Jefferson Community Center and Van Asselt Community Center, along with the rest of Seattle Parks and Recreation’s community centers and indoor pools, will be closed today for furlough. Other facilities such as the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center and the Amy Yee Tennis Center will also be closed (fully or partially).
Golfers practicing drives under the bright lights of the Jefferson Park Driving Range. Photo by Tim Ripley.They don't all reach their target. Photo by Tim Ripley.
These are two of the many interesting and wonderful photos you can find in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr. Thanks to Tim for posting them!
(Editor’s note, 1/18: The top photo is slightly different today as Tim pulled the original photo from Flickr and replaced it with this one, so we replaced it here on the blog as well. The original photo contained two golfers.)
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.
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.
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.
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!”
This sweet kitty, Simon, is lost on Beacon Hill.A large black tabby cat named Simon is lost, and his family misses him. Simon is five years old, and has no tags or microchip. He was last seen on Christmas Eve at 13th Avenue South and South Angeline Street. He is very friendly, but shy with strangers. He has a squeaky meow.
If you have seen him, please call Tori at (206) 354-2619, or Joshua at (206) 354-2582.
It's that time of year again! Photo by Alan Cleaver.El Centro de la Raza has some useful finance-related services coming up over the next couple of months.
They are a United Way Free Tax Prep Campaign site, and will be providing free tax preparation services to low-income taxpayers, in English and Spanish. The free tax prep services will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:00 – 9:00 pm and Saturdays from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, starting January 12 and running until April 15, at El Centro, 2524 16th Avenue South.
Volunteers are also welcome for the tax prep services. To volunteer, please call (206) 957-4602 or email volunteer@elcentrodelaraza.org.
El Centro is also offering a series of financial literacy classes in English and Spanish. In the Credit Smart courses, students will learn about how to make an individual financial plan, why we use banks and their services, how to choose and keep a checking account, what your rights are as a consumer, and other important skills and knowledge.
Wednesday classes are in English, from 4:00 – 7:00 pm. Â The Saturday class is in Spanish from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. The English classes are a series of four classes; the Spanish classes combine the entire series into a single all-day session.
The English-language class series runs weekly, beginning on January 13 and again on February 10 and March 10. The Spanish-language courses this month are on January 16 and 30, and will also be offered on February 6, 20, and 27, and on March 6, 13, and 20.
For additional information or to register for the series, contact Simona Alvarez, Financial Literacy Coordinator, at 206-957-4610 or email homeownership@elcentrodelaraza.org.
The North Beacon Hill Council is meeting on Thursday night from 7:00 – 9:00 pm at the Beacon Hill Library meeting room, 2821 Beacon Avenue South. We don’t have the agenda yet, but will post it if we get it. Everyone is welcome.
An artist’s rendition of Beacon Mountain Playground at Jefferson Park, from last year. Click this image to see a larger version of this design.
The Beacon Mountain Design Committee will be meeting next Tuesday, January 12, from 5:30 – 6:30 pm at the Jefferson Park Lawn Bowling Clubhouse, 4103 Beacon Ave South. The agenda is to work on the final design and details of the Beacon Mountain Playground at Jefferson Park. The meeting will be followed by a Jefferson Park Project Advisory Team meeting. The committee has appointed members, but visitors are always welcome and meetings are informal.
