Tag Archives: nbhc meeting

Meetings

North Beacon Hill Council meeting agenda updated

(Changes have been made to the meeting agenda since our post last week. — Ed.)

The North Beacon Hill Council meeting tomorrow night will include updates on the activities of Beacon Hill merchants, pedestrians, cyclists, and artists, as well as the organization of a Festival Street committee.

Here’s the complete agenda:

  • 7:00 Hellos and Agenda
  • 7:05 El Centro de la Raza: Discussion of funding received, temporary parking on South Lot (advisory vote needed)
  • 7:25 Formation of NBHC Committee to oversee Festival Street Events
    • Suggested membership includes representatives from NBHC, El Centro, Beacon Arts and Beacon Merchants’ Association
    • Suggested committee tasks include determining dates of use, who will do advertising, types of events, ground rules for use of Street, who is responsible for key to bollards
    • Committee will need to meet ASAP in order to establish above, work closely with Shawn Marvin re: Festival Street permit
  • 7:40 Community Updates (5 minutes each)
    • Beacon Peds and Bikes, Devon Barton
    • Beacon Hill Merchants, Robert Hinrix
    • Beacon Arts and survey of community needs, Betty Jean Williamson
  • 8:00 Steve Louie, Neighborhood Coordinator: Large Fund, Neighborhood Appreciation Day, new alignment of Neighborhood Coordinators
  • 8:10 South Precinct Police Dep’t report: Devon Barton
  • 8:20 Other Community Concerns/Events
  • 8:30 Treasurer’s Report: Warren Yee
  • 8:35 Approval of Minutes: Chris Bailey
  • 8:40 Formal NBHC Meeting adjourned. Executive Board Meeting follows: Votes needed on parking at El Centro, Festival Street Committee membership

Upcoming Meetings

(Stay tuned for more info about these meetings on the blog — Ed.)

  • Monday, Feb. 7, 5:30: Seattle Sign Shop, Airport Way, Homeless Encampment Update
  • Monday, Feb. 14, 5:30: Love Your Bike with Willie Weir, Beacon Hill Library
  • Tuesday, Feb. 15, 5:30: Mayor McGinn Town Hall, Jefferson Park
  • Saturday, Feb. 19: Community Input Meeting on Proposed Development, El Centro de la Raza, time to be announced
  • Tuesday, Feb. 22, 6:30: Joint SE District, Greater Duwamish Council Meeting

The meeting is on Thursday, February 3, 7:00 pm, at the Beacon Hill Library, 2821 Beacon Avenue South. All are welcome.

Thanks to Judith Edwards for the info!

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Vending, volunteering, and vegetarian fare

Judith Edwards of the North Beacon Hill Council sends this information about this month’s NBHC meeting:

Come join the North Beacon Hill Council at 6:30 pm, Thursday, December 2 in the Beacon Hill Library Community Room. No speakers, just food and a chance to meet your neighbors! We’ll do a bit of bragging about what has happened in the past year, thank the Board members for their hard work, and enjoy spending time together. Pizza, salad and water provided by the NBHC Board. Plan to join us!

The library is located at 2821 Beacon Avenue South.

* * *

St. George School is holding their annual Holiday Bazaar on Sunday, December 5, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm in the school hall, 5117 13th Avenue South. The bazaar will feature over 25 talented jewelers, artists, crafters, and Fair Trade and commercial vendors from the local community. There will be a continental breakfast available for $3.00, and entertainment will be provided by students, family, and friends of St. George. There will also be a themed gift basket raffle.

* * *

The Pedestrian Advisory Board needs you! Photo by Wendi.
The Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board is accepting applications for new members. This volunteer board plays a role in implementing Seattle’s Pedestrian Master Plan, and also advises the Mayor and City Council, participates in planning and project development, and evaluates policies and makes recommendations to all city departments including the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). Board members serve two-year terms; they must be Seattle residents who are not city employees, and should be frequent walkers of any age, level of mobility, area, or “walk of life.”

Interested? Email a resume and cover letter explaining your interest by December 17 to Brian Dougherty at brian.dougherty@seattle.gov. For more information, call Dougherty at 206-684-5124, or send e-mail to the address above.

* * *

Registration is now open for Adult Beginner to Intermediate Spanish classes at El Centro de la Raza. The classes will run from January 11 through March 17 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00 – 7:30 pm. Information and a registration form is here.

* * *

A new restaurant is having their grand opening this weekend in the Valley near the eastern edge of Beacon Hill: St. Dames, a “neighborhood joint for vegetarian fare and spirited care” in the old Maki and Yaki location at 4525 Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, just a block north of Columbia City Station. They promise “Food, drinks and fun for the whole family!
Friday 12/3 Happy Hour all night long! Drink specials through the weekend!”

* * *

The Goodwill Job Training and Education Center just north of the Hill at 1400 South Lane Street is holding registration this month for free classes that will be offered in January and February. Classes will include a nine-week Retail and Customer Service Traing Program, Community College 101, English for Speakers of Other Languages, basic computer skills, writing, math, and cashiering.

Registration will be held from December 13-17 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. For class availability and enrollment information, call 206-860-5791.

Local Events, Meetings, Volunteering and Giving

Today and this week: Events on Beacon Hill

Don’t forget to keep your eye on the BHB Events page to see what’s coming up on the Hill. We’d like to draw your attention to a few of this week’s events listed there.

Tonight is El Centro de la Raza’s Día de los Muertos Opening Ceremony. This year’s theme is “A Tribute to Las Adelitas: Revolutionary Women of Strength and Courage.” Dinner is served at 5:30 pm, and the reception ceremony begins at 6:30. Admission and food are free. The Ofrenda exhibit will continue from November 2 through November 19, open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and on Wednesday from noon to 8:00 pm. El Centro is located at 2524 16th Avenue South.

At 6:00 pm tonight, Asa Mercer Middle School is hosting a School Superintendent Coffee Chat, one of a series of chats with Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, open to all parents, grandparents and caregivers of Seattle Public Schools students. Mercer is located at 1600 South Columbian Way.

Splinter Dance Company performed at Beacon Rocks! this summer, an event organized by Beacon Hill Music. Photo by Erika Warner-Court in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.
Then at 7:00 pm, Beacon Hill Music is holding an organizing meeting. They say “There are a lot of possibilities for music on Beacon Hill, including the brand new Jefferson Park with a beautiful amphitheater just waiting for musicians, possibly a beat walk, possibly almost anything. During the next few months Beacon Hill Music will need to pick what opportunities to pursue and determine the steps to turn those ideas into actual events. We are asking you to join in and make stuff happen on Beacon Hill.” The meeting is at 2900 22nd Avenue South (the green house on the corner of 22nd and Forest). For more information email beaconrocks@gmail.com or call Paul at 206-658-3622.

Later this week the monthly Café con El Centro returns on Thursday morning, November 4, from 8:00 – 9:00 am. Meet at El Centro for café, pan dulce, and a tour of the El Centro building and programs to learn more about the “Beloved Community.” RSVP by calling 206-957-4652, or email donor@elcentrodelaraza.org.

On Thursday evening at 5:00 pm, there is an Art in International Education fundraising event at Fisher Pavilion, 305 Harrison Street (Seattle Center), for Beacon Hill International School and the four other International Schools in the city. The event will feature silent and live auctions, as well as a dinner prepared by chef Kaspar Donier. Tickets start at $35; for more information, contact Dick Lee at rjlee@seattleschools.org or 206-252-0476.

Also Thursday night is North Beacon Hill Council‘s monthly meeting at the Beacon Hill Library. Watch this blog for the agenda when we have it.

The Beacon Hill Merchants group will meet on Friday morning, November 5, at 10:00 am at Inay’s, 2503 Beacon Avenue South. The group reports:

“At our last meeting we approved our bylaws, and as we approach the end of the year we must complete the work that is being paid for by our city grant. One large part of this is being primarily done by our graphic designer Nityia Przewlocki, as she finishes the logo design we’ll continue with the development of a brochure with a walking map, and then a website as well. Another portion of our grant is going for board development and training, and our board trainer Angela Powell should be attending this meeting. While we do have the minimum of five committed potential board members, having seven (or more!) would put us in a stronger position, so please step forward if you think could bring skills or resources to the table and help the Beacon Hill business community. The bylaws and some of the bios are up on the Google group site here. Anyone can join the Google group right now and we encourage members to do just that.”

Friday night the musical group Don’t Ask plays at Tasha’s Bistro Café, 2524 Beacon Avenue South, at 7:30 pm. Families are welcome. There is no cover charge.

Finally, Saturday is the Fifth Annual Green Seattle Day. Three forest restoration sites on the Hill will be hosting work parties that day from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm: Lewis Park, Cheasty Greenspace, and the Maple School Ravine. Register at the greenseattle.org website.

Meetings

NBHC meeting agenda: Parking lots, pizza, recognition

Pizza, parking lots, and praise for local volunteers are all on the North Beacon Hill Council agenda for this Thursday’s meeting. The meeting is at 6:30 pm (one half-hour earlier than usual!) at the Beacon Hill Library community room, 2821 Beacon Avenue South. As always, all are welcome; you are part of the council when you attend your first meeting, and you have voting privileges when you attend your second.

Here is the agenda, as forwarded to us by Council chair Judith Edwards:

  • 6:30 Pizza and tamales, a gift to the community from the Friends of Lewis Park; and recognition of the following people and organizations who have worked so hard on the trails and parks on North Beacon:
    • Jefferson Park Alliance
    • Dr. Jose Rizal Park – Craig Thompson
    • Cheasty Boulevard Trail – Willie Weir
    • Lewis Park – Dee Dunbar and Vin Nguyen

    “It truly takes a village to make this such a great place to live. Each of these parks or trails has benefited by countless volunteer hours, a true gift to the community. If you are one of those volunteers, please plan to attend.”

  • 6:50 City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, Chair of Parks, Waterfront and Seattle Center Committee (10 minutes – followed by Q & A for 20 minutes)
  • 7:20 Mike Podowski, Seattle Department of Planning and Development: Proposed plan for parking lots at the light rail stations on North Beacon and McClellan/Mt. Baker, as well as El Centro and other empty lots. (10 minutes – followed by Q & A for 20 minutes)
  • 7:50 Board and membership vote of approval/disapproval of DPD parking lot plan, nominations for four vacant Board of Directors positions by full council membership, establishment of Board of Directors by vote of Directors.
  • 8:00 Community concerns and announcements
Local Events

Libraries closed all week next week

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All SPL branches are closed Aug 31-Sep 7. Photo by Tallent Show.
All SPL branches are closed Aug 31-Sep 7. Photo by Tallent Show.
Remember: the Seattle Public Library will be closed from August 31st through September 7th for budgetary reasons.

Luckily, during this period, fines will not accrue and items will not come due. The crazy part is that even the functions that don’t require staff will be inaccessible for the week. This includes the spl.org website and book drops at branches — keep your books until they re-open after the 7th. Also, there will be no library-hosted meetings.

This last item impacts the September North Beacon Hill Council meeting, which will have to be moved and/or rescheduled. (We’ve not yet seen official notice of when or where, and the NBHC website does not say. The usual alternate location is the Beacon Hill Lutheran church at 18th and Forest. The official time, location, and agenda will be posted as soon as it’s available.)

Crime

Captain Liggins on recent burglary arrests, more break-in activity

Captain Liggins has commanded the South Precinct since 2008. Photo from seattle.gov
Captain Liggins has commanded the South Precinct since 2008. Photo from seattle.gov
At last week’s NBHC meeting, South Precinct Captain Les Liggins came by and talked a bit about burglaries in the neighborhood. He said that it has been “one of the most interesting last couple of months I’ve seen in my career,” a period of time that “started off with, I felt, a significant burglary increase in the precinct.” He cited one primary reason: “As we enter the summer months when schools are out… kids are getting out and looking for things to do… like raid a few houses.”

“Thanks to timely phone calls, we’ve been able to make significant headway,” performing an arrest during a burglary in progress, and then getting them to roll over on their associates, leading to the recovery of 300 laptop computers and other electronics.

He also said that the police have been “fortunate lately… to get significant hits on fingerprint evidence… placing people inside the houses…” and “also fortunate… our numbers are increasing… almost at 100 (officers, up from 70)”. They are trying to get their staffing up throughout the department to match workload and “get most officers out on the days and times when most activity occurs.”

Unfortunately, the impact of that well-timed arrest, the leads coming from it, and the accumulation of fingerprint evidence has not fully quelled the rash of break-ins and burglaries nearby.

Kevin on the mailing list wrote about a break-in yesterday, 7/13, at his home near 21st & McClellan. Alma responded with a note about the theft of garden tools and such the same day, 7/13, from her neighbor’s new shed near 15th & Nevada. Suzanne wrote to us about her home being burglarized last Wednesday, 7/8, at 18th & Bayview.

Keep your eyes open and don’t hesitate to call 911 if you see something suspicious.

Update: a number of additional burglary calls today on the scanner, reported by BHNW: 18th & Lucile, 3700 block of Holly Park Drive, 5100 block of 20th Ave S, and the “6500 block” of 19th Ave S (I suspect that’s a typo).

Update: Corrected some dates. It’s not Wednesday yet.