Among the many activities planned for Saturday’s Jefferson Park Jubilee is the grand opening of the new Beacon Mountain Playground. The BHB visited the nearly-finished playground yesterday to see the views from the new view decks and even try out one of the slides. Here are some photos of the playground. (All photos by Wendi Dunlap.)
Last but not least, here’s a video taken while going down the tall slide at the playground:
Saturday, July 14, is a busy day. Along with the Jefferson Park Jubilee, there are three other events on the Hill you should know about.
From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., Verity Credit Union is hosting its annual community Shred-a-Thon on at their Beacon Hill location, 1660 S. Columbian Way on the VA hospital campus. All are welcome to bring sensitive documents such as old checks or pay stubs to be shredded on site as you watch. A minimum $10 donation of money or nonperishable food items is suggested, to benefit the Beacon Avenue Food Bank. If you need to shred more than six grocery-size bags of documents, please consider an additional donation.
Also starting at 10 a.m. is the third in a series of “Growing Your Own Groceries” gardening classes at El Centro de la Raza. Topics of this month’s class include:
The class is led by Master Gardener Mick Duggan, in El Centro’s room 310 at 2524 16th Ave. S. Mark your calendar for next month’s class on August 11.
The last event is at 3 p.m. on Saturday, when SAFE (Standing Against Foreclosure and Eviction) hosts a community meeting of “Neighbors Fed Up with the Banks and the Foreclosure Crisis!” at Bethany United Church. There will be testimonials, referrals for free legal counseling, help with foreclosure resistance, and food.
Bethany United Church is located at 6230 Beacon Ave. S.
All are invited to a Seattle Department of Transportation open house on Thursday, July 19 from 6:30-8 p.m. at Jefferson Community Center (3801 Beacon Ave. S.) to discuss the Beacon Hill Neighborhood Greenway.
The greenway is a 2.8 mile long pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly route through North Beacon Hill, providing improved access to locations including the I-90 Trail, Beacon Hill Station, Beacon Hill Library, Jefferson Park, Maplewood Playfield, Mercer Middle School, Maple Elementary School, and Cleveland High School.
The route has changed slightly since the earlier proposed version of the Greenway. The current route will start at the I-90 Trail and 18th Avenue South, then continue south along 18th. The greenway will then turn and cross Beacon Avenue South at South Hanford Street, and continue on Lafayette Avenue South into Jefferson Park. The route will continue south of Jefferson Park, crossing 15th Avenue South at South Dakota Street, and continuing on 12th Avenue South to South Lucile Street.
What makes a run-of-the-mill route a neighborhood greenway? Greenways are non-arterial street routes that have improvements to encourage and support safe bicycle and pedestrian use, in combination with reduced auto speeds and volumes. In the case of the Beacon Hill Greenway, these enhanced features have been proposed:
View Beacon Hill Neighborhood Greenway in a larger map
Property owners on some parts of Beacon Hill may be able to help improve broadband service for their neighbors by providing space for broadband equipment on their property.
The group Upping Technology for Underserved Neighbors (UPTUN) reports that CenturyLink is seeking neighbors in certain locations who would be willing to allow the company to place a broadband cabinet on their property, or in the public right-of-way next to their property. Each project on Beacon Hill would serve from 175-877 residence and business addresses in the area.
To qualify, you must be within 500 feet of the requested address (see the map below) if the neighborhood is served by overhead wiring, or 250 feet if the service is underground. If you think you can help, contact Jeff Lawrey at CenturyLink at 206-345-0333 or r.lawrey@centurylink.com to discuss the projects, including equipment, landscaping options, and any other questions.
View CenturyLink 2012 Beacon Hill and CD broadband projects in a larger map
Interested in canning and preserving your garden produce? The Beacon Hill Garden Club and Rainier Valley Eats are hosting a “Canning Connections” class on Wednesday, July 18 from 7-9 p.m. at the Garden House (2336 Beacon Ave. S.).
The event organizers say “We’ll be using the best organic fruit available and provide everything you’ll need (except the apron)… We’ll share resources, recipes, stories and go home with jars of goodness.” The session is hands-on and those with all levels of experience are welcome to attend, from beginners to veteran canners.
The class is limited to 10, and the class fee is $15, payable the night of the session. To register, email ankataa@yahoo.com.
Volunteers are needed for the Jefferson Park Jubilee, an all-day celebration at the park on July 14 from 11-9 p.m. Help is needed in a variety of roles throughout the event. Volunteer shifts may start as early as 8 a.m. to help set up or run as late as 10 p.m. when cleanup is done.
Interested and willing? Fill out the “Contact Us” form on the Beacon Hill Merchants website. Please include the subject line “Volunteer for Jubilee,” and provide your contact information.
The Mayor’s Town Hall meeting previously scheduled for Wednesday, July 18 at Van Asselt Community Center has been rescheduled and moved. The meeting will now be at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 6020 Beacon Ave. S., on Tuesday, August 14 from 5:30-8 p.m. Neighbors in the 98108, 98118, and 98144 area codes are invited to attend.
The event schedule has not changed; it starts with a community information fair from 5:30-6:30, followed by a youth performance from 6:30-6:40, then the open Q&A session with Mayor McGinn and City staff.
The town hall is another in a series of town halls throughout Seattle, through the Engage Seattle initiative, designed to “to provide concrete ways for Seattleites to help make our city a better place.†Find out more at the website.
Happy Independence Day! These fireworks were viewed from Beacon Hill on July 4, 2007. If you take photos of July 4 fireworks or festivities, we’d love to see them! You can post them to the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.
More food options have been appearing on North Beacon Hill lately in the form of some new food trucks.
El Sabroso opened several weeks ago, semi-permanently located in the corner of the El Centro parking lot, just north of Beacon Hill Station. The truck is generally open until “three-ish” 7 p.m. daily, serving tacos and tortas that they describe as “the best Latin street food in Seattle!” Chef Daniel Pérez is also the Executive Chef at Tango Restaurant on Pike Street.
If you’re looking for something with more of a French flavor, neighbor Allison Delong reports that the Caravan Crepes truck will be visiting Beacon Hill Station from about 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday. Here is the menu, which includes both savory and sweet crepes.
Allison tells us that on Saturday afternoon a hot dog cart opened for business as well, so we had a full-fledged food court starting to happen on North Beacon! Keep your eyes on the area around Beacon Hill Station and the El Centro parking lot for more visits from these food trucks and carts.
(Edited to note the change in El Sabroso’s hours. 7/9/12)
The Jefferson Park Jubilee on Saturday, July 14 will include a special ceremony to mark the centennial of the gift of cherry trees from the nation of Japan to the United States in 1912, as a symbol of the friendship between the two countries. Multiple events to commemorate this anniversary are being held throughout the U.S. this year. Earlier this year, 25 cherry trees were planted at Jefferson Park this spring to celebrate this centennial along with the 100th birthday of Jefferson Park.
The Jubilee ceremony will be at 12 noon on July 14, with Mayor Mike McGinn, Consul General of Japan Kiyokazu Ota, and other dignitaries. Taiko performances and Bon Odori dances will begin at 11:30 a.m.
This is only part of the activities scheduled for the Jefferson Park Jubilee. See this earlier post for more about this all-day event.