Monthly Archives: December 2009

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Affordable housing, volunteerism, and our own dive bar

Customers visit the hot dog cart in front of Beacon Pub, summer 2009. Photo by Jason.
Customers visit the hot dog cart in front of Beacon Pub, summer 2009. Photo by Jason.
It may be a dive, but it’s our dive: The Beacon Pub was featured recently in the Seattle Weekly website’s Dive Bar Advent Calendar.

* * *

Homestead Community Land Trust is a local nonprofit group, intended to create affordable housing by taking the cost of land out of the purchase price of a home by using a community land trust. The HCLT Advantage program provides funds for purchase assistance to help families buy homes in Seattle. Interested? Orientation classes for the HCLT Advantage program are held periodically at El Centro de la Raza, 2524 16th Avenue South. The next two classes are Saturday, January 9, and Thursday, January 26. Further info is here.

* * *

Jefferson Community Center is again offering the $2 Try It program, in which you can try a class or program once for only $2. Class dates are between January 4 and January 30, and classes include Zumba, Yoga, Pottery, Pilates, Pickleball, Badminton, Hapkido, Ballet, Hip Hop Dance, Cartoon Drawing, Instructional Basketball, Little Dribblers, Creative Dance, and Line Dancing. See the Winter class catalog here.

Thanks to Doreen Deaver for the info!

* * *

Craig Thompson writes on the BAN list that many volunteers have been hard at work on Beacon Avenue and at Jose Rizal Park:

“Washington State Department of Corrections supervised a cleanup of street litter [Saturday] along Beacon Avenue and adjacent streets. Next week, WSDOC will continue cleanups of litter and trash in the East Duwamish Greenbelt, on the west side of Beacon Hill.
 
“At Jose Rizal Park, 20 volunteers, EarthCorps crew members, and community court service workers cut blackberries and moved 300+ potted native plants into the woods; these will be planted on Saturday, January 16, in a large volunteer event (100 people expected) that will kick off the Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday weekend of volunteer work in Seattle. On Saturday, January 9, the community court service workers will return for a general cleanup.”

* * *

For those who want to do their civic duty in other ways, there are a couple of upcoming possibilities to help make your neighborhood more livable. The first round of the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund is currently open for your nominations of potential park development and acquisition projects. The nomination process begins with the submittal of a proposal letter, due by February 1, 2010. Letters and Opportunity Fund criteria may be found at this link. There will be workshops in early January to help develop proposal letters and explain the process. For more information, visit the Opportunity Fund website.

If pedestrian issues are your interest, you still have a day to apply for the city’s Pedestrian Advisory Board. Three volunteers are wanted for the board, which advises the Mayor and City Council, as well as participating in planning and policy activities relevant to pedestrians. The board meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at City Hall. Board members serve for two years, and must be Seattle residents who are not city employees. Those interested in serving should submit a resume and cover letter by Wednesday December 16 to brian.dougherty@seattle.gov. For more information, email Brian Dougherty, or call him at (206) 684-5124, or e-mail him at the address above.

* * *

The International District Housing Alliance (IDHA) is a non-profit organization that provides housing services and community building to the Chinatown/International District and greater Seattle’s low-income, Asian Pacific Islander, immigrant and refugee communities, including many who live in Beacon Hill and surrounding neighborhoods. The IDHA is holding a Holiday Dinner on Wednesday, December 16 from 4:00 to 7:00 p,, and a Holiday Gift Drive until December 18. The dinner, at the Four Seas Restaurant in the International District, will help elderly neighbors celebrate the season with friends and family.  Activities will include live entertainment, a six course Chinese banquet, a raffle, and door prizes. In the gift drive, CID elderly residents, youth and family clients send in gift requests, and Sound Transit and the University of Washington Law School help distribute gift requests and collect presents for participants. Presents will be wrapped and delivered between December 18-23. If you would like to donate to the holiday dinner, or to volunteer to wrap and/or deliver gifts, or you need information, contact Alma Dea Michelena at almadea@apialliance.org, or call 206-623-5132, extension 322.

* * *

An application has been made to the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) to install T-Mobile antennas on the rooftop of the Amanuel Ethiopian Orthodox Church at 2101 14th Avenue South.

A couple of DPD decisions have been handed down related to Clearwire utilities in our area. At 3114 South Warsaw Street, a decision was made to allow a Clearwire utility (antennas and a microwave dish) to be mounted on a City Light transmission tower. At 3802 South Othello Street, a Determination of Non-Significance with conditions was decided regarding the installation of a Clearwire utility (antennas and an equipment cabinet) on the rooftop of the existing five-story residential building.

The deadline to appeal these decisions is December 28.

Health and Safety

Two pedestrians injured in accident along Columbian Way

1 Comment

SPD Blotter has the report of an injury accident yesterday evening along Columbian Way:

On December 12th at approximately 7:08 pm, a 1998 black Chevy Corvette was travelling eastbound in the 1700 Block of South Columbian Way when the Corvette veered off the street and onto the driveway/front yard of a house and struck two pedestrians. The two people were standing at the back of their parked car unloading luggage from the trunk. The Corvette struck the two individuals with the front of the car, pinning the two people between the two cars momentarily before bouncing off and coming to a rest facing westbound. The pedestrians each suffered serious injuries to their legs and were transported to the hospital for treatment. The driver of the Corvette was evaulated at the scene for possible signs of impairment/intoxication. The 50-year old driver of the Corvette was arrested and later booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Vehicular Assault. The Traffic Collision Investigation Squad (TCIS) responded to the scene and conducted the investigation.

The Seattle P-I‘s Casey McNerthney tweeted a photo from the scene.

Crime

Crime notes: Assaults and burglaries, briefly

7 Comments
A: Assaults, B: Burglaries
A: Assaults, B: Burglaries

SeattleCrime has details of two assaults and attempted robberies of students that occurred within fifteen minutes and within blocks of each other and of the light rail station in the afternoon of December 1st. Both led off with a request to borrow a cellphone.

SeattleCrime has also published some more information about the suspect apprehended December 2nd after kicking in the door of an occupied condominium and, instead of fleeing entirely, broke into another… where he raided the fridge, used the facilities, and passed out under a bed.

* * *

Additional burglaries reported recently on the BAN list and via BHNW scanner logs:

  • Monday, 18th and Bayview — only prescription drugs and spare change stolen
  • Today, 32nd and Chicago
Getting Around

Updated info on this weekend’s I-5 closures


View I-5 Closure December 12-13, 2009 in a larger map.
The section marked in red will be closed December 12 until the next morning. The marked on-ramps will also be closed.

(This is an updated version of an article posted last week. The locations of some of the closures are going to be slightly different this time.)

Getting to and from Beacon Hill via Interstate 5 could be a bit more difficult this weekend. Six miles of northbound I-5 through south Seattle will be closed on Saturday night for workers to install new overhead sign bridges.

All lanes of northbound I-5 will be closed from 11:30 pm Saturday, December 12, to 8:00 am Sunday, December 13, between Boeing Access Road and I-90. Street. On-ramps in the area will start closing as early as 9 p.m.

These on-ramps will be closed from 9:00 pm Saturday to 8:00 am Sunday:

  • Boeing Access Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. to northbound I-5
  • Swift Avenue S./S. Graham Street to northbound I-5
  • Corson Avenue/S. Michigan Street to northbound I-5
  • West Seattle Bridge/Columbian Way to northbound I-5

There will be a signed detour to direct drivers to exit at Martin Luther King Way (exit 157) to Airport Way, and back onto I-5 via Edgar Martinez Drive/SR 519. Consider taking alternate routes like I-405 or SR 99 to avoid long delays and backups.

You can see more about the new overhead sign bridges here. The sign bridges are funded by the Alaskan Way Viaduct program, and are intended to improve traffic flow during the demolition and replacement of the Viaduct. The signs will be activated next summer.

Getting Around, Health and Safety, Weather

Be careful in the cold

Frost coated vegetables in a North Beacon vegetable garden a few days ago. Photo by Jason.
Frost coated vegetables in a North Beacon vegetable garden a few days ago. Photo by Jason.
There is not too much frost on the streets at the moment. According to local weather guru Cliff Mass, the dew point for the last couple of days has been so low that frost cannot form. If that changes, however, frost on the roads can lead to very dangerous black ice. Mass says, “Never forget, roadway icing is the number one weather killer in our area. More than floods, more than windstorms.” On Friday, black ice contributed to a vehicle collision in Mid-Beacon Hill that caused the death of an elderly woman.

There are a few places on Beacon Hill that can be slick even in frostless conditions such as we have today: for example, on South Massachusetts Street just east of 17th Avenue South, where there is what seems to be a permanent water leak wetting the road. Later this week, the precipitation will return, and there could be ice—or even snow—to contend with. Please be careful when navigating the streets and sidewalks of our hilly neighborhood.

360 days ago, the snow began to fall. Beacon Avenue looked like this the next morning. Photo by Ali R.
360 days ago, the snow began to fall. Beacon Avenue looked like this the next morning. Photo by Ali R.

Thanks to JvA for the reminder.

Meetings

Power lines/poles subject of Wednesday meeting with City Light head Carrasco

1 Comment
Tall poles like this one are frustrating neighbors along South Stevens Street in North Beacon Hill. Photo provided by Anne Marie Harrington.
Tall poles like this one are frustrating neighbors along South Stevens Street in North Beacon Hill. Photo provided by Anne Marie Harrington.
As we mentioned last week, Seattle City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco will be meeting with all interested neighbors this Wednesday, December 9, from 7:00-9:00 pm at the Jefferson Community Center to discuss the new power lines going up the west side of Beacon Hill and the new higher poles running along South Stevens Street.

Neighbors in the 12th and Stevens area have been protesting the new lines and poles since they appeared last summer. They are concerned about the impact of the poles and lines on views and property values for houses in the area, and the impact on the nearby 12th Avenue Viewpoint park. About the park, neighbor Judith Edwards tells us “The tall pole and power lines are your first visual impression… Though the power lines have a great visual effect on the 12th Ave/Stevens St. neighbors, their impact on the park, which is a Beacon Hill landmark, is more than disturbing.”

Over 100 neighbors have signed a petition asking that the poles be removed.

These power lines affect views for neighbors at 12th and Stevens. Photo by Wendi.
These power lines affect views for neighbors at 12th and Stevens. Photo by Wendi.


View S. Stevens St. power poles in a larger map. The blue line marks the location of the power poles on S. Stevens Street. The green area is the 12th Avenue Viewpoint park.

Here are more photos of the power poles near 12th and Stevens, provided by Dulcie Claasen, Nick Papini, and Anne Marie Harrington.

power poles 021
power poles 013 Continue reading Power lines/poles subject of Wednesday meeting with City Light head Carrasco →

Help Wanted, Urban Planning

Publicola interview with Broadstripe GM David Irons

1 Comment

Continuing to dig into the issue of (the lack of decent) broadband in the Central District and Beacon Hill, Glenn Fleishman at Publicola sits down with former King County Executive candidate and new Broadstripe Pacific Northwest General Manager David Irons.

A few highlights:

Of the 23 nodes in Seattle, “We have made significant electronic improvement to resolve the issues in 18 of them,” with the rest proving more problematic and requiring new cable runs or other changes. Irons said the remaining five nodes will be improved between February and March 2010.

…

Irons explains, “Just on a routine basis, we had our technicians going out and arriving at someone’s home, okay, you have a problem there,” then checking it off and leaving. Now, a technician “is not allowed to leave the person’s home until the problem is resolved, or they have permission from their supervisor.”

…

Customer service hours have been extended from 7 pm Pacific on weekdays to 9 pm Pacific, and in January that will go to 10 pm Pacific. Weekend customer support has been replaced with full-on tech support, with staff that can handle both billing and technical questions. Engineers are now on call for major problems 24 hours a day, as well.

These sound like good changes, and I do have to say that our internet connection at home has been better than it was in September, but it’s still nothing to be bragging about.

Irons also states that Broadstripe has 8 open positions they’re looking to fill.

Broadstripe is expected to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the first quarter of 2010.

There’s lots more interesting information in the full article at Publicola.

Crime

Crime notes: Bicycle gangs and burglary map

1 Comment
Recent scanner items from BHNW.org. Blue: casing activity; yellow: burglaries, thefts, and alarms; red: gunshots reported.
Recent scanner items from BHNW.org. Blue: casing activity, yellow: burglaries or thefts, red: gunshots reported.

The map to the right shows some of the scanner activity logged by the Beacon Hill Neighborhood Watch volunteers at bhnw.org since about November 23rd. Lots of burglary activity logged in the last couple weeks.

* * *

Police believe three armed robberies connected, two of which happened on Beacon Hill — P-I

* * *

A limping suspect presumed to be the source of several break-ins around 12th and Holgate, and the topic of several posts to the BAN list around Thanksgiving, was reportedly picked up by the police on December 2nd.

Update: I meant to include this note about the suspect from Chris originally, but lost it in my inbox:

I thought you might be interested to know that on Wednesday, Dec 2nd, at around 8.30 AM a man kicked in the front door of our 2nd floor condo in the Harwood complex. My wife was home and when she opened the bedroom door to see what the commotion was there was a man standing in our entry way on his way into our bedroom. Thank God, he was as startled as she was and he turned and ran!

Here’s where the real story kicks in however. The man simply ran down a flight a steps, kicked in the door to another unit and tried to burglarize that one. He was still there when the police arrived. They came within a few minutes from calling 911, did a sweep of the building and quickly found and arrested him.

* * *

A group of teens on bikes robbed a woman walking along the Chief Sealth Trail near Graham Street on November 30th:

As the woman walked along the trail, the group of teens “circled [the woman] on a dark section of the trail” and followed her. “One of the males rode in front while the three males and female rode behind [the woman],” the report says.

The boy riding in front of the woman stopped and blocked her path, the report says, and tried to rip her purse off of her arm. While they struggling, one of the teens riding behind the woman rammed their bike into her leg, injuring her. The woman fought the teens off and was able to flee to a nearby home.

More details at SeattleCrime.com.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Musical standouts, students saving, and a trip to Leavenworth

1 Comment
The Beaconettes performing at the Lander Festival Street ribbon-cutting celebration on Saturday. Photo by Jason.
The Beaconettes performing at the Lander Festival Street ribbon-cutting celebration on Saturday. Photo by Jason.
The Beaconettes singing group had a busy week. Before performing at the opening of the Lander Festival Street on Saturday, they won two awards at the Figgy Pudding caroling competition on Friday night: “Most Creative,” and “Peoples’ Choice.” Beaconette Betty Jean Williamson reports “We also had the pleasure of singing our ‘Good Mayor Nickels’ for the Mayor himself—our parody chronicling his rise and fall, all to the tune of ‘Good King Wenceslas.’ Greg Nickels was a great sport and seemed to enjoy it all.”
 
The Beaconettes will perform next at the 11th District Democrats Holiday Dinner and award event tomorrow, December 8 at Carpenter’s Hall, 231 Burnett Avenue North in Renton. Here’s the Facebook page for the event, and the Beaconettes’ own Facebook page.

* * *

Beacon Hill’s own Helladope were just featured in the latest issue of The Stranger. Charles Mudede writes that the album Return to Planet Rock is “…yet another contender for the best local hiphop recording of the year.”

* * *

Shelly Bates writes about a new student savings program:

“Our local bank, Washington Federal Savings, has started a new ‘Save at School’ program.

“The student opens the account with a minimum $5 deposit and the bank will add another $5 to each student that enrolls.  This is a great opportunity to replace the WaMu School Savings program which Chase discontinued.  What’s even better is it works with an adult volunteer who collects the deposits for children each week at school and then makes the trip to the bank.  Withdrawals do have to be made in person, no ATM access, but you do earn interest and there are no fees or minimum balance required.

“If you’re interested in getting it set up at your own school, contact Laitim Wong, Branch Manager, Beacon Hill Branch (206)324-1884.”

Thanks, Shelly!

* * *

Rita Harris has chartered a bus to go to the Christmas Lighting Festival in Leavenworth on Saturday, December 12. There are still seats available for this all day trip that will depart early Saturday morning from the parking lot in front of Jefferson Park Recreation Center. Seats are $35 per adult, and there are children’s rates as well. For more info, see this Craigslist page.

Local Events, Photos

Lander Festival Street is open

5 Comments
The ribbon is cut! Photo courtesy Willie Weir.
The ribbon is cut! Photo courtesy Willie Weir.

The new Lander Festival Street opened yesterday on a sunny Saturday morning, celebrated by members of the community and visiting dignitaries including SDOT Director Grace Crunican and Seattle City Councilmember Sally Clark. The Beaconettes a cappella singing group provided entertainment.

The Festival Street, located at South Lander Street between 16th and 17th avenues South, will serve as an extension of the plaza north of Beacon Hill Station, and provide a space for community festivals and events.

Some photos by Jason (click any one for the entire photoset):





Another photo by Willie Weir and J. Dong.