Baja Bistro Bar

I hadn't been to Baja Bistro in months and months, so Tuesday was the first time I'd seen their new bar. Looks nice!

Help Improve the 36

I would be eternally grateful if Beacon Hill residents joined this board and advocated for much-needed improvements on the 36 route.

http://transit.metrokc.gov/up/announce/soundingboard.html

Metro Transit, Sound Transit seek advisory group members

Help form recommendations about bus service and connections to Link light rail

King County Metro Transit and Sound Transit invite you to apply to serve on a community advisory board.

Metro and Sound Transit are considering changes to bus routes in the I-5 south corridor and in areas served by Link light rail, which will begin service in the summer of 2009. Changes might be made to provide bus connections to Link stations from neighborhoods, to improve bus service frequency and coverage, and to avoid duplication of service.

The transit agencies are forming two community advisory groups, called Transit Connections sounding boards. One sounding board will be in southeast Seattle (Rainier Valley, Skyway, West Hill and nearby areas), and one will be in southwest King County (Burien, Des Moines, SeaTac, Tukwila and nearby areas).

The sounding boards will provide advice early in the planning process about what changes would be best for local communities. They will make recommendations to transit agency staff and elected policymakers.

Approximately 30 transit riders and other community members will be selected to represent a broad cross-section of people who live, work, or go to school in the project areas.

The sounding boards will meet together on September 4 and 11, 2008. Then the boards will meet separately from October 2008 through February 2009. The sounding boards will meet together in March 2009 to make recommendations.

Bus routes in the project area: Metro Transit routes 7, 8, 9, 14-South, 32, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 42, 48, 60, 106, 107, 126, 128, 140, 154, 170, 174, 175, 180, 190, 191, and 194; and Sound Transit routes 560, 574, 577 and 594
How to apply

To apply for membership on a sounding board, please complete the application below and submit it by Thursday, July 31, 2008
The role of sounding board members

King County Metro Transit and Sound Transit are committed to working with communities as we consider possible changes to transit service in southeast Seattle and southwest King County. Sounding board members will play an important role throughout the planning process by:

* Participating in sounding board meetings between September 2008 and March 2009.
* Attending additional public meetings hosted by Metro Transit in local communities.
* Reviewing communities' transit needs with staff and providing transit riders' perspectives.
* Working together with other sounding board members to arrive at consensus recommendations about changes to bus service.
* Rainier Valley/Skyway/West Hill Sounding Board Meetings
6:30-8:30 p.m. at a location in the Rainier Valley unless otherwise noted
o September 4 and 11, meetings to be held in downtown Seattle
o October 15, 22, and 29
o November 12 and 19
o January 28
o February 11 and 25
o March 5 and 12, meetings to be held in downtown Seattle
* Southeast King County Sounding Board Meetings
6:30-8:30 p.m. at Foster High School in Tukwila unless otherwise noted
o September 4 and 11, meetings to be held in downtown Seattle
o October 16, 23, and 30
o November 13 and 20
o January 29
o February 12 and 26
o March 5 and 12, meetings to be held in downtown Seattle

Transit Connections Sounding Board Application Form

Please note: Sounding Board members cannot be employees of King County, King County Metro, or Sound Transit. If you think you might have a conflict of interest, such as contract work with the county or Sound Transit, please consult with the King County Board of Ethics before applying: 206-296-1586, www.kingcounty.gov/employees/ethics.

Complete and send this application by Thursday, July 31, 2008.

For more information, please contact:

Sarah Luthens, community relations planner
206-684-1154 TTY Relay: 711
Fax: 206-263-3489
sarah.luthens@kingcounty.gov

King County Department of Transportation
201 S. Jackson St., KSC-TR-0824
Seattle, WA 98104-3856.

Kusina Filipina Mural

I posted some photos of this as a work in progress; now here's the finished work:

Fifth Sexual Assault This Month Near the Jungle

Yesterday a 21-year-old woman was beaten, choked until unconscious, and raped in the Jose Rizal dog park at the north end of Beacon Hill, by the Jungle. This makes at least the fifth sexual assault in this area this month. (See previous post.) Neighborhood activists are asking that women not visit the dog park alone at this time.

A work party is being held this Saturday, 6/28, at 9:00 to cut down some of the brush that allowed the perpetrator to hide until the victim was in close range.

No story on this has been posted at the P-I or Times yet; here is the Q13 story.

Beacon Solstice Bike Parade

Some North Beacon neighbors are having an informal little bike parade tomorrow. Sounds like fun:

Come have some summer fun at the Beacon Solstice Bike Parade and Potluck, happening on Saturday, June 21st, 4-8pm! We'll gather on the 1700 block of Forest, btwn. 17th and 18th, 1 block east of Beacon Hill Library. There will be potluck dining, bike decorating, face painting, bike parading and live music!

Bring your bikes and a potluck dish to share with a crowd. We'll have drinks and dessert available. In the interest of greener entertainment, bring your own plates and silverware to cut down on paper products (we'll have extras if you forget).

Beacon Hill Festival

It took longer than we thought to put a coat of paint on the baby's room, so we barely made it to the Beacon Hill Festival before it closed.



The silent auction was pretty quiet.



The gym was livelier, with the last dance performance of the day, by the Jefferson Community Center Breakdancers.











Outside they were serving burgers.



So I got one.



Rosso Nursery had a stand there.



Someone bought some Ceanothus from them, as I did a couple years back.





Coincidentally, we're painting the baby's room a similar color to this. We're having a girl, and we chose blue for her room. Not to be contrary or anything -- I just couldn't imagine hanging out in a pink, yellow, or green room. Plus, I think the cool blue will look great next to the orange-ish oak floor.





Does this seem harsh or reasonable? I can't decide.





After the festival, we went looking for a new dresser. Me looking pregnant at Chartreuse.



And at Inform.



We didn't find a dresser. But we did finish the last coat of paint in the room.

Beacon Hill Festival Today

Stop by the Jefferson Community Center between 11 and 4 today for the Beacon Hill Festival. I'll try to stop by and post some photos later if I finish my housepainting project in time.

You Have Until 6/11 to Comment on the Christian Restoration Center

You have about a week left to make public comments about traffic, parking, and environmental issues related to the development at the Christian Restoration Center. There will be at least one more design review meeting later on, but this is your one and only shot at raising concerns specifically related to traffic, parking, and other environmental issues associated with this large-scale project.



Submit your comments here: http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/luib/Notice.aspx?BID=319&NID=8153.

From a neighbor's e-mail about the situation:

As some of you may have noticed, the white sign is up at the former Christian Restoration Center building on 15th Ave, indicating the start of the 14-day public comment period (you may have also gotten a letter from the Seattle Dept. of Planning and Development regarding this). Based on what the DPD project manager told me (see below), we have until June 11 to comment on traffic, parking, and environmental issues from the project. This is the public's only chance to do so. At the prior meeting in March, it was clear that many in the neighborhood, while pleased with the general direction of the project, are concerned about the potential traffic congestion and parking problems from such a large complex, particularly at the bottleneck turning off 15th Ave S onto S Oregon St. Please let the DPD know your opinions by going to the following DPD link: http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/luib/Notice.aspx?BID=319&NID=8153.

And here's the DPD's e-mail about it:

The process will proceed as follows (give or take!):

*Report of the meeting will be published and sent to all that attended the Early Design Guidance meeting, 3/11;
*The applicants will move forward to MUP stage and submit full plan sets and a design package that responds to the Board's guidance from the 3/11 meeting. A two week public comment period will open when the MUP application is accepted by DPD, which is when the public will have an opportunity to comment on traffic, parking, and environmental issues relative to the project. Notice of application will be posted on DPD LUIB website, and residents within 300 feet of the project will be mailed the notice and alerted that they may then comment on the proposal, http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Notices/Land_Use_Information_Bulletin/;
*The project will go to the Design Review Board once again (perhaps two more times, depending on the response to earlier guidance), and the public will have another chance to meet with the applicant and Board to see the progress of overall design;
*The Board will make final recommendations for the project and the applicant will be expected to address those recommendations;
*The entire process could take up to another 10 months or so, and as a recap will entail one public comment period and one more public meeting.

Feel free to stay in touch for status updates. I'm in the office M-F, 6:30-4:00 p.m., off every other M.

Best,
Catherine

----------------------------------------------
Catherine McCoy, Land Use Planner
Seattle Department of Planning and Development
700 5th Ave Suite 2000
PO Box 34019
Seattle WA 98124-4019

Phone: (206) 684-0532
Fax: (206) 233-7902

catherine.mccoy@seattle.gov
www.seattle.gov/dpd

Here's one neighbor's review of the design meeting from a few months ago.

Here's a link to a Stranger blog post about the project.

And you should really check out this big long picture-filled PDF with architect plans for the space. You'll find sketches like this one, their "Scheme 2" proposal:

Coffee for El Centro de la Raza

The Beacon Hill ("Hilltop") Red Apple is selling coffee to benefit El Centro de la Raza. For every 12-ounce bag you buy, $1 goes to the Beacon Hill-based Latino support organization.



And it's good!

Learn more about El Centro de la Raza here.

Mid Beacon Hill Down One Grow House

From the P-I:

Seattle police raided a suspected marijuana grow operation early Wednesday morning at a Beacon Hill home, where they seized 244 plants.

Just off Beacon on Graham Street.

"Beacon Hill" "Groper" Strikes Again

This time down by the Othello Playground at 10 o'clock in the morning.

From Mark Solomon, community liaison at the South Precinct of the SPD:

There has been another assault by “the Groper.” The incident happened Saturday, May 17th at approximately 10am on the 7500 Block of Renton Ave S. An Asian female was walking northbound on Renton Ave S with a young child, approximately two-years of age. The suspect approached the adult woman from behind. The suspect was seen groping the woman’s buttocks. The suspect backed away when the woman screamed. The scream drew the attention of several witnesses in the area. The female victim was seen running northbound with the child along Renton Ave S.

The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 40 years of age, 5-10, flesh colored shaving bumps on left side of face. Suspect vehicle is a 1994 green Jeep Cherokee.

The adult female victim has not yet come forward to speak with police about the incident. We very much need to speak with this woman. She is described as an adult Asian female, possibly in her 40’s-50’s, wearing a white top and black pants. She was walking with a 2-year-old child on Renton Ave S at about 10am on Saturday May 17th, 2008. If you know this woman, please encourage her to come forward. It is extremely important that detectives speak with her. Please contact our Sexual Assault unit at 206.684.5575.

Update: The Seattle Times is reporting that one of the witnesses took a cell phone photo of the suspect's getaway car and license plate, but the suspect stole the phone from him. I saw on the news this morning that the car is described as a green 1994 Jeep Cherokee. If you see anyone matching the suspect's description and driving that type of car, I'm guessing the police would appreciate a phone call.

New Coffeehouse on Beacon Hill

From hot tipper and my close neighbor Angela comes a report of a new coffeehouse on Beacon Hill, near the grody intersection of Beacon and Columbian Way. They even have a website:

http://grownfolkscoffeehouse.com/

Angela says:

I stopped by this place yesterday and met the owner. He seems like a great guy. ... I'm overjoyed!

Me too!

Letter to the P-I About Beacon Hill Misidentification

Looks like someone wrote in to complain about the P-I's misidentification of 14th and Ferdinand as "Rainier Valley":

If you check your map, you will find that the shooting reported on May 7 occurred near 14th and Ferdinand, clearly on Beacon Hill, nowhere near Rainier Valley. In case you're still geographically challenged, 14th Avenue is about 10 blocks west of Beacon Avenue, and much closer to the Duwamish Valley than Rainier Valley. While all our South End neighborhoods often get lumped together as "South Seattle," we would appreciate accuracy as to the specific neighborhood of these unfortunate events.

Tristin Pagenkopf
Seattle
(Hillman City)

Thanks, Tristin!

Murals: Georgetown -1, Beacon Hill +1

I wrote a few days ago about how it looks like the Georgetown Graffiti Wall is being painted over to make way for a Pabst advertisement.



Well, today a Beacon Hill resident e-mailed me to let me know that the Kusina Filipina people at Beacon and Hanford have commissioned a new mural. He posted photos of it on his remodel blog.

I drove by today and took a look at this work in progress. Pretty!

Another Beacon Hill Shooting

The 38-year-old victim was sitting on his front porch late last night near 14th and Ferdinand -- a few blocks from McPherson's -- when two men in a silver Cadillac stopped, got out and shot at him. He was taken to Harborview, where his non-life-threatening shoulder wound was treated. Gang unit detectives are investigating.

You'll find this story (without many more details) in the Times under a "South Seattle" headline and in the P-I under "Rainier Valley."

My Mid Beacon Hill Rock Wall

I know this is supposed to be more of a neighborhood blog than a garden blog, but now that May is here, I can't promise you won't be seeing pictures of plants. Anyway, this post is semi-topical, since it contains pictures of plants that grow exceedingly well on the western edge of Beacon Hill.

Like Ceanothus (top left, varietal Julia Phelps) and Sedum (the yellow one is Angelina).



This rock wall was overgrown with weeds last year, so we planted a bunch of stuff to try to keep the weeds at bay. It's remarkable how well it's working. (Not that I didn't spend the entire day yesterday liberating these plants from the weeds, but still, at least they've been growing and taking up some of the space.) That stuff with the yellow flowers is donkeytail Euphorbia. The orange and pink flowery stuff at top is heather. The green leaves closest to the camera is Ceanothus "Point Reyes." The rest are various Sedum.



This Ceanothus "Point Reyes," like all Ceanothus, is evergreen.



I put some orange Carex grasses (or are those chocolate sedge? it's hard to tell...) in as well. I think I like them here.



A Mexican feather grass and a bunch of Sedum "Autumn Joy," which will turn purple and produce beautiful flowers in the fall.



That yellow stuff is Sedum "Angelina," which grows so well in our yard, I feel like I could just sprinkle it on the ground and it would start taking over.



The Crypromeria cristata are definitely not dying, as we feared this winter.





They're a total freak show. I love them.





Euphorbia, Sedum, heather.



The donkeytail Euphorbia and Ceanothus "Point Reyes" are cohabiting nicely so far.



Let's revisit the Ceanothus "Julia Phelps," since I think it might just be the loveliest plant in all of May.



This is when the blue blossoms explode like fireworks.





To get a better feel for how vivid that blue is, check it out next to the yellow Sedum.



OK, a quick peek at the front yard too. More Sedum.



And Allium in a container with a ginkgo tree.



Pretty!

I Think I Am Going to Cry Now

An excerpt of some personal writing from Debbie Bonilla, the Beacon Hill woman who was murdered by her husband on Friday night. She wrote these words just two months ago:

I have been sober for 4 ½ months. It is nothing short of a miracle. It has been difficult, incredibly difficult, but then again so has the rest of it. I have such a long way to go, and I have no doubt that I am my own worst enemy. But I have glimpsed another way, and I long to see more. I have felt genuine happiness, and I want to feel more. I have come this far, and I want more.

If you'd like to remember Debbie, her family is accepting donations for an education find for her five children -- you can find the information through the link above.

I posted the link to the P-I article earlier; here's the Times story.

Beacon Hill Man Charged with 2nd-Degree Murder

From the P-I website:

A Seattle man has been charged with second-degree murder, accused of repeatedly stabbing his wife with a 13-inch barbecue fork in front of their two young children Friday.

In filing the charges against Juan Carlos Bonilla, 33, King County Prosecutor Daniel Satterberg added an aggravating factor -- that the slaying was committed as an act of domestic violence.

Debra Lynn Bonilla, 38, suffered at least a dozen stab wounds, including one to her heart, in the attack at her Beacon Hill home. Despite the efforts of the staff at Harborview Medical Center, she died several hours after the attack. She had five children, three from a previous marriage.

...

Bonilla has a violent history of assaulting his wife, according to court documents.

In 2001, when the couple lived in Alaska, Bonilla allegedly beat his then-pregnant wife so badly, he broke her nose. He also allegedly threatened to stab her to death.

In 2003 in Minnesota, Bonilla was arrested for assaulting his wife, but it was unclear if he was convicted. Just last year, Seattle police arrested him again for assaulting her.

Debra Bonilla sought a protection order that day, writing in her petition that her husband threatened to kill her if she cheated on him and constantly believed she was unfaithful. ... [But she told a friend] that "the protection order was basically unenforceable because Juan Carlos would always come back and force his way into the house."

Free Self-Defense Workshop This Thursday

The Chinese Information & Service Center is holding another workshop in the hopes of educating local women on how to protect themselves from the still-on-the-loose sexual assailant who's attacked 23 women on Beacon Hill and elsewhere in South Seattle.



Paraphrase from the Big Blog and Seattlest and the Beacon Hill mailing list, etc., etc.:

The Chinese Information & Service Center is hosting a Sexual Assault Survival Skill and Self Defense Workshop on Thursday, April 10. The workshop will offer information on what to do if you're attacked and personal safety tips to avoid trouble. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Chinese Information & Service Center, 611 S. Lane St., in Seattle. It's free. Those attending should wear comfortable clothing. To RSVP, call Alan Lai at (206) 624-5633, x4111.

If anyone attends one of these workshops, please report back on what you learn. If they teach you any "unladylike karate chops," I might just sign up next time.

A Post That Deserves a Photo (Sorry)

From a reader e-mail:

If you were on the hill Saturday around 6 PM, you may have noticed the brilliant flash of lightning followed immediately by a thunder clap. The apparent strike point was a tree just west of Lawn Bowling Clubhouse at Jefferson Park. The tree had a significant portion shattered and blown out the south side.

One of the VA doctors happened along as I was looking at the tree yesterday. He said a nurse saw the strike from the hospital.

I found it facinating. Results may vary.