Coyotes In Victory Heights

Posted on September 13, 2015 by Ryan

UPDATE: Reader John recorded the coyote early Monday morning. He thinks it “sounded like s/he was up on the hill between 98th and 100th, probably on the south side of Thornton Creek.”

Saturday night, a number of coyotes were heard howling near Thornton Creek by 21st Avenue NE. Occasionally coyotes have been spotted in Victory Heights in previous years, though they are mostly nocturnal. Those of you who let their cats outside at night are advised to bring them inside. Between coyotes and raccoons in the area, pet owners need to be cautious.

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September Events Calendar

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Ryan

Here are events in around Victory Heights in September:
Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 12-13. Arts North Studio Tour. 11 different studios around the north end will host open houses for the public “to chat with the artists and learn about the creative process while enjoying an assortment of snacks.” Three are located in Victory Heights: 2301 NE 115th St., 2020 NE 113th St. & 11301 23rd Ave NE, 10 AM – 5 PM both days.
Tuesday, Sept. 15: Victory Heights Community Council meeting. Discuss local issues with your neighbors including drug use in the park and changes in bus service. 7 PM at the Co-op Preschool building in Victory Heights Park.
Saturday, Sept 19th: District 5 Candidates Debate. Sandy Brown and Debora Juarez will square off at this event (registration required) at the Northgate Community Center, 7:30 PM.
Sunday, Sept 20th: Screening of “Secret of the Wings” (Rated G) at the Lake City library at 1:30 PM. Part of their “Directed by Women” series.
Sunday, Sept 27: Screening of “McFarland, USA” (Rated PG) at the Lake City library at 1:30 PM.
Don’t forget the Lake City Farmer’s Market every Thursday next to the library in Lake City.

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Last Microsurfacing Rescheduled For Sept. 8th

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Ryan

The microsurfacing project in Victory Heights that was prematurely aborted last Friday when rain prevented the final day of work has been rescheduled for Tuesday, September 8th. The streets that remain to be worked on, NE 100th Street, 17th Avenue NE, and 20th Avenue NE, will be closed for the day while the treatment is applied and cures. All this presumes another weather system doesn’t come through by then. So be prepared for one more day of road closures come Tuesday.

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Metro Route 72 On Chopping Block In 2016

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Ryan

Among the proposed changes to King County Metro bus service next year with the opening of the Link Light Rail station at Husky Stadium is the elimination of Route 72 serving Lake City and eastern Victory Heights. In addition, Route 73 serving western Victory Heights along 15th Avenue NE would have its weekend service eliminated.
As for how we in Victory Heights are supposed to get downtown or to the U District after the 72 is gone, Metro suggests this:

Service on Route 372 which currently only operates Monday through Friday would be added on weekends, as well as additional trips weekdays (every 15 minutes during the day). You would still need to walk from Stevens Way on the UW campus down to Husky Stadium to catch the Link train (approximately .3 miles).
These suggestions were made after “nine months of outreach for this project, we received 16,000 comments from the general public, key institutions, community groups, and an advisory panel of transit riders in the affected areas. This feedback helped transit planners understand how people are using our service today, how they’d like to use it in the future, and what’s most important to riders as we work to balance those two things.”
Disagree with the changes? The people who make the decisions are the King County Council. You can contact them here.

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Victory Heights Microsurfacing Begins August 24th

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Ryan

UPDATE: Follow the progress all week on our Twitter feed Aug 24-28: https://twitter.com/victoryheights2
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has put out a map and schedule for when the microsurfacing project in Victory Heights will be done on specific streets.

Microsurface Map

Beginning on Monday, August 24th, NE 104th Street and NE 107th Street will be closed for the treatment. Each day a different street will be worked on, culminating on August 28th with NE 100th Street and 21st Avenue NE north of 105th. You won’t be able to drive (or walk) on a street that has had the new material put down for eight hours until it cures. This might be a challenge if you live in the middle of a block without any sidewalks. Also, garbage trucks might not be able to reach you on Thursday the 27th if you are on NE 103rd or 23rd Avenue NE.
For more details, you can contact Art Brochet, 206-727-3669 or check out SDOT’s project website.

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August Events Calendar

Posted on August 7, 2015 by Ryan

Here is a list of events in and around Victory Heights this month:
August 7th, 8th & 9th: SalmonFest 2015. Lake City’s annual neighborhood event is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year! There is a parade Saturday night and a salmon BBQ going on all weekend, plus much more.
August 9th: Sheikh Idriss Mosque 14th Annual BBQ. Public event co-sponsored by the Islamic Center of Washington. 2 PM, 1420 NE Northgate Way.
August 15th: Jokumfest. Victory Heights’ own jazz festival is in its 13th year. This free event features hours of live jazz music, taco bar and beer (bring a side dish). Acoustic music starts in the grotto at noon, live bands play from 3 PM to 9:50 PM. Held in the backyard of Gary Schudie’s house, 2021 NE Northgate Way.
Don’t forget the Lake City Farmer’s Market each Thursday 3-7 PM in Lake City next to the library. There’s a kid’s story time each week from 6-7 PM.

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2015 Neighborhood Night Out Attracts Record Crowd

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Ryan

2015nno1For the third year in a row, the Victory Heights Neighborhood Night Out (NNO) was a rousing success, with at least 170 name tags passed out (plus many attendees who didn’t wear one). Held again on NE 106th Street next to Victory Heights Park, the pot luck get together featured a wide variety of foods and desserts, including free ice cream bars. Two fire engines stopped during the two hour event, first Station 39 from Lake City stayed for nearly a hour, giving tours to the kids, and even a free ride around the block for two lucky children. A little while later Engine 40 from Wedgwood came by, coincidentally as their Battalion Chief was visiting who himself is a resident of Victory Heights!
Aside from an information/greeting table set up by the Victory Heights Community Council, there were tables about emergency preparation, a kid’s craft area, and representatives from the Thornton Creek Alliance.
Thanks everyone who attended this year (so many newborn babies too–Victory Heights’ own baby boom!), and the great volunteers who helped put on this successful event, especially Ann Forrest.
If this is the first time visiting the blog, be sure to like our Facebook page, and you can receive notifications every time there is a new blog post by using the form on the right side of this page (full web version). Just enter your email address.  We also have a Twitter account.
The next meeting of the Victory Heights Community Council is Tuesday, September 15th  at 7 PM at the co-op preschool building in the park.
More photos from last night:2015nno22015nno3
2015nno4   2015nno5 2015nno6 2015nno7 2015nno8

Dots show the location of where attendees live in Victory Heights.

Dots show the location of where attendees live in Victory Heights.

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Neighborhood Night Out One Week Away

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Ryan

Attendees at the 2014 Neighborhood Night Out

Attendees at the 2014 Neighborhood Night Out


For the third year in a row, Victory Heights will hold a neighborhood-wide National Night Out on Tuesday, August 4th on NE 106th Street next to Victory Heights Park starting at 6 PM. This family-oriented event will feature potluck food (we’ll provide plates, cups and silverware), free ice cream, and information tables about various community projects. Last year we received a visit from a Seattle Police Department patrol vehicle, as well as a firetruck that parked for an hour. The weather promises to be nice again this year, and this is great chance to meet your neighbors and participate in a great community activity. We hope to see you on Tuesday the 4th!
Please “Like” our Facebook page.

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Microsurfacing Scheduled For August & September

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Ryan

It was announced at this month’s meeting of the Victory Heights Community Council that Seattle Department of Transportation’s (SDOT) microsurfacing paving project in Victory Heights would occur in August or September.
Read the complete minutes of the July council meeting.
Victory Heights residents have probably noticed SDOT crews throughout the neighborhood preparing road surfaces by putting in asphalt patches as needed in the past few weeks. However, the contractor responsible for the microsurfacing won’t get to our neighborhood until projects in Arbor Heights and North Rainier Valley are done first. Those on affected streets will receive written notices before work begins and their street is closed for the day to allow the new road surface to cure.
In other news, the Neighborhood Night Out (NNO) will be Tuesday, August 4th starting at 6 PM on NE 106th Street next to Victory Heights Park. For the third year in a row, this event will feature pot luck food, free ice cream, and information tables. You should be receiving a flyer delivered to your front door in the next week or so. We hope you will attend.
Because of the NNO, there is no August meeting of the community council, the next meeting will be Tuesday, September 15th back in the co-op pre-school in the park.

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Volunteers Needed Tuesday To Distribute Neighborhood Night Out Flyers

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Ryan

The July meeting of the Victory Heights Community Council will be Tuesday, July 21st in Victory Heights Park at 7 PM at the picnic tables. This will be a planning meeting for the annual Neighborhood Night Out which will be held August 4th next to the park on NE 106th Street. At Tuesday’s meeting flyer packets will be distributed to volunteers who will be tasked to take them door-to-door to specific blocks around the neighborhood.  If a lot of people turn up, then each person only has to do a single street. Flyers are the best way of letting everyone know about this great neighborhood event which will again feature pot luck food, free ice cream and tables promoting various local organizations. Help make the Neighborhood Night Out a success by turning up this Tuesday to help distribute flyers (we’ll give you the flyers and a map on Tuesday, but you have a week and half in which to deliver them).
Meanwhile, Victory Heights had a small article in this week’s Seattle Weekly about our neighborhood.
And, if you want some really sobering reading, the current issue of The New Yorker has an article about how most of Seattle is doomed when the big 9.0 earthquake hits.

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