While Maple Leaf Life was busy helping with the tours underneath the Maple Leaf Reservoir last weekend, Mwiza Kalisa, the intern for all of Next Door Media, the umbrella news group that includes Maple Leaf Life, was busy shooting video.

To experience the tour firsthand, watch this first video that includes all of the information participants learned during the tour from Project Manager Stephanie Murphy.

If you just want to spend your whole video experience underneath the reservoir, check out this shorter, second video. Be sure to turn your sound on, too, if you want to hear how extreme the echo is down there.

Now that the Fraternal Order of Eagles Mother Aerie One is in full swing, President Dan Kerege would like to remind Maple Leaf residents that they’re welcome to stop by any evening during Social Club hours, 3-10 p.m. (or later) daily, though until you’re a member you’ll have to sign in as a guest.

The social club in Maple Leaf at 8201 Lake City Way N.E. also has special holiday events coming up, including a Holiday Social at 8 tonight featuring karaoke with Mr. Bill and food to go with it from Chef Tom, followed by a New Year’s Eve party with the Motown Cowboys.

In addition, you’re also invited to perform at the acoustic open mic every Wednesday from 8-11 p.m. with Brad Russell. “Bring your instrument or come to sing!” Kerege says.

For more information, read our earlier post “Eagles Aerie One opens its Maple Leaf social club.”

Since we last profiled new members of the Maple Leaf Community Council’s executive board, including Donna Hartmann-Miller, Tyler Letey and Matt Stockbridge, two new members have joined the board: Howard Handewith and Helen Chatalas. Here’s a bit more about Handewith:

Full name:
Howard J. Handewith

Current Occupation:
Geologist (retired)

When did you move to Maple Leaf?
In 1984, after completing five years of research for the U.S. Bureau of Mines in Pittsburgh.

What current Maple Leaf issue are you most excited about?
Neighborhood emergency preparedness.

What is the one thing you hope to accomplish while on the board?
Improving individual participation in emergency preparedness.

Over the past few weeks, while we’re been swamped with the Maple Leaf Life reservoir tour, several readers have checked in about suspicious activity on their street.

On Tuesday, Karen reported that two packages were tampered with on her porch on Dec. 8.

“I came home that day to find two packages, one opened with the label ripped off and nothing inside (and no identifying marks on the box to help with finding out what had been inside); the other box intact.

“Anyone else having these issues? I’ve never had this as a problem before and am a bit perplexed….”

Our most recent report on mail thefts and car prowls is here.

Earlier in the month another reader emailed, “there was broken glass all over the front entry at (Cafe) Piccolo’s at 7:00 this morning and the police were on the scene.” There was still plywood over the door, at 9400 Roosevelt Way N.E., the last time we drove by; the police report says the burglary occurred on Dec. 5 around 11 p.m.

Speaking of restaurants, the Hudson New American Public House tweeted last month: “Public walk in broken into last night! Cut the lock and made off with a box of pork bones, pail of shucked oysters, and bag of clams.”

That police report says the restaurant, at 8014 15th Ave. N.E., was broken into on Nov. 12.

That’s a map, on the right, of home and commercial burglaries in the area since our last such report. We count over two dozen burglaries (some of the icons represent two or even four separate break-ins).

Toward the end of November Terrie Johnston, police crime prevention coordinator, emailed to say daytime home burglaries are again on the upswing.

Residential burglaries are occurring with more frequency in the Lincoln Sector of the North Precinct (Pinehurst; Lake City Way; Maple Leaf; View Ridge; Wedgwood; Ravenna/Bryant, et al.) The precinct commanders are aware, and are staffing accordingly.

Most of the burglaries are occurring during daytime hours (from 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.). If you are home, and someone knocks on your door, please answer the door, don’t open it. There is a difference. Since many criminals are looking for houses w/no one home, it is important to let them know someone is there!

If you have a home office, or a room with big screen TVs and computers that can be seen from the street, close the curtains/blinds in those areas when you are gone. Electronics, jewelry, and small portable items are popular.

Lock up your ladders; or store them in a garage. Use motion-sensitive lighting when appropriate.

Finally, Nancy emails to say: “My neighbors car was broken into last night (Dec. 5). The passenger side window was broken. There were notebooks and writing utensils on the seat but nothing was taken. I did not find any other break-ins to vehicles on our block. Notified neighbors on our block watch list with working phone numbers.”

That occurred in the vicinity of the 8200 block of Second Avenue Northeast. Our last report on neighborhood car crimes is here.

Seattle police and fire units are checking out a white camper van parked at Northeast 88th Street and 18th Avenue Northeast. It didn’t blow up while we were there, though, and an officer said that although it was reported as suspicious and possibly a mobile meth lab, it appears to be a false alarm. The Channel 7 helicopter just left.

UW Medicine has sent a letter to some of its patients announcing that the new clinic at Thornton Place will open March 1.

The purpose was to explain to current patients of the Family Medical Center at the University of Washington Medical Center on Roosevelt that their clinic is moving to the new UW Neighborhood Clinic, located at 314 N.E. Thornton Place.

And although they might not be happy their clinic is moving out of the medical center, they might be happy about a few of the perks (especially the last one):

• Comprehensive primary care “medical home” for the entire family - obstetric, pediatric, adult, geriatric
• Same-day appointments for urgent care
• Expanded clinic hours - evenings and Saturdays
• Free parking in the building

All photos courtesy Dane Doerflinger Photography

The photographs from Saturday’s tour inside the Maple Leaf Reservoir are in, and they are stunning.

We’re posting some of them here, the rest are at Dane Doerflinger’s photo sharing site, here.

Our thanks to Dane, a neighbor, who also has supplied Halloween photos to Maple Leaf Life, and who shot the Maple Leaf Summer Social for us this year and in 2010.

On the right (in safety vest) is Stephanie Murphy, Seattle Public Utilities’ project manager for the site, addressing one group Saturday morning. It was raining lightly outside, with temps in the 30s, but down under it was 44 degrees and dry.

Here’s some information from the fact sheet Seattle Public Utilities was handing out Saturday:

• In 1994 the state Department of Health required all water systems to submit plans and schedules for covering open reservoirs.
• Post 9/11 concerns heightened scrutiny of the reservoirs, and in 2002 then-Mayor Greg Nickels advocated burying them as opposed to devising floating covers. The City Council approved that plan in 2004.

• Burying the Beacon Hill reservoir (50 million gallons) was started in May 2006 and finished in February 2009.
• The Myrtle Reservoir project (5 million gallons) started in July 2006 and finished in July 2008.
• In West Seattle, construction on that reservoir (30 million gallons) started in July 2008 and finished in July 2010.

The Maple Leaf Reservoir was originally built in 1910. The current project to bury it began in September 2009 and is to end in April 2012.

It is the largest of the four reservoirs to be buried, at 60 million gallons in two separate “cells,” divided by a concrete wall down the center of the tank. We’ve been reporting on the project since the winter of 2010.

Total cost for the Maple Leaf project is $49 million; for all four reservoirs it hits $140 million.

According to Seattle Public Utilities, the Maple Leaf Reservoir:

• Is 494 feet wide by 666 feet long.
• Has 768 underground columns, 20 feet apart.
• Each column is 2 feet in diameter and 25-35 feet tall.
• The walls are 22 inches thick.
• Will have 11 inches of drain rock and 10 inches of topsoil on top of the lid, along with grass.
• Will add 16 new acres to the Maple Leaf Reservoir Park.

Our news partners The Seattle Times have posted 13 photographs from Saturday’s tour here.

We’ll have more photos and videos probably later today. (You won’t have to sit through an ARCO ad to see ours.) For earlier photos underground at the Maple Leaf Reservoir, click here.

Starting at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow, you’re invited to (try to) beat the rush and entertain the kids for free during “Santa-Palooza” at Northgate Mall, where Santa and will be leading the official ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Children’s Play Area.

Children’s Play Area/Photo courtesy Northgate Mall.

The festivities are from 8:30 a.m. to noon Dec. 10 near the Santa set. Here’s what you can expect:

Santa’s Elves are taking over Calfornia Pizza Kitchen and prep free breakfast aring a fabulous Santa Breakfast! Beginning at 8:30am, you can enjoy California Pizza Kitchen’s delicious, hot breakfast pizzas: -The Bacon, Egg and Cheese pizza -The Denver Omelet pizza and -The Apple Crisp pizza Next, kids can help Santa with the Official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony in honor of the brand new Children’s Play Area! Radio Disney keeps the party going with Holiday Karaoke Caroling, dancing and prizes. Kids can also decorate their own ornament and even make Reindeer Food for Rudolph and the gang – it’s a really long night after all!

Just after opening its doors, Maple Leaf’s own architectural glass design studio, Glassique at 9634 Roosevelt Way N.E., offered a 50 percent-off Groupon for its classes.

Now it’s targeting the Christmas crowd with another discount coupon through Living Social for two 3.5-hour Introductory Stained Glass classes for $49 (a $125 value) or two Introductory Glass Mosaic classes for $58 (a $145 value). You’ve got a year to take advantage of this offer, and it’s available through the weekend.

Here’s what you’ll learn: (more…)

One of the more interesting structures found beneath the lid of the rebuilt Maple Leaf Reservoir is a clearly marked column.

It’s a readout, not of how many millions of gallons of water are in the reservoir, but of how far above sea level the water surface is.

Thus it’s possible to see that although you’re some 30 feet underground in possibly the city’s biggest current construction project, you’re still higher than most of Seattle. (As Maple Leaf Life is fond of pointing out, we’re the third highest hill in town, rising 466 feet outside the Blue Saucer on Roosevelt Way Northeast.)

In preparation for Saturday’s fully booked tour inside the reservoir, we took a trial run on Wednesday, accompanied by photographer Marcus Donner. (The photos with this post are copyright by Marcus R. Donner.)

On Saturday those taking the tour willl walk halfway across the white reservoir lid to concrete stairs at the south end of the reservoir. That walk takes less than four minutes. There are 48 steps leading down into the reservoir.

Underground, it doesn’t feel claustrophobic, and it’s not especially dark, either. The space is cavernous, broken up by dozens of pillars. The ceiling is 25-33 feet high. The acoustics are grand! It’s completely dry now - next month it will be flooded with 60 million gallons of drinking water.

A piece that won’t be on the tour is the circular mechanical vault, shown below, where the drinking water leaves the reservoir and heads for our kitchen taps.

Since we last reported on the marijuana dispensaries popping up on Lake City Way, including Greenside Medical at 9804 Lake City Way N.E., and Delta 9 at 8007 Lake City Way N.E., at least two more are open or coming soon.

Although currently Delta 9 is the only one actually within the Maple Leaf neighborhood, it appears there soon will be two when MMJ Co-op opens at 8251 Lake City Way, the former location of Willie’s BBQ.

The sign posted on the window states:

We are open - under construction. Bakery coming soon!

And let’s not forget Greenworks Cooperative at 11064 Lake City Way N.E., which despite not being in Maple Leaf is still nearby and worth a mention.

So far, we haven’t noted any disturbances at the dispensaries that are currently operating, but one neighbor wrote us and called the recent influx “alarming,” and is wondering what other neighbors think.

Lynda emails that Maple Leaf’s resident Scarlet-fronted parakeets returned on Monday.

“I heard and then saw three of our Scarlet-fronted parakeets flying over my yard at 12th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 90th Street about 9:30 this morning.

“Why any bird would want to migrate for the winter to the north and higher elevation (from Seward Park) I don’t know, but I’m glad they still are around to do it.”

At 9 a.m. today, Dec. 5, BECU is opening a 3,000-plus-square-foot financial center at 551 N.E. Northgate Way, Suite B, according to our sister blog PhinneyWood.

With our branch’s opening, the BECU inside the Greenwood Safeway is also closing today, PhinneyWood reports. Stacie Wyss-Schoenborn, vice president of member solutions for BECU, told the blog that the Safeway branch was just too small:

As some background, BECU decided to leave the Greenwood Neighborhood Financial Center to provide both our members and employees a better overall experience. With just under 400 square feet, it proved challenging to consistently provide our members an exceptional experience. Additionally, given the close proximity of desks maintaining member’s confidentiality proved at times difficult. The new Northgate branch will be over 3,000 square feet and the existing Greenwood staff will also be relocating to the new location.