All posts by Wendi Dunlap

Editor of the Beacon Hill Blog.
Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Halloween, Election Day, and Friday night music

It's that time of year again -- time for all little ghosties to celebrate Halloween! Photo by Paul Sapiano via Creative Commons.
Seattle Parks and Recreation is hosting Halloween events for kids at our local community centers on Beacon Hill.

Jefferson Community Center will have a Halloween Howl and Carnival on Friday, October 22 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, with games, goodies, prizes, a haunted house, and more. Costumes are optional, but encouraged, and the event is for children of all ages. Admission is free but carnival tickets are 25 cents each. The JCC is also holding a Toddler Trick-or-Treat day on Thursday, October 21 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. The little ones can dress up, play games, then enjoy “tot time” in the gym. The toddler event is $2 per child. For more information, call 206-684-7481. Jefferson Community Center is located at 3801 Beacon Avenue South.

Van Asselt Community Center is hosting a Fall Harvest Festival for kids up to age 12 on Friday, October 29, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. They tell us it’s a “safe evening of games and goodies.” Kids can celebrate by wearing costumes and bringing a goodie bag or basket (optional). There is no fee for the event. Van Asselt Community Center is located at 2820 South Myrtle Street. For more information, call 206-386-1921.

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Live and local music is coming to Tasha’s Bistro Café on Friday nights, organized by Beacon Music (the folks behind this summer’s Beacon Rocks! music series).

Performances are every Friday night at 7:30 pm. Families are welcome. There is no cover charge. The first performance is October 22, with Jack LeNoir and Betty Jean playing jazz standards, eclectic rock and original music.

Performers who would like to perform at Tasha’s should contact Betty Jean at beaconrocks@gmail.com. Tasha’s Bistro Café is located at 2524 Beacon Avenue South.

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Sustainable South Seattle (S3) is hosting a Climate Co-op Workshop to share ideas about how we can work together as a community to save money, improve our neighborhood and do our part to take care of the planet for our children. Guest Speakers at the workshop include Deputy Mayor Darryl Smith, Brooks Kolb, Michael Murphy, and others.

The forum is on Wednesday, October 20, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Southside Commons, 3518 South Edmunds Street in Columbia City, just a block and a half away from Columbia City Station. Please RSVP to climate.coop@gmail.com. If you need language assistance please say which language within the email. Childcare will be available.

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The NAMSAYIN Beacon Hill shirts sold out on Sunday at Deli. You can see some of the happy buyers here, including BHB‘s own Jason. Stay tuned to the blog for some shirt giveaways, once we come up with a good contest idea or two!

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Laura Feinstein writes,

I’m hoping you will post a request to our south end neighbors to consider applying for a position on one of the citizen advisory committees that that city hosts. I am a member of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee and I am the only member from the south end of Seattle (south of I-90). Our part of the city is very under-represented. This is a way to weigh-in on key city decisions.

Application information is here and if you miss the October 15 deadline, send your application anyway… they will likely consider late applications.

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Speaking of civic responsibility, ballots for the General Election should be arriving in your mailbox any day now. Please vote thoughtfully, and don’t forget to mail the ballot in before it’s too late!

Nice shoes! Photo by Theresa Thompson via Creative Commons.
Meetings, Urban Planning

Town Center Action Team meeting this weekend

The North Beacon Town Center Action Team meeting has been shifted to an earlier time than our original announcement stated. It’s now scheduled from 9:00 am to noon this Saturday, October 16, at Beacon Lutheran Church, 1720 South Forest Street.

The meeting’s objective is to confirm the process for the action team’s work, and review and refine draft concepts for the North Beacon Urban Design Framework.

Here’s the draft agenda sent to us by Lyle Bicknell from the Department of Planning and Development:

  • 9:00 Introductions
  • 9:10 Outline of the Day (Lyle Bicknell)
    • Review schedule and approach to the action team’s work
    • Overview of Urban Design Framework
      • What it is and isn’t
      • Basic elements to address in N Beacon
  • 9:40 N Beacon Opportunities and Perspectives (10 minutes each)
    • Sara Robertson, Transportation issues/opportunities.
    • Sound Transit (tent)
  • 10:00 Town Center Walking Tour
  • 11:00 Breakout Groups
    • List of questions designed to take the community members to make recommendations taking the earlier panels/sessions into context. (Small group facilitation)
  • 11:45 Report Back
  • 12:00 Next Step/Next Meetings
Volunteering and Giving

Your new baby can help kids at BHIS

Neighbor Shelly Bates sent us a plea from Beacon Hill International School. Are you the parent of a new baby? Then read on for a way to help the kids at BHIS by being part of the Roots of Empathy program:

Are you a proud parent with a new baby?

Will your baby be 2-4 months old in October?

You and your baby could be a “Roots of Empathy Family”!

“Roots of Empathy” is a program that we are using for the 3rd year at BHIS. This year it will be in the 3rd grade.

The program’s aim is to increase a child’s ability to understand another person’s feelings (increasing empathy). This helps children learn to care and respect each other and contributes to less bullying and aggression.

What does a Roots of Empathy Family do?

  • A mother and/or father visits a classroom about 30-40 minutes each month until June (9 times).
  • The program helps children to learn about a baby’s needs and how babies develop. It lets children observe the loving relationship between a parent and baby.
  • Roots of Empathy families are volunteers.
  • The instructor will explain to parents what the class will be talking about each month and will lead all the lessons.
  • Parents are asked to talk about the baby and answer any questions the students may have.
  • Families are asked to make a commitment for the whole school year.
  • Only a parent can bring their baby to a classroom visit.

For more information, contact Markos Weiss, BHIS counselor, at 206-252-2702. You can also find out more about the Roots of Empathy program here and here. Here is a set of photos of the parents and babies in the program in 2009.

Getting Around

Lane closure on Rizal Bridge today

Today, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will close the right lane southbound on the Dr. Jose Rizal Bridge to conduct a routine inspection of the bridge. The closure will begin at 9:00 am with the lane reopening for traffic no later than 2:30 pm. The western sidewalk adjacent to the closed lane will remain open.

One lane will be closed on this bridge today so this nearly 100 year old bridge can undergo an inspection. Photo by Bridget Christian in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool.
Clean and Green, Meetings

Jefferson Park Food Forest planning meeting Thursday

The Jefferson Park Food Forest project group is having a planning meeting this Thursday, October 14, at 6:00 pm at the Beacon Hill Library, 2821 Beacon Avenue South. Everyone is welcome.

Here is an announcement and status report sent to us by project organizer Glenn Herlihy:

The good news:

Recently we were awarded a grant from the Department of Neighborhoods to hire a designer and begin the design process. In the near future everyone will be invited to participate in several design workshops. These will offer great opportunity for community members to learn about urban agriculture and permaculture methods in particular. We plan on designing a garden lush with fruit and nut trees, abundant with native edible perennials and patches of vegetables, gathering places and play areas all intertwined with walking and biking paths. A garden that will add to the beauty of Jefferson Park and honor the intelligence of our community.

We believe community gardening provides not only an inexpensive access to organic produce but great exercise for the whole family. Its a full mind and body workout with fruits to eat in the end. Not only that it builds community and creates a foundation for food security among all living things. We are working very hard to see that our neighbors and others have access to healthy nutritious food. This is not easy but our elected officials are catching on and have made great efforts to support projects like The Jefferson Park Food Forest. We thank and congratulate them, and will work to encourage their continued support of urban agriculture.

Continue reading Jefferson Park Food Forest planning meeting Thursday →

Local Events

Rummaging and planting among this weekend’s activities

Beacon Hill can always use more trees like this. Volunteers will plant trees on Columbian Way this Sunday. Photo by go-team in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.
A few events this weekend (and Monday) we would like to remind you of:

As always, you can keep up with Beacon Hill events on our Events page.

Meetings

North Beacon Hill Council to meet Thursday

The North Beacon Hill Council monthly meeting is at 7:00 pm, Thursday, October 7, at the Beacon Hill Library community room, 2821 Beacon Avenue South. Everyone is welcome. As a reminder, you are part of the council when you attend your first meeting, and you have voting privileges when you attend your second.

Here is this month’s agenda:

  • 7:00 Welcomes and Introductions
  • 7:05 Presentations by Community Groups (Five minutes per group)
    • Beacon Avenue/South Forest Street Planting Project – Matt and Sara Stubbs
    • Beacon Hill Business Association – Robert Hinrix or representative
    • Beacon Hill Pedestrians/Bike Committee – Dylan Ahern or representative
    • Beacon Rocks! Festival – Paul Ray or representative
    • Jefferson Park Food Forest – Glenn Herlihy or representative
    • Jefferson Park Playground – Freddie Merrell or representative
    • Jefferson Park Reservoir Gatehouse Historic Designation – Mira Latoszek*
    • Lewis Park Re-Forestation – Dee Dunbar and Vinh Nguyen*

    *These groups have asked for letters of support by the Council and will be given extra time on the agenda.

  • 7:55 Vote to approve submitting Council letters of support for Gatehouse Historic Designation and Lewis Park’s Parks Opportunity Fund Grant
  • 8:00 Steve Louie, Neighborhood Coordinator and Judith Edwards, Chair – City Budget Cuts: Loss of neighborhood service center, cuts to Neighborhood Matching Fund, impacts and strategies
  • 8:10 Upcoming Meetings and Events
  • Saturday, October 16, 9:00 – 12:00, Beacon Lutheran Church:
    Small group action planning for our town center. This link allows you to review the areas prioritized at the Mercer Middle School open-house earlier this summer.
  • Other announcements
  • 8:15 Executive Board Meeting/Closure

The next NBHC meeting will be held Thursday, November 4, at 7:00 pm.

The Joint Greater Duwamish District Council/Southeast District Council meeting is Wednesday, October 27, at 7:00 pm at the Rainier Community Center, 4600 38th Avenue South in Columbia City. Stella Chao, Executive Director of the Department of Neighborhoods and a representative from the City Budget Office will take questions and input on the Mayor’s proposed 2011-12 budget and the cuts which are proposed for the Neighborhood Service Centers and Neighborhood Matching Fund.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Classes, workshops, and work parties

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Starting today and running through the 15th, the Goodwill Job Training and Education Center, just below the north tip of Beacon Hill on Lane Street, will register people for free classes in the eight-week session that runs from October 18 through December 9.

Classes include a Retail and Customer Service Training Program, Community College 101, the National External Diploma Program, and Adult Basic Education classes covering English, computers, reading, writing, math, and cashiering.

Additional classes may be available. For class availability and enrollment information, call (206) 860-5791.

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The performance space at Art's on Beacon. Photo by Wendi.
ART’s on Beacon is hosting a Culture Forum Acting Workshop from October 11 through December 19, for “actors and non-actors alike focusing on the healing aspects of performance.” Workshop participants will have the opportunity to share their work in a three-night performance to be held at the ART’s on Beacon theater.

Workshop participation is limited. Workshop sessions will run Mondays through Thursdays from 6:30 through 9:30 pm. For more information, contact Michael Perrone at 206-861-6260 or email him at egodd1@msn.com.

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There are a couple of volunteer work parties scheduled on October 10 to improve local parks. We previously posted about the Maple School Natural Area Invasive Species Removal and Native Planting work party from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm on Sunday. Find out more about that event and RSVP at the website.

Elsewhere on the Hill, the Friends of Lewis Park are also holding a work party at the same time on Sunday. The work will involve planting native trees and shrubs, and removal of invasive plant species such as English Ivy and Himalayan Blackberry. Afterwards, the volunteers will gather for a celebratory party. To find out more and RSVP, see the website.

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Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 16 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm for a North Beacon Town Center Action Team meeting at Beacon Lutheran Church, to help plan the North Beacon Urban Design Framework for the Town Center. We will post more about the meeting as the information becomes available.

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Today NAMSAYIN will announce the release date, time, and location of the “Know Where You Came From” shirt we posted about the other day. Keep an eye on namsayin.com for the announcement. In the meantime, though, you might enjoy this homage to Beacon Avenue and the “ghetto limousine.”

Photos

Recent photos in the BHB photo pool

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These are some of the photos recently uploaded to the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr. Do you have any photos of the Hill? You are invited to add them to the pool, for possible publication here on the blog.

Josephine enjoys the playground at Jefferson Park. Photo by tkml79.
The new crosswalk was recently completed in front of the library. There are small flashing lights embedded in the crosswalk that activate when people walk between sensors on either side of the street. Photo by Wendi.
Klara Glosova's Oily Pelican sculpture was one of the artworks seen at the latest NEPO art event. Photo by Dan Bennett.
A political statement recently seen among other posters on Beacon Avenue. Photo by Wendi.
Getting Around

Lucile Street Stairway closed for repairs

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The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) reports that they have temporarily closed the public stairway that runs between 18th Avenue South and 20th Avenue South at South Lucile Street, through the greenbelt east of Cleveland High School. During the next two months, SDOT crews will rebuild a lower portion of the stairway which does not meet current standards. A pedestrian detour is in place.


View Lucile Street Stairway in a larger map