Red, blue, and purple on North Beacon Hill
Crime Notes: Clueless caller could be casing
From the mailing list, Heidi from near 19th and Lander writes:
I think we might have been cased for a burglary. A 40ish black woman came to the door saying she was looking for a lost dog. When asked what the dog looked like, what it’s name was, or where she lost it, she could not answer any questions at all. Never looked us in the eye, just craned her neck looking around the house and past us. Very uncomfortable situation. She left quickly and as she walked down the steps and across the street, a big black SUV with 2 men in it pulled up to get her. When they noticed us watching them, they screeched off quickly down the street. Didn’t get a license number or great description because they rounded the corner and took off so fast.
She notes that the police think they were likely just wanting to see if anyone was home and checking out what sort of lucrative easy pickings might be inside to be burgled. Hopefully they’ve been scared off and won’t be back soon, but be aware of this now-common sort of ploy.
Neighbor-to-neighbor: Parking woes in the RPZ
Since 2003, I’ve parked my car in front of the house on the concrete area between the sidewalk and the street. There are two spaces and the curb is cut to allow car access to the area. The car doesn’t block the sidewalk. We considered this area a parking strip. According to the brochure left on my windshield, the City considers it a planting strip and it is illegal to park there.
I’m not the only person on our block to use this area for long-term parking. If I park on the street, I have to move my car every 72 hours–even if I have nowhere to go. I thought parking on the parking strip was responsible; I’m frustrated that it’s not allowed.
We chose this neighborhood in part because the location encourages and supports leaving the car at home. I walk to Red Apple and restaurants and we both take mass transit to work. We have cars because occasionally we need them–but rarely every 72 hours.
How does a law that requires every car in the city move every 72 hours encourage people to get out of our cars? How is parking in a paved area with curb cutouts worse than parking on the street?
Does anyone know the process for initiating changes in parking policy?
Time to vote: mail or drop your ballots by 8:00 pm 8/18
Tomorrow is election day! The only way to vote in the primary election is by completing the ballot you received in the mail. There will be no in-person voting for this election.
Every vote counts, so be sure to complete your ballot and turn it in before Tuesday, 8/18. This election decides who will move forward to compete in the November election for King County Executive, Seattle Mayor, and many other important positions.
No stamp? No problem! There are ballot drop boxes set up throughout the county for your convenience. Nearest to us are the boxes at the King County Administration Building, 500 Fourth Avenue, and the Southeast Neighborhood Service Center, 3815 South Othello Street.
Beacon Bits: foster fashion, home values, and music at the park
“Every other neighborhood I’ve checked has followed pretty much the same curve, but North Beacon Hill and Columbia City each have unique curves. They’ve settled into a flatter line where average house values are now just above values in Greenwood. The other exception about North Beacon Hill is that it flattened out in 2006. Maybe the start of the subprime meltdown was felt in the neighborhood first, or maybe it was buyers getting scared away by the giant blue walls, but either way we were spared the last gasp of superheated speculation. Either way, it totally bucked the trend.”
What does this mean? Perhaps the beginning of the much-heralded light rail-powered price increase? We don’t know, but it’s interesting.
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The cat adoptathon we mentioned the other day was a success! We’re told there were 15 kitties adopted. If you missed your chance to bring home a kitty, there will be another adoptathon on October 10 from noon to 3:00 pm at the Jefferson Community Center, 3801 Beacon Avenue South.
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Project Treehouse will feature local celebrities escorting 14 specially-styled foster kids down the runway on Wednesday, August 12, from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm at Treehouse, 2100 24th Avenue South. The event is aimed at raising awareness for Treehouse’s free Wearhouse store which serves nearly 3,000 foster kids every year by providing them with new and like-new clothing, school supplies, and other things that kids need.
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The Rainier Valley Post has some great pictures of last Saturday’s Jose Rizal Music and Arts Festival at Jose Rizal Park. We were unable to be there, but it looks like everyone had a good time and enjoyed some great music!
Give a kitty a good home this Saturday
Adoption prices range from $102 to $107, and include:
- Initial vaccinations
- Deworming
- Feline Leukemia testing
- Certificate for free health exam at local veterinarians
- Spay or neuter
- Microchip
- Two-year Seattle Pet License (if applicable)
Beacon Bits: Blue Scholars, Homework Helpers, and a School Board candidate
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On the flip side of “found”, Kazi the orange tabby cat has been missing from his home near the Jefferson Park golf course since Sunday. He may be wearing a blue “stinky cat”-labeled collar. If you’ve seen him, please contact his owner through this Craigslist posting.
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Dayna P writes with a question about organizing a trash pickup effort on her block:
Hi. I’m a neighbor on 13th Ave S by Maple Park and recently walked to a friend’s house on 12th Ave, towards downtown. I just couldn’t believe the amount of trash on the street… really awful! I’m wondering if anyone out there is interested in helping me organize a neighborhood trash pickup day. I’ve never done anything like this, so don’t know the best way to go about it. Anyone out there want to help get this going? Does anyone know if the city/parks dept has any programs that help this kind of effort?
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The Seattle Public Library is seeking Homework Helpers for the 2009-2010 school year. Homework Helpers assist elementary, middle and high school students with understanding homework assignments, developing study skills and learning approaches for solving math problems. English is a second language for the majority of the students. Homework Helpers are asked to assist students for just two hours per week throughout the school year, some time Monday through Thursday, between 4 and 8pm. Openings are available at many south-end branches, including the Beacon Hill branch. For more information and to request a volunteer application, please contact Anne Vedella, Volunteer Services Coordinator, at anne.vedella@spl.org by Friday, August 14. Interviews will take place in August. They’re also looking for “Talk Time facilitators” at the Beacon Hill branch — contact Anne about that, as well.
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Local south-end hip-hop duo Blue Scholars turns the music biz on its head: the band signs a label to distribute their album. (Sabzi from the band lives on Beacon Hill. Also, catch their CurrentTV video featuring footage around town, including a stop at Jose Rizal Park.)
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Some strange things are afoot on 14th. Kara on the mailing list wrote yesterday:
We seem to have some suspicious activity going on at 14th Ave S and S Nevada. There is a red Toyota Corolla that waits at the intersection for a “delivery” from someone on foot or in a black extended cab Toyota Tacoma. They make an exchange and away they go. We’ve seen it twice in the last month, most recently this evening (Monday) around 9pm.
I suspect that it is drugs. We have reported it to SPD. If anyone else sees these vehicles hanging around PLEASE report to 911.
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West Seattle Blog says the removal of the leaky membrane is complete at the Beacon Hill Reservoir.
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Three burglary suspects were caught (and one remains at large) following a break-in at a home in the 4100 block of 13th Avenue South on Friday, reports the SPD Blotter. That didn’t make much of an impact, however. Hazel mentioned on the mailing list and in a post on her blog about another break-in which occurred not too far away at her home, 20th and Spokane on Saturday. Any recommendations for security companies? The question has come up on the list since.
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Travis posted several interesting neighborhood-related blog entries over the weekend, including a firsthand account of attempted plant theft from the landscaping around the new Beacon Hill light rail station and the strange appearance of an SPU trailer near Daejeon Park.
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An apprehension at gunpoint (with photo of cops with guns drawn!) was posted by Laura at the Beacon Hill Bungalow blog.
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Cakespy discovers one of the many delicious pastries at Delite Bakery: a Turrón — via Monkey Around Seattle
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I wonder if we’ll see anything like this with our new Residential (or Restricted) Parking Zone: A comparison of what it’s like just inside and outside the RPZ near Swedish Cherry Hill from Central District News.
(Updated 8/5 to correct attribution. Sorry, Laura and Travis!)
DPD rep to preview neighborhood plan update proposals at August 20 meeting
Frederica Merrell of the North Beacon Hill Planning Advisory Committee, a group formed to address issues connected with the city’s intended revamp of the North Beacon Hill neighborhood plan, sends this status report regarding the committee:
Last call for innovative proposals for our neighborhood plan update! The City is still proceeding at a rapid pace to complete our update this fall. Our last community meeting with the City is coming up in September (date unannounced yet). If people want to get a general or specific recommendation on any topic in the plan, it needs to get to the City pronto.
A small group of folks from the diligent North Beacon Hill Planning Advisory committee met with Councilmembers Sally Clark and Tim Burgess and Lyle Bicknell (our man in the planning department) to talk about the process and next steps. There was a lot of baffling lack of clarity about dates and next steps. No notes from the last big meeting held in May have been provided to the community. It seems clear that DPD is making it up as they go along and is probably having a really hard time keeping up with their own timeline.
Continue reading DPD rep to preview neighborhood plan update proposals at August 20 meeting
Neighbors protest power lines; City Light responds
Neighbor Frederica Merrell recently sent a letter of complaint about the power lines to Seattle City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco, asking, among other things, “why didn’t they bring the power in from below and run the lines through the tunnel, putting them under the freeway instead of draping them in the open where they will face wind and weather?” and received the following response:
Thank you for your note about the electrical service upgrade in Beacon Hill.
Seattle City Light installed an additional set of power lines to provide service for Sound Transit’s light rail trains, electrified buses and growing energy needs in the Rainier valley. The utility spent about three years reviewing possible routes and designs to deliver this needed service upgrade. While we try to limit the impact of such projects on the surrounding neighborhoods, safety for residents and our workers, reliability of the electric supply, and cost are important considerations as well.
Continue reading Neighbors protest power lines; City Light responds
Meet your neighbors at a Night Out Block Party on Tuesday
If you haven’t registered your party with the police department yet, you can still do so until 9:00 am today. Registration materials are here. Of course, you can have a celebration with your neighbors whether you register or not, but to have the street closed, and for the firefighters to bring their truck by for the kids to check out, you’ll need to register your block party.
These are the block parties we have been made aware of this year. Are you having one that isn’t listed here? Please post about it in the comments.
- Mid-Beacon Hill Block party on South Brandon Street between 20th Avenue South and 21st Avenue South. If you would like to attend, please email Katrina at katrina.thompson@gmail.com
- Join the neighbors from the north side of 15th Avenue South on the cul-de-sac on 15th and Massachusetts, right across the North Beacon Hill P-Patch. Please bring your own drinks, chairs, and a dish for the potluck. “We will have plenty of music, neighbors, and fun. We hope to meet more of our neighbors. Thanks.”
- “We’ll be hosting a night out event on South Snoqualmie Street, just west of 11th Avenue South. Come on out!”
- There is a block party on the 4200 block of 14th Avenue South between South Nevada and South Oregon, 6:30 pm — 10:00 pm. “What people are encouraged to bring: Small Grill, Chairs, Food (Meat, Veggies, Fruit, Desert, etc…), and smiling faces. We’d love to invite folks from all over Beacon Hill, so it doesn’t matter if you’re from our block. Come on out!”
- A block party will be between Judkins and Atlantic on 13th Avenue South, in a shaded area with several barbecues and room for kids to play. “Please feel free to drop by if you live in the neighborhood.”