday

Rummaging and planting among this weekend’s activities

Beacon Hill can always use more trees like this. Volunteers will plant trees on Columbian Way this Sunday. Photo by go-team in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.
A few events this weekend (and Monday) we would like to remind you of:

As always, you can keep up with Beacon Hill events on our Events page.

Beacon Reservoir Gatehouse to be mothballed

Seattle Public Utilities released the statement below on the landmark-nominated Beacon Reservoir Gatehouse at Jefferson Park.

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has determined, through rigorous business case analysis, that the most cost-effective solution for the Beacon Hill Reservoir Gatehouse is to mothball the building and perform routine maintenance as required in its mothballed condition.

The mothballing approach preserves the opportunity for making future improvements to the gatehouse. It mainly consists of safe removal of dangerous lead-containing coating on the exterior walls and applying a new application of aesthetic paints around the gatehouse.

SPU will review the gatehouse mothball status as part of its routine three-year maintenance planning cycle.

Mothballing tasks will begin in early 2011, in coordination with the Parks Department Jefferson Park project team.