Community Council Seeks Emergency Block Captains

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Ryan

Last night’s meeting of the Victory Heights Community Council included a presentation from the Emergency Planning Committee about how our neighborhood should respond in the event of a catastrophic disaster that shuts down the normal means of communication and travel. To that end, a map has been created with each block in Victory Heights broken down into “zones” with the hopes of finding a Captain for each zone who would first liaise with residents in their zone in coming months, distribute city brochures on emergency preparedness, and in the event of an actual emergency, contact their neighbors, and be responsible for relaying information to a central location.

Read the full minutes of the May Meeting.

The city and emergency planning experts advise that every household should be prepared to be self-sufficient for up to three weeks before outside aid, food, electricity or water might be restored in case of a disaster. The purpose of the Planning Committee is to make residents aware of what they should do beforehand, as well as letting them know what plans for the community have been put in place. If you would like to volunteer as a Captain for your block, please let us know. The Committee will train Captains for doing outreach as well as supply all the brochures and information they will need. We all hope of course that such a disaster never occurs but we want to be ready if it ever does.

Other items discussed at last night’s meeting included the Spring Clean scheduled for Saturday, the recent break-ins in the area and how to let the police know about suspicious activity (we are their eyes and ears, call 911 if you see something that looks wrong), building a Little Free Library near the park so folks can exchange books, and organizing the picnic/Night Out in late July or early August for the entire neighborhood.

The next meeting will be Tuesday, June 18th, at a location to be determined (the Pre-School doesn’t have use of the building in the park during the summer months).

Join In On Neighborhood Cleanup May 25th

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Ryan

Ardith Lupton, President of the Victory Heights Community Council, is organizing a neighborhood cleanup on Saturday, May 25th. She has ordered supplies for one dozen volunteers to help clean up the neighborhood. The kits include paint for graffiti removal, grabbers to pick up trash and trash bags along with vests.

Despite being over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, she says, “Hopefully there will be plenty of neighbors who will stay ‘in Town’ and want to participate.”

Unfortunately, it does not include improving the traffic circles and replanting flowers, etc., although residents could vote at Tuesday’s meeting about spending some money from the treasury to purchase flowers for select circles if someone wants to do some planting.

Ardith will be the point person and will meet volunteers in front of the Pre-school building in Victory Heights Park at 9 am on the 25th to get started.

Community Council Meeting May 21st

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Ryan

The Victory Heights Community Council will have its next meeting on Tuesday, May 21st at 7 PM in the Pre-School building in the park. All residents of Victory Heights are encouraged to attend and help improve our neighborhood.

Unfortunately, the planned speaker from Sound Transit won’t be able to make it this month. But we will be discussing the efforts of the Emergency Preparedness Committee to assemble block watch captains for every street in Victory Heights. Also, planning a pot luck in August during the annual Night Out, and building a free lending library station for the neighborhood. There have also been a rash of break-ins recently, including one of the Community Council’s board members! Police response has been good, but we still need to keep an eye out for suspicious activity. Find out how you can help.

Mac ‘n Cheese & Magic Tomorrow at Northgate Community Center

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Ryan

The Seattle Park and Recreation Department is sponsoring an event Friday night at the Northgate Community Center. Bring the family and turn your macaroni and cheese into a magical evening of dinner and entertainment! From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. the Center will offer basic macaroni ‘n’ cheese and you can add your favorite toppings. Choose from bacon, sausage, hot dogs, sun dried tomatoes, onions, bread crumbs and more.

Xakary the Magician and his pet rabbit will mesmerize and dazzle guests with their magic!

Cost is $5 per person or $20 per family. Please register ahead of time at 206-386-4283.

Northgate Community Center is located at 10510 5th Ave. NE.

Thornton Creek Alliance Meets Thursday

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Ryan

The monthly meeting of the Thornton Creek Alliance will be Thursday, April 25th and will feature Seattle Public Utilities’ plans for the Mayor’s new storm water goals, a Department of Transportation presentation about repaving NE 125th Street, and the Alliance’s past year’s accomplishments. They are also looking towards the future and want you to bring your ideas.

Everyone is welcome, the meeting is 7:15 PM to 9 PM at the Meadowbrook Community Center, 10517 35th Avenue NE.

Hearing Monday For Sacajawea Project

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Ryan

The Parks and Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee is hosting a public hearing to gather public comments on the proposed second round Opportunity Fund projects on Monday April 22, 2013. Among the 12 proposals are Sacajawea Elementary School’s Playground Renovation.

In January, the Committee heard more than 40 group project presentations. They made a draft recommendation of projects for the second round of funding. The list of twelve projects represents two projects from each geographical sector of the city (the other Northeast Seattle nominee is a Lake City Skatespot). The Committee is holding a public hearing to gather input before finalizing the list of recommended projects it submits to the Mayor and City Council.

The hearing is at Miller Community Center, 330 19^th Ave. E, from 6 – 9 p.m, Monday.

Insurance Requirements Vex Community Plans

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Ryan

You would think something as easy as “Hey, let’s all have an organized picnic in the park” would be simple, but insurance, fees and liability have proven to make such plans anything but. Last night’s Victory Heights Community Council meeting discussed a proposed neighborhood picnic in July to be held at the park until it was realized it would cost a minimum of $455 just for a four hour event (Park permits, plus $300 in required insurance). Instead, the Council is planning on an informal block party during the City’s annual Neighborhood Night Out on August 6th.

Read the complete Minutes of the April 16th meeting.

Insurance requirements also reared their ugly head when it was realized by the Victory Heights Co-operative Pre-School that their insurance does not extend to adults in the building they lease from the Parks Department, not even to their own staff! Questions about liability when we use the building for meetings have come up, and the Community Council may need to pony up for insurance or else face having to meet somewhere else (though there is no other suitable place in the neighborhood).

Other items discussed at the meeting included the city’s Spring Clean, reports from the Emergency Preparedness Committee, and the recent victory at the North District council to get a new traffic circle put in on 23rd Avenue NE.

Next month’s meeting agenda (Tuesday May 21st) will include a presentation from Sound Transit about the Link Light Rail south of Northgate, planning for the Night Out, and installing Little Free Libraries around the neighborhood similar to what Pinehurst has done.

April Events Calendar

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Ryan

A quick look at what’s coming up in and around Victory Heights in April:

Tuesday, April 16th: Victory Heights Community Council Meeting. Everyone in the community is invited to the monthly meeting to discuss issues, events, and build a better neighborhood. 7 PM at the Pre-school in Victory Heights Park.

Friday and Saturday, April 26 & 27th: Olympic View Elementary Plant Sale. Get growing with vegetable and fruit starts, herbs, flowering annuals, premium perennials, pottery, garden art, and more! 9 AM to 7 PM, 504 NE 95^th Street.

Sunday, April 28th: Sundays Are Special Celebration at the Northgate Public Library. It will feature refreshments and a craft event for families, along with the Check-Out Challenge game and information about new Library services. 2 PM to 3:30 PM, 10548 5th Avenue NE.

Traffic Circle Vote On North District Council Agenda Wednesday

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Ryan

Looking east at the intersection of 23rd Ave NE & NE 105th, site of the proposed traffic circle

The proposed traffic circle in Victory Heights at NE 105th Street and 23rd Avenue NE will be reviewed and voted on as part of the 2013 Neighborhood Park And Street Fund process at the North District Council (NDC) meeting on Wednesday. Each year, community councils offer proposals for review by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and the Parks Department for small low-impact projects that are paid for out of the discretionary Street Fund. Applications are prioritized by the appropriate District Council by a vote which is then passed on to the city departments for a final decision.

Eileen Canola of Victory Heights has been working for many years to get a traffic circle approved, jumping through many hoops in order to make it this far for consideration. On Wednesday, the NDC will be reviewing the applications and hearing from applicants at their meeting April 3^rd at the Lake City Library. Each applicant will allowed a few minutes (around 5 or less) for presentation and questions. Following the six presentations, the NDC members will select three proposals for further evaluation by either SDOT or Parks, depending on the project location. Meetings start at 7 p.m., with the presentations probably starting at 7:30 p.m. Anyone is welcome to attend. The Department of Neighborhoods will notify applicants of award status in September 2013.

Want to know more about the North District Council?

Part 1: Introduction to the North District Council

Part 2: How Representatives Are Chosen

Part 3: Is the District Council a squeaky wheel or just public relations?

Part 4: Representing Victory Heights

The Lake City Library is located at 12501 28th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98125.

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Meadowbrook Egg Hunt March 30th

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Ryan

The Seattle Parks Department has announced “Eggstravaganzas,” various Egg Hunts to be held in parks across Seattle this weekend. The nearest one to Victory Heights will be at the Meadowbook Playfield, 10533 35th Avenue NE, on Saturday, March 30th at 10 AM. Sponsored by the Meadowbrook and Ravenna-Eckstein Community Centers, the event for ages 1-11 will, “Celebrate the coming of spring with an egg hunt beginning at 10 am sharp! The hunt will feature healthy snacks. Bring your own bag or basket. We will hold the hunt rain or shine. Please bring a non-perishable food item to go to North Helpline.”