Parents of Beacon Hill youngsters should note: Kimball Elementary School is hosting a Kindergarten Open House tomorrow, February 17, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. There will be an overview of kindergarten and of Kimball’s program.
Kimball is located at 3200 23rd Avenue South.
Beacon BIKES is hosting Love Your BIKE!, a Valentine’s Day open house at the Beacon Hill Library, with special guest speaker, KUOW commentator, Adventure Cyclist columnist, and Beacon Hill neighbor Willie Weir. Weir will tell “Tales of Bicycle Love,” including stories of his many cycling adventures and destinations.
The evening will also include an open house discussion of the current plans and ideas to improve pedestrian and bicycle circulation on the Hill, and sweet and savory Valentine treats for all.
The event is from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday, February 14, and is open to all, including children. The Beacon Hill Library is located at 2821 Beacon Avenue South.
For more information, contact Frederica Merrell, frmerrel@seattleschools.org.
Entertainment will be provided by the Jefferson Park Community Center Lion Dancers.
For more information, please contact Becky Stanley, (206) 684-8106 or becky.stanley@seattle.gov.
Jefferson Community Center is located at 3801 Beacon Avenue South.
The evening’s agenda:
Do you love your neighborhood parks and green spaces? You can contribute to the beauty of our parks by volunteering at a local work party.
EOS Alliance is hosting monthly volunteer work parties at Maple School Natural Area on the first Saturday of every month, including this Saturday, February 5. Volunteers will help remove invasive blackberries and ivy from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and then stay for a potluck.
If you plan to volunteer, you should wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Gloves and tools will be provided. Meet at the entrance located at the top of the stairs at 20th Avenue South and South Lucile Street. Bring a dish to share for the potluck, too.
Lewis Park volunteers are also starting up for the year this Sunday, February 6, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Gloves, tools, and snacks are provided. Neighbor Lenny promises hot coffee and hot chocolate this week, too. If you plan to volunteer, please notify Vinh at vngyen.green@yahoo.com. Lewis Park is located at Golf Drive South and South Charles Street, near the Amazon/Pac Med building.
On MLK Day weekend last month, many volunteers worked in Beacon Hill parks, including a large group at the Cheasty Greenbelt. The crew was organized by EarthCorps and included volunteers from Starbucks and elsewhere who worked on planting trees and clearing out invasive ivy and blackberry vines. See a post and photos at the City Year Seattle Blog.
Klara Glosova of NEPO House tells us,
This is the first installment in our brand new NEPO Little Treats series of exhibitions at NEPO House. We will present a series of monthly shows that will focus on presenting new work by individual artists and small group shows. In order to avoid moving too much furniture the shows will take place only and entirely in our entry room. The openings will take place on the first Saturday of a month from 6 to 8 p.m. (with optional movie screenings afterwards).
NEPO House regular open hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays 12-2 p.m. and by appointment.
NEPO House is located at 1723 South Lander Street.
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The Station will be hosting a Super Bowl watching event on Sunday, February 6. Owner Luis promises “beer, wine, mimosas, sangria and much much more!!” The Station is located at 2533 16th Avenue South, just north of Beacon Hill Station.
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A public meeting is planned for Monday, February 7, to update the community on the city’s plans for a transitional encampment for homeless people and listen to neighborhood feedback. The meeting will include Deputy Mayor Darryl Smith and staff from the Department of Planning and Development, Human Services Department, and Seattle Police Department.
The meeting will be from 6:30-8:00 p.m. on Monday, at the Seattle Department of Transportation Sign Shop, 4200 Airport Way South.
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Jumping ahead to next weekend, local resident Tess Martin, who lives near the library and Stevens Place/Triangle Park, is hosting a neighborhood potluck on Saturday, February 12. If you’re interested in attending, please email tessmartin@hotmail.com for the exact address and time. Tess writes, “Come meet your neighbors! February 12 also happens to be Neighbor Appreciation Day according to the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, so that’s another reason to attend besides, of course, the good food and conversation you will no doubt encounter.”
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You may want to save the date for these other upcoming events:
More information about these events will be posted in the blog soon.
(Changes have been made to the meeting agenda since our post last week. — Ed.)
The North Beacon Hill Council meeting tomorrow night will include updates on the activities of Beacon Hill merchants, pedestrians, cyclists, and artists, as well as the organization of a Festival Street committee.
Here’s the complete agenda:
- 7:00 Hellos and Agenda
- 7:05 El Centro de la Raza: Discussion of funding received, temporary parking on South Lot (advisory vote needed)
- 7:25 Formation of NBHC Committee to oversee Festival Street Events
- Suggested membership includes representatives from NBHC, El Centro, Beacon Arts and Beacon Merchants’ Association
- Suggested committee tasks include determining dates of use, who will do advertising, types of events, ground rules for use of Street, who is responsible for key to bollards
- Committee will need to meet ASAP in order to establish above, work closely with Shawn Marvin re: Festival Street permit
- 7:40 Community Updates (5 minutes each)
- Beacon Peds and Bikes, Devon Barton
- Beacon Hill Merchants, Robert Hinrix
- Beacon Arts and survey of community needs, Betty Jean Williamson
- 8:00 Steve Louie, Neighborhood Coordinator: Large Fund, Neighborhood Appreciation Day, new alignment of Neighborhood Coordinators
- 8:10 South Precinct Police Dep’t report: Devon Barton
- 8:20 Other Community Concerns/Events
- 8:30 Treasurer’s Report: Warren Yee
- 8:35 Approval of Minutes: Chris Bailey
- 8:40 Formal NBHC Meeting adjourned. Executive Board Meeting follows: Votes needed on parking at El Centro, Festival Street Committee membership
Upcoming Meetings
(Stay tuned for more info about these meetings on the blog — Ed.)
- Monday, Feb. 7, 5:30: Seattle Sign Shop, Airport Way, Homeless Encampment Update
- Monday, Feb. 14, 5:30: Love Your Bike with Willie Weir, Beacon Hill Library
- Tuesday, Feb. 15, 5:30: Mayor McGinn Town Hall, Jefferson Park
- Saturday, Feb. 19: Community Input Meeting on Proposed Development, El Centro de la Raza, time to be announced
- Tuesday, Feb. 22, 6:30: Joint SE District, Greater Duwamish Council Meeting
The meeting is on Thursday, February 3, 7:00 pm, at the Beacon Hill Library, 2821 Beacon Avenue South. All are welcome.
Thanks to Judith Edwards for the info!
El Centro de la Raza is seeking permission from the city to open a parking lot south of the El Centro building until the land on that site can be developed, and is asking neighbors to support this proposal.
A January 31 letter from El Centro’s Estela Ortega (read the full letter here) to the Beacon Hill community requests support for a temporary parking lot in El Centro’s south lot, adjacent to Beacon Hill Station. The proposal is for 80 public parking spaces, to “help generate much needed revenue to support (El Centro’s) programs and mission during these difficult economic times.” The letter goes on to describe potential benefits to the neighborhood including security improvements, access to Link Light Rail and neighborhood businesses, hosting of mobile food vendors, and parking for Festival Street events.
Currently new parking lots are not allowed in light rail station areas. A current proposed land use amendment would allow interim parking use on lots that already have legally established parking near Mount Baker, Columbia City, Othello and Rainier Beach Stations, but the proposal says “Light rail parking would not be allowed within the North Beacon Hill station area.” However, though El Centro is adjacent to the station, it is not within the officially-defined “station area.” The land use amendment currently being considered would allow commuter and business parking on certain lots such as El Centro’s that are just outside the station area and already have existing parking.
You can give your opinion on the proposed parking lot at a hearing of the City Council’s Committee on the Built Environment on Wednesday, February 23 at 9:30 am in the City Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Avenue.
Ortega’s letter lists other El Centro items of note:
Also at El Centro:
These are some of the photos added to the the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr during January. Thanks to the many photographers who contributed this month! Your photos are welcome, too.
Tonight, January 28, the Southeast Seattle Senior Center is hosting Burgers, Bingo, and Brews, an evening of fun with bingo (for money!) and the aforementioned food and beverages from 6:30-9:30 p.m. There will be soft drinks, too. Admission is a $15 donation. The Center is at 4655 South Holly Street in Rainier Valley. Call SESSC at 206-722-0317 for more information.
Tomorrow, January 29, local grassroots project Got Green will launch “Women in the Green Economy,” a new project to learn from women in Southeast Seattle what they need and want from the “green movement” for themselves and their families. Volunteers will survey women in the New Holly neighborhood about their needs and priorities for the Green Economy. The project is funded in part by a Neighborhood Matching Fund award of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.
The project will launch with a reception at 10:00 a.m. at The Lee House at New Holly, 7315 39th Avenue South. At noon, volunteers will go out to collect surveys at various southeast Seattle sites. For more information, go here.
Also on Saturday, ROCKit space is holding a moving sale from 12 to 5 p.m. Betty Jean Williamson tells us “We have art supplies, office supplies, furniture, collectibles, music gear and reall cool stuff! We can use all the help we can get this weekend, Saturday-Monday, if anyone out there wants to give us a hand. Volunteers are very much appreciated. They might even get pizza! Call us at 206-323-7115 or email us at rockitspace@gmail.com for details.” ROCKiT space is, for now, at 3315 Beacon Avenue South.
And lastly, Saturday is also the day the Chinatown-International District celebrates the 2011 Lunar New Year (the year of the Rabbit). Our neighbors at the north foot of Beacon Hill will bring an expected 5,000 visitors to the area to enjoy cultural activities including calligraphy, Chinese yo-yo and games, and other activities throughout the district. Expect some streets in the ID to be closed all day, and potential heavy traffic in the area. (We recommend taking Link or the #36.)
The celebration will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hing Hay Park, Maynard Avenue South and South King Street.
(While you’re in the area, consider visiting the City Hall Open House a few blocks north at Fifth Avenue and Cherry Street, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.)
The North Beacon Hill Council meeting next Thursday will include updates on the activities of Beacon Hill merchants, pedestrians, cyclists, and artists, as well as the organization of a Festival Street committee.
Here’s the complete agenda:
The meeting is on Thursday, February 3, 7:00 pm, at the Beacon Hill Library, 2821 Beacon Avenue South. All are welcome.
Thanks to Judith Edwards for the info!