Local Events

Things are happening this weekend

1 Comment

Don’t forget to check out the events page for information on the weekend’s activities!

Today:

Saturday:

Sunday:

  • Lewis Park work party, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Lewis Park, 12th Ave S and Golf Dr S. Come help plant native plants or do other chores in the restoration of the park. Tools, gloves, water and refreshments are provided.
Arts, Education, Recreation

Pottery classes start soon at JCC

These cute pottery critters were made by students in a previous class at Jefferson Community Center. Photo courtesy of Molly Hueffed.
Jefferson Community Center is offering pottery classes this summer in the skills of wheel throwing and handbuilding. The classes will include basic understanding and techniques of centering and throwing, as well as advanced 1-on-1 instruction.

Classes begin as early as next week, and enrollment is open now. Call 206-684-7481 for more information and to register, or register online by going to this website, clicking “Arts: Visual/Crafts,” and then “Pottery – Adult/Teen.” Classes are listed there for all community centers.

News, Urban Planning

City Light to remove tall pole, lines near 12th and Stevens

1 Comment
Utility poles in a row on S. Stevens St. Photo by Wendi.

Utility poles in a row on S. Stevens St. Photo by Wendi.

The power lines and tall poles that have concerned neighbors in the vicinity of 12th and Stevens will be changed starting next week. City Light crews will install new utility poles along S. Stevens St., as well as replacing the 71-foot pole at 12th Ave. S. and S. Stevens with a 55-foot pole. Additionally, one circuit of power cables will be moved underground to reduce view impacts in the area.

The work will begin on June 13 and continue until September.

The changes are the culmination of two years of discussions between Beacon Hill residents and City Light after a new power circuit was added to the Hill to support Link Light Rail and expected future demand. When the large poles and new wires went in, neighbors in the area of 12th and Stevens found the views from their homes were affected. Neighbors also expressed concern about the impact of the poles and power lines on the nearby 12th Avenue S. Viewpoint park. Over 100 neighbors signed a petition asking that the poles be removed.

Previous posts about the poles/power lines are here:

The power lines in question at 12th and Stevens. Photo by Wendi.

These power lines affect views for neighbors at 12th and Stevens. Photo by Wendi.


View S. Stevens St. power poles in a larger map. The blue line marks the location of the power poles on S. Stevens Street. The green area is the 12th Avenue Viewpoint park.

Neighborhood Pride, Other Neighborhoods

Beacon Hill vs. Ballard: the battle is on!

10 Comments

Publicola asked people from Beacon Hill and Ballard to explain “why their neighborhood is the best place to live in the city“ yesterday. Peggy Sturdivant, a columnist for the Ballard News-Tribune, represented the one-time neighborhood of bungalows and old Scandinavians that has since sprouted condos, townhomes, and trendy shops. Beacon Hill was represented by Craig Thompson, author of the Beacon Lights blog at seattlepi.com.

Both writers found many reasons to support their neighborhoods. Sturdivant bragged about Ballard’s farmer’s market, hospital, music venues, and sunsets, while Thompson touted Beacon Hill’s affordability, accessibility, diversity, and feeling of community, along with Jefferson Park and other green projects. (BHB would like to point out that one thing we have that Ballard will not be able to match for many years was overlooked — Link light rail.)

What do you think? We know which neighborhood we prefer.

City Services, Meetings

Input wanted on new directions for Community Centers

1 Comment
Jefferson Park Community Center. Photo by Wendi.
Seattle Parks and Recreation has been challenged by the City Council to re-think the way community centers should operate in this time of budget difficulties.

A citizen advisory team has worked for a while on developing new ideas for the operation of the centers, and now Parks would like to hear from residents in the wider community at two meetings, one at Bitter Lake in the far North End, and the other right here on Beacon Hill.

All are welcome to attend. The Bitter Lake meeting is on Wednesday, June 15, 7 – 8:30 p.m., at Bitter Lake Community Center, 13035 Linden Ave. N. The Beacon Hill meeting is the next day, Thursday, June 16, 7 – 8:30 p.m., at Jefferson Community Center, 3801 Beacon Ave. S.

A draft of the options that have been proposed so far will be available tomorrow, June 8, at all community centers and on the Seattle Parks and Recreation website. There will also be an online survey posted on the same website starting June 8 which you may fill out if you’re unable to attend the community meetings.

For further information, please contact Susan Golub at susan.golub@seattle.gov.

Local Events, Neighborhood Pride

A sunny day at the Beacon Hill Festival

2 Comments

The Beacon Hill Festival was Saturday, and this year the weather was great! Sunny and warm, but not too hot—it felt like we might actually get a summer this year after all. Here are a few photos of the day. Were you there? We’d love to see your photos, too. Please contribute them to the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr. Thanks to Furchin for contributing some wonderful photos!

Members of More of Anything, with their colorful ties. Photo by Furchin.
The audience enjoys More of Anything's performance. Photo by Wendi.
The Beacon Hill Music/ROCKiT space/Beacon Rocks! folks were cheerful, even near the end of the day. Photo by Wendi.
Cool drinks were a hot commodity. Photo by Wendi.
Checking out the silent auction. Photo by Wendi.
Children performing on the main stage. Photo by Furchin.
Health and Safety

Alcohol Impact Area proponents organizing

7 Comments
Seen one of these in the neighborhood? (This one is actually in Maryland.) Photo by Guy Schmidt via Creative Commons.
A group of North Beacon Hill neighbors have concerns about the impact of public inebriation on the neighborhood, and have started a drive to form an Alcohol Impact Area (AIA). There are currently AIAs in effect throughout much of downtown and the University District.

According to the Department of Neighborhoods website, local jurisdictions are given more time to review liquor license applications and renewals inside an AIA, and the jurisdiction may also request that the Liquor Control Board restrict stores in an AIA from selling certain types of alcoholic beverages that are linked to local chronic public inebriation problems. Sales may be restricted entirely, or the businesses may be limited in the hours they can sell beverages “to-go.” By “certain types,” the city currently means this list of products: wines such as Boone’s Farm, Night Train Express, MD 20/20, and Thunderbird; and beers/malt liquors such as Keystone Ice, Olde English 800, Rainier Ale, and Steel Reserve.

Neighbors in favor of the AIA are currently collecting photos of the impacts of public inebriation on the neighborhood—specifically, photos of littered cans and bottles of those beverages which are banned in Pioneer Square and downtown, but are sold legally here on Beacon.

For more information on the Beacon Hill Alcohol Impact Area Initiative, see their Facebook page.