Beacon Hill public art website debuts
Learn to dance or to save money
Beacon Hill’s own Verity Credit Union is offering free credit and money management seminars. Both members and non-members of Verity are welcome to attend these seminars, at which a financial counselor will discuss credit reports, how credit scores work, and what you can do to raise your score. He’ll also cover money management techniques designed to help you save more and spend less. The bad news? The seminars aren’t here on the Hill, but at the Northgate branch on September 17, or all the way out in Lynnwood on September 16. Both seminars run from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. If you are interested, RSVP to Joe Lancaster at 206-315-6718 or JosephL@veritycu.com.
Library staff appreciation gestures planned for next week
“I received an e-mail from a parents’ group saying that several neighborhoods are starting up campaigns to welcome back the Seattle Public Libraries staff on Tuesday, September 8th with cards, pictures, thank yous, whatever saying how much we appreciate our neighborhood libraries and miss them when they’re gone.
“I’m planning on putting something up there on Monday, I hope others will join me!”
Public art abounds on Beacon Hill
Our first annual “Top of the Hill” survey is still open for a while yet, and we’re not releasing results until it closes, but there has been one fairly frequent answer that I’ve noticed. One of the questions is “What is your favorite public art on Beacon Hill?” and while most people do have a favorite, there has been a surprisingly large number of people who say they don’t know of any public art up here. While we may not have as much obvious public art as some neighborhoods, we do have a fair amount. (The number probably doubled with this year’s addition of the Link station and its multiple artworks.) Here’s a collection of images of some of the art we all enjoy on Beacon Hill.
Many of these photos are from the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr. Have any photos you’d like to share? You are welcome to contribute them to the pool.
Beacon Bits: Planes quiet down, neighbors speak up
* * *
The Seattle City Council is bringing a town-hall meeting to Southeast Seattle, from 6:30 – 8:30pm on Tuesday, September 22. The public are invited to attend this event, where Councilmembers will ask for feedback on light rail, crime and city services while also taking your questions. Questions at the event may be written or asked live on the microphone, or submitted in advance to counciltownhall@seattle.gov.
The meeting will be at the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club located at 4520 Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, just a couple of blocks north of the Columbia City Link light rail station. For information or questions, call 206-684-8805. Accommodations for a disability or translation services can be made in advance by calling Nancy Roberts at 206-684-8146.
* * *
After an August break, the North Beacon Hill Council will be meeting again this month. The meeting date is Thursday, September 10, at Beacon Lutheran Church, across the street from the library at 1720 South Forest Street.
Here’s the agenda:
- 7:00 Welcome
- 7:05Â Lyle Bicknell, Neighborhood Planning Update followed by Q & A
- 7:35Â Brian Dougherty, Seattle Department of Transportation – 15th Ave. Parking
- 7:50Â Goodbye to Eric Sano, Seattle Police Department
- 8:00Â Community reports and concerns
- Steve Louie, Neighborhood Coordinator (3 minutes)
- Neighborhood Planning Ad Hoc Committee (10 minutes – includes time to vote)
- Community concerns (10 minutes)
- Next month/announcements (7 minutes)
- 8:30Â Close
Â
Kimball PTSA receives $60,000 grant
$60,000 from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ Large Project fund was awarded to the Kimball Elementary PTSA “to create a global learning community by fostering inclusion and support, leadership development, and providing programs and classes for parents.”
The awarded funds will be matched by a portion of an additional $1.9 million in community matching (cash, volunteer labor, donated professional services, and donated materials).
Some program background from the news release:
The Department of Neighborhoods’ Large Projects Fund annually provides cash awards of up to $100,000 to neighborhood organizations committed to building a better community. The funding is matched by locally raised money, donated materials, and volunteer labor. The 2009 awards range from $28,000 to $100,000 and communities have pledged to match the city’s $1.3 million contribution with resources valued at nearly $1.9 million.
. . .
Since the program was created 21 years ago, the Neighborhood Matching Fund has awarded over $42 million with a community match of more than $64 million. Projects have involved nearly 65,000 volunteers who have donated over 400,000 work hours.
The full award news release (PDF) is here (linked from here). Other individual award recipients are in another PDF here, or at CHS, the Capitol Hill Seattle blog.
Thanks, CHS!
Top of the Hill: our first annual survey, open now
Summer’s almost over, and it’s time for the first annual Beacon Hill Blog “Top of the Hill” survey!
The survey lets you tell us what your favorite places are on the Hill, or, sometimes, your least favorite. Some of the questions are serious, some are frivolous, but the results should be entertaining, at the very least.
The survey will be open for two weeks. It will close on September 11. We’ll show you the results shortly after that.
The survey is open to anyone who lives or works or spends lots of time on Beacon Hill.
Go here to fill out the survey, and have fun!
Van Asselt playground project needs neighbor help
Keyunda Wilson at Van Asselt is trying to get a Neighborhood Grant to bring a play structure to Van Asselt Elementary @ the African American Academy.
To be eligible for the grant and to bring a community playground to this area we need 25% of the pledges to come directly from the neighborhood! I need to have pledged commitments by Friday the 28th.
Time is short: the 28th is tomorrow!
Ways you can pledge to help:
- With your time: join the Playground Committee, attend a planning meeting, help design the playground
- With materials: lending or buying tools and equipment, providing snacks for the builders
- With labor: paint or assemble the play structure
- With organizing: contact and recruit other people in the community who may be interested in the project
If you’d like to help, email Keyunda at krwilson@seattleschools.org or pwfowler@seattleschools.org with your name, address, phone number, and the number of hours you are willing to pledge and/or kinds of volunteer activities or items you can pledge. Or call 206-252-7500.
Libraries closed all week next week
Luckily, during this period, fines will not accrue and items will not come due. The crazy part is that even the functions that don’t require staff will be inaccessible for the week. This includes the spl.org website and book drops at branches — keep your books until they re-open after the 7th. Also, there will be no library-hosted meetings.
This last item impacts the September North Beacon Hill Council meeting, which will have to be moved and/or rescheduled. (We’ve not yet seen official notice of when or where, and the NBHC website does not say. The usual alternate location is the Beacon Hill Lutheran church at 18th and Forest. The official time, location, and agenda will be posted as soon as it’s available.)
Meet State Rep. Hasegawa & Two parks: clean up and construction
If you’re following the plight of our neighbors on the far-west side of the Hill with a portion of their view now interfered with by new power lines, or if you’d just like to have a word with State Rep. Bob Hasegawa, this note from Nick Papini (by way of Doug) may be of interest:
State Representative, Bob Hasegawa is going to tour our neighborhood this Friday, Aug 28th, at 1:00PM.
We have asked Bob to come to see first-hand what City Light and ST have done regarding the massive power lines on Stevens St, and along 14th Ave.
We are going to meet at my house (3017 12th Ave S) at 1:00PM. If anyone would like to attend, and either meet Bob for the first time, or get a chance to catch up with him, this is a good opportunity.
* * *
Craig Thompson is looking for a couple of neighbors to help wrangle a large number of expected volunteers working at Jose Rizal Park on Friday, September 11th:
Hi! September 11 is the fall King County United Way Day of Caring. For the past two years, large groups of employees from Microsoft and other businesses have come to Dr. Jose Rizal Park and other sites to improve our common spaces.
This year, we may have between 70 and 100 people volunteer at Dr. Jose Rizal Park, and so for the first time, I’ve got to admit I’m challenged. The two neighbors who’ve helped out so much in the past around this event have moved from Beacon Hill and aren’t available.
Is there someone out there who could help get a couple of groups started on projects in the off-leash area? It would be great if a few neighbors turned out to help. I’d like to begin setting up at 9 AM that Friday morning, Sept. 11 – the event runs from 10 AM to 2 PM.
The volunteers do the heavy lifting; most of what’s involved is laying out the tools, which we’ve purchased with grants, plus we’ll have some on loan. We’ll be making improvements to the entrance of the off-leash area terracing the slope along the east side of the park with materials already on site – the terraces will be planted later in the month by a smaller crew of volunteers.
Email Craig at catzero9@yahoo.com if you can help out.
* * *
Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle Public Utilities are hosting a Jefferson Park construction update meeting, 6pm, Tuesday, September 8th, at the Jefferson Park Community Center.
At the meeting learn about funding through the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program that the city intends to apply for and get an update on the construction at Jefferson Park.
The first part of the meeting will be dedicated to Jefferson Park construction update and the second half will discuss the application for federal and state funding.
All emphasis is mine.