Sacajawea Elementary Would Close In One District Proposal

Posted on September 12, 2024 by Ryan

On Wednesday, the Seattle School District released two possible options for closing elementary schools across the city, one of which would impact Sacajawea near Victory Heights. In Proposed Option A, Sacajawea would be closed and all the K-5 students would instead attend Hazel Wolf Elementary in Pinehurst. With Proposed Option B, Sacajawea would remain open. The District says such closures are necessary, “to create schools that are equitable and excellent, ensuring that we operate within our resources to maintain the stability and health of our district for the future.”

Nobody in the city is going to happy their child might have to travel further than before just to attend school, so to say these closures are controversial is an understatement (hey, I hate it when my bus stops get moved or closed). But these are early days and as the District says on its website, “As you review the proposed options below, please know these are drafts under consideration [emphasis theirs].” So, submit your feedback to them if you have any.

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Pets Beware: Coyotes Active

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Ryan

Even though Victory Heights is in the middle of a large city, it is also adjacent to a greenbelt with a large amount of wildlife including coyotes. Pets, particularly outdoor cats, can be vulnerable to these predators. The Humane Society advises keeping cats inside for their safety.

Andrea, who lives at 17th Avenue and Northgate, recently reported:
Last week, our cat went missing earlier in the week, and on Friday, we found pieces of her scattered around the grassy area of Victory Heights park. We think she was taken from our yard on Tuesday night, likely by a coyote that then brought her back to the park.

She adds, “One thing I love about this neighborhood are all of the friendly outdoor cats, and I would hate for this to happen to someone else.” Don’t let your pet be another victim. You can’t control the coyotes but you can control your pet.

If you’d like to talk about this, or other topics, the Victory Heights Community Council will be having a virtual meeting over Zoom on Monday, August 26th at 6 PM. On the agenda is back to school carpool opportunities, the 23rd Avenue drainage project update, Link Light Rail service change update, and planning for this year’s Victory Frights in October.

Please use this Zoom link for next Monday’s meeting: 

Victory Heights Neighborhood Zoom Meeting Link

One tap mobile
+12532050468,,84473632138# US

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Tuesday is Neighborhood Night Out

Posted on August 5, 2024 by Ryan

The annual Neighborhood Night Out is traditionally held on the first Tuesday of August, this year August 6th. It’s a great way to get to know the people on your street and strengthen community bonds. And it’s simple to do! Just set up a few chairs on a front lawn, or block off a section of your block, and invite your neighbors (basically, any house you can see up and down your street) to come hang out. Introduce yourselves, get to know people’s names and which houses they are in. Exchange phone numbers and emails. This kind of information is particularly useful in case of an emergency or disaster.

Many neighbors registered with the Seattle Police’s Night Out map, check to see if there is one near you, or just spontaneously do one yourself! For instance, those of us in south Victory Heights on NE 100th and 102nd Streets will be meeting on 102nd between 20th and 21st Avenue starting at 6 PM.

Good luck!

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VHCC Funds Honey Bucket Return In Park

Posted on June 15, 2024 by Ryan

The Victory Heights Community Council has paid to have a Honey Bucket (aka Porta-Potty, Sani-Can, etc) returned to Victory Heights Park. In 2020, Seattle Parks placed a Honey Bucket in the park which proved to be popular, especially during the original mid-day Food Truck Fridays held during the pandemic. It was removed at the end of 2023 when funding ran out. Using their own funds, the community council is now paying for the rental and upkeep of the Honey Bucket so it will be available again.

The Victory Heights Community Council is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that relies on donations from the community for all of its funding. If you enjoy the amenities in our neighborhood (Food Truck Fridays, Ice Cream Social, Winterfest, Chili Cook-Off, Honey Bucket, etc.), please make a donation so we can continue to provide these services and events. You can donate using Square: https://victory-heights-cc.square.site. Please make a donation today (did you know that the community council pays for insurance each year that allows us to put on events like Food Truck Fridays and the annual Ice Cream Social?). Thank you for your help.

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Patty’s Eggnest & Jiffy Lube Demolished

Posted on June 2, 2024 by Ryan

As part of the redevelopment along Northgate Way, Patty’s Eggnest (formerly Skipper’s) and the Jiffy Lube on the corner of Northgate and Roosevelt were demolished last week to make way for new housing.

Here are before and after photos comparing the site in March, just after the businesses closed, and on June 1st.

I for one will miss Patty’s French Toast, but apparently they plan to reopen at a new location just west of the old one.

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Upcoming Events: Hub Fest, Preschool Spring Carnival, Food Trucks

Posted on May 13, 2024 by Ryan

It may have seemed quiet in Victory Heights lately, but don’t let that fool you, plenty of events are coming up in our neighborhood this month.

On Saturday, May 18th at the Co-Op Preschool in Victory Heights Park is their Spring Carnival. 10am-12pm. “It will be a morning full of carnival games, prizes, kids activities and snacks. Everyone is welcome so bring the whole family.”

Tuesday, May 21st, 7 PM: Hub Fest ’24 (click to register). Meet your friendly neighborhood Emergency Hub (and new VH Hub Captain David Emery-Peck). At the Lutheran Church, 12509 27th Avenue NE in Lake City:

  • If disaster strikes, did you know that Victory Heights has a plan?
  • Learn how you can do your part until help arrives 
  • Team up with neighbors and practice scenarios

Friday, May 31st: Food Truck Friday begins for 2024! The Food Trucks are returning to Victory Heights, specifically on 19th Avenue NE across from the park starting at 5 PM. The series will run through September 13th with 3 trucks and possibly a dessert options as a 4th truck each week. (We will skip July 5th this year due to the holiday weekend.)

May 31st the trucks will be:
L’Italtino: https://www.litaliano.info/
Tacos El Guerro: http://www.kirklandtacos.com/
Sam Choys Poke to the Max: https://samchoyspoke.com/
Sweet Wheels: https://sweetwheels.net/

NEW: Saturday, June 1st: Opening Day of the (Emergency) HUB. We’re going to hold an earthquake drill at the Emergency Communications HUB in Victory Heights Park from 1-3 PM. We need volunteers. Sign up to role-play as a greeter, educator, supply manager.

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Meet The New Community Leaders on March 18th

Posted on March 15, 2024 by Ryan

The Victory Heights Community Council is meeting on Monday, March 18th at 7 PM at the co-op preschool building in Victory Heights Park. Please attend. Ann Forrest will be stepping down as our council President (like Ben, our previous President, she’s moving out of our neighborhood). Our new President will be her neighbor John Zapata, and for the first time in years we will have a Vice-President, Daniel Jordan, who you’ve seen running our Food Truck Fridays. Come meet our new officers and say good-bye and give a big thank you to Ann for her two terms of service (September 2016-December 2020, and March 2022-March 2024)!

Speaking of Food Truck Fridays: They’re comin’ back! They will resume on May 31st and run through September 13th, but we are going to skip Friday, July 5th because of the holiday weekend. Daniel is lining up some exciting trucks this year, featuring some new ones and returning favorites.

Curious about how we choose officers for the community council? According to our Bylaws, the four positions (President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary) are members of our Board of Trustees. This group of volunteers helps keep our community council functioning, with a number of standing committees devoting to various activities. If you are interested in getting involved, there are several seats on the Board of Trustees available, contact a member of the community council to learn more.

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Metro Eliminating Routes 20 & 73 in Victory Heights This Fall

Posted on February 18, 2024 by Ryan

An article in The Urbanist describes the changes coming to Metro Transit this fall when the Link Light Rail begins its service north to Lynnwood. Among them are eliminating Route 73 running down 15th Avenue NE, and Route 20 which serves Northgate Way. “With the retirement of Route 73, 15th Avenue NE from Lake City Way NE to Pinehurst Way NE will host no service, affecting portions of Maple Leaf, Victory Heights, and Northgate,” the article says. Instead of Route 20, new Route 61 would service Lake City to Greenwood via Northgate Way. In addition, during peak service the 322 will be rerouted off Lake City Way at Northgate Way and then to the Northgate station and down to South Lake Union. Here is Metro’s full description of the service changes.

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Garbage Collection on Fridays Next Two Weeks (and other news)

Posted on December 26, 2023 by Ryan

With Christmas and New Years on a Monday this year, garbage collections in Victory Heights this week and next will be on Friday instead of Thursday (same again the week of Martin Luther King Jr Day).

Read the complete minutes of the December Victory Heights Community Council meeting.

In other news, Winterfest is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, January 28th, 2024 from 4-6 PM on 19th Avenue NE across from the park. We need volunteers! Sign up at the usual location.

The sock drive (including donations made at Zylberschtein’s and the pre-school) collected over 400 pairs! Thanks, everyone.

And finally, our community council President for the past several years, Ann Forrest, is wanting to step back in 2024, so we will be looking for someone to fill her mighty big shoes so that we can keep doing the community events you like so much (Food Truck Friday, Ice Cream Social, Chili Cook Off, Winterfest, HUB drills, etc). We have a good team, we just need a good leader!

Happy Holidays!

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