School Fundraisers Need Your Help

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Ryan

Tis the season for school fundraisers. Both the local schools serving Victory Heights have drives going on currently.
Victory Heights ParkThe Victory Heights Co-Op Preschool is fundraising to support family scholarships, field trips/special programs, replacing and updating toys and the park playground equipment and maintaining/upgrading the community center building. The traditional holiday wreath is now available. Depending on the greenery you select, 30-50% of the total price goes to the preschool and if you live in Victory Heights, it will be delivered to your home! Support not only early education, but also our very own neighborhood preschool and kids!
They are also selling Cougar Mountain cookie dough, Victrola coffee and Chinook books (both printed and smart phone apps). Melinda Frye, who is organizing the fundraiser needs to have all orders in by November 1st and the wreaths will be delivered prior to Thanksgiving! You can e-mail her directly at melinda@mhurstfrye.com and she will organize your order right away!
sacajaweaMeanwhile, the Sacajawea Elementary School PTA is is holding a couple of fundraisers right now including:

  • Chinook Books. Very convenient if you get the app, as you can carry the coupons on your smart phone. $15 for the app, the hard copy book is $20, and a combination of both is $30.
  • Move-a-thon Oct 25th: The kids run around a 1/8 track for 20 minutes, and try to log as many laps as they can. You can sponsor kids by lap or just a set amount. This link answers Frequently Asked Questions about the event.

All the money raised goes to Sacajawea PTA general fund for tutors, field trips, funds for teachers to buy supplies not provided by the district, art supplies, and other important items and experiences. All schools are on a shoestring budget these days, and every little extra helps a lot. You can always write a tax-deductable check as well, and any school or PTA would be thrilled by your support.

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Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill Thursday Morning

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Ryan

Tomorrow, Thursday, October 17th, people all over the world will be participating in the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill. Locally it will “occur” at 10:17 AM. Washington State has also gotten into the act, encouraging individuals or families that register for the Great Washington ShakeOut today may be eligible to win a home earthquake retrofit worth $10,000!
Everyone, everywhere, should know how to protect themselves in an earthquake. Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills are an annual opportunity for people in homes, schools, and organizations to practice what to do during earthquakes, and to improve preparedness.
Do you have an earthquake plan? Know how to turn off your gas or electricity? Have emergency supplies?
This Saturday, the Seattle Community Emergency Hubs will be holding a Fall Summit from 9 AM to noon at the Seattle Emergency Operations Center, 105 5th Avenue S., Suite 300. You can RSVP to Ashley.Hill@redcross.org.
There are also a number of Community Skills Training classes available in different parts of the city, see the schedule at the City’s SNAP website.
And residents of Victory Heights may soon get a visit from an emergency preparedness block captain soon. These are folks from your street going from neighbor to neighbor to let them know about disaster planning, and organizing classes with city representatives on basic preparedness training (takes only an hour!).

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Victory Heights Community Council Meeting October 15

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Ryan

The October meeting of the Victory Heights Community Council will be held at our usual stomping grounds of the Co-Op Preschool building in Victory Heights Park at 7 PM on Tuesday, October 15th.  Everyone in the community is invited to come and participate as issues relevant to our neighborhood are discussed. [UPDATE:] The scheduled speaker from the City’s Office of Emergency Management won’t be able to attend after all, but Susan Causin, head of the Emergency Planning Committee, will instead do an update to our preparation plans for Victory Heights. (You might recall we have organized Victory Heights into blocks with captains to work with their neighbors to be ready in case of a catastrophic emergency.)
Don’t forget all the chairs at the school are meant for children, so if you want a grown-up sized chair to sit in, bring your own. See you there!
Please take a moment to “Like” the Victory Heights Blog Facebook page.

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SPU Installing New Water Line On NE 103rd Street

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Ryan

If you’ve been wondering what all the construction activity has been around the 1700 block of NE 103rd Street, it’s Seattle Public Utilities installing a new 2″ water line at the west end of the street just above Thornton Creek.

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Seattle Disabled Commission Meets at Northgate Oct. 1

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Ryan

In partnership, the Seattle Commission for People with Disabilities and the Seattle Police Department invite everyone to attend a community meeting and discussion with the Commissioners and Police Chief Jim Pugel on issues important to the disability community. It will be held at the Northgate Community Center, 10510 5th Avenue NE, at 6 PM on Tuesday, October 1st.
Everyone is Welcome!  This is the first of four meetings that will occur in different areas of the city. This is a great opportunity to engage with Commissioners and the Chief of Police.
ASL interpreter and CART services will be provided, and attendees are asked to please refrain from using heavy fragrance.
Other accommodations please contact: Ronald Ramp ronald.ramp@seattle.gov or call (206) 684-0390
 

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Community Council Discusses Elections, Little Free Libraries

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Ryan

The September 17th meeting of the Victory Heights Community Council had 21 people crammed into a neighbor’s house when the Co-Op Pre-school building proved unavailable at the last minute (but we’ll be back! See below). With some yummy fresh-made chocolate cookies as treats, a number of newcomers introduced themselves, as well as the usual board members and interested members of the community.
Read the complete minutes of the September meeting.
Speakers included Alice Woldt, of Fair Elections Seattle, who spoke in favor of Proposition 1 on the ballot this fall to publicly finance elections in the city of Seattle. Kate Waterous gave a recap of the highly successful Neighborhood Night Out last month, and solicited ideas for improving it next year. Brad Cummings summarized the recent North District Council meeting, and a resident described the break-in at her place earlier in the day (read more about it here).
Good news from the Victory Heights Co-Operative Preschool is that we can use the building for all of our meetings going forward through May next year. Remember to bring your own chairs if you don’t want to sit in the tiny children’s ones.
And Bob, a local resident, has volunteered to construct TWO Little Free Libraries to be located in Victory Heights. With help from a SPARKS grant from the city, we hope to do this with no cost to the Council. Expect to see these deployed soon!
The next meeting will be Tuesday, October 15th, 7 PM at the Pre-School building in the park.  We hope to see you there!
Please take a moment to “Like” the Victory Heights Blog Facebook page.

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Kingfisher Work Party On Sept. 25

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Ryan

Lynnette Spear helps pull invasive ivy around Thornton Creek

Lynnette Spear helps pull invasive ivy around Thornton Creek


Green City Partnerships announces an “early dismissal” volunteer work party at the Kingfisher Natural Area (aka Thornton Creek at 17th Avenue NE) on Wednesday, September 25th from 1 PM to 3 PM.

We’re kicking off our Fall Service calendar with this fast, high-energy work party.
For two hours, we are going to bust some dragon piles (break them down to more discrete mulch piles and trail logs), battle bindweed, and pull ivy along the lower 17th Avenue trail from access road to rock-hop.
You’ll get a quick lesson in invasive removal and urban forestry safety, so be ready to work at 1pm. This will be your chance to wear your branch-breaking boots and collect some service hours.

Sign up to volunteer on their website. It’s a great chance to meet and interact with the folks who help keep Thorton Creek a special place in Victory Heights.

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Crime Wave Strikes 17th Avenue NE

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Ryan

On Tuesday, a resident on 17th Avenue NE saw two black men in the 20s approach her neighbor’s house around 10 AM, knock on the door, determine nobody was home and then left. About 15 minutes later, the neighbor’s burglar alarm went off when intruders broke a window on the side of the house (away from the watchful resident) and quickly stole an iPod and laptop and got away before police arrived. Moral of the story: if you see suspicious activity, call the police. Other residents reported seeing the two men knock on other doors along 17th Avenue.

Have you seen me? Last spotted on the traffic circle at 17th Ave NE & NE 107th Street.

Have you seen me? Last spotted on the traffic circle at 17th Ave NE & NE 107th Street.


Also, one of the sandwich-board yard signs used by the Victory Heights Community Council has gone missing. It was last seen on the traffic circle on 17th Avenue NE and NE 106th Street until it disappeared sometime before Tuesday evening. Any information about where it might be would be appreciated, contact the blog: victoryheights@aol.com.

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Victory Heights Community Council Meeting Sept. 17th

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Ryan

Hi, Victory Heights, we’re all back from our summer holidays and ready to resume monthly meetings of the Community Council after our very successful Neighborhood Night Out last month. The next meeting (and you’re all invited) will be held at 7 PM on Tuesday, September 17th at [UPDATE]: Monica’s house, 10512 17th Ave NE, on the corner of 17th and NE 106th (just down the road from the park). Get news and information about what’s going on in our neighborhood as well as discuss future plans for the organization. We hope to see you there!

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Northgate 'Hidden Treasures' Walking Tour Saturday

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Ryan

This Saturday, August 17th, join Feet First Neighborhood Walking Ambassador Karen Meadows as she shares 43 years of Northgate’s hidden treasures.
Karen will introduce you to Jaeger, the Dahlia Man and the local landmark Golden Chain tree with an amazing Wisteria Vine growing in her yard. You’ll stroll by the Idriis Mosque, the biggest mosque in Seattle and learn more about Victory Creek Park. At the Northgate Mall, the first covered mall in the country, you will discover what happened to the Northgate Totem Pole. Beyond the covered asphalt, enjoy the walk in the woods by the Northgate library and to see the famous Thornton Creek. Karen will also provide you an overview of the proposed Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge across I-5 from the Northgate Link Light Rail station to the community college and what this means for the neighborhood.
Stay charged up during the walk, bring your mug! Free coffee will be available for all participants.
The walk starts at 10 AM and ends around 11:45. For more information, visit the Feet First Meetup site: http://www.meetup.com/Feet-First-Walks/events/132773622/

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