Beacon Hill Blog

Internet and cable problems to be discussed at UPTUN meeting 3/7

Next Monday, March 7, UPTUN (Upgrading Technology for Underserved Neighbors) holds their quarterly meeting on Beacon Hill, “Nightmares and Opportunities: Broadstripe and City Underserving Neighbors.” UPTUN is a group of Seattle neighbors who are working on improving internet and cable service in underserved areas such as Beacon Hill, the Central District, Leschi, and parts of Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, and Pioneer Square.

Panelists at the meeting will include Bruce Harrell, Seattle City Council; Bill Schrier, Chief Technology Officer, City of Seattle; and Henry W. McGee, Jr., Seattle University School of Law. Neighbors in underserved neighborhoods are urged to attend, and the public is welcome. Citizens will be able to submit concerns during the meeting as well as on the UPTUN website.

The meeting is on Monday, March 7, from 7 until 8:30 p.m. at Beacon Lutheran Church, 1720 South Forest Street.

Tags: broadstripe, infrastructure, uptun

St. George hosting Open House and Book Fair 3/2

St George Parish School is hosting a Beacon Hill Neighborhood Open House and Book Fair on Saturday, March 5, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The fair will have books and school supplies available for purchase, and other activities will include story time, art activities, and snacks.

The fair is in St. George’s Parish Education Center, 1300 South Dawson Street.

Tags: books, open house, st. george school

A birthday with Green Eggs and Ham

At 6 p.m. on Friday, March 4, the Jefferson Community Center will be celebrating Dr. Seuss‘s birthday with games and activities, a birthday cake, and actual green eggs and ham! Bring your appetite. The community center is located at 3801 Beacon Avenue South. Cost is $2 per person.

Tags: birthday, green eggs, ham, seuss

Rep. Hasegawa hosts Telephone Town Hall March 2

11th Legislative District Representative Bob Hasegawa is hosting another Telephone Town Hall event at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2. Households across the district will receive phone calls that evening (land-lines only) and be invited to participate. If you know you’d like to participate, you may call 877-229-8493 toll-free and enter ID code 15515. The number will begin accepting calls ten minutes before the start of the event. During the call, participants will be able to learn about the current legislative session and ask questions and share thoughts with Representative Hasegawa. For additional information, contact the legislator at 360-786-7862.

Tags: 11th, bob hasegawa, telephone, town hall

Spokane Street Viaduct to be closed for 3 nights

Beaconians heading west from the Hill take note—The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will close the Spokane Street viaduct (formerly known as the West Seattle Freeway) overnight for three nights for work related to the Spokane Viaduct widening project.

Eastbound lanes of the viaduct will be closed from 11 p.m. tonight, February 25, until 5 a.m. on Saturday, February 26. The westbound lanes of the viaduct will be closed overnight on February 27 and 28 from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. the following day to remove portions of the old structure. During this closure, southbound I-5 traffic will be directed to the Forest Street exit to access surface streets. Northbound I-5 traffic and westbound traffic from Columbian Way will be detoured to surface streets at 6th Avenue South.

You can see more information about the project at the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project page.

Tags: freeway closures, not on the hill, spokane street, west seattle bridge

Public safety topic of next NBHC meeting

Public safety on Beacon Hill is the focus of next week’s North Beacon Hill Council meeting, Thursday, March 3 at 7 p.m.

Here is the planned agenda as forwarded by Judith Edwards:

• 7:00 Hellos and Agenda
• 7:05 Public Safety on Beacon Hill
  (10 minutes each)
  • Sgt. Ann Martin, South Precinct, Seattle Police Department
  • Lt. Fowler, new South Precinct Lieutenant
  • Craig Thompson, Community Leaders for Public Safety Committee Member
• 7:35 Q and A
• 8:00 Other Community Reports and Announcements
  • Food Forest at Jefferson Park
  • Community Planting on Beacon and Forest, March 20
  • Advisory vote from Council on supporting parking at El Centro for 80 vehicles, and acting on discussion at our last meeting there will be no fencing around the parking lot.
• Announcements and upcoming events
• 8:15 Executive Board Meeting – Vote on parking at El Centro, approval of meeting minutes from previous months.

The meeting is at the Beacon Hill Library, 2821 Beacon Avenue South. All are welcome.

Tags: el centro de la raza, food forest, gardening, nbhc, parking, safety

Snow day?

There’s only a tiny bit of snow on the Hill right now, left over from last night. Like everyone else in Seattle, we are waiting to see if today’s promised snow day arrives. (KIRO’s Sam Argier just tweeted “Latest computer model coming in much more aggressive with Wednesday’s snow” and showed a 1″-4″ predicted snowfall for the city.) A winter storm warning is in effect until 10 a.m. Thursday morning. Keep your eyes on School Report for any potential closures, and be aware that the snow may hit us during the evening commute as it did during the November storm—consider leaving your car home, if possible.

Tags: snow

Beacon Rocks! fundraising swings into gear; ROCKiT settles into new space

The first Beacon Rocks! fundraiser of 2011 swings into the Garden Club Headquarters House on Saturday, March 5 from 8 to 11 p.m. The event, billed as An Evening of Swing Dancing and Swing Era Fun, will include a live swing dancing performance and swing-dance lesson by Savoy Swing Club, a live cake raffle, and more. Hors d’ oeuvres will be free, beverages will not be—but the proceeds will go to the cause.

Swing Era costumes are encouraged. Suggested donations start at $10. The Garden Club House is at 2336 15th Avenue South.

The first Beacon Rocks! series was held last summer on Lander Festival Street next to Beacon Hill Station. For four afternoons, Beacon Hill performers entertained folks from the neighborhood and beyond with music and dance. Scheduled dates for the second Beacon Rocks! this summer are June 26, July 31, and August 28—plan ahead!

Beacon Hill Music and ROCKiT Space are hosting the fundraiser, and the Savoy Swing Club Performance Troupe are donating their time as well.

Speaking of ROCKit Space, the organization has relocated to the Garden Club House, and the new regular office hours are Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m.

Other news from ROCKiT Space:

• Shunpike Arts Collective has accepted ROCKiT Space as an associate program, providing them with their 501c3 umbrella. Donations will now be fully tax deductible.
• There will be no open mic on March 5. Open mic at Kusina Filipina will resume the third Saturday in March on its regular schedule.
• Beacon Idol auditions for Beacon Rocks! will be held during Open mic nights on March 19, April 2, and April 16. Contact beaconrocks@gmail.com to schedule your audition or submit a recording for consideration. Open mics are held at Kusina Filipina, 3201 Beacon Avenue South.

Tags: beacon hill music, fundraiser, rockit space

El Centro seeking community feedback

El Centro de la Raza is hosting a community meeting on Saturday, February 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to discuss ideas and planning for the development of the El Centro south lot. All are welcome, and food will be provided. Please RSVP to Miguel Maestas at 206-957-4650 or at associate@elcentrodelaraza.org.

The meeting will be held at the Cocina located on the first floor of the north end of the El Centro de la Raza building, 2524 16th Avenue South.

El Centro is also working with a group of business students from the University of Washington to develop recommendations for the future mixed-use, transit-oriented development on the south lot. The students have created an online survey, to gather Beacon Hill residents’ opinions about the small businesses they would like to see in the development. Here’s a link to the survey.

Tags: development, el centro de la raza, small business, transit-oriented development

Kimball hosting Kindergarten Open House tomorrow

Parents of Beacon Hill youngsters should note: Kimball Elementary School is hosting a Kindergarten Open House tomorrow, February 17, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. There will be an overview of kindergarten and of Kimball’s program.

Kimball is located at 3200 23rd Avenue South.

Tags: kimball, schools