All posts by Wendi Dunlap

Editor of the Beacon Hill Blog.
Food and Drink, Local Business

The Tippe and Drague is open

2 Comments
The Tippe and Drague as it looked in July, before opening. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.

The Tippe and Drague neighborhood pub at 3315 Beacon Ave. S. opened for business this afternoon. When we went by to check it out, there was a cheerful crowd within ordering beer and food, and watching football on TV. The kitchen won’t have a fryer, so the menu consists of sandwiches and salads, including a very evil grilled peanut butter and Nutella sandwich (with optional bacon). There is also fresh popped popcorn—the popcorn machine was formerly installed at the Columbia City Cinema.

You can see the beer list on their website.

Owner Melissa told us that the pub has hired several Beacon Hill neighbors as staff, so the business has not only brought food and drink to the Hill, it’s also brought a few jobs.

Clean and Green, Volunteering and Giving

Friends of Cheasty Greenspace need volunteers to build trail

The Friends of Cheasty Greenspace/Mt. View are having a trail-building work party this Saturday, September 1 from 10 a.m. until 12 noon. All interested neighbors are invited to pitch in to help build the new woodland trail.

Volunteers should meet at 2809 S. Alaska Place, one block west of Columbia City Station. Registration begins at 9:45 a.m.

Bring your own water and water bottle, sturdy shoes and layered work clothes. Gloves and tools will be provided for your use. Shared snacks are welcome.

Meetings

Internet, noise, safety and more on agenda for next North Beacon Hill Council meeting

2 Comments

The North Beacon Hill Council monthly meeting, usually on the first Tuesday of the month, is delayed this month because of Labor Day weekend. The meeting will be Tuesday, September 11 instead, at 7 p.m. at the Beacon Hill Library, 2821 Beacon Ave. S.

Here’s the agenda as forwarded from the Council:

  • Update on Internet connectivity in Beacon Hill: Representatives from UPTUN (Upping Technology for Underserved Neighbors) will be presenting with invited representatives from Comcast, Wave (formerly Broadstripe) and CenturyLink
  • Public Safety Update: Reports about an increase in street burglaries and updates on recent shootings in the Beacon Hill area
  • Airplane noise/Greener Skies: updates from FAA meetings
  • New Project Updates: Proposed developments in the neighborhood including El Centro, Holgate property, and McClellan project.
  • Other Neighborhood group updates from Friends of Lewis Park, Beacon BIKES and more

All interested neighbors are welcome to attend. Meetings usually end before 9 p.m.

Getting Around

South Orcas sidewalk project begins Sept. 4

A new sidewalk will soon make South Orcas Street a bit friendlier to pedestrians. The sidewalk is to be built on the south side of Orcas between 28th Avenue South (near the Chief Sealth Trail and Dearborn Park School) and 32nd Avenue South and will include ADA-compliant ramps, rebuilt driveways, and improvements to vegetation along with the new concrete sidewalk.

However, there is some pain to come before the promise of better walking conditions. During the project work, starting September 4, South Orcas Street will be closed for 24 hours a day to eastbound traffic between Beacon Avenue South and 32nd Avenue South. There will be an open sidewalk on the north side of the street. Completion of the sidewalk project is scheduled for October 31.

For more information about the Orcas sidewalk project, see the project’s website. We first wrote about this project when it was announced back in September 2010.


View South Orcas Street Sidewalk Project in a larger map

Education

Mercer Middle School achieves high honors

A brightly-painted walkway at Mercer Middle School. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
Asa Mercer Middle School on Beacon Hill has been honored as a “high progress Reward School,” one of the highest-performing and most-improved Title I schools in Washington state. (Title I schools serve populations with a high percentage of low income families. Schools with the Title I designation receive special funding and assistance.) Mercer is one of 58 schools in Washington to be named as Reward Schools.

High progress Reward Schools such as Mercer scored in the top 10 percent of Title I schools in combined reading and math on state assessments during a three year period (2008-2011). Mercer was also noted as a “School of Excellence” in 2009, 2010, and 2011, an honor given to schools placing in the state’s top 5 percent for improvement in scores.

Life on the Hill, Local Events, Photos

Late summer on Beacon Hill

The last Beacon Rocks! of 2012, a neighborhood Peach Party, the Neighborhood Night Out, and more, all captured in photos from the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr. Thanks to those who have contributed! Do you have photos of life on Beacon Hill? You’re invited to add them to the pool, too!

Neighbors enjoy themselves at the recent Beacon Hill Peach Party. Photo by Bridget Christian.
Annabella of Lushy claps to the beat at Beacon Rocks! Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
Neighbors took part in a “Backyard Barter” at Beacon Rocks!, trading homemade and homegrown food and veggies. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
Some neighbors took over a neighborhood street earlier this month for the Beacon Hill Night Out. Photo by SergeyS87.
Grilling peaches at the Peach Party. Photo by Bridget Christian.
Dancers from Splinter Dance perform at Beacon Rocks! Photo by Beacon Hill Music.
More fun at the Peach Party. Photo by Bridget Christian.
Enjoying Tumbuka at Beacon Rocks! Photo by Beacon Hill Music.
Local Business, News

ABC Supermarket applies for new liquor license

The ABC Supermarket at 2500 Beacon Ave. S. has applied for a new liquor license of the type “Grocery store: beer/wine.” The listed applicants are ABC Supermarket, Inc., James Che, Jenny Che, and Ky Ho. The license number is 354645.

If you’d like to make any comments on this application, whether positive or negative, e-mail customerservice@liq.wa.gov or send regular mail to:

Washington State Liquor Control Board
3000 Pacific Avenue SE
P. O. Box 43098
Olympia, Washington 98504-3098

ABC Supermarket in 2009. Photo by Jason Simpson.
Crime

Wave of robberies strikes SE Seattle

6 Comments

Beacon Hill and the Rainier Valley are seeing a wave of jewelry robberies, say Seattle Police. In just over a week, there have been more than 20 incidents of these robberies on streets, at bus stops, and at stores in Southeast Seattle.

According to police, the suspects typically either grab people from behind, or walk up to them, ask a question, and then grab the victims’ jewelry and purses. Police believe the series of robberies began on August 14, when two suspects robbed a woman on Beacon Hill after she left a local market.

One neighbor, Anna, commented here on the BHB about being victimized in a recent street robbery:

“I was robbed last week, and a shoulder bag was taken from me. It happened mid-morning, on Beacon Avenue near the golf course. It was two young African-American men; they came up behind me, grabbed the bag, and ran. I reported it to the police, but I wonder how many people this has happened to who didn’t report it.

“I’ve lived on Beacon Hill forever, and I am always aware of my surroundings and who’s around me, but this is the first time I’ve been afraid to walk around in my own neighborhood during the day. I’ve not been out walking much since it happened, and I don’t know when I’ll feel safe enough to do so on a regular basis.”

If you have any information about these crimes, please contact the SPD Robbery Unit at (206) 684-5535.

News

Jefferson Community Center scheduled to close for electrical upgrade

Photo by Wendi Dunlap.

Plan ahead — Jefferson Community Center will close for four days next month for an electrical upgrade project to add an emergency generator and automatic transfer switch. It will be closed from Thursday, September 20, 2012 until 7 a.m. on Monday September 24. The upgrade is part of a larger project including seismic upgrades, replacing the HVAC unit with a heat pump system, and a variety of architectural and maintenance improvements. This will allow the building to be used as an emergency shelter in case of disaster.

Any programs scheduled for Friday, September 21 may be affected by the closure, and participants should contact the community center for information. Classes and programs scheduled for Saturday, September 22 will be canceled.

Arts, Local Events

Free outdoor movie at Jefferson Park Friday: Star Wars

7 Comments
Maybe these guys will show up. Photo by amaianos via Creative Commons/Flickr.
Have you watched with jealousy while all the other neighborhoods have summer outdoor movies? Now it’s our turn! At dusk (around 8:30) on Friday, August 24, Jefferson Community Center will present Star Wars outdoors at Jefferson Park amphitheater. The show is free, but concessions will be available, with proceeds to benefit Jefferson Community Center Teen Programs.