Monthly Archives: January 2010

Education, Volunteering and Giving

ROCKiT space roundup

ROCKiT space logo
Image courtesy rockitspace.org
ROCKiT space music classes for kids and teens, hosted by Marc Smason and Stephanie Hughes, have started as of Monday this week. For kids ages 6 to 11, classes are held on Mondays Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. Kids from 12 to 18 can attend the Tuesday classes, also from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. Topics covered include rhythm, songs, videos, movement, etc. Classes are $10 per session or $35 for an entire month. Call at 206-323-7115 or email rockitspace@gmail.com for more information or to sign up.

Updated Thursday to reflect the revised day of classes for 6-11 year olds and to list additional instructor Stephanie Hughes.

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ROCKiT space is also seeking “creative types with good people skills” to volunteer their time for daily tasks at the space in return for rehearsal time or art space at the ROCKiT facility. Contact Jessie McKenna at 206-323-7115 for more info.

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And if you know about screen printing, ROCKiT space would love to hear from you. From Craigslist:

ROCKiT space on Beacon Hill (a community art and music space) is looking for artists to host/facilitate or co-facilitate a workshop or series of workshops on silkscreening/screen printing. We have some supplies and a neat space to work/teach in. This is a money-making opportunity for someone who can help a group of folks to learn and apply the basics of the silkscreening process.

We already know how to make stencils and tape them to screens and scrape ink across them. We need something a little more in depth than that, someone who can teach photo emulsion techniques etc. You don’t have to be an expert! But good people skills and some moderate to mad silk screen printing skills are a must.

Again, contact Jessie at 206-323-7115 with interest or offers.

Crime, Uncategorized

Crime notes: Burglaries and poor pizza drivers

Yellow B's: burglaries, Orange: casing, Blue: vehicle theft
Burglary and theft “highlights” from bhnw.org:

  • 1/5, 5:30pm near 38th and Myrtle — Resident arrived home but just before going in saw a light come on inside when no one should be inside. Police caught one suspect behind the building, four more uninvited guests held within.
  • 1/7, 11:00am near 28th and Juneau — A U-Haul truck pulled up and two men went inside a house where normally the occupants are away during the day. One of the men let himself in through a window.
  • 1/8, 1pm near 24th and Walker — Beige Volvo stolen.
  • 1/8, 4:30pm near 17th and Spokane — Silent burglar alarm.
  • 1/11, 8:30pm near 19th and Lucile — Owner confronted a burglar in his backyard.
  • 1/12, 12:30pm near 18th and Bennett — Someone apparently casing homes.
  • 1/12, 1:45pm near 37th and Austin — Resident came home to apparent forced-entry burglary.
  • 1/13, 11:30am near 19th and Hanford– Burglar alarm, back window broken out. Suspects apprehended at the library.

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Pity our poor Dominos drivers: The Unluckiest Delivery Driver in Seattle — SeattleCrime.com

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Cari wrote hoping someone might be able to help track down whomever busted into their house earlier this week:

My husband David and I moved to the area in October — love the neighborhood and how quiet it seemed around here…
[Monday] between 1pm and 8pm someone threw a rock through our back door and tore the house apart looking for cash. If anyone saw anyone coming or going from our house (bright orange house on SW corner of 19th and Waite) between those hours please call me or comment back to the blog. The police said there’s been an increase in this type of crime in the area lately, so obviously we’re not the only ones with this misfortune.

Also, I work from home several days each week and walk my dog, and keep an eye on the area — if others are home during the day and want to organize a daytime blockwatch, please let me know.

Looking forward to seeing people again when the weather gets better – the block party in October was fun.

As Cari said, you can leave your information here, or call her directly at 206-234-5102.

Crime

Mobile masturbator strikes again

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A man has been exposing himself from his vehicle in broad daylight, apparently targeting lone women near the light rail station.

Alice wrote to the mailing list:

Last Friday afternoon 1/8/10 around 2:30pm, I was walking my dog on the corner of 18th and Lander Street. A single male driving a dark green Ford was following me and eventually opened his car door to expose himself to me and masturbated. I turned away at first but then decided to catch his license plate but unfortunately he had it covered with a black plastic bag or cloth. I believe he’s done this before and takes measures not to get caught. I would describe him as Mexican in his mid to late 30s.

If it’s the same individual, he’s also been seen driving a blue pickup truck in November. There was also a similar report logged at bhnw.org last June.

Update: Chongsun posted a description his wife, Laura, gave of someone back in December that seems strikingly similar. In her case, the man did not actually expose himself, but it sure sounds like he was about to:

A man drove up to my wife as she was walking near the corner of Holgate and 20th. After making a right turn, he stopped in the middle of the street and surveyed the area to see if anyone else was around. He then got out of the truck, approached her and began to unzip his pants. When she spoke firmly, demanding to know what he was doing, he mumbled something and got back in his truck. As she kept walking up the hill, he circled the block twice in his truck, making eye contact each time.

The man was medium height, wearing a blue baseball cap, light skinned and a dark brown mustache. He wore a blue jacket and blue pants. The truck was a newer model, dark blue pickup truck.

And, she saw him again the same day as Alice:

At 9:15 AM last Friday (January 8th) at the corner of 20th and Holgate, I had an alarming interaction with a man in a dark green car. The man was wearing a camouflage baseball cap (sand/green spotted) and a black jacket that went past his waist. He had light-colored work boots on. He had a moustache. There was something black sticking out of the trunk near the license plate area, which sounds like it might be the plastic bag Alice mentioned the guy used to cover his license plate.

I remembered this man as the one who was about to expose himself to me back in December.

She was able to get a license plate number off the vehicle, and also has an incident number on file with the police department from the December episode. If you also have an incident number or details of a similar encounter that might be helpful, please comment here, or email us privately and we’ll put you in touch with Laura to consolidate information for the police.

Urban Planning

Neighborhood plan updates posted

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North Beacon Hill neighborhood plan update cover
Cover of the North Beacon Hill neighborhood plan update from DPD

The Department of Planning and Development has posted the North Beacon Hill Neighborhood Plan Update, the outcome of meetings from March, May, and September.

The goals presented in the report are split into two categories. The goals for Creating Choices for Living, Working and Play are:

  1. A well defined mixed-use residential neighborhood where the lives of Beacon Hill residents are enhanced, in part, through affordable and diverse housing options available throughout the neighborhood. (NBH-G1 amended)
  2. A vibrant mix of housing close to the light rail station.
  3. An urban village with a strengthened overall business district image and identity that is home to a variety of commercial services, including a grocery store and a mix of small, local and ethnic businesses. (NBH-G9 amended)
  4. A range of well-maintained parks, community and open spaces in the urban village core with programs that accommodate a variety of uses and diversity of users.
  5. North Beacon Hill is an active and safe neighborhood for a diversity of people, throughout the day and evening.

and for Shaping a Transit Oriented Town Center:

  1. A civic gathering space appropriate and flexible for the diversity of cultures living in the neighborhood.
  2. Higher density development surrounds the light rail station and is responsive to the neighborhood context at a variety of scales, from single family houses to multistory buildings.
  3. A redevelopment of El Centro de la Raza that builds on the site’s history and serves as a defining civic element of the Town Center.
  4. The future urban form of the town center carefully and successfully transitions from denser development at the town center core to less dense and single family residential neighborhoods in a manner that is responsive to the context and character of the North Beacon Hill neighborhood.
  5. An urban village that is a pleasant place to walk, with good access to alternative transportation; where lively, friendly and safe streetscapes encourage pedestrians and bicyclists and where roadways are seen as public access for walkers, bicycles, and buses as well as cars. (NBH-G3 amended)

Check out the attractively laid-out PDF report which adds maps plus discussion, policies, and strategies for implementation of these goals. There’s also a version formatted more for printing.

Clean and Green, Crime

What do you do about graffiti?

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Graffiti
Photo by Jason
Perhaps you’ve noticed a burst of graffiti vandalism around the neighborhood lately. Hazel gives some very sound advice on dealing with it on the mailing list:

Be sure to call the graffiti hotline, especially if it is on public property. The number is 206-684-7587 and they are very responsive. The faster you get it off the more effective. If it is public property, the city will arrange to have it removed. If it is on private property, you should also take a photo of it and send to the police department and the city.

Thanks Hazel!

Meetings

Clarity on McGinn’s inaugural reception

Apparently there has been some confusion about the McGinn reception. Passed along via the NBHC is some clarification:

To set the record straight, in addition to the private reception at the Showbox SODO, there will be two inaugural events tomorrow that are free and open to the public: an open house at City Hall (600 4th Ave) from 1 to 5 pm, and a party at 8:00 at the Showbox SODO (1700 1st Ave S), featuring the Maldives, Wheedle’s Groove, and Hey Marseilles. Local food vendors including Marination Mobile, Kao Samai Thai, and Gert’s BBQ will be parked outside selling their refreshments.

Please join us if you can.

-McGinn for Mayor Campaign

Thanks Amy & Judith.

Photos

Thursday’s sunrise

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Yes, we have been known to post a lot of skyline photos. But it’s hard to avoid it when the north end of the Hill is such a perfect location for them, and the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool contains colors as beautiful as this:

Photo by Bridget Christian.

(And speaking of pretty Seattle skyline pictures from the Hill, did you all see this one?)

Unfortunately it looks like we’ll have rain for the next couple of days, so today’s pictures will probably look more like this:

Photo also by Bridget Christian.
Clean and Green

Still time to recycle your tree for free

Still got some forlorn holiday foliage? Take it to the transfer station. Photo by wetwebwork.
Still got your old dead Christmas tree? You can still recycle it for free, if you hurry. If you subscribe to curbside food and yard waste collection, and yours hasn’t already been picked up this week, you can put your tree out on your regular collection day at no extra charge until January 10. Trees should be cut into sections of six feet long or shorter, with branches trimmed to less than four feet. Sections should be bundled with string or twine.

Trees with flocking or tinsel, or ones that are plastic, aren’t recyclable. They have to go in the trash, cut into three-foot pieces, and each piece will be charged as extra garbage.

If you missed the yard waste pickup, there’s one other option. You can drop off your tree for free until January 10 at the South Recycling and Disposal Station, located at Second Avenue South and South Kenyon Street, and the North Recycling and Disposal Station in Wallingford. The stations are both open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Trees brought to the recycling stations must be cut to eight feet or less in length and the trunk must be four inches or smaller in diameter. The limit is three trees per vehicle. Only trees without flocking or decoration may be disposed of free of charge.

Getting Around

Fourth Avenue ramp from Spokane Street Viaduct to close January 22

Some big changes are coming as the Seattle Department of Transportation continues the process of widening and improving the South Spokane Street Viaduct (formerly known as the West Seattle Freeway).

The westbound off-ramp to Fourth Avenue South from Columbian Way/Beacon Hill is closing permanently on January 22. From that point on, drivers will need to take alternate routes to SoDo:

  • From southbound I-5, exit at South Forest Street (before the West Seattle Bridge exit). Turn right on Sixth Avenue South. Turn left on South Lander to access Fourth Avenue South.
  • From northbound I-5, take exit 163 for the West Seattle Bridge. At the fork, stay right to exit toward Spokane Street/Safeco Field/Qwest Field. Merge onto lower South Spokane Street. Continue until Sixth Avenue South and then follow the detour signs to Fourth Avenue South.
  • From South Columbian Way, head towards I-5. Follow signs for the West Seattle Bridge. Follow the signs for South Spokane Street/Sixth Avenue South then follow the detour signs to Fourth Avenue South.

In late 2011, a new ramp will open at First Avenue South to replace the Fourth Avenue ramp.

Some other changes are coming in the next few weeks. On January 22, westbound
South Spokane Street (lower roadway) will be closed between Sixth Avenue South and Fourth Avenue South. From January 22-24, the southbound I-5 off-ramp to the West Seattle Bridge will be closed at night. And sometime in February, westbound South Spokane Street (lower roadway) will be closed between Fourth Avenue South and East Marginal Way.

Later, in the spring, the ramp to the viaduct from First Avenue South will be closed and removed.

For more information about the project, complete with maps, see SDOT’s Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project page.

Crime

Car thieves strike Accords on Beacon Hill

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Photo by dailyinvention.
Do you own a Honda Accord? Is it still in your driveway? You might want to check. At least two Accords were stolen this week on Beacon Hill.

One neighbor (he didn’t sign his name) wrote to the mailing list, “Our car was stolen [January 5]. It is a four door Honda Accord, colored maroon. The license plate number is 860YZM. We already reported it to the police this morning. If anybody happens to see the car, please give us a call at 206-722-2533.”

Then we heard from Kristen, who told us:

“Our car was stolen between 1:30 am and 7:45 am Sunday, January 3 from 15th and Hanford. If you see a 1994 White 4-door Honda Accord license plate 862 SYZ, please report it!”