Category Archives: Health and Safety

Health and Safety, Local Events

Blood drive seeking Asian donors

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Blood donors, particularly Asian blood donors, are being sought by the Puget Sound Blood Center. Photo by Casualty.
Blood donors, particularly Asian blood donors, are being sought by the Puget Sound Blood Center. Photo by Casualty.
Nikanne Nietzsche with the Puget Sound Blood Center writes:

Greetings! We need your help to build up the Asian volunteer blood donor population in Western Washington. For every 22 Caucasian donors we only obtain 1 Asian donor. In Western Washington, for every 22 Caucasians, there are 4 Asians. We are really 75% lacking in our potential Asian blood donors in this area. Lets get organized and build up the Asian commitment for blood donors!

Successful blood drives START with getting the word out.

IT’S THE SIMPLEST WAY TO HELP! Please Donate Blood:

SATURDAY, JULY 25
BLAINE MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
3001 – 24th Ave S. Seattle, WA 98144

For information and appointments, please call Heidi Wong at KIN ON 206-721-3630 Ext 126 or hwong@kinon.org

Donation information sheet (PDF)

Clean and Green, Crime, Health and Safety, Local Business

Mailing list minutes: Fruit trees, vacant space, and disappearing mail

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Some recent activity on the neighborhood mailing list:

  • Jon Gould is looking for a tenant for the 2200 square-foot (1100 upstairs, 1100 downstairs) space at 3315 Beacon Avenue South formerly occupied by Buggy (opening today in Madrona, by-the-way, with an opening party on the 11th). He’s asking for $1300/month in rent. Email Jon for further details.
  • Jon also notes that The Stranger‘s Christopher Frizzelle is looking to speak with people who have experienced Sound Transit-related sinkholes.
  • Several neighbors have discussed outdoing mail thefts, including the pilfering of bill payment checks, in the northerly areas near 16th Ave S recently. Shea Bajaj (of Viridian Design, an architect with an interest in building Detached Accessory Dwelling Units) passes on some information he received from his postal carrier: If you’ve suspect or have experienced mail theft, contact your local postal inspector. Additionally, through the same contact, you can lodge a request that recently removed blue postal drop boxes be replaced and/or petition for the establishment of a neighborhood postal collection unit like newer townhouse complexes have.
  • Hazel points us to a new website cataloging fruit trees around town: City Fruit. For more information, see the project’s home site. Relatedly, Theresa points us toward the Community Fruit Tree Harvest project from Solid Ground, a program looking for donations of tree fruit. They’re also considering fruit tree care classes and volunteer arborist services for donators. For more information, visit the website or contact Gail Savina.

If you’re not already on the mailing list, join here. It’s a great way to get recommendations from your neighbors for drywallers, plumbers, electricians, etc. or announce your garage sale or whatnot.

Thanks Jon, Theresa, Hazel, Shea, and everybody else on the lists!

Getting Around, Health and Safety

Rollover accident at Beacon & Spokane

Photo by Joel Lee
Photo by Joel Lee
Earlier this evening, around 8pm, there was a radio report of a blocking injury accident in the 3600 block of Beacon Ave S. We couldn’t make it out there to check it out ourselves, but Joel Lee did and sends in this report and photo:

As far as I can tell everyone is fine, but there was just a roll-over accident on the corner of Beacon and Spokane. They are still cleaning it up and traffic is moving through the area except for part of Spokane which is still shut down.

Thanks for the report, Joel!

Health and Safety

Door-to-door alarm system solicitors cause alarm

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Several neighbors on the mailing list have mentioned a small group of nervous young men going from door-to-door pitching GE alarm systems. They may just be inexperienced at their job, but their demeanor, lack of brochures and business cards, and hard-sell tactics are causing concern.

Sara from the mailing list mentioned she’d seen them a few years ago when she lived in Queen Anne, and that she’d learned they are BYU students recruited by an alarm company every summer for door-to-door selling.

Reports from Monday and Tuesday have placed them canvassing homes east of Beacon Avenue from 18th to 25th Avenue South.

Contacted via telephone, Tim Burdick of Burdick’s Security on Rainier Avenue relates that he’s received a number calls about these hucksters lately; they were also around Columbia City yesterday. He too mentions that they appear to be some sort of summer program hired by an out-of-area alarm company that hits the region every year.

One of these men actually jammed his foot in the door when the homeowner attempted to close it, according to a caller Tim had spoken to, and they had also mentioned they represented “Platinum Security”. Interestingly, the Beacon Hill Neighborhood Watch crimelog had a report Monday afternoon from 24th & Spokane: “Attempted burglary. White male posing as alarm installer tried to push his way into the house. White hat, blue jeans now headed east on So. Hanford.”

Some digging online turns up Platinum Protection, LLC based out of Orem, UT. A telephone representative confirmed that they do summer door-to-door sales nationwide. While they have a Seattle summer office, contact information for that office was not provided.

In any case, if you feel threatened or in danger, do call 911. Call in your complaints to Platinum Protection as well: 801-223-6500.

Update: They’re active all over nearby; this sounds like them in Hillman City, too.

Thanks to Alex, Joyce, David, Hazel, Ezra, Sara and Sandra from the mailing list, and also to Tim from Burdick’s Security!

Getting Around, Health and Safety

Sound Transit can’t avoid the voids

The Seattle Post Globe fills us in on the filling of an eighth “void” along the tunnel excavation route at 18th and Lander. Another potential void is also being examined at 17th as well. Crews are expected to complete investigation and repairs by May 22nd.

After the initial report of the sinkhole that rose all the way to the surface, subsequent voids were identified by reviewing records of excavation spoils for abnormally high readings originally attributed to mismeasurement, accuracy, or instrument calibration issues.

BHB reader Heidi wrote this morning about having seen crews working at these repair sites (and being a bit hesitant about answering questions) and pointed out the crumbling retaining wall nearby. Interestingly, in the Post Globe report Sound Transit spokesman Bruce Gray states no structural damage has been reported from these voids and that only a quarter-inch of settling has been measured, and none of that near the void sites.

Thanks Heidi!

Crime, Health and Safety, Local Events, Urban Planning

Parties, crime, and alcohol touched on at NBHC meeting

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The North Beacon Hill Council met tonight at 7 at the Beacon Hill library. Very briefly, here’s what went down:

  • Reps from DPD present talked about outreach and prep for the next planning meeting May 30th.
  • An ad hoc committee and an outreach subcommittee of the Neighborhood Planning Advisory Committee is seeking a six month delay in the DPD neighborhood planning process to get outreach to more of the community and focus more closely on neighborhood issues specifically instead of Southeast Seattle issues generally.
  • Beacon Mountain Playground is moving forward with phase 1 of the project.
  • An SDOT representative will be at the June meeting to provide an update.
  • Some background on the Sound Transit tunnel voids was given by Roger Pence. There are believed to be only two unfilled voids remaining and they are being actively worked on.
  • Some discussion of the pedestrian safety, zoning, and environmental issues around the new car wash occurred, leading into a proposal to form a committee to work on attracting additional businesses to the hill and a motion to write a letter to the DPD concerning the zoning conflict with the transit overlay area.
  • Police updates included notice that staffing hours will likely change soon, focusing more bodies during the times of day when they’re needed. Also brief discussion of car prowls, burglaries, graffiti, car accidents, prostitution, etc.
  • Asian Express’s liquor license renewal is mentioned to be coming up soon, and it may be an opportune time to work out a “good neighbor” agreement to reduce the sales of high-alcohol beverages.
  • Volunteers were sought to staff the NBHC booth at the Jefferson Park festival on June 6th.
  • Michael Richmond mentioned the possible upcoming city council and mayoral candidate forums this fall. Previous candidate forums are said to have been especially well attended here on the hill.
  • The Piñata Party will be on July 18th this year — the same day as the Sound Transit Link Light Rail grand opening. This may be both good and bad.
  • Newly elected board members:
    • Matthew Stubbs
    • Sara Hasan

Did I miss something or get something wrong? Let us know in the comments.

Getting Around, Health and Safety

Underground voids found, filled by Sound Transit

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In addition to the one that came all the way to the surface, the Seattle Post Globe reports Sound Transit has found an additional six underground voids above the bored tunnel on the East side of the hill. Six of the seven total found voids have now been filled with concrete at a cost so far of about $1 million. Keep an eye out for more shifting soil!

Update: KOMO reporter (and Beacon Hill resident) Travis Mayfield has a video report on this story.

Education, Health and Safety

Aki Kurose Middle School to close tomorrow due to swine flu outbreak

Aki Kurose Middle School and Stevens Elementary will be closed tomorrow (Friday) through Thursday, May 7. Two of the newest H1N1 flu cases are students that attend those schools. Madrona K-8 was already closed until next Wednesday because of an earlier flu case. Seattle Schools recommends these tips for students of closed schools:

“To avoid spreading infection, students should not gather outside of school during the week that school is closed. If students or staff do become ill, avoid contact with others and remain at home from work and school either for 7 days after illness starts or for a full day after the illness is over, whichever is longer. If your symptoms are more severe, call your health care provider to discuss if you need to be seen and evaluated, and tell them about the school closure for swine flu.”

Public Health – Seattle and King County has a page set up to provide up-to-date information about the flu outbreak.

Crime, Health and Safety

Neighbor warns about disturbing activity

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Neighbor Melissa writes to warn us about a disturbing occurrence in which a local 13-year-old was frightened by a man who was acting strangely:

She told me there was a guy circling the block gesturing and smiling at her. I was walking my dog with another neighbor, and while we were waiting a car came around the corner. The driver was cruising slowly in the middle of the road, looking right at the young woman. When I waved at him, he looked at me and waved back, then accelerated and drove away.

Both my neighbor and I thought his behavior was strange, and the young woman was fairly distraught. She said she’d seen him around the library and the gas station/convenience store on Beacon (used to be the C&C…what is it now?) and he always made her and her friends nervous.

I called the police non-emergency number & reported the incident and the license number. So did the other neighbor. The police said the plate number matched an SUV–but that’s not what this guy is driving.

Melissa adds, “Please let people know to watch out for a creepy middle aged guy cruising the ‘hood in a maroon-ish sedan-type car. Scratch that–look out for creeps in general. Tell your kids and the neighbor kids to tell an adult and/or contact the police if they’re scared. Go over the standard stranger-danger stuff.”

Getting Around, Health and Safety

Sinkhole develops over light rail tunnel

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The P-I reports on a sinkhole that appeared at 18th and Lander above the northbound light rail tunnel. Numerous trucks delivered fill material today to solidify the 18-inch hole that widened as it descended. Sound Transit is monitoring the area for any further problems.

(Edited: An earlier version of this post said that the sinkhole developed “due to Sound Transit construction.” The cause of the sinkhole has not been determined.)