All posts by Wendi Dunlap

Editor of the Beacon Hill Blog.
Recreation

City finds sprayparks a challenge to maintain

Kids enjoying the Beacon Mountain spraypark at the Jefferson Jubilee last month. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.

by Rose Egge, KOMO Communities
(Beacon Hill news partners)

In recent years, Seattle Parks and Recreation has converted several summer wading pool sites to sprayparks. Currently, there are nine sprayparks in Seattle, with a tenth scheduled to open in 2013.

According to the city, sprayparks use less water and appeal to a wider range of ages of kids than the wading pools intended for toddlers.

While parks staff claim the parks have been a success, they have also created a challenge for staff. The three newest sprayparks—at Northacres Park, Georgetown Playfield and Beacon Hill’s Beacon Mountain playground in Jefferson Park—have been shut off multiple times this past weekend because of very high usage.

Sprayparks operate similarly to swimming pools. The water is filtered, re-circulated, and chemically balanced to meet public health agency standards. If the balance varies from these standards, the system shuts off until the water is automatically rebalanced. The rebalance process generally takes between 10 and 20 minutes.

Over this past weekend with its very warm weather and heavy use of the sprayparks, the tanks at the new sprayparks became clogged; the filters could not keep up with the decreased flow and shut off the systems. Bulbs in the ultraviolet (UV) system, which helps sterilize and disinfect the water, overheated and turned off the spray features.

Parks technical staff who maintain the sprayparks are changing operating procedures to solve the problem, working with the contractor to eliminate shutdowns, and working with the UV manufacturer to find out how to solve the bulb problem.

The city has released this statement:

Parks appreciates the public’s patience while we work to eliminate system shut downs. Spraypark users can help by wearing swim attire and no street clothes or shoes on the splashpad and by keeping dogs off the splashpad.

Local Events

Everything For Everyone Festival brings politics, art, music to Jefferson Park 8/11

The Everything For Everyone Festival, a free two-day music, art, and politics festival, is coming to Beacon Hill’s Jefferson Park on Saturday, August 11 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The event will include music and art, as well as political and educational panels and workshops. On Sunday, August 12, the event will move to Seattle First Baptist Church on First Hill for a closing plenary session, followed by a film screening and dance party at Highline Bar on Capitol Hill.

The schedule is here, and the program is here.

Performers will include The Super8, The Hinges, Eugene Fontleroy, Suntonio Bandanaz, ACAB, Julie C, MC Dee.Ale, Too Quick, and DJ Eazeman (see bios of the performers here).

There are many presentation and workshop topics, including Free U: Abolish Education to Liberate Creation, Religion and Revolution, People’s Community Medics, Occupied Media: Communicating the Rebellion, Fork in the Road: The Path to Revolution through Investigation, and more.

Clean and Green, Education, Food and Drink

Learn to grow your own food

Figs. Photo by Rubber Slippers in Italy via Creative Commons/Flickr.

Summer is moving rapidly toward its end, but it’s not too late to learn to grow your own food. This Saturday, August 11, from 10-11:30 a.m., is another in a series of free “Grow Your Own Groceries” classes at El Centro de la Raza.

This month’s topics include:

  • What to plant Now?
  • Figs and Kiwi
  • Seed Saving

The class is led by Master Gardener Mick Duggan. The location is El Centro de la Raza room 310, 2524 16th Ave. S. Mark your calendar: next month’s class, the last of the year, is scheduled for September 8.

Lost and Found

Updated: Have you seen Shadow?

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Shadow lounging on her kitty tree. (We apologize for the quality of the photo. This was the only photo Matthew had.)
Update, late Tuesday night: Shadow is found! Matthew says: “I found her mewing outside about four feet up a bush around ten o’clock tonight.”

Have you seen Shadow? Shadow is a spayed, indoor kitty who made an escape from an apartment window at 17th Avenue South and South Stevens today. She is a very friendly kitty, about 2 1/2 years old and 5-6 pounds. She does have a microchip.

If you find her or have seen her, call Matthew at 206-877-3059.

News

Today is election day

It’s primary election day, and that means it’s time to get your ballots to a mailbox or drop box today if you want your vote to be counted. Some races will be decided at this primary, and there are also some levies on the ballot, including a library levy.

As long as your ballot is postmarked today, it should be counted. However, if you want to save a stamp, there are a few ballot drop boxes available — unfortunately, none in Southeast Seattle. One is at the King County Administration Building downtown, 500 4th Avenue. Even closer, however, is the Accessible Voting Center at Union Station, 401 South Jackson, which will be open until 8 p.m. There is a ballot drop box there, and you can also vote there in person if you have lost your mail-in ballot or need to use an accessible voting unit. To vote in person at Union Station, you must either show a photo ID or sign a declaration.

Local Events, Neighborhood Pride

More Night Out events to attend

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A Night Out block party in the 2000 block of 12th Avenue South in 2009. Photo by Bridget Christian in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.

It was brought to the attention of the Beacon Hill Blog that there are many more Night Out Against Crime events tomorrow night, August 7, that were not included on the Seattle Police Department’s official Night Out event map. The North Beacon Hill Council website has an updated list of the events in North Beacon (and a few in Mid-Beacon), including:

  • 12th Ave S and S Plum St, 6-9pm
  • 18th Ave S and S College St, 6-9pm
  • 20th Ave S and S Bayview St, 6-9pm
  • S Forest St and 20th Ave S, 6-9pm
  • 24th Ave S and S Horton St, 6:30-9:30pm
  • 17th Ave S and S Horton St, 6-9pm
  • 13th Ave S and S Nevada St, 6:30-9pm
  • Columbia Dr S and S Columbian Way, 6-9pm
  • 26th Ave S and S Hudson St, 6-9pm
  • 20th Ave S and S Dawson St, 6-9pm
  • S Dawson St and 15th Ave S, 6-9pm

The Council’s map of all of these events may be seen here.

Local Events

Updated: Night Out events to bring neighbors together on Tuesday

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(Update, Friday evening: Neighbor Sergey points out that many more Night Out events are scheduled that weren’t on the SPD event map. Go here to see a longer list of Beacon Hill events, and a map to the events. — Ed.)

Next Tuesday, August 7, is the annual Night Out Against Crime. The theme of this year’s event is “Celebrating Crime-Free Neighborhoods.” Neighbors throughout the city and the neighborhood are planning Night Out block parties to get together socially and celebrate their communities with music, food and other activities, as well as to increase crime prevention awareness.

Beacon Hill events have already been planned, including one at 12th Avenue South and South Hill Street and another at the 3300 block of 17th Avenue South.

It’s not too late to host your own Night Out event. To register your event, go here. If you register your event, you can close your street for the block party (under certain conditions), and request that police and fire personnel visit your party if possible.

Volunteering and Giving

Volunteers wanted Saturday for Ridge Trail work

The Friends of Cheasty Greenspace/Mt. View invite you to a community work party this Saturday, August 4 from 10 a.m. until noon. Volunteers are needed to lay surface gravel on the Ridge Trail. The trail is eventually intended to serve both as a commuter route to Columbia City Station and as access to the recreational Hazelnut Loop.

If you’d like to help, meet at 9:45 a.m. at 2809 S. Alaska Pl., one block west of Columbia City Station. Gloves and tools will be provided but please wear sturdy shoes and work clothes and bring your own water. Shared snacks are welcomed.

Crime

Shots reported near Maple Park; man falls from freeway

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A 20-year-old male fell more than 40 feet from Interstate 5 last night, while another was arrested and a gun was recovered following reported shots fired on Mid-Beacon Hill near Maple Park.

According to Seattle Police, officers responded to a shots fired call in the 4800 block of Corson Avenue South around 9:30 p.m. last night. When the police arrived on the scene, they saw several male suspects running away. One suspect was caught quickly, and a gun was recovered. Another suspect ran across the northbound lanes of I-5 and fell (or jumped) over the barrier between the northbound and southbound lanes at Airport Way South and South Snoqualmie Street, landing 40-50 feet below. A third suspect was found hiding in nearby bushes.

The fallen suspect was transported to Harborview with life-threatening injuries. The investigation continues.


View Shots fired, man falls from freeway 7/30/12 in a larger map

Crime

Car chase through Beacon Hill yesterday ends with 3 injured on I-5

A conflict began with eye contact in Seward Park and passed through nearly the entire length of Beacon Hill along the way, ending with a man shot, multiple vehicle collisions, and closure of I-5 southbound last night.

According to police, the situation began at about 4 p.m. at a festival in Seward Park where the victim and suspects made eye contact. The 20-year-old male victim, with his 17-year-old nephew, then went to park his car outside the park, and noticed the suspects following him in a gray or green car. The victim then tried to get away from the suspects, who followed in a car chase over Beacon Hill.

The suspects began shooting at the victim in the 9000 block of Beacon Avenue South. Shots were also fired by the suspects at Beacon Avenue South and South Juneau Street, and it appears that the suspects fired again at South Columbian Way and South Spokane Street.

The chase then continued onto I-5 South, where the suspects shot at the victim again as they were passing Boeing Field. This time, a shot struck the victim in the shoulder. The victim’s vehicle collided with a Kia occupied by two women, both unconnected with the ongoing altercation. The Kia driver lost control of the car, hit another innocent motorist’s Toyota, then flipped over.

The shooting victim did not have a firearm, and there is no indication that he every shot back at the suspects or their vehicle, police say. He was transported to Harborview along with the two women from the Kia with non-life-threatening injuries. The victim’s 17-year-old nephew was not injured, nor was the driver of the Toyota.

Another innocent driver’s car was struck by a stray bullet and his windows were shot out. He was uninjured and drove back home to West Seattle to call 911. A parked car in the 5900 block of Beacon Avenue was also found with gunfire damage.

The suspects are still at large.

See a video report by Beacon Hill Blog news partners KOMOnews.com here.


View Shooting locations in car chase, 7/29/12 in a larger map