OPINION: The City of Redmond needs to form Neighborhood Associations to improve communications and solve problems

I've been watching city council meetings and reading the conversations on "Education Hill of Redmond" Facebook Group and it's obvious that both want better communication of city government with the neighborhoods.  In fact, one of mayoral candidate Steve Fields message is that Redmond's neighborhoods have been left behind while the city concentrates on developing the downtown.  Councilmember Kim Allen recently recommended to the Mayor that council should hold some of their meetings in various neighborhoods so they can explain growth concerns and communicate better with the residents; city hall is too removed from us.

I found a city -- Bend, Oregon -- that is very organized in running neighborhood associations for their residents.  Each association has a website and communication vehicle to reach their city and each other.  The link to Bend's neighborhood associations is found here:  http://www.bend.or.us/index.aspx?page=832.  I recommend you take a look.  It is very impressive.  A few years ago I recommended Bend's neighborhood association model to the city.  They ignored it.

The City of Redmond held "Community Advisory Committees" (CAC) several years ago for a few neighborhoods.  Unfortunately, only select residents were invited to attend and the meetings were not ongoing.  I tried to get on the Education Hill CAC but wasn't invited. Ouch.

The Education Hill Facebook Group lit up with comments about 166th Ave and downtown growth.  It was satisfying to communicate with our Ed Hill neighbors and even Councilmember John Stilin got online.  But Redmond government can do a lot better than informal Facebook Groups organized by citizens.  Redmond government needs to step up with an ongoing and organized forum for our neighborhoods.  Learning about the Bend association model would be a good start.  The time is ripe.  Our neighborhoods are looking for help.

By Bob Yoder

Redmond Bike Park Work Party This Saturday

Redmond Bike Park Work Party  |  This Saturday 9/12  |  9am to 4pm
Trail Builders needed this weekend!  We will be re-working some of the jumps on the Shredmond jump line and fixing some drainage issues on Easy-A.  Our Work Parties are a great time to learn about jump building, get some great experience then ride with people that know how to shred!
Help us get the jumps riding great then…it's Mega-Train time!
https://youtu.be/izrtzNWiShc
Everyone working at the park needs a waiver form signed by an adult.  Forms will be available on site or download it at www.Redmond.gov/BikePark    As always, bring your own water, food, sturdy shoes, sunscreen, etc.  We'll provide training, tools and safety gear.

Contact Dave Shaw with questions
425-556-2387
dashaw@redmond.gov

UPDATED: Council ordered the removal of two medians on 166th Avenue

In their Study Session last night, City Council vetted the value of the medians on 166th Avenue with Staff.  Staff wanted to keep all the medians indicating they provide valuable "traffic calming" to slow down traffic.

For safety reasons Council decided to remove the medians south of 92nd and north of 95th.  All other medians will stay in place.  Mayor Marchione gave no timeline for removal.

Councilman Hank Myers was the only council member who spoke up against all the medians (except those that protect pedestrians) because of loud feedback from the residents.

Reported by Bob Yoder

REI will move out of Redmond in the fall of 2016 -- The Redmond Reporter

REI to relocate Redmond store back to Bellevue in fall 2016

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• Today at 2:21PM  THE REDMOND REPORTER, 9/8/2015

REI will be relocating its Redmond Town Center store back to Bellevue in the fall of 2016, the speciality outdoor retailer announced today on its website.

The Seattle-based company and consumer cooperative is moving its Redmond location "to better inspire, educate and outfit over 126,000 active REI members in the Bellevue area," according to the press release.

REI Bellevue will occupy the second level of the Bellevue Central Shopping Center at the northeast corner of 116th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 4th Street and will feature more than 40,000 square feet of space, including bike and snow shops.

“The new store in Bellevue will be better equipped to serve co-op members and customers for their outdoor adventures,” said Doug Schmidt, REI divisional vice president of retail. “The larger space will allow us to offer a broader selection of products and programs, and the location will provide more convenient access for outdoor lovers on the Eastside to explore the parks and forests throughout the region.”

Founded in Seattle in 1938, REI originally opened a store in Bellevue in 1984 and moved it to Redmond in 1998.

 Opinion:  Oh no.  Another big loss to Redmond.  Hopefully not another long vacancy like RTC is experiencing with Borders when it closed.  What do you think?

LETTER: Steve Fields: a strong experienced leader

Fields: a strong and experienced leader

As someone who has been a close friend of Steve Fields for more than eight years, I want to set the record straight in response to Jeni Craswell’s Aug. 28 characterization of Fields’ experience and passion for the issues concerning Redmond. Moreover, I believe Craswell should have been up front about being the mayor’s former campaign manager and a current activist in his re-election campaign before she discredited Fields’ experience.

Craswell asserted that Fields has “no experience and no indication of a desire to gain that experience.” Her statement ignores Fields’ more than 25 years of experience working with or in government agencies — including his most recent 11 years of service at the City of Seattle and King County reducing costs and improving services.

He is attending many commission meetings, meeting with former and current city commissioners, talking at length with current and former city staff and conferring with professional experts on a range of issues concerning Redmond.

Fields is running for mayor because so many of us have asked him to run. Many of us feel we don’t have a voice. You only have to watch the council meeting the week after the election, where in the last five minutes, the mayor explained that he thinks the two recent levy propositions lost because people are happy with the way things are going. In reality, I think people voted them down because we don’t trust the way our city is being managed.  (You can watch the council meeting here:http://redmond.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=609)

The failed propositions, which the current mayor spent considerable resources campaigning for, indicate that he does not know what the people living in Redmond consider to be important. The mayor spends a lot of his time with regional organizations, and the consequence is evident in the gap between his vision and the priorities of Redmonders at-large. I don’t see how the mayor is going to advocate for Redmond regionally, if he doesn’t even know what we consider to be priorities at home.

Fields is a strong leader. He is restoring people’s confidence by ensuring that we Redmond residents are a central part of the decision-making that affects our future. His campaign is spearheading much-needed, vibrant political discussion about Redmond and the direction we are headed. It’s been a long time since most of us felt our opinions mattered.

If you want a new administration — one with approachable leadership, and experience in getting local government focused on priorities we need now, please join me in voting for Fields.

Tony Martin

Redmond

Opinion: Mayoral Candidate Steve Fields will bring a fresh perspective to Redmond politics as usual

I look at Steve's experience with local government -- OUTSIDE OF REDMOND POLITICS -- as a refreshing change of leadership. 8 years of Marchione is enough for me - though he is a good administrator. The Deputy Mayor (Assistant to the Mayor) Jane Christenson has been around for years and can more than handle the operations of the city. She is a good administrator. We need a new, strong leader. Marchione's commission jobs are all filled by "yes men".  We need a change in local government and Steve's expertise with the City of Seattle and King County government is a solid foundation for his Mayoral role in Redmond. He will bring a fresh perspective!

A local citizen wrote the following in a Facebook forum on how Redmond politics works:  "  I have had enough contact with Redmond over my 25 years here to know how things work at the BorgHive at city hall. First, you can't get in the door for any commision or related function unless you've been vetted as being like minded. Then, they hand pick all council members from their commisions, once they are certain those chosen are going to behave. Then they back you, and that seems to seal the elections. I've seen some very well qualifed people fail to get elected with an outsider reformer mentality. This is going to be a very hard cartel to break up. It will start with the mayor."

Tell your friends and neighbors to vote for Steve Fields.

Bob Yoder

Marchione Calls on County to "Turn Down the Volume"

September 1, 2015

Redmond, WA – Mayor John Marchione has sent a letter to King County Executive Dow Constantine and Sheriff John Urquhart saying “Marymoor Park needs to act like a good neighbor and turn down the volume,” after the weekend concerts featuring Sublime with Rome & Rebelution. While Marymoor Park is a King County facility that is outside of the Redmond City limits, Marchione called upon the County to honor Redmond’s noise ordinance immediately.

 “The music’s level was completely unacceptable. Household windows shook during the whole concert,” said Marchione. “The County needs to take responsibility for their events.”

The Mayor was particularly upset that calls to the King County 911 dispatch were met with indifference. Callers were told to contact the Redmond City Council, which has absolutely no jurisdiction over Marymoor Park. 

Redmond and King County have sparred over noise levels since the concert series inception, over a decade ago. Noise levels have varied from year to year, but last weekend’s levels were the highest and most disturbing of this season.

Councilmember John Stillin emailed the Mayor and County elected officials on Saturday night about the noise problem residents were facing.  Thank you John.

Brightmont Academy Relocates to Redmond Town Center to Serve More Students

Private school specializing in one-to-one instruction for 6^th-12^th grade students adds more learning rooms, new campus design to meet student needs

SEATTLE, WASH.  August 19, 2015 – Brightmont Academy, a private school specializing in one-to-one instruction, is moving to a new location that will meet the needs of more students. Beginning its 16th year serving the Seattle metro area, the campus includes additional individual learning rooms, a science lab, a new homework studio and a full kitchen.

Brightmont Academy specializes in one-to-one instruction where one experienced teacher works with one student throughout every learning session.  Read More >>

READ MORE >>

Ross Hunter is appointed to Department of Early Learning

Statement from House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan on Rep. Ross Hunter’s appointment as director of the Department of Early Learning:

“The House Democratic Caucus has always been a leader in early childhood education, and Ross has been an integral part of our efforts. Anyone who has worked with Ross knows he’s a fierce and capable advocate for what he believes in. We will definitely miss his budget expertise and insight, but this is good news for the young children of Washington and their families, and for the Department of Early Learning.”

Video of Mayoral Candidate Steve Fields Vision for Redmond and Why He's Running for Mayor

Watch Mayoral Candidate Steve Field's short video on why Steve's running for mayor and his vision for Redmond. Click this link for the video:  https://youtu.be/MaQZYLC4J8I

Redmond at the end of the ice age: What the Bear Creek Site tells us

Saturday, September 12th

REDMOND AT THE END OF THE ICE AGE: WHAT THE BEAR CREEK SITE TELLS US

Robert Kopperl, Ph.D.

SWCA Environmental Consultants

Archaeological research near the mouth of Redmond’s Bear Creek has shed new light on early Native American lifeways in the Puget Sound Lowlands at the end of the Ice Age and has led to national attention.  Since 2008, SWCA Environmental Consultants has been conducting investigations for the City of Redmond as part of a salmon habitat restoration project. The stone tools that have been found at the site tell us a great deal about the early inhabitants of the area, what their technology was like, and how they made a living over 10,000 years ago.  Other more subtle clues help paint a picture of the landscape on which these people lived. In the first public presentation of information since the big excavation in 2013, archeologist Dr. Robert Kopperl will share a wealth of new information. He is speaking courtesy of the City of Redmond this coming Saturday morning.

Enjoy a relaxing morning at the Redmond Historical Society Saturday Speaker Series, a monthly program that features eight speakers addressing topics of local, state and Pacific Northwest historical interest. The series is held 10:30am – noon at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center, 16600 NE 80th St., Redmond, WA.   Doors open at 10:00 am.  $5 suggested donation for non-members. Speakers subject to change. For details: www.redmondhistoricalsociety.org.

LETTER: Inflection Point of Growth in Redmond? By Bart Phillips, CEO of Redmond One

Inflection Point?

Whether you call it a tipping point or inflection point, it is my belief that when we look back in 15-20 years we will see that we are at one of those moments in time in the transformation of Redmond's two downtowns.  It's being driven by multifamily residential development.

I will admit that as an outsider 18 months ago that I was a little taken back by the sheer number of new multifamily developments in downtown.  The City reports that in the last several years almost 1,000 units have been built in downtown and Overlake.  Another 1,153 units are under construction.  And the reported vacancy rate is in the low single digits despite all of the new product on the market.  What I find even more stunning is that there are another 1,575 units in permitting.  Read More >>

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Lake Washington School District aims to reduce and manage concussions among high school athletes

Efforts aimed at reducing, better managing concussions in football and other sports

Redmond, Wash. – This fall, Lake Washington School District (LWSD) is implementing a comprehensive program aimed at reducing and managing concussions among high school athletes in the district. This program has several parts: "Heads Up" concussion training for all football coaches; neurocognitive testing that can help determine if a student-athlete is concussed; and replacing all football helmets that have lower protection ratings.

“As doctors and scientists have learned more about the effects of concussions, it has become clear that we need to put more protections in place for students most at risk,” noted Dr. Traci Pierce, superintendent. “We want to approach this issue from a prevention standpoint first as well as appropriately managing concussions that do happen.”  Read More >>

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City asks residents for voluntary curtailment of water use

Redmond, WA - The City of Redmond announced today that it is joining Cascade Water Alliance, Seattle Public Utilities, Tacoma Water, and the City of Everett in asking residents and businesses for voluntary curtailment of their use of water by 10 percent of projected current use due to continuing drought conditions. 

The City of Redmond along with Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah, Tukwila, Sammamish Plateau, and Skyway Water and Sewer Districts, is a member of the Cascade Water Alliance. As such we get the majority of our drinking water from the Seattle water. Historic low river levels, combined with record-setting hot and dry weather have significantly increased the demand for water. These reductions in water use will help the region further maximize its water supply for people and fish. 

“We are asking Redmond residents and businesses to cut back their current water usage by a minimum of 10 percent”, said Mayor John Marchione. Here are a few suggestions: 

• Let the grass go dormant 
• Limit landscape watering to twice a week and water before 8 am or after 7 pm 
• Take shorter showers 
• Fix leaking faucets and toilets 
• Postpone new plantings until fall 

“This is the time for Redmond residents and businesses to heighten their conservation efforts, as we move into a dryer than normal end of summer and early fall”, urges Marchione. 

For more information on the voluntary curtailment announcement and how the city is cutting back usage; visit www.redmond.gov/redmondsaveswater or contact the City of Redmond Utility Billing Office at 425-556-2152 and for more water efficiency tip and how to use water wisely visit www.cascadewater.org. 
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Ross Hunter responds to Supreme Court $100,000/day fine

The following is a statement from House Appropriations Committee Chair Ross Hunter (D-Medina) in response to today’s order from the Washington State Supreme Court:

"The Supreme Court released a new order in the McCleary case this morning, holding the state in contempt and fining it $100,000 per day (to pay for basic education) until it resolves the remaining issues, including both the unconstitutional dependence on local levies to pay for basic education personnel costs and the cost of construction of new classroom space. They also expressed concern about the pace of the phase-in of class size reductions.

"It’s important to know that the phase-in plan in the budget we passed this year completely pays for the class size reductions called for in the McCleary order. The court recognized the work done by the Legislature in funding class size reductions, but seems to be concerned about the phase-in of lower class sizes.  There is some confusion in how the cost of this investment is described in various documents, and we will work with the court to clarify this. The attached chart shows the level of funded class size and those recommended by the task force the court refers to. 

"House Democrats proposed a joint process to resolve the personnel cost issue with the Senate and Governor’s office and passed legislation (HB 2239) putting the process in place on June 26^th. The Republicans in the Senate refused to take up the bill or offer any alternative.

"I share the court’s concern about finalizing the plan sooner rather than later. Governor Inslee has called a meeting of all four caucus leaders for Monday to create a public process to resolve these issues expeditiously."

Redmond Historical Society Announces Speaker Schedule

The Redmond Historical Society announced the schedule for its 2015-16 Saturday Speaker Series that begins on September 12th at 10:30am at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center. The series features eight speakers addressing topics of local, state and Pacific Northwest historical interest. 

“We have another great line-up of speakers this season including Paul Dorpat who has been writing the Seattle Times column Now & Then for over thirty years,” says Sherry Stilin, Chair of the program. “Our topics range from the exciting archaeological discovery behind Redmond Town Center to Puget Sound military history to a murder mystery. There is something for everyone.”  

The Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center is located at 16600 NE 80th Street, Redmond, WA.  Doors open at 10:00am with the program beginning at 10:30am. There is a $5 suggested donation for non-members. The Redmond Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For a more detailed description of each speaker and topic, please see the Society website at www.redmondhistoricalsociety.org.  Speakers are subject to change.

Saturday, September 12th

Redmond at the End of the Ice Age: What the Bear Creek Site Tells Us

Robert Kopperl, Ph.D.

Cultural Resources Principal Investigator, SWCA Environmental Consultants

Speaking courtesy the City of Redmond

Saturday, October 10th

The Triple Nickle:  Black Paratroopers in Washington State during WWII 

Robert L. Bartlett, Ph.D..

Eastern Washington University

Speaking Courtesy of Humanities Washington Read More >>

READ MORE >>

State Funds All-Day Kindergarten at Four Lake Washington Schools this Fall

Expands to all schools in 2016-17

Redmond, Wash. – Four Lake Washington School District (LWSD) elementary schools will provide tuition-free all-day kindergarten to its students this fall thanks to new state funding. Those four schools are Einstein Elementary (Redmond), Frost Elementary (Kirkland), Muir Elementary (Kirkland) and Rose Hill Elementary (Kirkland). About 72% of kindergarten students statewide will be eligible for state funded all-day kindergarten in 2015-16.

For this school year, families who opt for all-day kindergarten in the 27 other district elementary schools will still pay for the second half of the school day. State funding pays only for half-day kindergarten in other district schools. Half-day kindergarten remains free to families in those 27 other schools.

The budget recently passed by the state legislature included the increased funding for all-day kindergarten that will allow the addition of four LWSD schools in 2015-16. It also included full funding for all-day kindergarten in all public schools in the 2016-17 school year.

The state of Washington gradually has been increasing the number of schools in the state that are funded for all-day kindergarten since 2007-08. They began with funding for schools with the highest level of poverty. This is the first year that any school in Lake Washington School District has received state funding for all-day kindergarten. The state is moving toward all-day kindergarten because research shows it offers opportunities for long-term educational gains, especially in the areas of reading and mathematics.

City Council not happy with the medians on 166th Avenue

The city council was almost unanimous in their dislike for most of the median installations on 166th Ave at last night's study session.  They will have another study session in the future to consider tearing out four or five of them.  Councilman Myers called them "an expensive mistake" though everyone agreed the two medians for pedestrian crosswalks were valuable and should stay.

By Bob Yoder

Redmond Historical Society gets grant to research area poultry history

Redmond, Washington, August 10, 2015: The Redmond Historical Society has received a Heritage Project grant from 4Culture of King County—totaling nearly $7,000—to help research and document the history of the chicken farm industry in Redmond, which goes as far back as the 1920s. The effort will culminate in a presentation to the community about the once-prevalent poultry business.

According to the grant narrative, “poultry, especially egg producing, was once big business in our state. It is the story of immigrants, family farms, co-operative marketing associations, exports, and internationally recognized scientific breeding.” Today there is not much physical evidence of this era in Redmond’s history—and with the exception of the Morelli farm, “there is scant written information.”

The project will be implemented in phases. Initially, Society volunteers will be collecting first-hand accounts from surviving family members who were part of this era in Redmond history. Pierre Bruneau, 85, whose parents moved to Redmond in the mid-1940s and started Skyline Poultry Ranch on land that is in today’s North Redmond neighborhood, is one such example. The research will also seek to collect information on the Redmond activities of Heisdorf & Nelson, an internationally known poultry breeding business that at one time had its headquarters and a hatchery in the area of today’s Microsoft campus. The interviews will be handed off to a historian who will utilize secondary sources to identify some of the earlier farms and provide the broader, historical context of the larger forces that impacted the development and decline of the poultry industry in the Redmond area.

The findings of the research are targeted to be presented as part of the Redmond Historical Society’s Saturday Speaker Series in the fall of 2016.

Nokomis Appeal before the Hearing Examiner, by Paige Norman

APPEAL BEFORE THE HEARING EXAMINER FOR THE CITY OF REDMOND REGARDING LAND-2014-01610

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Appeal before the Hearing Examiner for the City of Redmond; appellants Keith Brewe, Curtis Nelson, Rosemarie Ives, The Nokomis Club and Redmond Historical Society regarding “162TEN” {Natural and Built Environments (NBE)}; File Nos. LAND-2014-01610 and SEPA 2015-00017.

The appeal regarding LAND-2014-01610 was heard on July 9 and 10th, 2015 and will be decided by Sharon Rice; Hearing Examiner for City of Redmond, Washington on August 7th, 2015.

There is also a SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) appeal SEPA 2015-00017 in the works.  An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is in the process of being written.

Please refer to “Source Documents” below for detailed information regarding the appeal.  Read More>>

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LETTER: HealthPoint Clinics at the Together Center

LETTER:  When the Affordable Care Act took effect, the hope at the Together Center was that indigent clients would be covered and the HealthPoint clinics would get some added revenue.  Ironically, what happened was people starting switching from HealthPoint to providers closer to their homes, or started going to Evergreen or Swedish because they thought those were “real” doctors.  HealthPoint has Board certified physicians, offers a broad variety of services including alternative treatments, dental care and a pharmacy, all in a really first class facility.  If you still do features about Redmond, please consider HealthPoint.

By Hank Myers