From this week’s monthly meeting of the Highland Park Action Committee: Mark your calendar for May 19th – the annual Spring Clean, at the HP Improvement Club and surrounding area. That was one of the major announcements, but much of the night’s discussion was dedicated to an update from Seattle Police, and concerns about illegal motorcycle-riding in the West Duwamish Greenbelt:

CRIME & ILLEGAL TRAIL BIKING: The police update was courtesy of Community Police Team Officer Jon Kiehn, who had been centerstage at the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network meeting the night before (WSB coverage here). With the help of HPAC co-chair Carolyn Stauffer, he explained the latest map of local crime trends:

The most notable crime trend involved two robberies around the 16th/Holden mini-business district. Residents noted that the area had seemed a little sketchy during the many months the entire Seamart/ex-Zippy’s building was empty (though now Seamart is open again, and the Athena’s truck is often there, with a café to follow). Officer Kiehn said he’s been working with Athena’s owner, and they got City Light to put a light in the alley. Meantime, he reiterated that if you see anything suspicious, call 911.

Then came the discussion of motorcycles on trails in the forest and park, which has come up at other HPAC meetings. Officer Kiehn says he’s talking to Seattle Parks about better signage, to make sure the motorcyclists know they’re not supposed to be using the trails. Would it help to record them on video? he was asked. Answer: No, since state law requires an officer to see the violation in order to cite the rider. Some of the meeting attendees told him about the most frequently used entry points, so that’s where he’ll talk with Parks about signage.

RAIN GARDENS: Amy Waterman from Sustainable Seattle was circulating applications for their rain-garden scholarship program. Here’s the link. Time’s running out to apply, she said, but they’re looking for people with enough yard space to hold a small raingarden that would soak up the runoff of one downspout. The HPIC building itself might be a candidate, she suggested.

CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN: HPAC of course paid tribute to HPIC’s Julie Schickling, who had just won the first-ever “Delridge Unsung Heroes” Volunteer of the Year award the previous Friday night (WSB coverage here).

UPCOMING EVENTS: In addition to Spring Clean on May 19th, the annual Wine For Our Times is coming up at HPIC on May 5th – full details on their website.

Highland Park Action Committee meets the 4th Wednesday of the month, 7 pm, at Highland Park Improvement Club, 12th/Holden.