All posts by Wendi Dunlap

Editor of the Beacon Hill Blog.
Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Grocery stores, town halls, and a song

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A new Grocery Outlet is coming to nearby SoDo. Photo by Jason.
A new Grocery Outlet is coming to nearby SoDo. Photo by Jason.
The Grocery Outlet just off Rainier Avenue, next to the Mount Baker train station, didn’t survive long enough to see the station open. It closed last year, its business hampered by ongoing station construction right in front of its parking lot.

Fans of Grocery Outlet shopping will soon have another nearby option, however, with a new store opening in the former state liquor store site on Fourth Avenue South in SoDo. The new site is not as convenient to pedestrians as the old one, however; the nearest Link station, instead of being right next door, is about a half-mile walk around a huge block and part of the Metro bus base.

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Mayor-elect McGinn is hosting three town halls this week to hear your thoughts and ideas about the future of the city. Two of the town halls are reasonably close to us here on Beacon Hill.

These are the locations:

Northgate Community Center, 10510 5th Avenue Northeast
7:00 pm, Monday, November 30

Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, 104 17th Avenue South
7:00 pm, Tuesday, December 1

Paul Robeson Performing Arts Center At Rainier Beach High School, 8815 Seward Park Avenue South
7:00 pm, Wednesday, December 2

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Beacon Hill’s Helladope had KEXP’s song of the day last Monday with “Just So You Know.”

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Did you deep-fry your Thanksgiving turkey? Still wondering what to do with all that excess cooking oil? Red Apple has joined with Standard Biodiesel to collect your used turkey fryer oil. Standard will donate money to Children’s Hospital for each gallon collected. Please contact the store before bringing in your oil; instructions are in the link above.
Thanks to the P-I’s Big Blog!

Local Events, Neighborhood Pride, Urban Planning

Potluck and planning on agenda for NBHC meeting 12/3

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Time to warm up those Crock-Pots and start prepping something tasty for the NBHC potluck! Photo by _e.t.
Time to warm up those Crock-Pots and start prepping something tasty for the NBHC potluck! Photo by _e.t.
The next North Beacon Hill Council meeting is a special one: a year-end potluck celebration to recognize community members who have contributed to the neighborhood this year, and to plan for next year. The potluck and social will be followed by the monthly business meeting. All are welcome to attend. You are a voting member of the Council if you have attended one meeting previously.

The potluck starts at 6:30 pm (1/2 hour earlier than the usual meeting time), Thursday, December 3, in the Community Room at the Beacon Hill Library, 2821 Beacon Avenue South.

The agenda, as forwarded by Council Chair Judith Edwards:

  • 6:30 – Social time, potluck
  • 7:00 – A time to honor those who have given so much (and finish eating!)
  • 7:15 – Business meeting
    • Estela Ortega, Executive Director, El Centro de la Raza: Future plans for development of S. parcel of El Centro property (25 minutes, including Q&A)
    • 12th Ave. and Stevens St. neighbors request to become an ad-hoc committee of NBHC in order to challenge City Light’s installation of obtrusive power lines (5 minutes)
      — vote required
    • Discussion of final draft, Department of Planning and Development’s Neighborhood Plan Update (15 minutes)
      — vote required to approve/disapprove
    • Letter to Council Member Sally Clark, Chair, Planning and Land Use Committee: Action to ensure that N. Beacon Hill Development Design Guidelines are employed in future construction (10 minutes)
      — vote required
  • 8:05 – Future focus: where should we put our energy in the coming year? What are the issues the community is concerned with?
  • 8:30 – Closure
Crime

Rainier Valley Food Bank burglarized, Thanksgiving food stolen

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Photo by Mack Male.
Photo by Mack Male.
$1500-$2000 in food was stolen from the Rainier Valley Food Bank between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning when burglars broke into the food bank’s storage locker and stole potatoes, onions, canned food, peanut butter, and other food collected by local volunteers in food drives last weekend. The food was scheduled to be given out this weekend as the Thanksgiving distribution. If you would like to help, you can bring your donations to the Rainier Valley Food Bank, 4205 Rainier Avenue South, Tuesday through Saturday, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., or donate online at rvfb.org.

Thanks to the Seattle Times for the report.

Getting Around

Derailed train causing Link light rail delays

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Closed doors to the southbound platform at Beacon Hill Station. Riders are currently directed to the northbound platform for all trips until the disabled train is cleared from the tracks in SoDo. Photo by Jesse Odam.
Closed doors to the southbound platform at Beacon Hill Station. Photo by Jesse Odam.
As Jason mentioned earlier, there was a derailment of a Link light rail train on the elevated section near the maintenance yard this afternoon. Sound Transit has been able to keep Link service running, though with notable delays, by using only the northbound track through Beacon Hill and Mount Baker stations. Trains are supposed to be running every 20 minutes for the rest of the day.

Reports from riders so far indicate that you should allow more than 20 minutes for the delay, though this may improve as the rush hour traffic dies down. Jesse Odam reports that his usual 15 minute Link trip from the International District to Beacon Hill just after 5:00 pm expanded to nearly an hour, including being passed by a jam-packed train, and then a half-hour wait at Stadium Station.

Sound Transit warns that Link service will be temporarily suspended later, during the removal of the disabled train, because both northbound and southbound tracks will be blocked. During that time there will be a shuttle bus (Route 97), which will operate between the Stadium and Mount Baker light rail stations. We aren’t sure yet when this will happen, but Sound Transit says they’ll update this rider alert page when they are ready to remove the disabled train.

Folks on Seattle Transit Blog are discussing the derailment, its possible causes, and Sound Transit’s handling of the situation, here.

Local Events

Events this week: Immigration reform, free tree deadline, Van Asselt playground-in-a-day

Congressman Luis Gutierrez of Illinois will participate in a virtual town hall meeting about immigration reform this Wednesday. (Photo from luisgutierrez.house.gov.)
Congressman Luis Gutierrez of Illinois will participate in a virtual town hall meeting about immigration reform this Wednesday. (Photo from luisgutierrez.house.gov.)
El Centro de la Raza is hosting “A Call to Action for Immigration Reform,” on Wednesday, November 18 at 5:00 pm, including a virtual town hall with Representative Luis Gutierrez to discuss the principles of progressive immigration reform. The call in English will be at 5:00 pm, and in Spanish at 6:00 pm. El Centro de la Raza is located at 2524 16th Avenue South, and this event is in room 310. For more information, call 206-957-4605.

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A few weeks ago we mentioned the ReLeaf tree giveaway program, in which EarthCorp and the City are giving free trees to residents of Beacon Hill and three other Seattle neighborhoods. The deadline to apply for your free trees is tomorrow, Monday, November 16. Applications may be downloaded here. If you need more information about the program, contact  Lina Rose, EarthCorps Project Manager, lina@earthcorps.org, 206-793-2454.

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Another reminder: Thursday, November 19, is the day of the Van Asselt playground building project. Volunteers will help build the playground, along with MLS soccer players and representatives from Home Depot and KaBOOM! The MLS players are participating through MLS W.O.R.K.S., the league’s community outreach program, as part of the festivities building up to the MLS Cup next weekend at Qwest Field.

(Hat tip to Examiner.com.)

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Don’t forget to check our Events Calendar for more upcoming events on the Hill!

Life on the Hill

Beacon Hill library hours won’t be reduced after all

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Miles Peppers Dream Ship sails above the Beacon Hill library at sunset. Photo by Wendi.
Miles Pepper's "Dream Ship" sails above the Beacon Hill library at sunset. Photo by Wendi.
The Friends of Seattle Public Library Blog reports good news: yesterday, the City Council voted unanimously to increase support for library services by $860,000 in 2010, which will allow the restoration of some library operating hours and staff positions that would otherwise have been eliminated.

With this increase, the Beacon Hill library branch will keep its current seven days/60 hours per week schedule:

  • Monday – Thursday, 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
  • Friday – Saturday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
  • Sunday 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Ballard, Broadview, Capitol Hill, Douglass-Truth, Greenwood, Lake City, Northeast, Rainier Beach, Southwest and West Seattle will also keep these hours.

Unfortunately, not all eliminated hours can be restored, and while Beacon Hill’s library hours have been saved, some other neighborhoods will still have the pain of serious cutbacks. The following branches will be reduced to a five days/35 hours per week schedule: Columbia, Delridge, Fremont, Green Lake, High Point, International District/Chinatown, Madrona-Sally Goldmark, Magnolia, Montlake, NewHolly, Northgate, Queen Anne, South Park, University and Wallingford.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Four Amigos, food safety, and funky foliage

KPLU has a lovely story about “the Four Amigos”: Roberto Maestas, Larry Gossett, Bob Santos, and the late Bernie Whitebear, activists who played a large role in Seattle’s history over the last 40 years. Maestas, of course, played a particular role in Beacon Hill’s history by helping found El Centro de la Raza, and leading the organization until he retired recently.

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BeHi Bonsai, the blog about the funky topiary foliage found throughout Beacon Hill, has found a yard that goes above and beyond the call of topiary duty: “Rings of foliage waft above the ground magically as if there is some unseen creature underground blowing leafy smoke rings for our amusement.”

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Health Department restaurant inspectors have recently visited a few more local establishments. Results of the inspections are posted online. The Aloha Grocery at 7762 Beacon Avenue South had 8 “blue” violation points (“surfaces not maintained, clean, sanitized”), El Delicioso at 2500 Beacon Avenue South had 5 blue violation points (plumbing issues), and Wing Luke Elementary School at 3701 South Kenyon Street scored a perfect 0. (Congratulations!) Dahlak Eritrean Cuisine at 2007 South State Street (at the foot of Beacon Hill, near Oberto’s) received 10 “red critical” violation points, for inadequate hand washing facilities.

Context: 45 or more red violation points force a re-inspection within two weeks, 90 or more red points force closure of the establishment, and 120 or more total (red and blue) points force closure of the establishment as well. So all of these businesses were in no danger of closure. Even one red violation is enough to result in an unsatisfactory inspection, however, and specialists work with the operators of the establishment to make sure that the situation is corrected immediately.

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Getting Around

Plan ahead: Metro on holiday schedule tomorrow

You might have to wait a bit longer for your bus tomorrow. Photo by Oran Viriyincy.
You might have to wait a bit longer for your bus tomorrow. Photo by Oran Viriyincy.
Do you have Veterans’ Day off tomorrow? Neither do we. Metro Transit, however, is operating on a “reduced weekday” schedule for tomorrow’s holiday, and most buses serving our area, including the 36 and 60 routes, are listed as “Routes operating a reduced weekday schedule with designated trips canceled.” Please note also that the 38 route is entirely canceled tomorrow.

The reduced weekday schedule will also be in effect on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), Christmas Eve, and from December 28 through 31; buses will run on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Check your schedule for trips identified with an “H” — those trips will be canceled tomorrow.

Link Light Rail will be running on the normal weekday schedule.

Thanks to Seattle Transit Blog.

Meetings, Recreation, Urban Planning

Jefferson Park expansion projects topic of December 1 forum

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Beacon Hill skaters could be doing this in Jefferson Park very soon. Photo by Roger Price.
Beacon Hill skaters could be doing this in Jefferson Park very soon. Photo by Roger Price.
“Who lives on Beacon Hill and wants to go to the Jefferson sk8 park? Dec 1 630-830 @ Jefferson Park Community Center – $1million allocated!” said skatelikeagirl on Twitter last night. The planned Jefferson skate park is just one of the projects to be discussed on December 1, at a community forum to talk about future developments at Jefferson Park including Beacon Mountain, the Park service road and promenade, improvements to Jefferson Playfield, and the Jefferson skatepark and basketball court.

Comments made by the community at this meeting will be incorporated in the planning and design of all of these features, and then there will be two follow-up meetings: one at which schematics will be presented, and another to present the final design.

The meeting is at Jefferson Community Center, 3801 Beacon Avenue South, from 6:30 – 8:00 pm on Tuesday, December 1. Skaters, park enthusiasts, basketball players, and all others interested in Jefferson Park’s improvements are welcome.