Local Events

5/18: Food Forest work party and communal soft sculpture art project

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bff_logo-web_full_webThe Friends of the Beacon Food Forest have sent out an announcement of an upcoming work party and communal art project, along with some status updates about the project. Read on:

Community Work Party and Communal Soft Sculpture Art project

When: Saturday May 18th, 10am- 2pm

Where: BFF Site, 15th Ave S and S. Dakota St

What: Family farm and art event all people welcomed and appreciated. We’ll be doing a variety of farm building projects suitable for all ages. Some of the tasks we’ll do are: organize the plant nursery and repot larger plants, fill in the hose bib and irrigation trenches, build more forest floor by sheet mulching, plant beneficial plants around our trees, broadcast some seeds, build retaining walls for the P-Patches, build community and share a meal.

Dress appropriately for the weather, wear sturdy shoes and bring your work gloves. We need tools and wheel barrows. Please bring an item of clothing to donate to our community sculpture project, see description below.

Food: There will be a Biochar stove demonstration that will cook some pizza for lunch and create nutritious soil amendment at the same time. Never heard of a Biochar stove? come by on the 18th and check it out. We’ll also have pasta and sauces, bread etc and hopefully some desserts if anyone offers to make some. If you contribute a food item lunch is on us, for all others we ask 2$ suggested donation. Please contact Judi at foodforestvolunteer@gmail.com if you have questions.

BFF Fence Line Clothing Project and You
Community Fabric Sculpture Project

We would like to turn our construction fencing into a soft sculpture symbol of community power. Please bring one or more items of clothing to donate to the May 18th Work Party to decorate the fence.

Strung up on a long fence, long sleeve shirts will look like they are holding hands, pants will be their legs, and hats may be their heads. Farmer’s overalls and uniforms are one complete package. Long sleeved children’s clothing will look like they are holding and swinging from the arms of their family. We would love to see over 100 linear feet of community cloth decoratively surrounding the BFF.

And we share, if you are walking by and need a little more warmth (or style baby) you can gather it, you can practice your Beacon Food Forest ethical harvesting skills!
Please bring at least one, ARTicle of clothing to decorate/donate to your fence as a massive symbol of community support. If you have sturdy safety pins bring those too we’ll also have some. This is a temporary installment but hopes to be effective while up. All clothes will be donated to Goodwill when they come down. Questions about this project contact glennherlihy@speakeasy.net.

BFF Quick Updates:

  • Juniper Timber ADA bed retaining walls are complete. Thank you Timber Team.
  • Lower bench food forest area water system is up and running. Thank You Irrigation Team
  • Two Bee Hives have been installed by our bee keeper Bob Redmond. Bee Keeping workshops coming soon. Thanks Bob
  • UW Design build program is building our gather plaza structures off site to be installed late May early June. Thank You UW
  • Sign Project is progressing beautifully, soon we will have a world class self guided tour of the scientific and social benefits of food forestry on site.
    Thanks Molly and Mathew of mdml.co
  • Steering Committee (SteerCo) is working hard on governance and guiding principles. Go Steerco!
  • Site Development Committee meets every Tuesday at the BH Library 6:30pm. Absolutely persistent power!
  • We are continuing to experience country wide media attention and massive Face Book participation.
  • BFF is positive change, by acting local and effecting the global. Remember that bumper sticker? you are achieving it.
  • Next work party June 15th.
Local Events

Mother’s Day parade marches on Saturday, 5/11

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We don’t get a lot of parades on Beacon Hill, but this Saturday, May 11, a Mother’s Day parade will start at Stevens Place Park (otherwise known as the triangle park) at 2 p.m. and parade for about six blocks, ending at Roberto Maestes Festival Street next to Beacon Hill Station.

According to the organizers, the parade is all-ages fun, with this message:

Honor moms and highlight the need for:

  • Comprehensive state-funded childcare for working and poor families
  • End domestic violence – Free Marissa Alexander
  • Stop deportations – Keep immigrant families together
  • Increase funding for jobs, public schools, Social Security and human services
  • Tax the rich – End U.S. militarism

All who want to participate are welcome, and should gather at Stevens Place Park at Beacon Avenue South and South Stevens at 1:30 p.m. Bring strollers, tricycles, banners, signs and festive attire. The event will also feature an information fair, speakers, face-painting, balloons and music.

The parade is sponsored by Sisters Organize for Survival and the Pacific Northwest Alliance to Free Marissa Alexander. For more information, contact Helen Gilbert at (206)722-6057, or at Sis4Survival@gmail.com.

Health and Safety

“Love that dirty water”: Brown water reported on North Beacon

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Not very appetizing! Photo courtesy of Greg Martinez.
Not very appetizing! Photo courtesy of Greg Martinez.
Last Sunday we started getting tweets and emails about discolored drinking water in part of North Beacon Hill in an area including 18th and Massachusetts and 18th and College.

The water did clear up after some hours, but Andy Ryan at Seattle Public Utilities tells us:

Discolored water has been reported in recent days in some areas of Seattle, including Beacon Hill. A likely cause is testing of fire hydrants by the Seattle Fire Departments. The water is safe to drink, but it may be unappealing, so we recommend that you wait until it clears before drinking it.

The water should clear on its own. Try running the cold water for a few minutes to see if it is clearing or still discolored. If the water does not clear, let the water sit for an hour. Then run the water for a few minutes and flush the toilet a couple of times.

If your water remains discolored, please contact Seattle Public Utilities Customer Service at (206) 684-3000.

Meetings

NBHC meeting agenda revised

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The agenda for tonight’s North Beacon Hill Council meeting has been revised. Here’s the new agenda for the meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at the Beacon Hill Library:

  • 7:00-7:10 Introductions, Greater Duwamish Council and Department of Neighborhood updates, raffle sales
  • 7:10-7:25 Plaza Roberto Maestas update (Kate de la Garza)
  • 7:25-7:50 Red Cross Emergency Preparedness
  • 7:50-8:00 NBHC revised bylaws
  • 8:00-8:15 Nominate and elect new NBHC Board of Directors
  • 8:15-8:20 Raffle drawing
  • 8:20-8:30 Happening on the Hill/Community Calendar
    • Happening on the Hill: Mother’s Day Parade between Stevens Park and Festival Street May 11, Pacific Medical Center Tower rental, Food Forest, Jefferson Park playground, Beacon Hill Festival June 1, ROCKiT events (Beacon: Hill of Beans), Beacon Hill Merchants Events
  • 8:30-8:55 NBHC Board meets in Beacon Hill Resource Center (open to the public)
Lost and Found

Have you seen Buddy?

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Missing kitty Buddy looks like this famous Lolcat.
Missing kitty Buddy looks like this famous Lolcat.
Neighbor Jeannie writes:

“Buddy is gone! Buddy is a very large feral/stray/neighborhood gray male cat that has been fixed and had his ear clipped by the feral cat folks. He also has a non-fixed/clipped evil twin I have seen around. I haven’t seen Buddy for over a week now and I’m a bit worried. Last seen at the end of 17th Ave S (right before Swift/Albro bridge). Please email if you have seen him. His feral female sidekick is in my tub with her new babies and she misses him. (They all have homes when they are bigger! Woohoo!) She will be fixed and clipped when the babies are weaned. He looks like the lolcat (pictured right), but a bit scruffier.”

Recreation

Beacon Mountain to reopen soon

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Families enjoyed the Beacon Mountain playground when it was open last summer.
With the recent fine weather, a few neighbors have been wondering what’s up with the Beacon Mountain playground at Jefferson Park, and when it will reopen.

Andy Sheffer at Seattle Parks and Recreation says:

I have the fencing scheduled to be removed next Tuesday, May 14th. At that point the entire park will be open and the spray park will be in operation starting Memorial Day, 5/27/13 (Date when all spray parks open). The following work has been performed:

  1. Slope fortification
  2. Installation of curbs along pathways to prevent mulch from entering spray park system.
  3. Replacement of portions of concrete surfacing to enhance amt. of water re-circulated in the spray park.
  4. Mechanical enhancements to ensure smooth operation of spray park.
  5. Replacement of long open slide with a tubular slide.
  6. Installation of additional site furnishings.
  7. Installation of additional stepping stones in areas where desire paths appeared.

The following work is getting wrapped up this week.

  1. Installation of replacement safety surfacing associated with the installation of the new slide.
  2. Planting.
  3. General clean-up.

Please feel free to call me anytime at 206.423.1917 with any additional questions or concerns.

Meetings

Red Cross, El Centro, CenturyLink info at NBHC meeting 5/7

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The North Beacon Hill Community Council monthly meeting is this Tuesday, May 7, at 7 p.m. at the Beacon Hill Library. All interested neighbors are invited. Here’s the announcement with agenda from the NBHC:

Please support our community council and enter to win fabulous prizes including gift cards at Victrola, El Centro parking pass, Tippe & Drague and many more local businesses. The grand prize will be one free permit (and insurance) to use Roberto Maestas Festival Street. Proceeds support NBHC overhead for the Beacon Hill Resource Center and Roberto Maestas Festival Street.

Tickets: $2 each/3 for $5 (Buy tickets from any board member in the neighborhood or at the NBHC meeting).

Raffle drawings will be held at our May NBHC meeting and June Beacon ROCKS for the grand prize.

North Beacon Hill Council Meeting (NBHC)
Tuesday, May 7th at 7:00 p.m.
Beacon Hill Library

  • Red Cross will be presenting preparedness training
  • NBHC Bylaws & board elections
  • El Centro Plaza Roberto Maestas update
  • Pilot project to allow CenturyLink to build boxes in our neighborhood
  • Other neighborhood updates

Please refer to our website at www.northbeaconhillcouncil.org for further updates.

Crime, Lost and Found

Can you help find these stolen tools?

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Neighbor Nick writes:

“Hi, we live on the corner of 15th and Hinds and recently (last night?) had two toolbags stolen, and some cordless drills. They are Veto Pro Pac XL toolbags. One is filled with wood and metal-working tools, the other is mostly electrical tools. There is a Makita 18v lithium ion cordless drill as well. If anyone tries to sell you tools with purple and silver paint on them or with a ‘Q’ written on them, please call Nick at 206-718-7358. Thanks!”

Clean and Green, Local Events

Beacon: A Hill of Beans at Cinco de Mayo Saturday

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“Dragon’s Tongue” is one of the heirloom bean varieties available for sale through Beacon: A Hill of Beans. Photo by Andrea Parrish-Geyer via Flickr/Creative Commons.
Christina Olson of the Beacon Hill Garden Club writes:

If you wander over to El Centro Saturday afternoon to enjoy Cinco de Mayo, be sure to stop by the Beacon: A Hill of Beans booth under the big tent. We’ll have free seeds (purple pod pole beans and green bush beans) along with some advice to get you started.

Chat about plans to plant the 24 planters around the parking lot with heritage beans and create Beacon’s first public U-Pick! We are looking for planting help later in the month. And let us tell you about the plans to bedeck the Beacon business district with pots of scarlet runner beans (beware of low flying hummingbirds in these locations)

Finally, shop local with our selection of heirloom seeds (see www.beaconahillofbeans.org for varieties). Mother’s Day is May 12, and Father’s Day is June 16 and everyone loves an unexpected token of friendship, beautifully packaged in envelopes designed by Maura Shapley of local Day Moon Press.

Join us in making Beacon: A Hill of Beans in 2013!