Neighbors Again Asking For Fireworks To Stop Going Off Late At Night In Park

fireworks found in the park

The Laurelhurst Blog continues to receive numerous emails about people letting off fireworks in the park almost every week-end and sometimes on weekdays. 

The last report received was very loud fireworks being set off middle of last week.  Fireworks usually happen between 9:3pm-11:30pm and last sometimes for several minutes and are extremely loud, according to neighbors. 

Neighbors are requesting that "if anyone knows who is doing it to please stop as it causing a great deal of stress for families and espeically for pets" one neighbor told the Laurelhurst Blog.

 

Here are some reports from neighbors:

Last month a large amoutn of fireworks was let off at the Park. These fireworks were special: they woke everyone up and added to terrified dogs already worst day of the year. The risk is fires, fireworks gone wrong, injury from a delayed explosion and not super great for the environment. Begs the question: is there anything we can do to prevent this at parks with multiple points of entry?

The nightly fireworks are extremely tressful for pets and sleeping families, including elderly and adults. It is extremely insensitive of whomever is doing this causing such anxiety on so many people and so late at night.

The fireworks are usually so loud and long that is actually seemed like cars were blowing up as the sound echoes and magnifies off the school and the hospital on the north side of the park. It is extremely scarey, jarring and traumatic for so many people.

Please put out a plea to the neighborhood to do all they can to discourage fireworks from being set off in the neighborhood. Besides being dangerous for people, there are nesting eagles and many other birds in the neighborhood as well as many, many dogs who do not do well the noise from fireworks.

Some neighbors may not know that there are at least 3 families of nesting eagles in our neighborhood. Please also consider the other birds and the many, many pets (especially dogs) in Laurelhurst.

The people that are doing this are not only committing a crime but are in violation of the City Ordinance as they over the allowed decibel level, especially when they are being set off so close to homes.

What about the sick children at the Hospital being awoken and terrified by the loud noise of the fireworks?

Fireworks are illegal in the City of Seattle. The possession, manufacture, storage, sale, handling and use of fireworks are prohibited. Fireworks offenses are gross misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a $5,000 fine. Fireworks pose a fire hazard to property and present a safety risk to those who use them. SPD advises to use the 625-5011 line to report any fireworks violations.

Evening Burglary On Webster Point

The Laurelhurst Blog received this information:

Two homes in the 3000 block of Webster Point Road NE were burglarized on Saturday February 4 between 5:00 pm and 7:30 pm while both homeowners were gone. 

Entry had been gained by climbing up and smashing through sliding glass doors on the second and third floors of the homes. 

Cars in both of their driveways were not vandalized but both homes were thoroughly searched, trashed and many items were stolen. 

Videos show three men wearing dark clothes and masks. 

Copies of security footage were sent to police and reports were filed.  

Some Interesting History of Laurelhurst Past Businesses

 LCC published this Laurelhurst history in a recent newsletter:

History of Laurelhurst - Glimpses of the 1950s written by Jim Rupp, LCC trustee 

When I was a young boy in the 1950s, Emmett Ziebarth had an easy walk to work from his house in Laurelhurst. He lived in a lovely home on Union Bay at 3615 42nd Avenue NE (replaced by a larger modern home several years ago) and it was a short trip to his business, Ziebarth’s Hardware. It was located in the buildings on NE 45th Street that now house the businesses that extend from Jaks restaurant to the Marlai Thai restaurant. 

The buildings were constructed in 1948, and I think Ziebarth probably built them. He owned the whole block. Back then neighborhoods didn’t have the large grocery stores or shopping centers that we’re now accustomed to, only small neighborhood stores. Ziebarth started out across the street, where Valarmos Pizzeria is now located, with a hardware and grocery store. When he moved into the new building, Ziebarth’s retail enterprise was limited to hardware. He leased space to other businesses that served the neighborhood well. The Ziebarth block had much to offer. 

You could walk into the butcher shop and Carl Pollard could provide a wide range of meat for the table. And next to that was Walt Landis’s grocery store. The store owners knew most of their customers by name and personal service was key. Some allowed you to run a tab and pay at the end of the month. When my father visited Ziebarth’s he might say, “Emmett, I need a 4 inch, 3/8th inch bolt,” and Mr. Ziebarth would find it for him. 

When my mother visited Pollard’s, he’d have the hamburger she’d ordered over the phone or requested on the spot. Where Marlai Thai now serves meals, Graham Condie’s pharmacy filled prescriptions and provided various sundry products. Pill prescriptions came in small glass bottles with plastic tops that easily popped off. 

My parents always went to Condie’s. Many others went to Zoff’s, across Sand Point Way between where the Laurelhurst Condos and El Camion are now located, in what ultimately became a bicycle shop. The only time I remember being in Zoff’s was when I was in sixth grade. Tom Hatch and I went in to look at Playboy magazine. 

Mr. Zoff quickly shooed us away with a stern look of disapproval. Over the years new and varied enterprises have come and gone in the Ziebarth block and larger stores have replaced most small local purveyors in Seattle. In our area, I believe Tradewell and Thriftway were the first of the larger “super” markets where you could buy everything. 

One opened in the building where City People’s now resides, and the other was located in the southwest corner of the University Village. When Emmett Ziebarth died in 1985 he still owned the block. It’s now owned by a Ziebarth family trust.

The Laurelhurst Blog has posted about the history of Zopf pharmacy and a conversation the staff had with the owner's grandson, here.  

Mysterious mailbox Near NE 45th Street

 The Laurelhurst BLog received this information and picture

I have to wonder who owns this box at the corner of NE 45th Street and 42nd Avenue NE. Is it functioning? Is it abandoned? What is/was it for?

Please send email to laurelhurstblogger@gmail.com if you have information.

Jean Amick, Neighborhood Advocate Has Passed

 

Jean Amick, long time resident, recipient of several City Good Neighbor Awards and one of the co-chairs of SUN Park passed on Novemer 18th. She lived on the Boulevard with her husband, Russ. And her daughter, Christi Nagle, lived a few houses away, with her family.

In March 2007, Jean became involved in saving a piece of land from development on the corner lot at NE 47th Street and 47th Avenue NE. She and a group of Laurelhurst neighbors and friends, through donations to the Cascade Land Conservancy, purchased the corner.  She and Dixie Park were co-chairs for the Sun Park Committee.

Originally there was a large 1920's Bungalow style house on this corner property. A developer divided the lot in three parcels and 2 houses were built on 2 of the lots. The Sun Park folks, along with many in the community, attended a meeting along with City representatives, to save the third parcel from being developed. And it was turned it into a beautiful pocket park called Saving Urban Nature (SUN). 

The "Mulch Bunch" of neighborhood volunteers (as Jean Amick called them) still regularly have Saturday morning work parties sprucing up Sun Park.

Jean was involved in numerous neighborhood projects over many decades. She worked on the installation of cameras at "Five Points" - the busy intersection of Mary Gates Memorial Drive NE, NE 45th Street, NE 45th Place and Union Bay Place NE.  In August of 2008, three cameras were installed at "Five Points" after the Laurelhurst Community Club voted unanimously to support neighbors requests as well as more than 400 petition signatures,  In 2011, the lights were removed.  In 2013 the law was changed to two arterials only.

In 2017, a small working group of concerned  North Seattle neighbors, including Jean, worked worked with the 520 Bridge Project Team on the issue of the overly bright SR520 bridge lights and solutions on dimming them. In 2019, LCC trustee McAleer and former trustee Jean Amick attended the results presentation in February.

In 2021, Laurelhurst Community Club recognized Jean, and several other neighbors at its Annual meeting.  LCC wrote in a newsletter:

Jean exemplifies a great neighbor as she cruises the streets on her bike spreading cheer by sharing a smile, dropping off a bouquet of flowers, sharing an archived newspaper article, or snaring you into joining her to “Weed and Sweep” at SUN Park. Jean championed the park’s vision by bringing neighbors together to purchase the land and transform it into a beautiful green space for all ages to experience. Jean is also an avid birder and provides colorful habitat for local and rare bird species that frequent her sidewalk garden. 

Jean was also recognized as  a Good Neighbor in 2009.

Here is what one neighbor said about Jean:

Jean Amick was our passionate neighborhood leader.  Jean and her husband, Russ, raised their family here. 

She was a big supporter of our public schools and responsible for SUN Park along with her pal Dixie Porter.   

She was still riding her bike around the neighborhood months ago as she usually did. Jean was a member of  the Laurelhurst Beach Club Fattie Flee, an avid group of lake swimmer. 

We looked forward to the Amick’s Ice Cream Social on Webster Pt. every summer. “You bring the toppings!" 

Jean had a renown sense of humor with twinkling blue eyes,  and was not shy to ask neighbors to do the duty! 

Jean had attended a neighborhood meeting just a short time before she headed to the Poconos, her favorite place to spend time all her life, even to the end, surrounded by family.  

She will be terribly missed!

Another neighbor wrote:

Our dearest Jean Amick died on Thursday surrounded by family. She was such an amazing woman! I am so saddened by this news. May she Rest In Peace.

 

Here is information posted on the Laurelhurst Community Club website about Sun Park:

History of SUN (Saving Urban Nature) Park

SUN stands for Saving Urban Nature. In 2007 SUN was the vision created by Jean Amick and Dixie Jo Porter through the purchase of a small city corner lot from a developer who planned to replace one old original farmhouse and its remaining orchard with three large new homes.

Funded in part by a $15,000 neighborhood grant, neighbors and community members participated in a design process ­–as well as tireless fundraising – from which a unique native plant garden was designed and built. In need of an “official” overseer, the property was deeded through an agreement with the Cascade Land Conservancy, then renamed Forterra, with the hope that SUN Park would become acquired by Seattle Parks and Recreation at some point in the future.


In August 2019, Friends of SUN Park gifted this beautiful green space to Seattle Parks and Recreation. In addition, a significant maintenance fund raised by SUN volunteers over the years was turned over to Parks for the purpose of future acquisitions. Friends of SUN Park works closely with Parks to ensure its continued care and enjoyment for all.

Condelences can be sent to:

donamick@gmail.com

scott.amick@gmail.com

betsy@floytag.com

christynagle@yahoo.com

(photo courtesy of Twitter)

NE 50th Street Parking Taken Up Almost Entirely By Hospital Staff (Violating Hospital Parking Policy)

 

NE 50th Street

Why are Hospital related staff allowed to take up at least 20 spaces every day on NE 50th Street rather than parking at the Hospital's employee parking lot at Magnuson?

In a document titled "Parking Policy and Enforcement FAQ Laurelhurst" sent to the Laurelhurst Blog by Edna Shim, "Regional Government Affairs & Community Relations," it states (in part):

Seattle Children’s Parking Policy and Enforcement FAQ 2022: Laurelhurst Neighborhood

Our parking policy states members of Seattle Children’s workforce are not allowed to park in the neighborhood. We have a strong systematic commitment to enforce this policy.  Seattle Children’s parking policy and restrictions are in effect 24/7.  Violations of Seattle Children’s parking policy are tracked and treated as a performance

issue.

The document also states:

On a daily basis, our parking enforcement staff patrol neighborhood streets, rotating through several neighborhood patrol zones in a randomized order to prevent enforcement predictability. We monitor suspected parking violators by running these license plates through Children’s workforce database.

However, neighbors have reported that no patrol cars have been seen in the neighborhood since March, when the full time Children's Hospital dedicated parking enforcement officer retired. Tom daily patrolled the streets around the Hospital checking for employees violating Hospital policy of not parking on neighborhood streets. The Children's officer was seen multiple times a day many times a day patrolling the neighbor and was known to many residents living around the Hospital. He retired in April and since then not one patrol car has been seen on streets around the Hospital.  

It is reported that Drew Dressman (drew.dressman@seattle.childrens.org) has taken over the role, but he has never been seen in the neighborhood, nor has the patrol car.

One neighbor said:

We really appreciated Tom patrolling our streets and looking into cars that seemed to be with the Hospital, as we know the Hospital has a strict parking policy about parking in the neighborhood. He always followed up on our calls and did thorough research on every car. For almost a year we have never seen the Hospital Security car in the neighborhood, never.  That allows Hospital staff to park anywhere they want, with no consequences, taking up valuable parking spaces. And it completely misrepresents what Children's has told neighbors regarding their strict employment parking policy.

Since Tom retired, there are consistently and daily many areas in the neighborhood  that Hospital staff are regularly parking in - the corner of NE 45th Street and 45th Avenue NE near Seattle Community Church, corner of NE 45th Street and 43rd Avenue NE, 41st Avenue NE, up and down NE 45th Street, 46th Avenue NE, 44th Avenue NE and other locations.

And NE 50th Street has had the most Children's staff parked from Sand Point Way up to 45th Avenue NE. This effectively takes up almost every single parking spot on NE 50th Street.  One neighbor reported counting 30 cars in one day, evident by the out of state license plates and observing drivers walking directly in to the Hospital campus.  Neighbors report they have talked to some of the vehicle owners who confirm they work for the Hospital. And cars generally arrive between 7-8am and leave about 12 hours later.  Neighbors report that all the non-resident cars have out of state plates. 

One neighbor commented:

NE 50th Street has effectively become a side road and free overflow parking lot for the Hospital and it's very unfair to the residents for the Hospital to use residential streets as their additional parking lot. It's unclear why parking violations are clearly going unnoticed when the Hospital is aware of the situation.

The Hospital related staff also create a safety issue parking most times almost down to Sand Point Way, on the corner, making visibility turning right onto NE 50th and also left onto Sand Point way very hard. Many of the cars are also parked illegally too close to the stop sign at the intersection with Sand Point Way. 

In the last 7 months, the hospital appears to have taken little action so that residents can park in front of their own homes, rather than a block or so away. 

Neighbors wonder what can be done to ensure they still can park near their home as the Hospital appears to not be implementing consequences for parking on the street.

The only time the Hospital monitored the area was shortly before Tom retired. He and other staff in the Parking Planning and Operations Team were in regular contact with a neighbor even saying: 

There is an unusually high number of out of state travelling nurses filling in a staff shortage and we believe it has been a miscommunication with these folks as they onboard that is causing the problem.  Over the next two weeks, we will schedule 3 mornings for someone on the ground to intercept arriving cars and redirect them. Please keep us in the loop as this may continue to flare up.

Then suddenly the neighbors' emails were forwarded to Edna Shim in "Regional Government Affairs & Community Relations," and the officers no longer checked on NE 50th Street or even continued communications with neighbors as they had consistently been doing. 

Edna took over the communications on behalf of the Hospital though she is not involved with Hospital Parking Enforcement and it appears that parking personnel are no longer allowed to respond to anyone.

The Laurelhurst Blog's attempts to interact with Hospital Parking Enforcement directly, as has happened seamlessly for over a decade, was also suddenly stopped by Edna Shim who said:

As you are aware, our Transportation and Security teams are working on multiple solutions.  Moving forward I will be your primary point of contact regarding neighborhood concerns. 

Seattle Children’s remains committed to enforcing our parking policy to reduce the impacts on our neighborhood. Seattle Children’s continues to communicate and enforce the neighborhood parking policy for all workforce members. 

However if enforcement was happening, then it is unclear why 20-30 cars are still parking on NE 50th Street for almost 8 months.

Edna said that these action items are being taken, however neighbors have only seen these items followed through on once or twice:

This location a large portion of them are contract staff with non-Washington State license plates which makes it more challenging to identify the owner. Here’s what we have done and continue to do until the issue is resolved: 

• Prioritize this location, in enforcement rotation, for new parking enforcement staff

• Parking enforcement staff on the curb intercepting would-be parkers

• Parking enforcement staff writing citations 

• Parking staff leaving flyers on the cars regarding parking policy

• • Strengthen signage about no parking in neighborhood. On-street signage is at the discretion of Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT).:

Edna also sent this information: 

When the pandemic hit in 2020, there was an Emergency Order signed by then Mayor Durkan and later Mayor Harrell, extending free on street parking to hospital employees. We continue to check with the City specifically SDOT and SDCI, as to when the temporary suspension of parking requirements for all Major Institutions (hospitals and colleges) will sunset. It’s our understanding that SDCI believes that certain elements are still in place.  It’s possible that the street parking exemption will expire this summer depending on the COVID-19 situation.

However, SDOT provided this information to the Laurelhurst Blog: 

In March 2020, the City of Seattle began implementing temporary permits to create on-street parking around certain healthcare institutions, and discontinued issuing these temporary permits last year.  

In June 2020, Children’s Hospital informed us that they would accommodate their employee parking on the hospital property and no longer needed reserved parking on city streets.

Neighbors provided these solutions to the Hospital saying "It is unclear why this has not been resolved, these are immediate, inexpensive and effective solutions."

• sign be installed on the Hospital property along NE 50th that reminds employees that parking in residential neighborhoods isn’t allowed
• designate onsite free parking for travelling nurses
• reached out to the traveling nurse agency
• have a patrol officer at the street at 7am to remind staff of Hospital parkign policy
• put fliers on cars with Hospital parking policy
• cite cars immediately when neighbors call in
• mandate that employees update their vehicle registration info

The Laurelhurst Blog also reached out to Jamie Cheney, Director of the Transportation Department and she sent what appears to be a message only intended for staff saying on June 24: 

Vickie, Lisa and Samuel-

I think Edna is on vacation.  I will set up a time on Monday to discuss with you three.

 

However, the Laurelhurst Blog, nor any neighbors have received any responses since that date and the parking issue still continues with 2-3 blocks taken up by Hospital staff. 

One neighbor commented: 

I fully expect employees to continue to park on the street. This isn’t sustainable for the neighborhood. On one day, neighbors reported that there were only 4 cars that were parked on NE 50th Street that actually belonged to residents. All the other cars belonged to Childrens employees. 

Some of the townhomes on NE 50th Street still remain vacant, but once these get sold, there will likely be many more cars parked on NE 50th. This would be totally fine on it’s own, but if you combine this with Childrens staff filling most of the street already and no parking allowed on 44th Avenue NE, then parking will consistently overflow up the hill on NE 50th Street. 

NE 50th street also gets a lot of traffic and it’s inconvenient to have it effectively become a one way road due to the large volume of Seattle Childrens employees that choose to park here. 

In the past, Seattle Childrens had staff dedicated to enforcing staff parking restrictions. It seems evident that this enforcement has, for the most part, stopped. NE 50th Street is consistently used by hospital employees so that they can avoid paying for parking.

 

Having a long line of cars parked all the way to the bottom of the hill on NE 50th Street where it connects with the very busy Sand Point Way is also super unsafe. I’ve watched two cars in the past week nearly hit each other as one makes a quick right onto NE 50th Street, not expecting another car to come down the hill. 

Another neighbor said:

It's unclear why Children's is clearly not being a good neighbor. They say they enforce their parking policy, however they do not, evident on NE 50th Street going on almost a year. They no longer patrol our neighborhood and they do not attend to neighbor reports. 

Edna has shut down any communication and now does not even have the courtesy of responding though she is the neighborhood liaison. It is almost insulting that the Hospital would treat their neighbors in such a manner. There are simple and immediate solutions that can be implemented so that everyone is happy. 

And one other neighbor commented:

We have always loved living in Laurelhurst and the Hospital has always been a good neighbor. However in the last year, the tables have completely turned, with Edna taking over. Our basic need to park near our residence has been removed, with no end in sight. Being elderly, we feel most safe parking close to our residence, but can no longer do so. Yet the Hospital continues to ignore this issue and does even have the decency to communicate to neighbors.  

Jim Sawyer, Hospital Director of Security, told the Laurelhurst Blog Staff at one time:

The Hospital takes its street parking restrictions very seriously.  Hospital Security actively tickets the streets seven days a week, and attempts to respond to all complaints within an hour. We respond to any and all Transportation requests for enforcement help of any kind.  This is a priority for our patrol and enforcement team. We patrol and ticket the streets regardless of whether we receive calls or not. If one of our neighbors calls we have and will give their concern priority response.    

We have a systematic process in place to enforce parking which includes regular (but variable by time and day) patrols, database tools to look up and cross reference license plates and the ability to deliver citations remotely which allows us to scale enforcement.      

Workforce are required by hospital policy to register their vehicle and to keep this information up to date. The hospital also has access to the DOL database for looking up suspected vehicles out of compliance. If the name does not match a workforce member, we can also attempt to match the registered owner address to workforce members living at the same address.  

There are no assigned  parking areas in the neighborhoods - all assigned areas are on hospital property or in one of our designated off site lots. 

We advise staff there is no cut off street distance-all street parking is unauthorized. By cut off distance we mean-if an employee were to ask “If I park a mile and a half away and walk in-is that ok”? If-when we field these questions we answer that "no -you need to park in your assigned area if you drive-there is no amnesty so to speak if you park a greater distance away". 

Human Resources takes street parking very seriously - it is a performance issue that will or can impact ones employment.  If an employee is a repeat offender it becomes a  serious performance issue which could result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.  

Parking Enforcement can be reached at: Transportation@seattlechildrens.org or call 206-987-5500.  Include vehicle location, time, license plate number, and vehicle description.

Here is other contact information:

• Jamie Cheney (Director of Transportation): jamie.cheney@seattlechildrens.org, cell: 206-696-6824
• Drew Dresman (Parking Planning and Operations Supervisor): drew.dressman@seattle.childrens.org, cell: 206-349-2273 
• Jim Sawyer (Security Director): Jim.sawyer@seattlechildrens.org, office: 206 987-6213 
• William Woodward (Security Supervisor): william.woodward@seattlechildrens.org, office 206-987-2030 

 

   

Buses Piling Up At NE 45th Street Turn-Around

 

Metro bus revised its bus service in Laurelhurst and throughout the city last fall. 

Laurelhurst went from one to 2 new bus routes, 31 and 32 route, running from 5:45am to 11:30pm, stopping at the NE 45th Street Hospital turnaround, and no longer going through the neighborhood.

Metro said that the Routes 31 and 32 were revised to provide improved east-west transit connectivity along NE 45th Street and to make connections between the new U District Station and Seattle Children’s Hospital. 

However, with 2 busses running the same route at around the same times, neighbors report that many times it results in 3-4 busses at the NE 45th Street turnaround, with one bus usually hanging out on to NE 45th Street.

One neighbor said: 

NE 45th is a very busy street in and out of the neighborhood. If they all happen to be there at the same time, can't the schedules be changed so they don't all show up there? Especially since ridership is very low. Why don't the busses wait at a previous stop to get back on their schedule?  Seems very odd to have 3-4 busses piling up in a low ridership neighborhood.

The Laurelhurst Blog contacted Metro and a representative responded: 

Our staff spoke to a neighbor to hear their perspective on driveway concerns, and we are glad to hear drivers are courteous and are able to quickly move a bus that might temporarily be blocking a driveway while they are in service. By working with operations staff, we expect these instances to become less frequent through better coordination.

Buses run approximately every 15 minutes during most of the day, and every 7-8 minutes during the peak periods. No more than two buses are expected to share the terminal at the same time at Seattle Children’s Hospital. 

 

Based on some initial observations, there is sufficient room for three buses to enter the turnaround without hanging out in the sidewalk area. We’ll work with drivers on those routes to ensure they are pulling far enough ahead to make enough room for each other.

 

Based on scheduling, the pace of buses serving that location should not cause backups or bunching.  However due to traffic or boarding delays, or other issues on a trip, it can affect the spacing between buses, and following trips can catch up to delayed trips. While we do not schedule more than two buses to share the terminal, there may be instances where a third bus may arrive at the terminal as a result of some of these kinds of impacts. Our scheduling staff will be looking at the trip timing to see if there are refinements or revisions to smooth out the rhythm of service.

I’ve informed our scheduling and service quality staff so they can take steps to work with the bus drivers of these routes to better avoid these situations to the extent possible.

Metro Bus Route 78, ran  for about four years and replaced long-time neighborhood route 25, which was deleted due to low ridership. The route went throughout the neighborhood with multiple stops, but only ran once an hour and ridership was low. Route 78 ran from Children's Hospital to the UW Light rail station at Husky Stadium.

Go to Metro's website for more information.

 

Check Out Neighbor's Visually Rich Novel, The Marigold Chemise

 

A Laurelhurst neighbor and author would like to share that she has published her first novel, The Marigold Chemise, a fiction novel set in the 17th century.

Sheryl has written fiction short stories as well as non-fiction articles and workbooks as a health care provider. She is also an artist and abstract painter, receiving training in Rome, Italy.

Sheryl told the Laurelhurst Blog that her interest in fashion along with her love of Rome set the stage for the storyline that follows a garment as it is passes through generations.

Sheryl Westergreen told the Laurelhurst Blog about her book:

In the seventeenth century, a young Roman woman secretly poses in a marigold chemise for her best friend for a series of sensuous paintings. 

The young woman artist longs for recognition as a painter, but the times dictate that she can only be an assistant for her father, who is commissioned to paint religious icons for the church. 

The garment and the paintings pass through generations of Italian families to the present day. Intrigue, betrayal, murder, and passion follow the marigold chemise and the paintings from Rome, Florence, New York, back to Rome, and finally, Corsica. 

Along the way, the marigold chemise becomes the inspiration for a wildly successful lingerie company, flourishing in the Roman studio on Via Margutta, where the paintings were originally created. 

If you like Italy, fashion, and passion, and are interested in a fast-paced and visually rich novel, please check out my book.

The Marigold Chemise can be purchased on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Sheryl Westergreen can be reached at sheryl.westergreen@gmail.com.

Friday Neighborhood Business Holding Holiday Donation Drive

Summit Capital Partners, a Real Estate investment and Development company, owned by Laurelhurst resident, Jim Thorpe, is having a Holiday Donation Drive on Friday at their office, formerly Pro Robics (3803 NE 45th Street), from 8am-6pm.

Donations for new toys and outerwear will be accepted to benefit the patients and families of Seattle Children’s Hospital. Those that donate will be entered into a raffle to twin 2 VIP Glass Seats to a Seattle Kraken game in 2022. The winner will be announced on Monday.

The community can also donate online.  Go here for more information. 

Thorpe purchased the Pro Robics building in November of 2019 for $7.6 million, according to King County records for his headquarters. The seller was Aerobics Building LLC, which acquired the corner property in 2004 for $3.1 million.

ProRobics closed last year after 30 years in that location.

Jim Thorpe told the Laurelhurst Blog that his company purchased the building to renovate and have their corporate headquarters and it will be fully occupied for commercial use. The space underwent some remodeling. Approximately 30 staff are working in the offices of the real estate investment company.

Some Interesting Laurelhurst History

A Laurelhurst Community Club member published this history about NE Surber Drive:

William H. Surber Researched and written by Jim Rupp, LCC trustee

 

When developers created Laurelhurst, their plats had picturesque street names that are long forgotten. Names like Laurel Avenue, Prospect Avenue, Ridge Road, and View Drive (all included in the Laurelhurst Heights Plat of the early 1900s) disappeared when Laurelhurst was annexed to Seattle in 1910. 

Most street names were given numbers, which helped the fire department find homes before they burned to the ground. There are some exceptions. For instance, Cascade and Olympic drives became East and West Laurelhurst drives. 

And Surber Avenue and Surber Place became Surber Drive. Why keep the Surber name? Well, it’s because its namesake – William H. Surber – was one of the earliest settlers in the area, and he was a memorable figure they called “Uncle Joe.” 

He came to Seattle in 1858 and worked as a carpenter and as a contractor driving piles for many of the early waterfront railroad trestles. He was also Seattle’s first chief of police. Through it all he supplemented his income by selling wild game he hunted throughout the area. He shot his first deer in downtown Seattle, near what is now Marion Street and Third and Fourth avenues. 

One of Surber’s favorite hunting spots was what became Laurelhurst. In 1861 he acquired 160 acres along the shores of Union Bay, bordered on the east and west by what are now 45th NE and 35th NE. 

In 1888 Henry Yesler bought part of that property and built a sawmill and created the town of Yesler, near where the UW Horticulture Center is located. Surber had a house and a farm on the property, and he would regale visitors with stories of pioneer days. To get there, friends would often take the trolley to Madison Park, then rent a canoe or rowboat and cross Union Bay. Surber was still living in his Laurelhurst house when he died in 1923 at 89. Surber is buried at Seattle’s historic Lake View Cemetery on Capitol Hill, near many pioneers who enjoyed his good company. 

Laurelhurst Resident And UW Student In Ed Sheeran Video

The Laurelhurst Blog received this information:

Laurelhurst resident and UW Student, Lauren DiJulio, stars in Ed Sheeran's latest video "Overpass Graffiti"

My daughter, who graduated from Laurelhurst Elementary, Eckstein and Roosevelt, met the director, Jason Koenig, when he was volunteering at Roosevelt High School’s Media Lab several years ago. 

He saw Instagram posts of Lauren “jumping off top” at the Laurelhurst Beach Club which was a critical qualifier for a scene in the video. She was a lifeguard there for 6 years. 

The video was filmed over 5 days, this past July,  at Golden Oak Ranch, in the Santa Clarita area, north of Los Angeles. 

Lauren enjoyed the experience and spent lots of time working with the crew as a set assistant, helping with wardrobe, etc. Ethan Scoma, also from RHS, is also in the video. 

Lauren is currently a junior at the UW and is studying Communications.

Join Neighborhood Halloween Kayak Trip On Union Bay

Last year's Halloween paddle

The Laurelhurst Blog received this information from a neighbor:

A few friends and I are planning to paddle board or kayak out on Union Bay at 9am on Halloween morning and would love to see other witches and other costumed paddlers out there. 

We will launch at Waterway 1. We’ll likely be 3-4 paddle boards and maybe a double kayak. 

The weather looks to be sunny at that time, fingers crossed!

Anyone interested can contact me or just show up! anita@threebythree.com

Video Of Eagles Near Villa Academy

A neighbor would like to share this information:

A couple of week ago I was out on a perfect day for my bi-weekly row from the Laurelhurst Beach Club to the Villa. The Villa is always my preferred destination and today’s North wind meant a vigorous row up and gentler return, a pretty good workout for pushing 80.

It is always worth the work to see the eagles at the Villa perched on the only bare branched snag from which they can watch their nest and watch for the very few fish left in Lake Washington. But today was different. There were no eagles; there was no snag. Gone.

There were Seattletreecare.org trucks taking down an older tree, granted not very healthy, on the Villa’s valuable waterfront property. What is coming? As with Batelle (whoops, Talaris), the only institutions that will ever conceivably protect the trees or prevent the needless destruction of existing buildings are Children’s or UW.

I sure will miss those eagles.

Here is a video I took.

Laurelhurst Mom Dies After COVID-19 Vaccination

 

Laurelhurst neighbors would like to share this very sad news:

Oregon Live Obituary

Jessica Berg Wilson
Oct. 29, 1983 - Sept. 7, 2021

Jessica Berg Wilson, 37, of Seattle, Wash., passed away unexpectedly Sept. 7, 2021 from COVID-19 Vaccine-Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia (VITT) surrounded by her loving family. Jessica was an exceptionally healthy and vibrant 37-year-old young mother with no underlying health conditions.

Jessica was born Oct. 29, 1983 to Arthur and Gwen Berg in Portland, Ore. She attended Riverdale Grade School, graduated from Jesuit High School in 2002, and earned a B.A. from Oregon State University in 2007. After college, she had a successful professional career in human resource management and devoted her free time to numerous volunteer causes. She met Tom, her loving husband, in 2009 and they wed in 2012, going on to have two daughters, Bridget (5) and Clara (3).

Jessica fully embraced motherhood, sharing her passion for life with her daughters. Jessica's motherly commitment was intense, with unwavering determination to nurture her children to be confident, humble, responsible, and to have concern and compassion for others with high morals built on Faith.
Jessica's greatest passion was to be the best mother possible for Bridget and Clara. Nothing would stand in her way to be present in their lives. 

During the last weeks of her life, however, the world turned dark with heavy-handed vaccine mandates. Local and state governments were determined to strip away her right to consult her wisdom and enjoy her freedom. She had been vehemently opposed to taking the vaccine, knowing she was in good health and of a young age and thus not at risk for serious illness. In her mind, the known and unknown risks of the unproven vaccine were more of a threat. But, slowly, day by day, her freedom to choose was stripped away. 

Her passion to be actively involved in her children's education—which included being a Room Mom—was, once again, blocked by government mandate. Ultimately, those who closed doors and separated mothers from their children prevailed. It cost Jessica her life. It cost her children the loving embrace of their caring mother. And it cost her husband the sacred love of his devoted wife. It cost God's Kingdom on earth a very special soul who was just making her love felt in the hearts of so many.

Along with being a superb mother, Jessica was a devoted and supportive wife and created a beautiful, serene home for her family to thrive in while establishing her family in the wonderful Laurelhurst and Assumption-St. Bridget communities of Seattle. Jessica and Tom were a remarkable team who prioritized family values and morals, and their Catholic Faith.

She was known best for her grace, wisdom, wit, sense of humor, conscientiousness, her tireless work ethic, her pride in her family, and her loving nature. Throughout her life she loved to travel and made many trips to Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America, the Oregon Coast and Black Butte Ranch yet she always valued who she was with more than where she was. In personality Jessica was elegant and composed. Drama in attitude was not her way. 

She was a rock and guidepost, armed with natural problem-solving skills and intuitiveness for those who were fortunate to have her in their lives. During the inevitable crises in her life and of those she knew she would say "let's figure it out" thereby giving confidence and direction in uncertain times. Loyal and protective, she was the best of all confidants while offering the lightness of her intrinsic humor.

Within her altruistic regard for others, she held a special concern for the welfare of mothers and children in need. With this in mind, in lieu of flowers the family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider donating to a charitable organization that was near and dear to Jessica's heart. Sacred Heart Shelter for Families donation link: https://tinyurl.com/jessbw

Left to cherish her memory are husband, Tom Wilson; her daughters, Bridget and Clara; her parents, Arthur Berg and Gwen Berg; her sister, Elizabeth Berg; and brother, John Berg; many extended family members, and a large friend group and community.

Services have been held.
Guestbook at: harveyfuneral.com
Please sign the online guest book at www.oregonlive.com/obits

Published by The Oregonian from Oct. 1 to Oct. 3, 2021.

Friday Neighbor Nominations Due For Annual Neighbor Recognition Day

 The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) posted this information in a recent newsletter:

Calling for Nominations for Annual Neighbor Recognition Day 

Annual Neighbor Recognition Day was established by the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods in 1995 as a special day to celebrate the goodness in those around us, and to reach out and strengthen our bonds to each other. 

Laurelhurst’s Neighbor Day celebration will part of the Annual Meeting on Monday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. LCC will recognize and amplify these acts of kindness and honor neighbors from Laurelhurst who have gone above and beyond to give back to their community. 

If there is a person, business, or organization you believe deserves to be recognized, we invite you to nominate them here.  All ages and types of nominations are welcome and there is no limit on the number of nominees. 

Please keep in mind that your neighbor’s nomination may be used in the LaurelhurstLetter and posted on the LCC website for recognition.

LCC is counting on you to nominate those in our neighborhood who deserve special recognition. Submit your nominations no later than Friday, May 28th.

Today Drop-Off Furniture And Other Donations At Park

Today, Humble Design is holding a "Stuff the Truck" event in the Community Center parking lot from 10-2pm.

The event is organized by a Laurelhurst resident who is currently an intern with Humble Design

Used home furnishings are accepted as well as these items including:

Furniture

• bed frames (twin-queen)
• bookshelves
• chairs
• coffee tables
• couches
• dining chairs
• dining tables
• futons
• love seats
• mattresses/box springs
• night stands

Decor

• artwork
• bedding
• blankets
• curtains
• lamps
• pillows
• table linens
• throw pillows

Kitchen and Bath

• bathroom rugs/mats
• coffee makers
• cups/mugs
• dish sets
• shower curtains & liners
• silverware
• towels
• trash cans
• utensils

Miscellaneous

• books
• brooms
• extension cords
• toys
• vacuums

Go here to see the full list of what is accepted.

Humble Design's website says:

Humble Design serves individuals, families, and veterans emerging from homelessness by transforming empty houses into welcoming homes using donated furniture and household goods. Our warehouses are curated by design teams that personalize homes based on our clients’ needs and preferences.

Go here for more information.