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Usually it's enough to put up an event post on CHS for the monthly Capitol HIll Community Council meetings. But this month, like in January, the Community Council as some big stuff on the agenda, some of which needs to go to a vote. So I feel it is my responsibility as CHCC president to get the word out far and wide about what we'll be talking about in our general meeting this Thursday (7-9pm, Cal Anderson Park Shelterhouse). You can see the whole agenda here, but below are the big discussion items:
Guest Speaker: Jonathan Dong, SDOT -
Discussion on Metro's consideration of the replacement of the Electric Trolley System with diesel hybrid buses in order to reduce budget shortfalls. SDOT is collecting feedback from the community on this idea and are presently conducting a straw poll among community members to develop a policy recommendation.
Which option is greener? How much cheaper are hybrid diesesl buses than electric trolleys? Can we have them run on biodiesel? Have all these questions answered and more this Thursday.
Guest Speaker: Ethan Melone, SDOT -
Debrief on current status of the First Hill Streetcar Project.
The Seattle Dept. of Transportation is expected to make a streetcar route suggestion to City Council on Wednesday, and the mayor's office is holding a First Hill Streetcar Stakeholders meeting on Wednesday as well. That means that there will be a lot of juicy streetcar news for Ethan to tell the community on Thursday night.
Guest Speaker: Tony Russo and Cathy Hillenbrand, TOD Stakeholders Group
Discussion on the transition of the TOD Stakeholders Group into "TOD Champion", and the proposal to create TOD Champion as a joint committee of the Capitol Hill Community Council and the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce.
This is the big-ticket item of the night. Transit-oriented development, aka what's going to get built on top of the Broadway light rail station once it's completed, is a hot topic. Sound Transit will be in charge of writing the contract and long-term lease with the company that will eventually develop the space. In the meantime, the present TOD Stakeholders group is making the transition to a more proactive, advocacy oriented TOD Champion group. The question is, what role with the Community Council play in this process? It's up for you to decide.
Each year, Seattle Parks makes one concession permit available for Cal Anderson Park. Last year, the food cart that won the job ended up mired in drama and stopped serving in the park by mid-summer. Parks is now taking proposals for the 2010 Cal Anderson permit through March 31. Got an idea and the means to make it work? We've included the 'proposal package' PDF on this post. Feel free to taste test your ideas here on CHS.
Request for Proposals for Park Concession Permits
From The City of Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation Proposal Due Date - Tuesday, March 31, 2010 by 4 p.m.The City of Seattle acting through its Department of Parks and Recreation is seeking proposals from experienced food concession and roving/mobile truck operators for seasonal food sales at various Seattle parks and ball fields.
Proposal Packages will be available beginning at 1:00 PM, February 4, 2010. Interested parties can download the Proposal Package here on the web, pick up a package in person or request that a package be mailed to them by contacting the Seattle Parks & Recreation at the address shown below. Proposals must be submitted on forms provided by the Seattle Parks & Recreation. Small businesses, Women and/or Minority Businesses are encouraged to submit a Proposal Package.
You may contact me if you are interested in exploring this opportunity
Barry Firth
Concessions Coordinator, Partnerships Division 860 Terry Avenue North
South Lake Union Park, Naval Reserve Building Room 126
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 684-8002
barry.firth@seattle.gov
Previous
Three cameras perch on poles above the visitors to Cal Anderson Park capturing surveillance video of the area 24 hours a day. But no one is watching. Cal Anderson is now the only park in Seattle where cameras like these operate.
The future of the cameras is now in the hands of City Council member Sally Bagshaw, the new chair of the Parks and Seattle Center committee.
Cal Anderson's cams (Photo: Justin Carder)
“The pilot program has since come to an end, and the Council will need to decide whether to allocate funds to extend the use of these cameras or to take them down,” said Philip Roewe, legislative aide to Bagshaw.
Bagshaw's committee will take up the discussion of the cameras at their meeting next Thursday, March 18.
Former Mayor Greg Nickels quietly had the cameras turned on in February 2008 sparking public outcry. Community members and the ACLU criticized the "Big Brother" tactics.
“It was the Nickels administration’s idea in response to the declining city parks,” said Ann Corbitt, legislative aide to City Council member Tom Rasmussen. “The council didn’t have a chance to authorize them.”
At the time, the Nickels administration said the $850,000 camera program would deter drug dealing, vandalism, illicit sex and other illegal activities. But further budget cuts made maintaining the cameras impossible. Today, Cal Anderson is the only park where the cameras still operate. No money was budgeted to either remove or use the cameras already in place. All that City Hall could do was set up legislation for who could view the video and when. In June of 2008, the Council adopted Ordinance 122705 creating the Surveillance Camera Pilot Program and severely limiting their use.
“When the council had a chance at the policy, the main concern was privacy and limit the amount of people viewing the tapes as possible,” said Corbitt. “We heard the call from the public and did what was asked for.”
Portion of Ordinance 122705
The result is spy cams stuck on autopilot. The city's rules for utilizing the cams are so restrictive that even though the recording continues round-the-clock every day, the collected video has almost never been viewed.
Last October, the City Auditor's office presented its findings on the effectiveness of the cameras to deter crime and provide safety. We've included a copy of the report attached to this post. The report concluded that the cameras had not been effective at deterring criminal activity and the only documented time SPD utilized any footage was during the investigation of reports of a roving gang attacking people in the park in August 2009.
“This testing period has shown inconclusive – the police haven’t used [the footage] and it hasn’t been a very active tool,” said Dewey Potter, spokesperson for Seattle Parks and Recreation.
Today, the only people who can view the tapes are a select few in the Seattle Police Department. While the Parks owns the equipment, staff cannot view, operate or utilize any of it, according to Potter.
SPD would not comment on the cameras and referred us back to Parks for more information.
"Parks has a very limited role,” said Potter. “We own the software but the footage is under lock and key at the police department. We only can get access to it if we make a public disclosure request."
Contrary to Publicola's recent item on the cameras where an unidentified source told the site that the cameras are inactive, Potter says the recording continues.
The City Auditor's nine recommendations for the camera system (Click to view)
"To my knowledge, the cameras are still running,” said Potter. “They record digitally for two weeks then start over."
Thursday's City Council parks committee session will begin to address the future of Cal Anderson's cameras and plans for cameras across Seattle. Bagshaw is expecting representatives from the Office of the City Auditor and SPD to attend. No word yet if anybody from Parks will be there or a rep from Mayor Mike McGinn’s office.
“Nobody has heard any hints of talk from the mayor's office about the cameras,” said Kathy Mulady, spokesperson for the City Attorney’s office.
Given the backlash over the way the cameras were installed in the first place, it seems unlikely the Council will fund continued operation of the technology without significant changes to how the cameras are to be used and -- maybe more importantly -- how the public thinks about them.
"There is a new administration and a new council now," said Corbitt. "They may have new ideas."
I'm happy to report that not only has the Cal Anderson Park Alliance recently appointed new board members, it's also just expanded it's board. That's good news for everyone because it means that CAPA can take on more neat things like nifty events in the park (such as the last summer's Sounds Outside concert series) or perhaps advocacy for more green space in the neighborhood. It's good news to me particularly because I got tapped to be on the advisory board. Neat!
The Cal Anderson Park Alliance (CAPA) is pleased to announce the acceptance of four new board members and four new advisory board members. The new board members are Amy Faulkner, Ray Gastil, Margaret Pak and Erika Wilson. New advisory board members are Jerry Arbes, Jim Diers, Jen Power and Doug Schwartz. We were gratified at the strong response to our call for applicants, which made the decisions even more challenging.
CAPA brings together citizens who are dedicated to generating creative, innovative activities, programs and events to activate Cal Anderson Park in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Our goal is to build on and sustain healthy, safe and varied uses for the park. As we grow, we hope to expand our scope to encompass projects which exemplify issues Cal Anderson championed, such as social justice and civic participation.
Cal Anderson Park was recently named one of the twelve Best City Parks in America by Forbes.com, confirming what we here were already aware, that the park, integrated as it is into the urban environment, is an immensely popular and natural gathering space. Its history, design and accessibility combine to serve a wide variety and number of people by providing a unique place to play, relax and gather.
We produce an annual Independence Day Community Picnic, sponsor a vibrant array of community events, collaborate with neighborhood businesses and local safety groups, and generate original art work for an annual calendar of public events distributed throughout the community.
CAPA actively seeks out partnerships and collaborations with schools, businesses, non-profits and other organizations to create programs we can all benefit from and enjoy. We welcome new ideas and proposals.
For more information: www.calandersonpark.org. We can be reached at info@calandersonpark.org.
BOARD MEMBERS: [*new]
Isaac Cohen Development Manager, Seattle Parks Foundation
*Amy Faulkner Director, The World is Fun
*Ray Gastil City Planner, Urban Designer
Jonathan Morley Landscape Architect, Principal, The Berger Partnership
*Margaret Pak Attorney, Corr Cronin Michelson Baumgardner & Preece
Kay Rood KRF Custom Picture Framing; park advocate
*Erika Wilson, Office Manager, Capitol Hill Housing
Ex officio:
Randy Wiger Community Commons Program Coordinator, Seattle Parks & Recreation
ADVISORY BOARD: [*new]
*Jerry Arbes Parks activist and historian, Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks
*Jim Diers Director, University of Washington-Seattle Community Partnerships
Cathy Hillenbrand Community arts activist
*Jen Power President, Capitol Hill Community Council
*Doug Schwartz Journalist, editor
Michael Seiwerath Director of Fund Development, Capitol Hill HousingContact:
Kay Rood, President
Cal Anderson Park Alliance
Creativity I Innovation I InclusionP.O. Box 12036
Seattle, WA 98102
Police responded to Cal Anderson Park this afternoon to reports that a man was removing his clothes while standing in the fountain. After a brief talking to, the man immediately complied with requests to put his pants back on and stay out of the fountain.
Seattle continues to experience an unusually dry and warm pre-spring and El Niño influenced temperatures are forecast to be in the 60s this mostly sunny weekend. Meanwhile, in the mountains, the snowpack is so light, Seattle City Light is predicting issues with its hydroelectric programs:
The mild winter the Pacific Northwest is now experiencing thanks to the El Nino weather pattern will have consequences for Seattle City Light and its customers throughout 2010.
City Light depends on snowpack to provide the water that powers the hydroelectric dams that produce its low-cost electricity. Snowpack effectively serves as a “battery,” storing some of the dams’ power source for use in the summer and fall. A warmer- and dryer-than-normal winter means less snow and a smaller supply of electricity throughout the year.
While there will be enough power to serve Seattle area residents and businesses, City Light will have much less to sell on the open market, an important source of revenue that helps to hold down costs for our customers.
This Valentine's Day, a bunch of scrappy, cardboard-clad knights and knaves braved the heat, the cold, and the slippery mud of Cal Anderson park, battling to be named the victor of the Lover's Quarrel Cardboard Tube Fight, hosted by the Beard and Stache Fest and the Cardboard Tube Fighting League (CTFL). Unlike in a lover's quarrel, however, contestants of today's games were less encouraged to express their feelings, but rather to let their tubes do the talking.
A mostly bearded group gathers on the muddy field to watch children battle. How very medieval!
Two ladies sport handcrafted armor
A man supports the Beard and Stache Fest's love for beardiness
Two contestants battle on the hilltop while the crowd cheers and jeers
A valiant warrior, armed in a Huggies box, retreats from an unfair match
Action shot from the semifinal round
Two very skilled competitors duel for the title
The triumphant victor of the CTFL tournament!
Despite the continuous rain today, brave people were out playing frisbee, soccer and baseball on the Bobby Morris Playfield at Cal Anderson Park. Clara Ganey | The Spectator
Seattle University's The Spectator and CHS are partners in a unique collaboration pairing student journalists and independent hyperlocal news gatherers.
A car races past a large puddle on 17th Avenue and East Cherry Street during a short sun break today. A total of .38 inches of rain fell today. Clara Ganey | The Spectator
Susan Lund of Team Oddfellows (Photo: CLIFF DESPEAUX / THE SEATTLE TIMES by permission)
Team CapitolHillSeattle.com combined stellar defense with timely line drives -- and a little technology -- to earn the championship in the first annual Beard and Mustache Fest Wifflebowl with a 2-0 victory over Oddfellows. Or it might have been 1-0. But we won. One key play in the victory of the Oddfellows crew came down to instant replay when a close play at first was reviewed via Seattle Times photographer Cliff Despeaux's viewfinder. Earlier in the day, Team CHS defeated Cherry Street Coffee 4-zip. We next go on to play the New Orleans Saints in the Who Can Be Lazier for the Rest of February Bowl. We're a lock.
For more Beard and 'Stache fun, check out the Lover's Quarrel Cardboard Tube Fight on Valentine's Day -- also in Cal Anderson Park.
A dog runs through the wading pool located in Cal Anderson Park during a warm day in January. It was the warmest January in Seattle on record.
Seattle University's The Spectator and CHS are partners in a unique collaboration pairing student journalists and independent hyperlocal news gatherers.
There are no limits to where street art and publicity ends up on Capitol Hill. This fire hydrant on the corner of 11th Avenue and East Pike Street has been given eyes and a face. (Photo by Candace Shankel | The Spectator)
This Sunday, Team CHS goes head to head against four squads of cool kids in a plastic-bat battle for a good cause. It's time for the The Wifflebowl, part of a month-long campaign for the Beard & Stache Fest people to raise funds for Treehouse. Here's your opportunity to get off the bench, give it your all, be there for the team and just take it one game at a time -- we need a few more players.
If you are a wiffle ball star, leave a comment so we can add you to the roster. If you don't know what a wiffle ball is but are willing to pay the $10 donation to be part of the team, leave a comment.
The games are at Bobby Morris playfield in Cal Anderson on Sunday starting around 1 PM. We should be wrapped up in plenty of time for you to catch the pre-game show and commercial bombardments for the other major athletic event scheduled for Sunday.
(If you're having trouble playing back this HD version, try the lower res version after the jump)
The I Love My Bike Book photo tour kicked off at Cal Anderson Park yesterday. Boston natives Matt Finkle and Brittain Sullivan are traveling the country taking portraits of people and their bikes to eventually turn into a photo book. I saw Justins tweet about this while it was happening so I headed down. I caught them just as they were shooting their last couple of photos before packing up for the day, they said they shot around 20 people in the four hours they were out there.
I Love my Bike Book - Seattle (SD) from David Albright on Vimeo .
Photo: ew.webster
It has been posted elsewhere that none of the Capitol Hill community organizations have taken positions on the imminent SDOT/ST streetcar alignment. May I just say: "Bureaucracy adores a vacuum."?
At 5 PM 7 PM Thursday, January 21 there will be a Capitol Hill Community Council meeting at the Cal Anderson Park Shelterhouse featuring Ethan Melone, SDOT point person on the streetcar project. This meeting has not been advertised widely and I think it's really important, since apparently SDOT/ST is racing to the finish w/out substantial outreach to the communities involved. (Open houses are NOT outreach; the information flows in one direction only with no record, summaries or minutes of community response. It's a technique perfected by Sound Transit, and it works very well indeed unless community action is vigorously pursued.)
As just one example, to date no one has spoken on behalf of Cal Anderson Park on the streetcar issue, or the public's interest in the access, safety and enjoyment of an open space which is encircled by a streeetcar line. All these issues need to be considered and addressed directly and honestly by the planners and the communities. The streetcar is not just about transportation.
Hey Capitol Hill Girl Scouts - get ready for an easy sale. In order to make their "Scout Mint" Ice Cream, Molly Moon's needs to buy 4500 boxes of Thin Mints. Go to Molly Moon's Capitol Hill and sell a box or two. Molly Moon Neitzel, Molly Moon's owner, is a former girl scout and wanted to support the scouts in recognition of their influence on her life.
Here is the full press release:
Local Scouts Encouraged to Sell to Wallingford and Capitol Hill Shops
SEATTLE, Monday, Jan. 11, 2010 – Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream is seeking Thin Mint cookies from Western Washington’s Girl Scouts for its signature “Scout Mint” ice cream. Girl Scouts of Western Washington are currently taking cookie orders from their families and friends and Molly Moon is encouraging them to stop by her Wallingford and Capitol Hill shops and sell her a box or two.
In order for Moon to keep both of her shops stocked with Scout Mint throughout 2010, she will need at least 4,500 boxes of the thin, minty, chocolate-covered wafers that make this ice cream flavor so popular.
In 2009, Moon purchased more than $18,000 in Girl Scout cookies from individual scouts and helped to send more than 30 girls to Girl Scout camp with “camperships” – scholarships earned by campers that assist in sending them to camp. This year, scouts will need to sell at least 800 boxes of cookies to receive a campership and Molly Moon’s aims to help send several girls to camp. Moon, a former Girl Scout, attended camp for 11 years and values her time at camp as some of her most empowering life experiences.
Contact Information: Jennifer Carroll, Publicist – Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream, 206.226.5237, jenc.pr@gmail.com
We sometimes give hipsters a hard time but we love em just the same. If you love em, too, you'll find a flock Friday night in Cal Anderson Park. It's Future Tense and it's a good show if you just want to watch. If you are a fixie trickster, head out and show off your chops.
The 25 On the Park development on the edge of Cal Anderson Park is getting a new lease on life from Howland Homes, a Shoreline-based real estate company.
The Dwelling Company, which started the project, signed the rights of the homes over to Everett-based City Bank after the lender foreclosed on the property this summer. City Bank then entrusted Howland Homes to fill them.
The units are now for sale with no leasing or renting options, and Howland Homes realtor Meagan Howland believes they are a great investment for a number of reasons.
“These townhomes will only grow in value thanks to their amazing location,” said Howland. “They would be great investment properties for people who like to buy in the city and then rent them out to save for future in-city retirement downsizing. Also, they are an exceptional location and value for parents of Seattle-bound college students."
The 25 on the Park townhomes range in price from $355k up to $575k, most of them with views of the park and downtown and parking options. They feature bamboo flooring, oversized windows, granite countertops and flexible floor plans.
“Really, [the biggest perk] of buying now is getting your park-view unit,” said Howland. “The best units are getting bought up. We have priced the homes low to begin with, to generate a lot of presales. Once they go on the market officially, we plan to raise the prices slightly.”
Also, Howland said that City Bank is offering a special financing rate on the homes, for a limited time.
Howland and her husband Matt run Howland Homes and have thus far managed to survive the economic slowdown.
“Our employees are like family […] during the downturn of the economy," Howland said, "they have all taken a 50 percent pay cut, to make sure our company can stay in business for many more years. You just can’t buy loyalty like that… We are so thankful for their sacrifices.”
Howland Homes was featured in a 2007 episode of “Extreme Makeover – Home Edition,” when they built a Port Orchard home in less than five days. They also worked with “Extreme Makeover” on a rebuilding project in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Thanks to Kay Rood from the Cal Anderson Park Alliance for passing along information about an important effort that is making Cal Anderson its launch point for a nationwide tour.
SEATTLE, WA—Wednesday and Thursday, Jan 6 & 7—First Stop for the ‘Testing America’ Tour
- local partners: Gay City Health Project and the Center for Multicultural Health
- (time: 11a-3p)–Cal Anderson Park
In an effort to raise local and national awareness about the importance—and ease—of HIV testing and to challenge attitudes about moving toward a streamlined model of HIV testing and counseling nationwide, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is proud to report its launch of a second HIV Testing Tour across the US after its successful completion of its recent and ambitious 14 city AHF Magic Johnson HIV Testing Caravan in mid-2009. AHF’s ‘Testing America’ Tour, a six month, 48 state national cross country HIV testing tour, kicks off with free HIV testing events from 11am to 3pm in Seattle, WA, Wednesday January 6th (and Thursday January 7th).
Free testing will take place on AHF’s new, state-of-the-art ‘Testing America’ mobile HIV testing unit at Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park (1038 East Pine Street, Seattle). AHF is working in conjunction with two Seattle area community groups in the testing effort: the Gay City Health Project, and the Center for MultiCultural Health.
“Working with respected local community partners like Gay City Health Project and the Center for Multicultural Health, we plan on demonstrating just how easy HIV testing can be. At each stop along the way, we will host or participate in free mobile HIV testing events and media events to raise awareness about the importance and ease of testing,” said Azul Mares-DelGrasso, Field Services Manager, National HIV Testing Tour, AHF’s Public Health Division. “After six months on the road, our ‘Testing America’ tour will culminate with a major testing event in New York City on Sunday, June 27th—National HIV Testing Day.”
During the testing tour, AIDS Healthcare Foundation will also present $1,000 grants to each of the local partners AHF is collaborating with along the way. And throughout the course of the cross country HIV testing tour, HIV testing counselors will also supply a steady stream of updates, videos and images via new media: YouTube, Facebook and Twitter postings from along the route, interviews with local partners, government officials and, when appropriate and available, interviews with people who were tested on the mobile unit. To learn how you can sign up to follow the ‘Testing America’ tour on these social media outlets, please visit www.freehivtest.net.
HIV Statistics in the United States
In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) began recommending routine HIV testing for all people ages 13-64, a recommendation that has not been widely implemented nationwide to date. According to an HIV/AIDS Policy Fact Sheet produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation (“The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States”, updated, September, 2009, with statistics through 2007), the CDC reports that:
- There are approximately 1.1 million people currently living with HIV/AIDS in the United States, more than 468,000 of whom are living with an AIDS-defining illness.
- Among the 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS, an estimated 21% do not know they are infected (down from 25% in 2003).
- Many people with HIV are diagnosed late in their illness; in 2006, 36% received an AIDS diagnosis within one year of testing HIV positive.
“It is crucial that people know their HIV status and learn how to avoid becoming infected with HIV; or if they are infected, know their status, and seek medical treatment, if needed,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “AIDS Healthcare Foundation is proud to spearhead this national ‘Testing America’ tour as a collaborative effort to raise awareness—and reduce stigma—around HIV testing.”
We got a note from Kay Rood about her group's search for new people to help steward an important Capitol Hill asset:
Cal Anderson Park Alliance is seeking new board members and will review applications from interested people starting at the end of January 2010. We are interested in hearing from all who are passionate about the nationally-recognized award-winning open space that is Cal Anderson Park, and are especially interested in those with skills in event production, marketing, law, and web design.
We also welcome inquiries from people who would like to work on projects specific to the park, especially those which might exemplify issues Cal Anderson championed. The application packet is available in PDF form. Have questions about serving? Email us at info@calandersonpark.org.
Cal Anderson (Photo: calandersonpark.org)
The park was recently named by Forbes magazine as one of the best city parks in the nation.
Here it comes again. There's ice on the Cal Anderson's reflection pool. Thanks to neighbor Mad1331 for the picture -- and for enduring icy fingers on our behalf.
According to the latest forecasts, it might get even more interesting this weekend:
ALL MODELS SHOW ANOTHER SOMEWHAT STRONGER SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING S
OR SE ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT. THIS LOOKS LIKE IT PUSHES A
MODIFIED ARCTIC FRONT ACROSS THE AREA WITH IT. UPWARD MOTION LOOKS A
LITTLE STRONGER AND DEEPER...WITH PERHAPS A BIT MORE MOISTURE. THE
AIR MASS SHOULD BE COLD ENOUGH FOR SNOW LEVELS AT THE SURFACE...SO
WILL KEEP THE MENTION OF SNOW SHOWERS...AND POSSIBLY DITCH THE
MENTION OF RAIN SHOWERS.
capitol hill fixie, originally uploaded by banter.
Like my dad used to follow me from room to room turning the lights out behind me, the city's parks department is pinching pennies this winter by turning out the lights on Seattle's tennis courts. Luckily for Capitol Hill, Cal Anderson's courts will be one of five in the city that remain lighted through winter. Earn it, fixie bike stunt guy. Earn it.
MOST PARKS TENNIS COURT LIGHTS GO OFF FOR THE WINTER TO SAVE ENERGY
As an energy-saving measure, for the winter months Seattle Parks and Recreation lights the tennis courts only at five major locations:
• Lower Woodland Park, Aurora Avenue N and N 59th Street, 10 courts
• Bobby Morris Playfield at Cal Anderson Park, corner of 11th Avenue E and E Pine Street, two courts
• Rainier Playfield, 3700 S Alaska, four courts
• Solstice Park (formerly Lincoln Park Annex, 7400 Fauntleroy Way SW, six courts
• Meadowbrook Playfield, 10533 35th Avenue NE, six courts
Lights will return to all lighted courts when Daylight Savings Time returns on Sunday, March 14, 2010.
Parks offers indoor courts at the Amy Yee Tennis Center, 2000 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way S, from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Please call 206-684-4764 to make reservations, or visit the web at http://www.seattle.gov/parks/Athletics/Tennisct.htm for information about the Tennis Center.
A brief post here on the Lincoln Park reservoir work we reported on yesterday that will require a portion of Cal Anderson park to be closed for more than a month beginning on Monday. Seattle Public Utilities spokesperson Andy Ryan said the work is not related to the leaks that occurred in other similar city reservoirs this summer. He's looking into how much of the park will be shut down for the work which is scheduled to last through December 11.
Part of the north end of Cal Anderson Park will be closed for more than a month starting Monday while city employees work on the underground Lincoln Reservoir, according to Seattle Public Utilities. We'll try to find out exactly how much of the park will be shut down while crews run what is being called a regular inspection and cleaning of the 109-year-old reservoir.
Still hunting down a map that shows the exact dimensions of Lincoln but Google Maps graphics indicate a very large pool and this image from Wikipedia's entry on Cal Anderson also gives a glimpse of the size of the reservoir.
In July, CHS reported that reservoirs in West Seattle and Beacon Hill were leaking and the same manufacturer and contractor had been involved in the construction of Lincoln. At the time, Seattle Public Utilities told CHS that there were no plans to remove the surface layer of Cal Anderson to inspect Lincoln.
The work could also coincide with the start of construction activity on the nearby Capitol Hill light Rail station site.
The Lincoln Reservoir is a major distribution point for the Cedar River pipeline which provides most of the potable water for central Seattle.
More when we get a chance to make a few phone calls on Thursday.
Project: Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) construction crews will inspect, clean and make repairs at the Lincoln Reservoir as a part of regular maintenance.
Location: Crews will work in and around the reservoir, located at 1700 Nagle Place, Seattle, WA, underneath Cal Anderson Park.
Description of Work: The reservoir will be drained, inspected and washed. Inspections of the reservoir’s roof, hatches, vents and screens will take place. Repairs to the system will be made. Debris will be removed from the reservoir’s perimeter and grounds as needed.
Dates/Times: Work is scheduled to begin on Monday, November 2, and last until Friday, December 11. Crews will work Tuesday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Potential impacts during construction:
• A portion of the park over the reservoir will be closed to the public.
• Noise from power equipment and trucks.
• An increase in truck traffic in the neighborhood.
SPU tries to limit inconveniences to citizens, and safety is our top priority when working in neighborhoods and public facilities.
Maintenance Questions:
Contact Darrin Brown, SPU Maintenance Crew Chief, at (206) 386-1805.
This is the first in what will be a weekly series of ambient shots around Capitol Hill. Every week I'll pick a different spot and stay for about 10 minutes to create a 'snapshot' of that location at that moment.
One of the best things about living on Capitol Hill is that no matter when/ where you are, there is always so much happening around you, most of which we probably never notice. Hopefully I can capture some of that through these snapshots.
Got a good spot to recommend? Let me know in the comments or in the forum thread that I'll be starting soon. Thanks for watching.
On September 30th we caught a bit on the police scanner about a man who robbed a woman on Summit Avenue East, notably employing a Taser gun in the crime.
That man is now caught, according to the SPD blotter:
On October 8th, at approximately4:00 p.m., the victim of an armed robbery saw the suspect in Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill and flagged down an officer. The officer located and arrested the suspect. The 31-year old male suspect was then transported to the Robbery detectives where he was interviewed and later booked into the King County Jail on Investigation of Robbery and an outstanding warrant. The original robbery occurred on September 30th in the 200 Block of Summit Avenue East, where the suspect used a taser-like device on the victim and another man while robbing both of them.
This Friday morning at 4:30 AM, the moon is going to explode -- and you'll want to be in Cal Anderson Park to see it.
... is throwing a bit of a party in the park early Friday a.m. -- and everybody (especially a body with a telescope) is invited.
Here's the scoop on the man-made celestial event that's going down:
The actual impacts commence at 4:30 am PDT (11:30 UT). The Centaur rocket will strike first, transforming 2200 kg of mass and 10 billion joules of kinetic energy into a blinding flash of heat and light. Researchers expect the impact to throw up a plume of debris as high as 10 km.
Close behind, the LCROSS mothership will photograph the collision for NASA TV and then fly right through the debris plume. Onboard spectrometers will analyze the sunlit plume for signs of water (H2O), water fragments (OH), salts, clays, hydrated minerals and assorted organic molecules.
"If there's water there, or anything else interesting, we'll find it," says Tony Colaprete of NASA Ames, the mission's principal investigator.
NASA says the resulting explosions should be visible from, well, Cal Anderson Park:
"We expect the debris plumes to be visible through mid-sized backyard telescopes—10 inches and larger," says Brian Day of NASA/Ames. Day is an amateur astronomer and the Education and Public Outreach Lead for LCROSS. "The initial explosions will probably be hidden behind crater walls, but the plumes will rise high enough above the crater's rim to be seen from Earth."
The Pacific Ocean and western parts of North America are favored with darkness and a good view of the Moon at the time of impact.
The only issue -- besides the 4:30 AM thing -- is cloud cover. There's a grey blanket due for Seattle early Friday morning. Pretty typical for Pacific Northwest celestial observations -- even when the moon explodes.
From the progressive minds of the Central Co-op and the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies comes the very first SLICE (Strengthening Local Independent Co-ops Everywhere) conference, a day long event covering everything from the roots of the co-op mindset to what it takes to be a co-op proprietor. All that co-operation goes down Saturday at Richard Hugo House. You may have noticed the banner ads on CHS -- the event is a paid advertiser but the event is worthy of note here on the site regardless of the ad buy.
The workshop, according to Caple Melton of Central Co-op, will have three themes: So you want to start a co-op, Cooperative Development, and Cooperation in Community, each of which deal with different levels of involvement into co-op culture. The first two follow a business path, covering legal issues, financing and taking your co-op to the next level. The third is more community focused, bringing the concepts of a co-op into community building and exploring the powers of those concepts.
While the fee for the workshop is $30, Melton is trying to make sure anyone can participate by offering other ways to enjoy the information (as well as the food and beverages) at a lower cost through a scholarship program, or through volunteering on site. For more information, check out http://www.madisonmarket.coop
Melton said she is hopeful this workshop will be the start of more opportunities for groups to work together to further co-op culture in Seattle.
