© 1996-2006 Municipal League of King County
810 Third Avenue, Suite 224 Seattle, WA 98104
Jim Robinson's comments on his "GOOD" Municipal League Mayoral Rating: "I was very disappointed with my Muni-League rating. The candidate questionnaires (submittals) can be found on the Muni-League website and I encourage anyone interested to read them and then make your own judgment. The ratings are just one of many data points that can be used in evaluating a candidate. I still strongly feel that on a facts and data basis I am the most qualified of the Mayoral candidates."
-- Jim Robinson, mayoral candidate, 8/3/07 BARB THOMPSEN: "I saw some deer while out walking my dogs on Education Hill this morning. I can’t help but feel sad for them—they have nowhere to go. Which of the candidates is going to do something about saving our green spaces and stop catering to the big builders like Cam West? I am so glad that Rosemarie Ives is leaving; I’ve been saying for a long time that being in office as long as she has, results in building relationships and being influenced by them regardless of good intentions." - Barb Thompsen, Education Hill neighbor. 8/5/07 Tuesday August 7, 2007 - 12:02pm (PDT)
Facts of crime in Redmond, from Officer Kristi Wilson, Redmond Police Commander kwislon@redmond.gov
1. Violent Crime has increased 16% since 1995.
2. Auto theft has increased 100% since 1995.
3. Identity theft and computer crimes in the last five years have impacted police resources. Investigations of cybercrime often requires a detective, crime analyst and computer forensic investigator.
4. Since 1997, population has increased 23%, yet NO new officers have been added to the department since 1999.
5. The time it takes the Police to respond to an emergency calls has risen to 9 minutes in some neighborhoods, particularly North Redmond and Overlake.
PROPOSITION 1 IS PART OF THE CITY'S ATTEMPT TO ADDRESS THESE SAFETY ISSUES.
Yes or No --- your Vote on August 21 counts!
DID YOU KNOW?
Proposition #1 (Safety) & Proposition #2 (Parks)
Get ready! your absentee ballots should be in your mailbox by now! The PRIMARY is 8/21. HOW WILL YOU VOTE?
PROPOSITION 1 - LEVY FOR PUBLIC SAFETY FUNDING:
My wife and I know how we will vote ....with only one BIG BEEF.
Nine (9) firefighters are needed for the Overlake area mostly because of poor "response times". Did you know that "response times" have increased dramatically? Nine (9) firefighters and an aid car are needed for NORTH REDMOND. Again, response times are up to 9 minutes!
Seventeen (17) police officers are needed for school security,traffic , cybercrime patrol, computer forensics, patrol and support. According to the mayor, only 4 officers patrol the city at night.
Officer Wilson informs me two (2) "School Resource Officers" (deployed for schools) will likely be returned in the 2008-2009 school year, with passage. One fulltime SRO for the High School and one SRO split between the two Junior Highs. The limiting factors for SRO's is staffing resources and deployment of staffing. But, SRO's are "guaranteed" for the immediate future if we pass the levy.
Chief Harris states that police today is much more than traffic and patrolling. Cyberspace crime is rapidly growing and needed technology is expensive. ID theft may now be replacing car vandalism & theft as Redmond's most common crime. Methamphetamine labs and related crimes are an ongoing problem.
PROPOSITION 1 safety services will cost the average homeowner & business about $145 per year. Our levy money will be dedicated to public safety and no public official can mess with it.
PROPOSITION 2 - LEVY FOR PARKS AND RECREATION FUNDING:
Parks Director Larsen suggested at the public meeting that Redmond Parks Department is no small business. The Department maintains and develops 40 parks -- totaling 1300 acres.
Parks also runs a Recreation program with over 200,000 citizens enrolled. Registration has been up 20% over last year. 16,000 citizens attended music events in the Teen Center last year.
Despite all our "showcase parks" the department has had to turn away 100 teams last year! Cricket, lacrosse,swimming, remote planes, Frisbee golf and other sports are competing for facilities used by established and expanding baseball, soccer, tennis, and high school swimming teams.
As witnessed from the loss of Perrigo Heights Woodlands to development, Open Natural Space doesn't come cheap and our children won't have the legacy of these Woods. The department needs to preserve what natural space we have left. They've acquired over 100 acres of natural open space parkland & 4 miles of trails recently.
Juel Park, Conrad Olson Park, Arthur Johnson Park and Slough Park are historic and natural. Funds are needed to develop & maintain these parks.
Director Larsen and our commissioners need funds to manage city lands, corridors, parks, creeks, rivers and other natural systems, including removal of invasive plants.
Levy money will go towards after-school programs, stewardship of our natural areas, a new staff member and greater availability to the Teen Center.
PROPOSITION 2 will cost the average homeowner and business $21.00/year.
YOUR VOTE COUNTS! PLEASE CAST YOUR BALLOTT BY AUGUST 21 ! THANK YOU!
Here's my BEEF and KUDOS to councilwoman Kim Allen for her leadership with Council!
I, and others, ask the next Council and next Mayor to please fund our critical SAFETY needs out of the General Operating Fund as the FIRST line item.
Annually 5% of our General Funds go to the Capital Fund (CIP). KIM'S TAKE-HOME MESSAGE: Only after funding necessary SAFETY services should we move ongoing revenue into the Capital Fund. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FROM: BOB Chamberlin, Founder of the No. Redmond Neighborhood Email Group
You will recall that the last time they tried to raise our taxes they told us that if we didn’t give them more money there would not be enough funding to build and staff the additional fire/EMS facilities that we need (specifically for North Redmond). Most of us had to wonder three things about that.
1) How is it that they had sufficient funds to build themselves a huge and very expensive new city hall,
2) where did the money come from to give city officials (most notably the Mayor) a very substantial salary increase and
3) If the number of homes in North Redmond is increasing by a factor of four, and if those homes are paying far more taxes than the previously existing homes were paying why doesn’t the city have sufficient funds to provide the basic services for those homes that are normally expected?
Our response was that we resoundingly voted down their tax increase since most of us have the attitude that they need to better manage the over-abundance of money that has already been provided.This time the Mayor is suggesting that if we don’t vote to let them raise our taxes more than the current law allows there will not be enough funds to maintain the existing level of basic services. (Note that they have the legal right to raise our taxes every year anyway and they do not need our permission to do it. They just want a lot more than that.) In my opinion, this is what local governments do when they want more money. They cut funding for what the voters want rather than the funding for what the local officials want.There are ways that costs could be reduced rather substantially but the people who manage the money prefer not to even think about those methods. Here is an example. In my opinion, the City of Redmond Planning Dept. causes more problems than it cures. If you think about it, Planners tend to Plan whether that planning is actually needed or not and many of us feel that it is not. Each member of the Planning Dept. should be required to write a justification for his/her own job. After reviewing these justifications, cut about 80% of those jobs. Personally, I plan to vote, “NO” on Proposition 1.I wish I could say something like, “throw the bums out”, but Rosemary will not be running for Mayor so she is leaving anyway. As I recall, many years ago when Rosemary first ran for Mayor it was on a “No growth or very slow growth” platform and on that basis I voted for her. We have seen what that meant. I don’t like any of the current choices very much but some are better than others and in my opinion, the best of these is Marchione. Holly Plackett is for lots of growth. Her election web site calls for bringing in a lot more businesses and a satellite campus of the UW. This would, of course come with all of the attendant traffic and additional need for infrastructure (and of course, government). Also, I can’t say that I’m very fond of some of the organizations that are endorsing her. Robinson is supported by many of the folks who are currently a big part of what I feel to be the problem so I don’t feel at all good about him either.There are people on this mailing list who previously expressed an interest in running for Mayor but I have yet to see their campaign signs. - Bob Chamberlin, 7/31
Friday August 3, 2007 - 07:42pm (PDT)
COUNCILMEMBER KIM ALLEN:
Thanks, Bob!I want to take this opportunity to remind your readers that there are very stark differences between the mayoral candidates on public safety funding. When this budget was up for a vote, Jim Robinson wanted to pay for these fire and police needs out of our existing and ongoing revenues. As mayor, he will advance that policy. John Marchione wrote the budget that sent our fire and police needs out for a property tax levy increase, which was adopted on 12/19/06 by John Marchione, Richard Cole, Pat Vache, Nancy McCormick and John Resha. John Marchione made a policy choice to reserve those ongoing funds for capital projects like City Hall instead.Jim Robinson and I are supporting Proposition 1 because the public safety need is critical and because the majority of the Council decided that this was the only funding they would agree to. It was not our first choice.Vote on August 21!Kim Allen
Saturday August 4, 2007 - 02:22pm (PDT)
RICHRD MORRIS:
Hey Bob, I attended the community meeting at the City of Redmond on Tuesday, July 31st. The meeting was not well attended. I would guess the meeting notice did not arrive in mail boxes with much advance notice. I received my post-card invitatin on Monday, July 30th. Here are a few observations:1. There was not agreement among the City Council nor the Mayor for the budget. In my opinion, this struggle has spilled over into a repackaged levy proposition. Council chair Nancy McCormick described the budget process and the input from neighborhoods. However, the budget process did not result in consensus. This point was driven home by the Mayor and minority representative Councilwoman Kim Allen.2. The levy proposition has been re-tooled, but there was little enthusiasm from the staff presentations. The mayor continues to complain in public about the past year budget cuts for her administration staff. The allocation of funding the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) was a source of disagreement.3. The Chief of Police offered no guarantees for a committed School Resource Officer. This contradicts what Bob states (above): "Officer Wilson informs me two (2) "School Resource Officers" (deployed for schools) will likely be returned in the 2008-2009 school year, with passage. One fulltime SRO for the High School and one SRO split between the two Junior Highs. The limiting factors for SRO's is staffing resources and deployment of staffing. But, SRO's are "guaranteed" for now if we pass the levy". Apparently, the wording on the ballot measure for the School Resource Officer was debated at length among City Council, the Mayor, the Superintendant of Lake Washington Schools, and PTA representatives. PTA representatives asked for quarantee for a committed SRO,however the Chief made clear that he needed flexibility in assigning resources as needed for effective operations.4. The Chief of Police described a hiring and training pipeline for new police officers. The Chief said Redmond competes with 500 other cities for hiring officers. The hiring and training pipeline can be up to 12 months. Thus, there is no quick fix to hiring and training new police officers. Naturally, the Chief needs flexibility in deploying resources for optimal effectiveness. The Chief distributed a summary of resource needs and the nature of crime fighting. 5. There were very few questions for our Parks Commissioner. However, a few comments were made about the choices for funding parks vs. funding public safety. Overall, the voters attending the meeting expressed some disbelief for the levy.6. There were a few questions about the tax bill for businesses. Councilman Pat Vache assured voters that businesses pay property taxes just like home owners. Mayor Ives explained that businesses pay a form of Business and Occupation Tax, in the form of an employee head tax. She stated the head tax is low compared to Bellevue. She also stated the head tax will be increased, as approved by City Council. My impression was that City Council was very timid for taxing businesses. However, in my opinion this approach increases the burden on city infrastructure (roads, water, sewer, stormwater, etc) without sharing the cost of maintenance. Given that the day-time population of Redmond is much greater than the night-time population, it is painfully clear that many people drive to work in Redmond. This trend is evidenced by the many extensions of Hwy 520 into Redmond over the past 30 years.Overall, the mood and tone of the community meeting was depressing to me. City Council appeared very cautious in selling this levy proposal. Mayor Ives was determined to see it through, but very dismissive of the council's budget choices. Professional staff seemed confident, but remained low key in their pitch. Mostly I had the impression that the Mayor wanted to pass the levy. Voters expressed some disbelief in the need for the levy, pointing to the new City Hall and the growth in our city tax base. Monday August 6, 2007 - 11:52am (PDT) YODER:
I was happy to learn the Proposition 1, Priority 1 Saftey campaign sign is recyclable. And, the Parks Proposition 2 campagin sign is recyclable. Both are made of milk carton materials and cost about $1.00 per sign, not counting labor which I think was donated by citizens or the fire/police unions.
Monday August 6, 2007
Below is my last "Citizen Watch" column -- unpublished by the Redmond Reporter after the Ives Administration sent an Advisory to discontinue my column. ABREVIATED HISTORY OF OUR CITY OF REDMOND MAYORSAfter 16 years in office Mayor Rosemarie Ives has called it quits. Voters now have a huge opportunity to shape Redmond's future in our vote for either Marchione, Plackett or Robinson on August 21. To understand the challenges facing our next mayor we must look to our past. Since 1912, Redmond has had nine mayors. All were "strong" or "executive" mayors – meaning they managed the city's business, carried out council policy, performed ceremonial duties and were elected representatives. Redmond's first mayor was *Fredrick Reil (1913-1918),the son of a German immigrant, a school teacher and Redmond's first merchant and postmaster. The town was incorporated in 1912 to tax the numerous taverns and build a waterworks. Besides mayor, Reil was city clerk, police chief and justice of the peace. Now that's efficiency! Our second mayor, Bill Brown (1919-1948) was a saloon operator and land developer. The population was only 500! He shared his open- air buses to transport rabid Redmond H.S .basketball fans to Seattle games. Perhaps, his top achievement was purchasing our 800 acre Watershed Park, for $6000. After 30 years of service Mayor Brown lost his office when he refused to annex Education Hill – a neighborhood impoverished from lack of city water. Three of Redmond's next four mayors – Green, Graep and Young were pro- growth Chamber members. Louis Green (1949-1952), a car dealer, built the first City Hall, appointed our first Parks Director, and drilled the first city well. Brown's old "city hall" is now a bathroom at Anderson Park! Mayor Gary Graep (1955 – 1967) was a dairyman of Happy Valley Farms. Redmond's first traffic light was turned on and first modern shopping center opened. Churches flourished, the NIKE Missile site on Ed. Hill was completed, Evergreen Point Floating Bridge opened, and the Sammamish River was straightened. The population approached 11,000. Mayor Bud Young (1968-1979), a Mormon, owned an electric shop and trailer park on Avondale. Eddie Bauer and Physio-Control were built. A second City Hall and library and the Leary Way Bridge was built. The population doubled to almost 23,000. Like today, a significant number of citizens felt quality of life and the environment was compromised by rapid growth. "Hurricane (Christine) Himes" (1980 – 1983) was Redmond's first woman mayor. Himes replaced most of the city staff directors (except John Couch – Parks Director of 30 years) ushering a new era of open government. During Park's Director John Couch's tenure, Himes and three other mayors acquired over 16 city parks and trails. Chris was busy mother and avid horsewoman. In the midst of a struggle between saving the Redmond Golf Course and building Town Center, Mayor Doreen Marchione (1984-1991) emerged as Redmond's "consensus builder". Marchione, a native of Seattle, proved to be an excellent administrator giving Redmond a strong voice in regional issues and negotiating the Town Center annexation. Marchione was first to adopt a human services program and establish a program for seniors. John Marchione, Doreen's son, is running for mayor this summer. As for Rosemarie? A few paragraphs doesn't do her justice. Unfortuantely, I can't do a column on Mayor Ives [1992-2007] since her Administration advised the new Reporter editor to discontinue my column. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ,Reference 1: "Redmond Reflections – from settlers to software", Naomi Hardy, 2006. Redmond Historical Society. To order book call: 425-885-2919
Reference 2: "Our Town Redmond", Nancy Way. 1989
* Naomi Hardy, co-founder of the Redmond Historical Society, found a likeness in Mayor Frederick Reil to Jim Robinson
All mayoral candidates were invited to write a Letter to the Neighborhood Blog and all responded and all are posted in order of submission.
To the Citizens of Redmond,
Hello, I am John Marchione and I am running for Mayor of Redmond.
When I was four years old, my parents chose Redmond to raise their family. Since then, Redmond and I have grown up together.
When I was 5, I started kindergarten at the brand new Ben Rush Elementary.
When I was 8, I played baseball on the newly improved Hartman Park fields.
When I was 13, McDonald’s and Wendy’s opened in town.
When I was 16, SR 520 came all the way to downtown Redmond.
Debbie and I married at St. Jude’s in Redmond and chose to raise our family here.
Coaching my son in baseball and daughter in soccer taught me the value of well maintained and safe parks.
As the founding Treasurer of the Lake Washington Schools Foundation, I have worked to support our public schools, which my two children attend.
Currently, I serve on the Redmond City Council and have worked to improve fire service, obtain a clean, safe water supply, and to manage our financial resources wisely.
Redmond is a great city, but it cannot rest on its laurels. We need to create an identity for downtown where people want to go to, not just go through. We need to connect our transportation and trails systems so we can move within our city. And we need to manage our financial resources wisely so we know what services we are buying with our tax dollars.
Redmond is no longer a bedroom community. We must shape the growth around us instead of allowing the growth to shape us. A proactive vision of the city and services we want will help ensure we enhance our quality of life. This is not a vision to encourage growth, but a plan to manage inevitable growth to keep Redmond great.
My top level management experience will make me an effective Mayor immediately. My ten years in local government and ten years as CFO of Meydenbauer Center have taught me the strong leadership skills needed to bring us together and move Redmond forward.
Our next Mayor must be a diplomat to work with our neighbors on regional issues. Our next Mayor must be dedicated and know the City like a childhood friend. Our next Mayor must have solid leadership and management skills. I am that person. I bring the dedication, education and experience to move Redmond forward. I ask for your vote. John Marchione p.s. For more information on my vision for Redmond, or to contact me with any questions you might have, please visit my website: http://www.johnmarchione.com/
All mayoral candidates were invited to write a Letter to the Neighborhood Blog and post a photo. Kim Allen was probably Jim's closest campaign advisor. She encouraged him to enter Derby Days on a bike and challenge the candidates on campaign signs.
Dear Friends, “Hometown or Employment Center?” Redmond is facing a vision challenge with this mayoral election. The choice is clear-I want Redmond to remain a great hometown by thoughtfully planning our growth, maintaining our strong environmental ethic and developing a governing model that is transparent and accessible to all who call Redmond home. I am running for mayor because, of all the candidates, I have the best portfolio of insight and experience to lead Redmond forward. Our fiscal challenges are acute but my plan for rebalancing our revenue choices and prioritizing the investment of the lion’s share of our ongoing money to maintain our high level of city services is a sensible approach. Our capital expansion can and should require the citizen input inherent in including bond and levy increases in support of that type of investment. This nuanced approach should provide the course correction Redmond needs. Just as in my career with Boeing, as Redmond’s Mayor I will follow through to make sure things happen. My top priorities include a citizen’s budget and technology oversight committees, infrastructure maintenance, along with establishing a transportation commission, updating the Hartman Park Pool, and other new opportunities for volunteerism. The citizens of Redmond have a lot to contribute. “Coming Home to Redmond” the choice is yours. http://www.robinsonformayor.com/ FROM JIM ROBINSON -- I was very disappointed with my Muni-League rating. The candidate questionnaires (submittals) can be found on the Muni-League website and I encourage anyone interested to read them and then make your own judgment. The ratings are just one of many data points that can be used in evaluating a candidate. I still strongly feel that on a facts and data basis I am the most qualified of the Mayoral candidates. 8/3/07 Saturday August 4, 2007 - 12:20am (PDT) from Bob Yoder: Jim Robinson campaign signs are recylcable - made out of milk cardon materials. Lots of his signs are placed in busy medians. Not good practices "Safety is Priority 1" Saturday August 4, 2007 - 09:51am
The new Redmond Reporter editor from Seattle, Mr. Bill Christianson, appears to have discontinued my "Citizen Watch" column. So best not to waste your time looking for it in the paper.
I wanted you to know the new, young Editor decided not publish my "History of Redmond Mayors" column after recieving a "Press Advisory" from Kim Van Eckstrom, of City Communications. Kim (and the Mayor) complained of "errors" in my "water supply " opinion column. It was clear they were trying to discredit me. Most of my column information that Kim Van Eckstrom said was wrong was taken right off the city website -- edited by Van Eckstrom.
So far, the newspaper has been unable to set the record straight for me and has referred me to the city. Looks like the city 'owns' the paper now. Obviously, during an election politics are heightened. Such is the case. It is known that certain high-level staff members are actually campaigning for Jim Robinson. The "Press Advisory" was triggered by a blog I wrote on Jim's campaign sign "challenge" for safety. At that point, the Administration knew who I was supporting. They have also been frustrated by my blog.
The good news is I'm working with the city administration to improve the factual content on their website, (or stand behind it), encourage a comprehensive water conservation program, and improve communications with citizens who wish to participate in our government.
If you want to read any of my "Citizen Watch" columns they're all posted on the Front Page of this blog under the "MY GROUPS" , "Community ". I've also posted a detailed rebuttal to the Administration about their "Correction" claims there.
Thanks for your readership!
As always,
Bob
RICHARD MORRIS - "Letter to Editor" RR Bob Yoder’s Citizen Watch column (July 11th) apparently hit a nerve at the Redmond City Hall. I just wanted to clarify our discovery of hidden waste tanks near Evans Creek. Bob and I were doing some field research on Redmond’s Stream Map Update in October 2005. We were concerned about the classification of each stream shown on Redmond’s Stream Map. The map is used by developers to make Land Use Proposals. We discovered hidden waste tanks near Evans Creek along Union Hill Road, and inquired about the status of the tanks with the City of Redmond. After some jurisdiction discussions, King County Councilwoman Kathy Lambert and staff visited the site. The waste tanks were removed in November 2005.I have known Bob Yoder as a neighbor for over 25 years. We have worked together on many Citizen Watch projects as we are both passionate about Redmond’s natural assets. I am proud to know Bob and I can assure you that he strives to do his best to raise awareness about quality of life issues in Redmond. I encourage other readers to support Bob Yoder’s Citizen Watch column in the Redmond Reporter. The newspaper is our community forum. Saturday July 28, 2007 - 02:00pm (PDT) RICHARD MORRIS: Bob, here is an interesting article on http://www.slate.com/id/2171305/fr/flyout about a journalist who is given a second chance. I thought you might find it interesting reading.If the RR gives you a second chance to write Citizen Watch, I have some ideas on how to write a bullet-proof column.I think you have found your voice, and it is effective. If no one in the city hall were reading your column, they would not have “objected to your version of facts”.I hope the RR gives you a second chance to write Citizen Watch. Your column is needed in our town.Thanks, Richard Saturday July 28, 2007 - 02:02pm (PDT) YODER Thanks, Richard. After glancing at this Saturday's RR "opinion column" on trans-fats I realized we do need a respectable citizen Forum in the RR. Maybe they could take my column space and give to the candidates - "Candidate's Turn". If we could get the city to ask - especially Van Eckstrom the young editor would probably move on it. Another idea would be: "Staff's Turn". Then Bill Campbell would be able to explain the continuing Perrigo Springs mess and Kim Van Eck. could defend her "corrections" policy or explain her 16 yeaar old water conservation initiatives. So far, I haven't found them. :) Bob Saturday July 28, 2007 - 03:12pm (PDT) COUSIN BRUCEY hey ho bobo great caesar's ghost kent...perry white woulda never given ya the heave ho... apparently whats news to some is disruptive to others...the squelching of opinion or commentary is a red flag for its need...so it'll be up to the regulars of this blogusphere to stand atop the hill of information you provide and cast its wisdom upon our uneducated masses... probably time to launch that write in candidacy...ey bobo. Monday July 30, 2007 - 12:36pm (PDT) FROM: Barb Thompson, Ed. Hill -- I just sent off an email to the Redmond Reporter complaining them about the removal of your column. I want you to know that I appreciate your “cut to the chase, tell the whole story” philosophy.8/5/07
Dear Neighbors,
As my campaign promise, you may have heard that I pledge to re-build trust in Redmond City government, establish more transparency, fiscal responsibility and increased opportunity for resident involvement in Redmond’s city government. But, what exactly does that mean?
Many of us judge our quality of life by the quality of our neighborhoods. How our neighborhoods look, how accessible they are and how safe they feel are all aspects that affect our quality of life.
As Mayor of Redmond, I pledge to strengthen the processes that will protect our neighborhoods and quality of life while supporting fiscally responsible, meaningful growth.
To problem solve and encourage new leadership in our community, I will encourage the organization of formal neighborhood associations and develop more opportunities for open discussions between residents and City administration and staff. Residents will be empowered to have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives and neighborhoods. Public discussion will be convenient, timely, and considered part of the planning process.
I will promote significant input from residents and dialogue with City administration and staff prior to any changes taking place. This is your right as a resident and my duty as an elected official.
I will also continue to emphasize multi-modal transportation. Pedestrian and bike trails, van pools, and transit, in addition to roads, will provide clean, efficient, environmentally friendly transportation for our entire community. Toward this end, I will also support use of bio-diesel vehicles for the City’s fleet.
For business, I will create an environment where small businesses, as well as major employers, maintain a substantial role in a vibrant economy for Redmond residents. This includes insuring a fair tax structure for businesses and implementing the final decisions of the Downtown Master Transportation Plan, which include a pedestrian friendly, well-connected street grid that encourages and supports our downtown area's small and medium size employers.
To benefit the entire community, I will work to attract a branch of the University of Washington or Cascadia Community College to Redmond. The expansion of Lake Washington Technical College into Redmond demonstrates the vitality that local educational opportunities can add to a growing community.
Those who know me know I walk my talk. I do not ask of others what I am not willing to do myself. I keep my promises and work hard to achieve my goals. I believe that reading, listening, and probing different perspectives are essential before taking a position on any issue. I am also willing to acknowledge mistakes or change a position based on new information.
As Mayor of Redmond, I will mentor new leadership throughout the community. I will lead positively and encourage others by looking for opportunities to praise and using constructive criticism when appropriate. I will also approach each situation with a win-win attitude. I believe that this approach coupled with active civil discourse and citizen participation can produce productive government built of reasonable compromise and promising outcomes.
My five years of experience working on the Redmond Planning Commission and four years working on the City Council gives me the background to strengthen Redmond’s neighborhoods and to listen to and act on neighborhood and regional business concerns. I would welcome the opportunity to serve as your Mayor.
Warm regards,
Holly Plackett
7/17/07 - Last night's citizen appeal to council of the Shauhanessy Heights 42-lot development adjacent Redmond El. will go down in the history books. It was the longest running plat review in city history - much owing to our PRD (Planned Residential Use) policy allowing for clear-cuts and greater densities.
The proposed development of approximately 42 lots (including duplexes) is serviced by one road in&out adjacent Redmond Elementary School. Deforestation and loss of habitat would occur almost in size of Perrigo Heights.
Though traffic safety and habitat issues came up, the two main legal issues were about tree buffering and adequate water service to the nearby neighborhoods. After much discourse the Council decided 7-0 to deny the permit and uphold the appeal of six citizens; and remand the appeal back to the Hearing Examiner to allow a second, open Public Hearing.
Six citizens appealed, led persuasively by S. Howard and J. Richardson. Public Notification deficiencies were again, a major source of dissent. The Hearing Examiner did not allow scores of citizens to appeal in writing owing to a technicality. Alert citizens purchased audio tapes of the Hearing Examiner's appeal hearing to have proof for their case. Councilwoman Kim Allen asked that a comprehensive letter be written to the Hearing Examiner advising changes in his Party of Record policy.
Problems with the City's Planned Residential Development (PRD) permit resurfaced. Citizens were very upset that a line of trees buffering their neighborhood from the development would be stripped. The trees would provide a valuable buffer from seven proposed towering new homes. Councilman Vache empathized since Mosaic Meadows project impacts his property in a similar fashion.
The developer claimed he was technically meeting city requirements for significant tree count and pervious soils by accounting for it though the parcel's "native growth easement". ("Native growth easements" is land that can't be developed because of steep slopes, ravines, streams, etc.) Thus, the developer claimed he should be allowed to strip out the neighboring buffer trees claiming them unsafe.
The neighborhood citizens countered saying their trees would not be safe with concerns for quality of life.Allen, Marchione, and Vache, offered impressive analysis and decision-making. But, Council President McCormick's hallmark statement warrants quotation.
After thanking Ms. Allen for articulating the case so well, Council President Ms. Nancy McCormick movingly stated:
"The public process may not have been violated but it was twisted. I can't keep from thinking about that couple who appeared at the Tent City public meeting and signed up to be Party of Record only to be denied on appeal to be heard.
The public needs accurate information and timeliness of an appeal, otherwise we make a mockery out of Public Hearings and caring about public involvement."
Ms. McCormick's motion to deny and uphold the appeal passed unanimously. The public is invited to review the project once again.
10/8/07 SUMMARY COMMENTS FROM TWO APPELLANTS NEIGHBORING THE PROJECT; The neighborhood appealants 'lost' to the landowner.
NEIGHBOR IAN -
The disappointing thing in my mind is that we had to put forth a very large amount of effort to secure the condition that adds this new buffer, when I feel that the city should have been the one putting that requirement into place from the beginning. Somehow the city didn’t even know that the right of way had no trees in it, even though there’s a sewer line running down it, which means they would have cleared it at some point of trees to put in that line.
Codes such as what Kirkland has in place are really the only good way to go about preserving mature trees. Even if we could have gotten the developer to leave the strip of trees along the border, I don’t think I would want them to do so, given that they’d be clearing out all the trees behind them, exposing that strip to new wind forces that could bring them down on my house. Kirkland’s codes on the other hand would have prevented the clearing of significant trees behind the strip as well, preserving the wind break and forcing developers to build around existing trees. Now, for all I know, Kirkland may also have similar development programs like the PLAT which allow developers to use different rules as long as they meet some criteria, but I know that at least the starting point for Kirkland development projects is more tree friendly than what we have here in Redmond.
However, given that we can’t protect the large trees along that strip, and that we can’t really stop the development outright, I think we’ve managed to secure the next best thing: a new buffer of trees to be planted along that boundary which meets our requirements for screening, in exchange for our support of the project going forward (no more appeals basically, and an email voicing that support to the city now that the new condition is in place).
-Ian. 10/8/07
From Steve Howard: We could never stop the developer from taking the big trees, since the city allows the tree numbers to be measured over the entire site. Or in other words it gives the developer a license to clear cut the land where they plan on putting the new houses. I would love to see a way to require that 35% of the trees must remain across the site. including the building area. The present codes and how they are read allows the developers to play a math game with our mature trees receiving no protection. This is wrong. 10/8/07
7/18/07 During last night's Council meeting regarding Perrigo Heights easement, Councilwoman Kim Allen voiced concerns for the three, long 20-30 foot wide easements that had been stripped clean of all trees. The easements are for sewer, stormwater and water pipes. CAMWEST indicated that new trees would be planted on these easements. I don't think so! as I recall, common construction practices are to plant only native vegetation cover, NOT trees -- because tree roots can work their way into the pipes. Question: why didn't the Director of Public Works or the Senior Planner approach the podium to clarify Camwest's answer. If not for Councilwoman Kim Allen then the viewing public ? ??
Stormwater piping will be trenched under an ancient Snoqualmie Indian village site directly into Perrigo Creek. The stormwater will be released downstream from the wetland into Perrigo Creek. Thus, all rainwater from the forest (now the development) will be diverted away from the wetlands! With the trees stripped, sun is now "feeding" invasive plants in the wetlands. The wetlands are drying; possibly now slowing "dying". Public Works and Parks have been notified and will monitor this Priority park wetland resource.
Considering public outcries to save this hilltop woodland, the caving in of the City of Redmond to short-term budgetary pressures and CAMWEST DEVELOPMENT, INC. to short-term higher margins is astounding and sad. Considering the $71,000,000 the city is spending for the City Hall over 40 years, investing a small percentage of our capital fund to conserve the long-term values our culture & this urban forest seems prudent. Regarding City Hall waste: standard sized (less luxurious) hallways, fewer waterless urinal gadgets, less imported tile, more efficient use of space for records storage, reasonably priced, well received art, could alone have pared the money needed to save the woods as a passive, educational park.
Last night the Mayor mentioned the word "partnering" again, in association with CAMWEST DEVELOPMENT, INC. When she thanked CAMWEST for going out of their way to PARTNER with the city on the 3.24 acre "greenway" arrangement, I almost gagged. CAMWEST and the City already have a partnership from the scores of developments they've mutually approved. What didn't take place in this partnership were needed NEGOTIATIONS to acquire the hilltop woodlands! When I asked city officials and CAMWEST if either party negotiated in earnest, the silence was deafening. The Administration clearly dropped the ball on Perrigo Heights. Our Council Parks Chair had nothing to say about negotiating, nor the Mayor, or Camwest. It is clear the city sees no need for passive, urban ,non-recreational parks at a time when our aging demographics require it.
What DID take place were professional, savvy negotiations by CAMWEST DEVELOPEMNT as they leveraged their "feel good partnership" with the Mayor. CAMWEST was able to trade off 3.24 acres of the greenway land they really didn't want owing to: 1) public relations (huge houses would sit right on top of the trail and wetland upsetting every citizen walking by, 2) those towering "trail houses" would lose their value without a backyard tree buffer, 3) a planned detention pond sited for the greenway was replaced by an underground wet-vault further up the hill.
Thus, CAMWEST had no use for the vacated pond site, YET the city paid CAMWEST for this land. 4) the steep greenway land was hardly buildable for a reasonable profit and may have been a previous surface requirement anyway. Despite all these benefits to CAMWEST our City Administration still gave the equivalent of $1 million for the greenway. Keep in mind, lots 22,23,24 (comprised of .64 acres) could not have been built without the city giving CAMWEST the vacation easement. The City charged CAMWEST DEVELOPMENT nothing for use of these easement building sites. Not all "partnering" or negotiating by the city for the Greenway was transparent and certainly not for the hilltop woodlands. A question remains: what other lands, if any, has Mayor Ives "partnered" away to developers at the expense of natural urban forest passive recreation? The greater community is still asking and looking for the map and survey of the greenway our Administration "partnered" to secure. The greenway-development boundary is further muddied by the city's 20-foot "clearing limits" whereby trees within 15-20 feet of the outside of the boundary (and possibly inside the greenway) may be cleared. The city failed in not hiring a professional negotiator. For all we know, our warm-hearted mayor -- highly influenced by previous and pending CAMWEST land-use deals -- was left face-t0-face with a highly seasoned, professional negotiator in Camwest's owner, Eric Campbell. Remember, CAMWEST makes it's core living negotiating with landowners and jurisdictions. While our Mayor is a politician, shaping public opinion while trying to please "everyone".
Attention: next Mayor! IN FUTURE LAND AQUISITION DEALS OF THIS NATURE PLEASE HIRE A PROFESSIONAL LAND-USE NEGOTIATOR TO REPRESENT OUR CITY. We hire "facilitators" for council retreats & "outcome-based budgeting". We hire "consultants" for election advice? We hire "qualified wetland and geotechnical consultants" for land-use projects. We keep hiring our 20-year municipal lawyer to negotiate labor law, jurisdictional laws, zoning laws, facilitate council meetings, and on. Why can't we hire an objective, professional land-use negotiator. In my Fortune 500 medical sales career in National Accounts, my negotiations with "hospital buying groups" were always joined at the hip to corporate partnering.
CAMWEST DEVELOPMENT, INC. is the other side of the story. It's now quite obvious they are in our neighborhoods exclusively for profit and "just because they can"; they are the most powerful landowner and influential developer in the City of Redmond. This, a sad state of affairs considering CAMWEST IS one of the city's biggest customers and depend ultimately depend on Redmond residents for their income stream.
Old update of 6/11/07 - Mayor Rosemarie Ives has NOT yet explained her decision to clear our urban forest. I asked Mayor Ives and Jim Robinson (Council Chair of Parks) if the city negotiated in earnest with CAMWEST to acquire the forest. Neither answered. I also emailed CAMWEST with the same question. No response from either party. Assumption: no earnest negotiations for the the 8 acre woodland ever took place.
The city council OMBUDSMAN gave the following two reasons not for pursuing acquisition of the Perrigo Heights forest:
Mr. Yoder, "The Parks Board and the City Council have been aware of your request for the City to purchase the land. In general, the land was considered very expensive and Education Hill is served by more parks than any other neighborhood in Redmond." Mr. Marchione, City of Redmond Ombudsman-for-the-month.
DISCLAIMER: Mr. Marchione's statement is representative of the entire council and mayor, not one person. Mr. Marchione is primarily speaking as the messenger for the entire City Council, since his was the OMBUDSMAN for that month.
My response: Primary: the land was very expensive because the Administration didn't negotiate. 1) According to the most recent Parks report, Ed. Hill ranks 4th in total neighborhood park acreage, 2) the city has at least $14M in unallocated funds that could have been used in acquisition negotiations, and 3) the pending parks levy was an unused revenue generator for acquisition and 4) Perrigo Heights may have been misconstrued as a threat to the levy rather than a stimulus to passage of the minuscule 5 cent "mocha latte" levy. BY
Anyone wishing to respond or comment (city official, developer, citizen) may email me at redmondblog@gmail.com and I will post their comments.
This is a photo of one of the busiest medians in the city -- Avondale and Redmond Way. I pity the soul who had to stake Mr. Robinson's sign on this median...and the distracted drivers.
Click on the photo to enlarge it, then read Mr. Robinson's press release, below. Does anything more need to be said?
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Press Release: Jim Robinson for Mayor of Redmond Campaign
Jim Robinson, candidate for Redmond mayor in this fall’s election, is issuing a challenge to his opponents, Holly Plackett and John Marchione, to join with him and mutually agree to forego the use of yard signs in their campaigns. Yard signs are a significant source of visual clutter and have a negative impact on our environment, both by the resources used and the litter remaining after the election season is over. In addition, the proliferation of the number of signs in recent elections, especially in the public rights of way, can create hazardous conditions for drivers. Mr. Robinson believes that preserving the natural environment in Redmond is very high on the citizens’ list of priorities and so has proposed this small but significant step toward achieving that outcome.
For more information, go to http://www.robinsonformayor.com/. FROM MS. ALLEN: 7/17 - From Councilwoman Kim Allen - Mr. Robinson did indeed issue a challenge to the other mayoral candidates to forego signs in this mayoral race. This would require the agreement of ALL the candidates so no one could get an unfair advantage. Both John Marchione and Holly Plackett flatly refused. In light of that, Jim has placed signs but would have preferred to keep Redmond green. He is using signs that are recyclable and will remove them all in the days following the election. Wednesday July 18, 2007 - 09:33pm (PDT) FROM RICHARD MORRIS: I was hoping for more discussion on the issues facing Redmond. This press release does not inspire me. For instance, what is the City of Redmond doing about reducing the use of gasoline for its fleet of vehicles? Are they planning to convert to bio-diesel? Friday July 20, 2007 - 05:00pm (PDT) FROM YODER: Mr. Robinson's sign is made of recyclable milk cartons, however, it is yet to be determined if the signs can be readily recycled. Saturday August 11, 2007 - 03:26pm (PDT) FROM L. SNODGRASS Jim's sign is of similar material to the Park's Proposition 1 sign. Apparently, it can be recycled but there is some work involved in removing the wood frames. The following is a note from the Park's Legacy campaign worker: "The Proposition 2 yard signs will be 100% recycled. The signs themselves are made of recyclable material -- both in the recycling collection bin and also in my husband's workshop. Weathered and damaged signs are stripped from the wood and put in the bins; and yes, the staples are also recyclable material. The wood frames/stakes will be (1) offered to other campaigns for use, (2) shared with gardeners looking for plant supports, and (3) broken down further and recycled if they are in poor condition. Nothing will be wasted nor neglected." Tuesday September 4, 2007 - 04:13pm (PDT)
What you are about to read will take you to a place you've never been; and even with a good map you'd probably get lost trying to find your way out.
The place? Redmond's Capital Fund "Cavern". It's a dark, squishy place where a headlamp won't help and the more your squirm the deeper you sink. Even council bumps against the walls.
Redmond's 2007-2008 budget has 3 "Funding Sinkholes" (shells):
1) General Fund ($127M), 2) Utilities Fund ($116M), 3) Capital Fund (CIP) $216M. For over 5 sessions the council and mayor have been playing a 'shell game' with taxpayer Capital funds (CIP) and our General Funds. It's close to impossible to keep up with the game because the rules change from council meeting to meeting. "Now you see it, now you don't."
The $32 million of "Unallocated capital (CIP) funds" quoted in our recent 2007-08 budget was "played down" to $13 million two weeks ago by Council. $32 million was "re-programed" to a more manageable number . At the last meeting, council "clarified" the $32M unallocated funds are "in reality" only $20M; since, $7M of those funds are "programed" for various reserves (operating, building, insurance) and other programs, leaving ta,dah! $13M in unallocated reserves! Why wasn't this $19M of "programed expenses" not written up in the Blue Book Budget? When the public doesn't know these "things", the budget and people are lost in the abyss. I for one, could have used the info in my Reporter article on Perrigo Heights to better explain the city decision not to "go after" the land acquisition.
After thorough review of last week's taped council sessions some of the recent CIP shell games are described below. Even with close scrutiny council dialogue is muffled, the CIP shells move too fast and council's shell choice (fund) is often fleeting. It appears the purpose of the game is to keep us guessing, confused, apathetic, unknowing. The message of the game? Perhaps -- the less we know about "their" business, the better.
"Citizen Vicky" (during an "Items from the Audience" talk) couldn't understand why Council would think to classify the City Hall as a General Operating Fund expense. After all, buildings are "capital" costs. Mayor Ives awakened when Vicky threatened an audit. The next week, council conveniently "re-classified" the City Hall lease from the "operating" to a "capital fund" (CIP). City Hall funds are now paid out of two smaller CIP capital funds -- " the "General Government CIP" and the "Council Contingency CIP". PRESTO! the state auditor issue vanishes.
CIP funds are as proliferate as breeding rabbits!
The above is just one example of a CIP shell game and how convoluted and discombobulated the budget process is at City Hall. In the real world of accounting one would presume funding a $40M building as anything other than an operating expense.
Not so for the City of Redmond.
SUPER FAST SHELL GAME - "THE LIGHTENING ROUND": City Hall maintenance & operations (M&O) is "captured' by the Capital Fund (CIP) but instantaneously transferred to the General operating fund to pay for city hall maintenance & operations (M&O). Keep in mind, CIP capital funds have always been generated by an annual 5%/year General Fund transfer. The Mayor had to write some new shell playing directions to accommodate this new dog chasing & "capturing" his tail strategy.
Thanks again to "Citizen Vicky's participation at "Items" for straightening the books. This particular game is fast!! And, KUDOS to Mr. Marchione for sticking his neck out bring transparency to the public.
A councilmember told me today the city "operating and capital budgets" change from meeting-to-meeting. So, it appears!
Thus, the CIP shells are moving incessantly AND NO ONE IS ACCOUNTABLE -- council, mayor, or staff --- unless the state performs an audit. Pardon my opinion, but don't you think tax-paying citizens deserve a budget audit from time to tim? Will our new Mayor request an audit to start off with a clean slate? Have the city books ever been audited at all? Does the dynamism of our three funds (Utility, CIP, General operating) have to be as complicated to the public as our Finance Director indicates? Will the next Administration stabilize and simplify CIP shell movements to a reasonable level of visibility and understanding for the viewing public?
Parks Shell game 3: Prior to the levy proposal, Council had long conversations about charging Parks Maintenance & Operations (M&O) to the Capital Fund (CIP) rather then the General Fund. It appeared all councilmembers and the mayor agreed with this change. After all, this reallocation would reduce the total amount citizens would be levied from 9 cents/thousand assessed to 5 cents and make the levy more palatable to the voters.
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Parks Shell game 3 (continued): Two weeks later another citizen emailed his confusion about the wording of Proposition 2 (Parks levy) --- stating a good portion of the levy $$ goes to funding Maintenance and Operations. But if M&O is now to be paid from the Capital Fund then why does the city need an M&O levy to reload the parks operating fund? .
"are you still tracking the shell?" (I had to replay the game tapes more than once to follow my shell)
Parks Shell game 3 (continued):
At last Tuesday's Council Study Session the Mayor and council reached closure on the Parks M&O quandary by concluding (epiphany) the Capital funded Parks M&O decision was intended for 2-years out into the future --- NOT this biennium! Swhoosh! - away goes bad CIP shell and Proposition 2 is now "good to go" as written. ie. M&O parks funds will be funded by the levy's general operating fund --at least til after the levy vote --at which time the shells start moving again. "Do you know under which shell your tax dollars are now" ? Most games last only a few hours; maybe a few weeks. Are you willing to track your shell into the next biennium? Shell game 4: McCormick mentioned recently 10 other smaller CIP funds that are out there and need a looking at. But, that's another game, yet to be played. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The city's 2007-2008 Operating Budget was completed June of 2006 . The city's 6-year capital funding program (CIP) was "completed" and published in the same blue, 307 page binder as the city's 2-year operating budget. It can be purchased for $6.75 from the cashier; highly recommended if you are a serious player. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FACTOIDS FROM THE JULY 10, 2007 Council study session. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The city's average daily cash balance (float) is $125M. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The city is planning to borrow $78M to pay for: 1) Bear Creek Pkwy, 2) Sewer and 3) Stormwater for downtown redevelopment. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The City Hall costs $1.4M/year to lease and $500-600,000/year to maintain. City Hall maintenance is 3-4% of the $40M (Robinson). By 2012 cash resources will be depleted for city hall. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPER SHELL GAME: City Hall M&O is "captured' by the Capital Fund (CIP) and transferred to the General Fund to pay for city hall M&O. (CIP is generated by transferring 5%/year to from the General fund). (MARCHIONE's clarification) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Parks M&O costs $614M for two years, but Parks is responsible for maintaining the new Red-Fall City median ($50K) and other expensive road medians. Council talked of transferring all median M&O expenses from Parks to the Transportation Capital (CIP) Fund. This shell game will free up lots more Parks M&O operating funds for use by Parks (rather than medians). So, why do we need to raise the lid for additional parks M&O operating funds? Answer: Developed parks are sacred in Redmond. Just look at the $10K cushman cart at Hartman Park carrying 2 workers for litter patrol -- one worker to drive and the other to use the litter tool. FROM RICHARD MORRIS: The City budget has been carefully crafted by the City Council, which is their main thing. The council is good at this sort of fiscal responsibilty. Mayor Rosemarie Ives has pushed for increased spending for operations, and the City Council has kept a steady eye on the budget. The City Council has been faithful to low property tax increases over the past several years, and voters have responded to the appeal for funding new parks, such as Perrigo Park and Hartman Park. The budget is a public document and is the result of many hours of hard work by City staff and council members. I am proud to call Redmond my home, and I congratulate the council for crafting a budget that is balanced, when there are so many pressures to borrow money and raise taxes.Hartman Park now has 6 baseball fields. During the ball season they are heavily utilized. It is amazing that a small crew can keep the park looking great. This park is a jewel and a wonderful community asset. Friday July 20, 2007 - 06:16pm (PDT) FROM YODER: I'd hope some day the city would invest in a "passive" natural park -- low on maintenance-- and meeting the needs of our growing 60 year + demographic. It's fantastic we have many well-maintained active recreational parks but natural space gets scarcer every day. Friday July 20, 2007 - 10:50pm (PDT) FROM SATIN:
High maintenance parks are not scalable. We definitely need to examine alternative ways to reduce maintenance. Also we should explore creating "Park Teams" (local people) that organize to assist with maintaining and being an advocate for parks in Redmond. While I enjoy using the parks, I also enjoy ensuring they are preserved and in as good a shape as they can be so all can enjoy for generations.
The following are experiences and observations we will investigate in greater detail:
8/6 - DELINEATION (SURVEYED MAP) OF THE 3.5 ACRE PERRIGO HEIGHTS "GREENWAY" THE CITY PURCHASED FROM CAMWEST
- FROM MR. ROBERTS -- "Unfortunately, it seems that such a map has not yet been created. I have been assured that as part of the Final Plat for Perrigo Heights, a map based on a survey will be created that has the information you requested. I think this should occur within the next 60 to 90 days. Please let me know if you have any questions about this or any other matter." Jim Roberts.
It is my understanding the 3.5 acres should not include the portion involving the 3 public easements (water,stormwater,sewer). I recieved Mr. Roberts answer after submitting a written public request. ie. the information didn't come easy. BYoder
12/20/07 Update: The map presented was not a detailed survey map, rather more of a site map. It appeared the water and stormwater easements were part of the of the 3.5 acre greenway purchase. These easements constitute at least 1/3 acre. B.Yoder 6/14/09 - Camwest has failed to landscape according to plan, leaving the development bare, without plantings, trees, and shrubs in most of the development. The City is withholding over $300K in performance bonds. 7/25 PERRIGO SPRINGS HISTORIC MARKER AND WILLOW MEMORIAL - the city doesn't appear to want to take responsibility for their contractors. The pile of crushed rock that was dumped only 3 feet from the Marker (for over 2 months has now been raked into the soil next to the historic marker! Additional construction materials have been dumped next to the Willow. They look like large rusty sewer couplings. The city has been notified and we are awaiting their response. UPDATE, 8/20/07 the rusty couplings and junk was removed. Historical Society members raked back the crushed rock and weeds from the marker and laid bark around the Marker. b.y.UPDATE, 5/12/09 - in 2008 the Marker was vandalized. In 2009, the Marker was replaced by the "Daughters of the Revolution". A bark base was laid around the Marker, bordered by wood edging, with gravel outside. A camera on the water towers pans the area. b.y. 6/14/09 - Blackberry weeds are growing in and around the springs. They need to be pulled. HARTMAN WETLANDS - I hiked across the Hartman forested wetlands this afternoon...something I've wanted to do for three years. The CAMWEST earth-movers were noisy in the background. I entered the wetlands from the south by the row of cedar rows adjacent the trail, and tracked north. After cutting through the berry bushes it was easier going but slow. I found no surface or soil water --only evidence of water. Under the "duff" matted forest floor I found peat- very deep! I've read and heard that Hartman wetland is classified as a Priority bog, but seeing is believing! With the Perrigo Heights forest watershed removed how will the wetland fair? Rainwater from the CAMWEST project will be diverted to the creek downstream away from the wetland. The intense southern exposure to sun and wind will dry the wetlands further. Public Works may need to divert water into the wetland to preserve it. Cedar seedlings are encroaching from the north; they are dominant and may eventually take-over the aspen grove wetland. Without water in-flows, the wetlands could transition into a forest. The invasive berries to the south could spread like "wildfire" from new sunlight exposure. Parks needs to be aware of the new threats to Hartman wetlands from the destruction of Perrigo Heights forest watershed. COUNCIL VOTING RECORDS -- People have been correcting me on some of my quotes of council and planning commissioner voting. I asked the City Clerk for a consolidated voting record of officials for reference and elected accountability. The Administration doesn't keep an ongoing spreadsheet record of council and commissioner votes! One has to call the Planning Dept. for specific issues of interest. For a council record, you have to ask the Clerk to look up the specific meeting minutes. Not good! How hard is it to record the votes on a spreadsheet after each meeting? Not! LAND-USE REVIEW PROCESS - "PARTY OF RECORD" - After numerous visits to the Permit Center, I've confirmed the City of Redmond is not properly accounting of Party of Records (POR) for land-use projects. Staff will give you up to four different Party of Record lists and none of them match. Not good! I've committed to audit the Development / Permit dept. for P.O.R. accountability. HOW IT WORKS: When citizens "comment" (by email, snail mail, phone, fax) on a land-use project or sign-in to a meeting, they become a Party of Record. By attending meetings (Neighborhood, Community, Public, Appeals) and signing in, one becomes a Party of Record (P.O.R). Timely commenting entitles you to participate in the appeal process and receive "mailings" on the project. "Commenting" on land-use "registers" you as POR and is somewhat like "registering" to vote. Both involve a legal process and you can't be HEARD unless you "comment" or register by a certain time. After further investigation on these topics, I'll be back to you. Press the small "Comments" button to read city reponses. From Jon Spangler, Dept. of Natural Resources BOB YODER - Thank you for taking the time to e-mail us (and for hiking the Hartman park wetland). The City has been visually monitoring the wetland for the last several years. The dry conditions you experienced are not unusual for this time of year given the current weather patterns. The Natural Resources Division has had some preliminary consultant investigation done on the wetland in recent years and there are options to adjust local drainage patterns if conditions do deteriorate. For now we plan to continue our visual observations. Jon Spangler, Stormwater, C.O.R. Tuesday July 3, 2007 - ---------------------------------------------------- Thank you for your concerns and suggestions regarding the Hartman Park wetlands. In the future, we will actively monitor these wetlands for implementation of appropriate management practices to ensure their health. We will also work cooperatively with the Natural Resources Division on this situation. Please contact me if you have any further concerns or suggestions. Dave Tuchek, Assistant Manager City of Redmond Park Operations, MOCPK425-556-2318Fax 425-556-2373 dtuchek@redmond.gov Monday July 9, 2007 -
Proposition 2 Ballot Title and Explanatory Statement for Parks Ballot Measure This proposition funds operation and maintenance of park facilities and programs, such as the teen center, conservation, and after-school programs. It authorizes an increase in the regular property tax rate for collection in 2008 of $0.05 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, for a total rate (if only this proposition passes) of $1.23 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The 2008 levy amount would become the base upon which levy increases would be computed for succeeding years. Should this proposition be approved? Explanatory Statement The City of Redmond relies on property taxes to provide basic services such as parks and recreation programs. Redmond’s current total property tax rate is $1.18 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The proposed increase of five cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation would be about a $21 annual increase on an average home in Redmond. The proposed increase of five cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation will go directly to support parks facilities, maintenance and recreation programs. This proposed increase only applies to the Redmond portion of your tax bill, not your entire property tax bill. The growth of Redmond’s population creates a demand for additional parks and recreation programs. As of 2006, the Parks Department maintains 1,136.8 acres of parks and open space, 24.7 miles of developed trails and 12 miles of street landscaping. In addition, after-school programs and recreation for teens and younger children are in high demand. This levy increase would fund programs, such as:
- Maintenance and operations of neighborhood, community and downtown parks and natural areas.
- Added teen center hours and programs.
- After-school programs for elementary and junior high aged children.
- If only this proposition passes, the City of Redmond will be allowed to levy up to $0.05 per $1,000 of assessed valuation to invest solely in the future maintenance and operations of parks and support needed recreation programs.
Property Tax Exemptions King County offers various property tax exemptions for those on fixed incomes, including seniors and the disabled. For information on eligibility and other requirements: WEB: www.metrokc.gov/assessor/Exemptions/Exemptions.htm PHONE: 206-296-3920
FROM BOB YODER - It is most unfortunate the Council did not authorize the use of $32 million UNALLOCATED CIP (capital/general fund) dollars and Mayor Ives did not negotiate in earnest to acquire and conserve the Perrigo Heights Woodlands in perpetuity as a natural park. Redmond now is without any "priority habitat" urban forest, other than "steep slope". Did the Council forget Perriog Springs Woodlands would be very inexpensive to maintain and development costs would have been nil?
Thursday June 28, 2007 - 08:19am (PDT)
FROM RICHARD MORRIS - The Seattle Times published an appeal (Sunday, July 29, 2007) for supporting King County Parks thru voting on tax propositions. The editor stated “reluctant support”.I live in Redmond, where we have a City Proposition #2 seeking support for City parks. (See www.RedmondParksLegacy.org) It feels natural to support a tax increase to support parks in my city before supporting King County parks. Naturally, tax payers want to know how the money raised will be spent on parks. Tax payers have a significant tax bill that is cumulative for schools, hospitals, city, county, and state operations.King County has a huge number of parks, but as operations are transferred to cities, the need for county taxes supporting parks should be reduced. For instance, see http://www.metrokc.gov/parks/parks/fairgrounds.htmlKing County and the City of Enumclaw completed an agreement to transfer the King County Fairgrounds and four nearby county-owned parcels of land to the City of Enumclaw. The transaction included $2 million in county funds to help transform the properties into a major tourist attraction. The move is expected to provide a major catalyst for economic development on the Enumclaw Plateau.
Tuesday July 31, 2007 - 06:10pm (PDT)
FROM BOB YODER
#1 I think it was a good move when the King Cty. transferred Idlewood Park to the City of Redmond. The Parks Dept. recently funded additional lifeguards and they are thinking about expanding the beach area. #2 In the last council meeting I saw, the Council/Mayor adjusted their accounting of "unallocated capital funds (CIP)" from $32M to $13M. Aparently, they "forgot" to itemize out various reserve funds. #3. Parks Director Larsens writes that that part of the levy increase will go towards cleaning up the riparian open space along the Sammamish river, Bear Creek, and hopefully Hartman wetlands. Enjoyed reading your county parks comments. Bob Yoder
Wednesday August 1, 2007
Election Day Tuesday, August 21
Proposition 1 Ballot Title and Explanatory Statement for Public Safety Levy Lid Lift
This proposition would fund critical public safety needs, such as additional fire and police personnel and school safety programs. It authorizes an increase in the regular property tax rate for collection in 2008 of $0.35 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, for a total rate (if only this proposition passes) of $1.53 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The 2008 levy amount would become the base upon which levy increases would be computed for succeeding years.
Should this proposition be approved?
Explanatory Statement The City of Redmond relies on property taxes to provide basic services such as police and fire. Redmond’s current total property tax rate is $1.18 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The proposed increase of $0.35 per $1,000 of assessed valuation would be about a $145 annual increase on an average home in Redmond. This increase only applies to the Redmond portion of your property tax bill, not your entire property tax bill.
The purpose of this levy is to support public safety needs in both Police and Fire through the addition of more firefighters and police personnel. This levy increase would go directly to support operations and programs, such as:
Nine firefighters to support fire and aid car operations at the Overlake Fire Station No. 12
Nine firefighters to support an aid car at the North Redmond Station No. 17
Seventeen police personnel to support police operations and programs, including a regular police presence in the public schools as part of a comprehensive school safety program.
If only this proposition passes, the City of Redmond will be allowed to levy up to $0.35 per $1,000 of assessed valuation to invest solely in critical public safety programs.
Hey! Read "Comments" below
FROM: BOB Chamberlin, Founder of the No. Redmond Neighborhood Email Group (access it here) MEMO TO: City Council FROM: Rosemarie Ives, Mayor DATE: April 18, 2006 SUBJECT: RESOLUTION: Expressing Support for City of Redmond Proposition No.1, the Ballot Title of Which Currently Reads as Follows: To Address Critical Needs by Preserving Current Levels and Avoiding Cutback of Basic City Services (Such as Fire, Police, Parks, Traffic Improvements), Shall the City of Redmond Increase Its Current Regular Property Tax Levy Rate to $1.88 per $1,000 of Assessed Valuation, Beginning in 2007?; and Urging Redmond Voters to Vote in Favor of the Ballot Proposition at the May 16, 2006 Election. You will recall that the last time they tried to raise our taxes they told us that if we didn’t give them more money there would not be enough funding to build and staff the additional fire/EMS facilities that we need (specifically for North Redmond).
Most of us had to wonder three things about that.
1) How is it that they had sufficient funds to build themselves a huge and very expensive new city hall,
2) where did the money come from to give city officials (most notably the Mayor) a very substantial salary increase and
3) If the number of homes in North Redmond is increasing by a factor of four, and if those homes are paying far more taxes than the previously existing homes were paying why doesn’t the city have sufficient funds to provide the basic services for those homes that are normally expected?
Our response was that we resoundingly voted down their tax increase since most of us have the attitude that they need to better manage the over-abundance of money that has already been provided.This time the Mayor is suggesting that if we don’t vote to let them raise our taxes more than the current law allows there will not be enough funds to maintain the existing level of basic services. (Note that they have the legal right to raise our taxes every year anyway and they do not need our permission to do it. They just want a lot more than that.) In my opinion, this is what local governments do when they want more money. They cut funding for what the voters want rather than the funding for what the local officials want.There are ways that costs could be reduced rather substantially but the people who manage the money prefer not to even think about those methods. Here is an example. In my opinion, the City of Redmond Planning Dept. causes more problems than it cures. If you think about it, Planners tend to Plan whether that planning is actually needed or not and many of us feel that it is not. Each member of the Planning Dept. should be required to write a justification for his/her own job. After reviewing these justifications, cut about 80% of those jobs. Personally, I plan to vote, “NO” on Proposition 1.I wish I could say something like, “throw the bums out”, but Rosemary will not be running for Mayor so she is leaving anyway. As I recall, many years ago when Rosemary first ran for Mayor it was on a “No growth or very slow growth” platform and on that basis I voted for her. We have seen what that meant. I don’t like any of the current choices very much but some are better than others and in my opinion, the best of these is Marchione. Holly Plackett is for lots of growth. Her election web site calls for bringing in a lot more businesses and a satellite campus of the UW. This would, of course come with all of the attendant traffic and additional need for infrastructure (and of course, government). Also, I can’t say that I’m very fond of some of the organizations that are endorsing her. Robinson is supported by many of the folks who are currently a big part of what I feel to be the problem so I don’t feel at all good about him either.There are people on this mailing list who previously expressed an interest in running for Mayor but I have yet to see their campaign signs. - Bob Chamberlin, 7/31
"A GIFT OF PERRIGO SPRINGS WOODLANDS" -- Bringing us back to our historical roots. The founders of our Redmond Historical Society are pictured above.
Submitted by the Redmond Historical Society, 6/07, c/o Nao Hardy.
Web Site: http://www.redmondhistory.org/------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Redmond, Washington, has become famous as the home of Microsoft and many other high technology businesses, but for more than a hundred years the town was just a small farm community near enough to Seattle to provide suburban living.
For 6000 years the valley had been home to the Squak Indians, a branch of the Duwamish and Snoqualmie tribes. The first white settlers included Luke McRedmond and Warren Wentworth Perrigo who arrived in the area in the early 1870s and took up homesteads on the rich bottom land along the Sammamish River and to the east.
In 1877 William P. Perrigo, a brother of Warren W. Perrigo, came with his wife Matilda from Maine by ship around Cape Horn and took up the claim north of his brother. By 1900 they had a family of eleven children. William P. Perrigo was the first trader in the area. He opened a headquarters in his farmhouse at Redmond and then established posts on the farms between Tolt and Novelty.
Perrigo blazed the trails between the posts. Sometimes merchandise was left for settlers by prearrangement at a point along the trail. Goods were carried to the posts by Indian ponies and at one time as many as nine ponies were employed in the traffic. Settlers from distant points and local Indians came to the posts along the Sammamish and Snoqualmie Rivers in canoes. After the coal mines were opened at Gilman, he established additional trading posts at Cottage Lake and Paradise Lake. He opened the first permanent store in Redmond in the early 1890s. William P. was a close associate of Sam Hill who organized the Washington State Good Roads Association in 1901 to which they both belonged.
William Perrigo’s homestead was what we now call Education Hill, and what is now 166th Avenue NE, the main street running north and south on Education Hill, began as William’s skid road on which horses pulled the giant timbers logged from his hill, down to Lake Sammamish.
Some of the original land settled by William Perrigo was donated for Redmond Elementary School which now is the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center. William’s family also donated the land across from the Old Schoolhouse for a community church on NE 80th Street where the United Redmond Methodist Church now stands.
The little Perrigo Springs was purchased by the Redmond Water Department in 1914 and was the first water supply for the newly incorporated town of Redmond. A dam was originally constructed to impound the water for storage, with the transmission main a 4” to 8” wood stave pipe. This site was Redmond’s only water supply until 1927 and served as a major source of supply until 1962. Currently the spring is still there, trickling through a small, forested valley, past the city’s Perrigo Springs Reservoir and makes its way to Bear Creek.
There is a wide trail near the spring that goes up Education Hill. Hikers and school kids and the curious use this trail. A mile to the east the large Perrigo Community Park is being developed.
  The small willow on the right commemorates Perrigo Springs, Redmond's first water source used by Indians and early Redmond pioneers.
The Historical marker and willow were dedicated by the Snoqualmie Falls Daughters of the American Colonists in 2004.
The above picture depicts the Perrigo Springs memorial as of last week. A few months ago, rock and debris was dumped on the the historical marker, tree and springs by a Public Works contractor. This was probably an unintentional consequence from nearby construction on a water tower. After several calls to the city the Public Works Dept. says they are looking for the vendor responsible for the damage.
UPDATE 1)They found the contractor and according to the Director of Public Works Bill Campbell, the rock pile and debris will be removed in 2-4 weeks, 6/26. UPDATE 2) the rock pile was raked into the surrounding ground and heavy, rusty pipe couplings were dumped next to the willow! 7/29/07.
The Springs can be found by walking from NE 100th St. terminus (on Education Hill) on the Perrigo Trail towards Avondale. It's at the base of CAMWEST DEVELOPMENT, INC. steep-slope sewer line.
So far, the Springs remain pristine, though citizens are monitoring the wetlands and creek water feeding the spring owing to Perrigo Heights construction impacts.
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Submitted by Nao Hardy, Founder of the "Redmond Historical Society.", 6/07
The little Perrigo Springs was purchased by the Redmond Water Department in 1914 and was the first water supply for the newly incorporated town of Redmond. A dam was originally constructed to impound the water for storage, with the transmission main a 4” to 8” wood stave pipe. This site was Redmond’s only water supply until 1927 and served as a major source of supply until 1962. Currently the spring is still there, trickling through a small, forested valley, past the city’s Perrigo Springs Reservoir and makes its way to Bear Creek. There is a wide trail near the spring that goes up Education Hill. Hikers and school kids and the curious use this trail. A mile to the east the large Perrigo Community Park is being developed.
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Letter to Tom Fix, City of Redmond, re: Dedication, 5/29/04
Went exploring this weekend, and we now have a rock from Perrigo Springs in our archives. Hope I'm forgiven for this because I did take a river rock, not one brought in from off-site.
I followed the creek back to where it was oozing from ground. To judge by rock-lined stream bed, it must've been fairly good sized waterway once. Got some great pictures. Away from the roadway, it's another world.
Pedestal signage on south bank would probably work well. Or bronze plaque mounted on large stone. Should DAC honor it, parks could spiff up immediate area slightly with bench and garage can! There wasn't much trash, but seeing even a few items in the little waterway was distressing. It does give me pause about publicity for the site, although I saw a surprising number of other people on the trail.
I wonder how a cross-section of old wooden water pipe could also be displayed with interpretive signage. Maybe this is best done on a wall in the old schoolhouse.
Arlyn Vallene whose farm was just below springs, told me how her family worried that building the dam would mean they'd have fish in their drinking water.
Nao Hardy, submitted 6/07
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I inlcude this for Arlyn Vallene's annecdote re fish. think I told you that the "road" paralleling springs was called Frog Farm Road. there was even a sign on post with that name. all I really have is the two other e's I sent you tonight. if u wanta get some info from Arlyn, her contact info is below. she volunteers in our office every Thursday - faithfully. I recall her saying someone[s] on the hill above her came to Arlyn's farmhouse to bath as they didn't have running water on the hill until early 1950s when they were annexed.
--Nao Hardy, 6/07
6/07, City Hall front desk - it's significance Things must be pretty bad for the Administration -- when you have to use two fake plants to welcome visitors at the vacant front desk in our new City Hall.
Yet, this Hall didn't come cheap to taxpayers. The Administration will be paying their landlord $71 million over a 40 year period to acquire the city hall building. The building costs $600,000/year just to maintain.
For all the money spent on City Hall, you'd think the Administration could do a better job on their front desk than a "self-help" notebook and plants to "talk to".
To a visitor, this empty front desk sends a strong message. Who's at the helm and where are our priorities?
The above photo is "Perrigo Springs Historic Marker and commemorative Willow". The abuse you see was NOT CAMWEST' DEVELOPMENT INC's doing.. The City of Redmond Public Works contractors dumped the rock and debris on this Landmark site during city road & utility work. Historic Perrigo Springs was the source of Redmond's first water supply. Please mail your diary entries to redmondblog@gmail.com or call me. I will not post your name unless you tell me. The following entries may or may not be accurate; Not all entries have have been confirmed. Bob Yoder, 6/17/07 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 09/30 - While working on the water easement, workers dumped about 3 wheelbarrows full of crushed rock into the Hartman Wetlands/riparian. Someone - probably a trail user - bent all the posts holding up the landscape screening. Looks like Camwest got their wet vault and stormwater system installed in time for the winter. How will it handle 20 & 50 year floods? Will the creek seriously erode? 9/23 - Historic Marker for Perrigo Springs -- Raked out gravel, spread bark, circled rock around the willow, picked up trash -- the creek bed was dry but the spring was flowing. 9/6/07 - Regarding the 3.5 acre "Greenway" purchased from Camwest by the city and request for a survey map of the Greenway. FROM Development Dept: "Unfortunately, it seems that such a map has not yet been created. I have been assured that as part of the Final Plat for Perrigo Heights, a map based on a survey will be created that has the information you requested. I think this should occur within the next 60 to 90 days. Please let me know if you have any questions about this or any other matter". 9/6 Jim Roberts, Asst. Dir. of Planning -Development. 8/20/07 - the rusty plumbing couplings were removed. now we will have to rake the gravel away from the rock marker. weeds are already growing in the gravel. // on another note - a gigantic wet vault is being constructed to the left of where the "Perrigo tree" used to be. It's 25 feet tall and 30 feet long. BY. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After weeks of asking city staff to remove the construction materials (crushed rock pile and construction "junk") the staff's contractor apparently raked the crushed rock onto the area of the original historical rock Marker and Willow! This rock pile had been sitting "on top" of the Marker for over two months! Why wasn't it raked out months ago? Where is the construction boundary tape to mark off the historical site? Since contacting Public Works "someone" has dumped a pile of large, rusty, metal plumbing couplings right next to the site! Where is the city's sensitivity to the people who pay their wage? We can only hold the contractor responsible for so long. Now , the city must step up. Richard Morris, 8/1/07 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The easements for water, sewer and stormwater are 20 feet wide. Some trees can be planted on the outer edges of the easement so as to maintain a minimum 8 foot clearance from the utility line in the easement. The re-vegetation of the easements will be a mixture of trees and shrubs." Mr. Jim Roberts, Assist. Dir. of Planning/Development - Permit Center ___________________________________________________________________________________ High maintenance parks are not scalable. We definitely need to examine alternative ways to reduce maintenance. Also we should explore creating "Park Teams" (local people) that organize to assist with maintaining and being an advocate for parks in Redmond. While I enjoy using the parks, I also enjoy ensuring they are preserved and in as good a shape as they can be so all can enjoy for generations. - neighbor S Sunday July 22, 2007 - 07:12pm (PDT) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blog Entry: 7/16, The city's new "shell game" with our capital fundsI'd hope some day the city would invest in a "passive" natural park -- low on maintenance-- and meeting the needs of our growing 60 year + demographic. It's fantastic we have many well-maintained active recreational parks but natural space gets scarcer every day. Friday July 20, 2007 - 10:50pm (PDT) - Bob Yoder ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ".... the trail connecting Lookout Ridge to the waterline trail was granted by an easement and we, the public, should have had access to it. The City, on the citizens' behalf, should have negotiated (or even demanded) that the 20' water easement along the northwest edge of the property be converted to a temporary trail when Camwest started construction and closed the trail along the existing easement. How hard would it be to move the fence along the water easement over 10 feet and put down some wood chips so that we could walk up to Lookout Ridge from the waterline trail? The easement was an asset to the people of Redmond and should not have been given up so easily. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the Perrigo Heights hearing on July 17 to voice my objections, but I don't know that being there would have made a difference." Susan Wilk--- 7/23 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "We investigated the source to the pile [and construction debris?] that you asked about. It is material being used as part of the rehabilitation of the ...water tank nearby. They have not completed all of their work but once done the remainder will be removed and the area cleaned up appropriately. This is the same contract that is doing work on the tanks up the hill. We expect the Perrigo tank portion [and clean-up?] to be completed in the next two to four weeks." Bill Campbell, Acting Public Works Director, 6/26 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thx for update. Doesn’t sound like it’ll be done by derby days parade, when perrigos have family reunion and might want to check out the springs. But better late than never! Miguel Llanos, 6/26 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Today, on my daily dog walk thru, I noticed that a large, landmark maple tree was fallen one-foot outside the stormwater easement construction fence. The 30 inch clear cut stump was easy to see from the trail. The new cut appears to be outside the clear cut limits. Other large trees just a close to the stormwater easement were NOT cut. Why this one? - two neighbors from Ed. Hill., 6/21/07 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My wife and I walked by the large clear cut area previously known as Perrigo Heights. My wife asked me, "where is the land the city bought from Cam West"? I could not really say, as I have seen no maps of the land purchased by the city. Monday June 18, 2007 - 12:40pm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today I walked down the steep slope trail that runs along side of Perrigo Creek. On the hike down the trail I first heard the click clank of a large tractor, and then I couldn’t help but notice the rather large (20 feet) new clear cut path for the planned sewer line serving Perrigo Heights. This swath of bare earth looks like a ski run in the middle of the forest. The soil appears to be very unstable. The slope for the sewer line is very steep and stands as a reminder of the dangerous risk of a serious land slide. Fortunately, there are no homes in the path of a serious land slide at this site. However, Perrigo Creek and a City Water Tower could be in harms way. Richard Morris, 6/20 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was walking my dogs and saw some straw next to Perrigo Creek in the level area of Perrigo woods trail - just above the steep trail leading to Avondale Road. A doug fir used to be rooted here. I saw a 20 foot clearing of trees which I think is the stormwater easement. It looks like the stormwater line will be dug under the trail to the creek. Does Camwest plan to dump the stormwater directly into the creek? Confirmed, BY Richard Morris, 6/19 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I got home last night, I saw a very large raccoon wandering around my street… 169th, near the high school. Apparently this habitat destruction is going to see a lot of wild animals displaced and looking for new homes. I don’t think city council thought of the animal habitat before they approved this clearing! Also saw a raccoon not too far from here that was dead beside the road. Reminder to make sure our domestic animals are up to date on their vaccinations! Laura Hammond, 6/18 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I walked the woods on Sunday from the Perrigo Springs Well... they have laid piping and plastic next to the historical willow that has no fencing around it! Yikes... they have NO respect for the trees! This one has a marker in front of it and everything. I made a call to Jim Roberts. Jill, a neighbor told me that Public Works NOT Camwest trashed the site. BY Jill Richardson, 6/18 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Richard Morris and I saw a 1- inch crush rock pile 2-feet from the Perrigo Springs Memorial. A neighbor told me Camwest did NOT do this. Public Works Dept. contractors working on the water tower apparently trashed the site. BY Bob Yoder, 6/18 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CAMWEST DEVELOPMENT, INC. contractors felled a landmark Big Leaf Maple "the wrong way". It fell towards the creek landing right on the main trail. Someone could have gotten seriously hurt. Thankfully, no one did. The real damage was to the small alderwood saplings, salmon berry, and other under-story vegetation. It was flattened - ruined. A gaping 25 foot hole in the understory was created. Without the Greenway screening the construction site now shows it's ugly head. A CAMWEST contractor worker clearing the debris told me the tree inadvertently fell on the trail and understory. Bob Yoder, 6/18 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM JIM ROBERTS, ASSIST. PLANNING DIR. -- I asked the Public Works inspection division about the (Big Leaf Maple) incident. They were fully aware and had actually been on the site when the tree fell. The contractor attempted to direct the fall of the tree, but unfortunately it fell in the wrong direction. Cam West is fully aware of the situation and between them and the contractor, the impacts you described will be fully mitigated. I can't tell you specifically what that means at this point, but I'm told that additional plantings will occur . Please contact me if you have any other questions. 7/17/07 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My daughter noticed a lot more flickers in our huge cherry trees and flying around our street for a few days after the trees were cut. My Lunch Buddy, Dallas-2-fast saw a deer near the dirt bike jump; it left the cleared forest. A Mann mother sees deer walking on 128th. Neighbor, 6/18 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Three easements have been cleared (sewer, stormwater, and vacation/water). Really chops up the forest and trail. Birds flying all over the place. Lots more light hitting the wetlands now. I noticed on the Clearing Map that a house will be built on top of the vacation easement. So at least we know the vacation easement has a market value of about $500K (.64 acres X $700K/acre market value). Public service announcement: for anyone who has anything to say about the clearing, you may attend a Public Hearing on July 17, 7:30pm at council chambers. Bob Yoder, 6/19 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Neither John Marchione or Jim Robinson reported my complaint (or anyone else's) about the PH WOODS clearing during tonight's 6/19 Council OMBUDSMAN REPORT. For those who read my Redmond Reporter column this email documents my reporting. From: John MarchioneTo: Bob Yoder ; Jim RobinsonCc: MayorCouncilSent: Monday, June 11, 2007 3:50 PM Subject: RE: Perrigo Heights has been cleared Dear Mr. Yoder, I am responding as Ombudsman (Council spokesman) for the month of June. As you know, Perrigo Heights has been an emotionally charged issue for a few years. Many neighbors requested the City purchase all of the land and preserve it as a park. The City did purchase a portion of the land to buffer the trail that runs up 99th street. This reduced the plat from about 36 homes to about 24. The Parks Board and the City Council have been aware of your request for the City to purchase the land. In general, the land was considered very expensive and Education Hill is served by more parks than any other neighborhood in Redmond. Forbidding development was not an option. A property owners retains his rights to build with in the community standards. This issue has been discussed with community input in previous years. Sincerely, John Marchione OMBUDSMAN for Redmond City Council
$32M in Unallocated, "Residual" capital funds! -- The city's capital fund is loaded! I received the following, alarming budget information from a neighbor this week:
"Direct from the new budget--hot off the presses on p. 240:
The Capital fund (CIP) for 2007 - 2012 is: $216.6 Million. $15% of this Capital fund is NOT ALLOCATED to any functional area!
At the end of 2012, the CIP has $32.4 million of (capital) funds unallocated which are not restricted by state law for capital and could be used for general city services.
Also noted on the same page is the fact that the Council decided to retain $17.9 million, which represents the 5% transfer from the general fund for 2007-2012, in its contingency pending a further review of the CIP."
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UPDATE, 8/3/07 - The Mayor recognized $32M of unallocated Capital funds didn't look too good to the public (us) and played "the shell game" to move $18M from the unallocated funds into various & sundry "reserve" funds. $13M in unallocated funds now "looks better" to us.
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The obvious question is, with all these millions of dollars ($50 Million) siting around without any direction why couldn't our elected afford to negotiate in earnest to acquire Perrigo Woods? We have $32M in idle cash! CAMWEST was willing to sell their land.
On another note, one now begins to wonder if a "levy-lid-lift" (raising taxes on assessed property values) is necessary?
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BUDGET 101
CIP = Capital Improvement Plan or capital fund (for fire trucks, city hall, roads, park acquisition. Council is actively considering adding maintenance (M&O) expenses to the Capital budget.
The 300+ page 2007 budget document is available from the City Clerk's office for $6.75 a copy. It will also be posted on the city web page http://www.redmond.gov/ - if you can find it. I'm picking my copy up on Monday.
At the last council meeting, Councilman John Resha led and excellent discussion on the state of our Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). We will certainly miss John's public service, as he has decided not to run for office this year. Council makes the whole budget process much more complicated than it is, probably to keep us guessing; and because they keep creating and rearranging their "buckets of money". I'll take a stab at it.
In general, the Council has two primary buckets -- "The General Fund" and "The Capital Improvement Fund". Most of our tax dollars go into The General Fund to be used for general services like police, fire, planning, and maintenance of City Hall, and on. City Hall maintenance costs $600,000/year!
The Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) is mostly used for making capital improvements. For instance, the city plans to tap the capital fund for $30 million into sewer and stormwater treatment for our "new downtown". [5,000 will reside the downtown in the next 15 years]. And, the CIP will fund a $20+ million "Bear Creek Parkway". Council is still trying to figure out if they should borrow to build this parkway -- and NE 116th St. -- or use the Capital Improvement Fund.
An additional bucket is being considered to fund "Maintenance and Operating" (M&O) expenses for our parks maintenance, city hall, stormwater vault maintenance, and others.
Up until this last meeting, the $71 million City Hall capital bill was paid out of the General Fund. But, why pay a capital expense out of an operating budget? That's what "Citizen Vicky" asked at a recent council meeting. Vicky also requested a state audit.
At this week's meeting, the Mayor re-juggled the "buckets" allowing council to rationalize how City Hall actually qualifies for Capital Funding! Oh, good, now we will pass the State audit test.
Enough said for BUDGET 101
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BUDGET 102
All tax dollars (minus utilities, hotel & lodging, etc.) go into the GENERAL FUND. Five percent of these General Fund dollars are moved in the Capital Program (CIP) once a year.
The following functional areas of the General Fund receive a designated allocation decided upon by the Mayor, Dir. Finance, and Council:
Functional areas of the $216.6 million CIP (capital reserve) and their allocations -
1. council contingency 5% ($17+ Million)
2. parks 19%
3. arts 1%
3. fire 15%
4. general fund 5%
5. transportation 45%
6. police 10%
6/07,"Redmond Reporter" editor, JOHN HEUTHER, 'says goodbye'
With sadness and regret, I learned this week, John Huether, editor of the "Redmond Reporter" will be leaving his desk the end of this week. I stopped by the office to say good-bye.
John's departure has special importance to me since he brought me on as a neophyte columnist back in March of 2007. John saw my blog and he believed in me. He gave me freedom to pick my city-related stories. Mr. Huether is a creative writer with wide-ranging experience and judgement. I gladly shared full reign with John in creating the titles for my columns. It's kind of an art. He wrote all the titles. And, gave me some key writing tips.
During my farewell visit yesterday we talked about his son graduating, the layout of the new office-warehouse, the new editor's background (sports writer, editor, the Valley Journal), and yes, Redmond politics!
John asked me who I was endorsing for in the 2007 elections. I told him I wasn't endorsing anyone owing my policy of keeping the Redmond Neighborhood Blog INDEPENDENT. Personally, I've found it difficult to make "early calls" on candidates because the landscape changes so fast. I probably won't be actively campaigning this year, though I have contributed to all mayoral campaigns.
I asked John for his thoughts. He spoke positively about one particular mayoral candidate, Mr. Marchione. He felt Mr. Marchione "was a good politician" -- saying politics isn't a bad thing ... because good politicians have the ability to bring disparate groups together for a common good. He mentioned Mr. Marchione's support from the Chamber of Commerce and a council majority. As for council candidates, Mr. Huether was enthusiastic about Michallea Schuelke. Michallea filed for Mr. Cole's position and will running against him in the August primary.
John Huether, we'll miss you.
This post was written in obvious anger from the acute episode of urban forest removal. Though the Camwest landowner has constitutional rights to do develop their land as seen fit the whole community agonized over the process. Many comments were submitted to my old Yahoo blog but not recorded. I was intensely invested in the process, starting with the serious lack of Public Notice the public was given. With regret, my bitterness shows. 01/2008 CAMWEST DEVELOPMENT, INC. of Kirkland, WA. mowed down about 1/3 of the Perrigo Heights woodlands Friday afternoon. Most of it the rest of it was removed by Saturday. CAMWEST has contracted with International Construction, Inc. and other contractors to do the "dirty work" for them. They don't want their "good name" associated with this project.
Already, a few citizens are leaving flowers and photos along the trail.
What I immediately sensed in the woods at 5:30pm was unusual brightness. It is now most apparent, the trail, riparian creek and Hartman wetlands receive southern exposure. Without shade from the canopy the wetlands will dry -- faster than naturally. Bring your sunhat and sunglasses. The atmosphere is totally different now on the creek, wetland trail. You will also hear birds seeking refuge in the riparian wetlands. UPDATE, 6/19 - When the construction gets underway it will, of course, be worse. Three twenty-foot easements will be cleared for sewer, water, and stormwater. Stormwater piping will be trenched under an ancient Snoqualmie Indian villiage site directly into Perrigo Creek. The stormwater will be released into Perrigo Creek downstream from the wetlands. Thus, all rainwater from the forest (now the development) will be diverted away from the wetlands! Sun is now "feeding" invasive plants. The wetlands are drying. Public Works and Parks have been notified and will monitor this Priority park wetland resource. The caving in of the CITY OF REDMOND and CAMWEST DEVELOPMENT, INC. to short-term profit and budgetary pressures is astounding and sad. Considering the $71,000,000 the city is spending for the City Hall, $4.5M to conserve the long-term values our culture & this urban forest is small. [$600,000/acre x 8 acres]. Fewer waterless urinal gadgets, less imported tile, more efficient use of space for record storage, etc. and we'd have pared 5% from the excesses of City Hall ; and money saved that could have been used to acquire the woods at par value. I hope the next council and mayor we elect will have better judgement and foresight than our present elected. CAMWEST DEVELOPMENT, INC. is the other side of the story. It's now quite obvious they are in our neighborhoods exclusively for profit and "just because they can"; they are the most powerful landowner and influential developer in the City of Redmond. This, a sad state of affairs considering CAMWEST IS one of the city's biggest customers and depend ultimately depend on Redmond residents for their income stream. CAMWEST DEVELOPMENT, INC. may have underestimated negative public relations impacts of their unwillingness to negotiate with the city. Certain property owners may protest and opt not to sell their developable land to CAMWEST. Would-be CAMWEST home-buyers may balk when they hear this of sad forest tale and the hazardous steep slopes. CAMWEST'S short-term gain from building on our last urban forest -- while not listening to the cries of citizens who buy their homes- - will hurt business. Neighbors and residents will tell the true story about CAMEWEST -- of their insensitivities, their ostensible greed, their influence over our city, and their sewage system anchored into an active landslide area. Yes, 10 acres of the parcel was too steep for CAMWEST to develop so these 10 acres will be kept in their natural state by the homeowners association. But, Camwest will get to transfer the development rights from this steep-slope parcel for ten additional houses on another property. Yes, CAMWEST did take $500,000 and concessions from Redmond taxpayers to give us 3.5 acres of trail greenway. But, to some, this land was hardly developable. Until "all the facts" come out, the City of Redmond must take all the blame for this travesty. UPDATE, 6/11/07 - Mayor Rosemarie Ives has NOT yet explained her decision to clear our urban forest. I asked Mayor Ives and Jim Robinson (Council Chair of Parks) if the city negotiated in earnest with CAMWEST to acquire the forest. Neither answered. The city council OMBUDSMAN gave the following two reasons not for pursuing acquisition of the Perrigo Heights forest: Mr. Yoder, "The Parks Board and the City Council have been aware of your request for the City to purchase the land. In general, the land was considered very expensive and Education Hill is served by more parks than any other neighborhood in Redmond." Mr. Marchione, City of Redmond Ombudsman-for-the-month. 7/17, Caveat: Mr. Marchione's statement is representative of the entire council and mayor, not one person. Mr. Marchione, as Ombudsman, is primarily the messenger for the city. I do. 1) According to the most recent Parks report, Ed. Hill ranks 4th in total neighborhood park acerage, 2) the city has at least $14M in unallocated funds that could have been used to negotiate for acquisition 3) the pending parks levy was an unused income generating tool for acquisition and 4) Perrigo Heights was misconceived as a threat rather than a stimulus to passage of the miniscule 5 cent "mocha latte" levy. Does anyone agree, or not? Care to explain or dispute? Or comment to council@redmond.gov or the mayor@redmond.gov or parkboard@redmond.govOr speak up at one of the council meetings on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm. Citizens are allowed up to 4 minutes.
Every once in a while it's nice to have a happy story to tell.
At Horace Mann today, I enjoyed my usual time with my 5th grade "lunch buddy" Dallas. Dallas's taught me how to set up a "gmail" account and ever since then I've nick-named him from his gmail handle -- "Dallas 2-fast."
I bumped into Mr. Sheridan aka "Mr. S". He's a 4th grade teacher and is known throughout the school and district for inspiring children with the salmon fry he grows in a big tank in the school lobby. It just so happened he and his students were going to release the fry TODAY into Bear Creek at Ferrel McWhirter Park. And, I was invited!!
John Sheridan has been instilling love and respect for fish & wildlife in Horace Mann students for over 16 years. Every year he conducts field trips for bird identification and behavior and the release of Coho salmon fry.
My daughter had Mr. S. I'll always remember the day exclaimed "her bird" would be the Western Tanager that she swore she saw over the east fence at Mann. We walked over to ID it without any luck. But, I still have the tanager picture she drew on my office wall.
"Dallas-2-fast" really liked Mr. Sheridan when he had him last year. Dallas remarked: It's fun to be in his class. Besides the field trips, Mr. Sheridan takes lots of pictures and students each get a photo album at the end of the year. He is also "knows technology". At lunch students will take video and edit skits they create. Fairly recently, Mr. Sheridan won the teacher-of-the-year award.
Today was a treat. I'd never been on one of Mr. Sheridan's salmon trips. He asked me to help dip the fry out of the huge tank. It was fun poking around with the net for the baby, 1.5 inch coho. Passing students ogled. We gently placed the fry into a large cooler with a bag of ice -- all 230 of them! Lesson #1 - salmon need cool water to live!
Mr. Sheridan told me lots of cool stuff during the dipping. He got the $1500 tank from another school via a WSDFW "Adopt a Stream" grant. In December, he cleans the tank and then in January he places 250 developed eggs from the fishery in the tank. The children watch the eggs hatch and grow all year! In early June the kids release the fry.
Each child was given a bowl of water with several fry. They walked to the creek and slowly released them. It was a very special time. Some children have a hard time letting them go. Some give them names.
Mr. Sheridan said about 80% of the fry will make it out of the river, but very few will return. (~ 1-2%). The fry need to stay in the river a full year so they are good prey to birds. These little guys are tank fed and used to rising to the surface to feed!
After some fruit Popsicle, photos by the huge Big Leaf Maples, and walk through the animal barn, the fun ended. No doubt many of these children will remember this day for a lifetime.
Thank you, Mr. Sheridan! You are a one-of-a -kind special teacher!
I have experience with alcoholism in my family and I sold psychotropic medication for five years to psychiatrists for bipolar, OCD, Depression, and ADHD. I have been a Board Member of NAMI-Eastside.
It is evident alcohol use will never be totally eradicated from Tent City even with the "zero tolerance" Code of Conduct policy. Under the Share/Wheel nonprofit policy, residents are "disbarred" by their own members (escorted out of camp by their peers to a bus stop) when caught drinking in camp.
TC4 evictions for alcohol and disorderly conduct are enacted by tent city residents, staff, and parishioners; that's the **policy. During eviction, the police department is rarely, if ever, called to assess the evictee for health & safety needs, counseling, escort, or even incarceration. I strongly encourage and recommend a policy where the police be called during evictions so professional , objective assessment can be taken. Yes, police intervention may cost taxpayers more $$ short term, but it is safer for citizens, more humane for the afflicted and probably more cost effective long term.
Some activists against Tent Cities in neighborhoods (Kathy Lambert, included) dig up long lists of nuisance crimes reported in neighborhoods surrounding Tent Cities. The following is an incident documented in police records documenting a harmless though, invasive crime by an evicted TC-4 resident:
On May 9th, one of the few TC4 related crimes by an ex-camp resident occurred; hopefully, anecdotal. The crime was a burglary and required incarceration on $10,000 bail. Upon request, Redmond Police Commander, Ed Billington gave me the report. Upon further inquiry, Mr. Billington told me the burglar also knocked on residential homes asking for money and that alcohol was associated.
Tent City related crimes may rarely get reported as "related"; rather reported as stand-alone crimes. It took some digging to get complete verification of this crime. It is likely tent-city-related crimes are under reported. Police visitation or medical intervention during eviction should be considered and is advisable.
Had police been present during the eviction the outcome may have been different. About 23% of tent city homeless (NAMI) are afflicted with a serious mental illness and likely need medical attention, medication adjustments, and social support. NAMI-Eastside and the Hero House members (for social/vocational rehabilitation) should have greater awareness and presence in Camp.
Safety & health assessments during evictions, ideally, should not be the responsibility of Tent City resident peers. Peer support should be primarily dedicated to spiritual, caring, and informational needs. Phone communications are an option for follow-up by a resident or neighbor who cares. Upon entering TC ("the Hilton) and departing, some Tent City evictees need to "bottom out" from alcohol and they often need medical attention and psycho-pharmaceuticals. **Alcohol and other drugs are commonly used to "self-medicate depression, mania, and other mental illnesses.
My brother died from the isolation of co-morbid bipolar & alcoholism. He was isolated in an apartment, unemployed, miserable from brain damage associated with medication dis-continuance. He could no longer cope. One day he stopped his medication and died. Had Rick not been isolated he might still be living. Thus, my recommendation for the humanity, kinship, and social support of a Hero House and a Tent City.
One final thought before listing support services. Why couldn't Alcoholic Anonymous conduct meetings at TC4 encampments? Progress in attending to TC resident mental health-care needs probably will not occur until Share/Wheel and host facilities take mental illness and substance abuse out of their closet. ShareWheel's FEAR that permits will be denied when admitting a high presence of mentally ill is unfounded. Precedent has been set over and over for TC permit approvals. Community tent cities are here to stay - with or without community awareness of the high incidence of mental illness.
ShareWheel and host facilities should no longer feel a need to "shelter" the mentally ill from neighborhoods and their chance for better health.
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***SHARE/WHEEL - Operator and Manager of Tent Cities of Puget Sound
Call 206-448-7889 [ask for AA, Hero House, and peer support]
Website: http://anitraweb.org/homelessness/faqs/tentcities.html
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HERO HOUSE - psychiatric and vocational rehabilitation and support. 9-5PM. computers for job hunting and training. subsidized lunch. van pick-up. must apply with proof of diagnosis. confidentiality secured. CALL: 425-614-1282. 14230 NE 21st Street, Bellevue, WA. 98007. http://herohouse.org/
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A.A. - Bellevue - 1299 - 156th Ave. NE. #160. CALL: 425-454-9192. http://alcoholics-anonymous.org/
05/07 - Mental health statistics & my Tent City experience Since writing my Redmond Reporter column on Tent City I've had a few inquiries for additional information.
MY COMMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS:
It is evident alcohol use will never be totally eradicated from Tent City even with the "zero tolerance" Code of Conduct policy whereby residents are "disbarred" (escorted out of camp by their peers to a bus stop) when caught drinking in camp.
TC4 evictions for alcohol and disorderly conduct are conducted by tent city residents, staff, and parishioners; that's the **policy. During eviction, the police are never called to assess the evictee for health needs, counseling, escort, or even incarceration. With professional objectivity, police could decide if it's to hold the evictee at Tent City to sober up before escorting out. I would strongly encourage police be called during an eviction so professional , objective assessment can be taken. Yes, it may cost taxpayers more, but it's safer for citizens and more humane for the aflicted.
I recommend the homeless camp eviction policy be changed to include police assessment, based on the following anecdotal, documented crime:
On May 9th, one of the few TC4 related crimes by an ex-camp resident occurred; hopefully, anecdotal. The crime was serious - a harmless burglary- and required incarceration on $10,000 bail. Upon request, Redmond Police Commander, Ed Billington gave me the report. edbillington@redmond.gov . Upon further inquiry, Mr. Billington told me the burglar also knocked on residential homes asking for money and that alcohol was associated. [Tent City related "related" crimes rarely get reported. It took some digging to get this.] Had police been present during the eviction the outcome of the eviction may have been different.
Safety & health assessments should not be left to the sole responsibility of tent city residents. Peer support should be focused to a spiritual, caring, and informational nature. e.g. contacts for AA, Hero House, NAMI , food & shelter support services should be given to the resident upon eviction. Phone communication and follow-up by a capable resident could help. Tent City evictees may be "bottoming out" from their alcohol abuse; they may need medical attention and psycho-pharmaceuticals. (Alcohol and other drugs are commonly used to "self-medicate depression and mania.)
My brother died from the isolation of a co-morbid bipolar disorder, anxiety & alcoholism. He was isolated in an apartment, unemployed, miserable from brain damage associated with medication dis-continuance. He could no longer cope. One day he stopped his medication and died. Had Rick not been isolated he might still be living. Thus, my recommendation of the humanity, kinship, and social support of a Hero House and a Tent City.
One final thought before listing support services. Why couldn't Alcoholic Anonymous conduct meetings at TC4 encampments? Not until Share/Wheel takes mental illness and substance abuse out of their closet will residents' health be addressed fully. Share Wheel's FEAR city permits will be denied when admitting a high presence of mentally ill is unfounded. The permit approvals has been tried, proven and established...time and time again.
ShareWheel should no longer need to "shelter" the mentally ill from society and their chance for better health.
Statistics - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census residential population estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translates to 57.7 million people.
Even though mental disorders are widespread in the population, the main burden of illness is concentrated in a much smaller proportion — about 6 percent, or 1 in 17 — who suffer from a serious mental illness. In addition, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada for ages 15-44. Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental disorder meet criteria for 2 or more disorders, with severity strongly related to co-morbidity. [mental illness and substance abuse is genetic - it can strike whole families.] The link to NIMH is: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/ NIMH is a government site probably the most credible site for mental health information.
The incidence of serious mental illness in the homeless is about 4 X that of the general population; the homeless experience about a 23%. incidence of serious mental illness.
Serious mental illnesses and substance abuse are often associated with suicide. Some examples are: Major Depression, Classic or "mixed-mood" bipolar co-morbid with alcohol/substance abuse, Schizophrenia co-morbid with substance abuse, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder co-morbid with depression, "Soft" Bipolar (depressive type);
The incidence of alcoholism/substance abuse in the homeless is about 60%.
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"Homelessness is a growing social injustice in the United States. On any given night, approximately 600,000 Americans are homeless and more than two million people are homeless throughout the year.
According to conservative estimates, one-third of people who are homeless have serious mental illnesses, and more than one-half also have substance use disorders.
Despite the grim statistics, studies show that supported housing is an effective option for communities working to meet the needs of people with mental health disorders who are homeless. In fact, people who are homeless and have mental illnesses or co-occurring disorders are more likely to recover and stay off the streets if they have access to supported housing programs." Reference: link: http://www1.nmha.org/homeless/HousingandHomelessness.pdf----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Facts of Homelessness: http://www.nrchmi.samhsa.gov/----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Substance Abuse Statistics of the Homeless, Am J Pub Health, 2004 Jan 94(1) 103-108 The bar graph chart above, depicts the incidence of substance abuse in the homeless. You can find an explanation of the bar graph by clicking on the below link: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1449834&rendertype=...----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***SHARE/WHEEL - Operator and Manager of Tent Cities of Puget Sound Call 206-448-7889 [ask for AA, Hero House, and peer support] Website: http://anitraweb.org/homelessness/faqs/tentcities.html----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HERO HOUSE - psychiatric and vocational rehabilitation and support. 9-5PM. computers for job hunting and training. subsidized lunch. van pick-up. must apply with proof of diagnosis. confidentiality secured. CALL: 425-614-1282. 14230 NE 21st Street, Bellevue, WA. 98007. http://herohouse.org/------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A.A. - Bellevue - 1299 - 156th Ave. NE. #160. CALL: 425-454-9192. http://alcoholics-anonymous.org/.
"Landslides Threaten Big Trees, Sewer Alignment at Perrigo Heights" - by Susan Wilkins, Redmond, WA.
Preface: The initial geotechnical engineering report on Perrigo Heights was done in 1997. It's possible that the slope along the access road where the slides are now occurring was much more stable back then. At that time, the report stated that the whole property was stable. That was 10 years ago. Since then, time, gravity and severe weather have destabilized the north side of the property and it is sliding and unstable. This article and photograph are simply pointing this out.
A series of landslides along the access road on the south side of Perrigo Creek has toppled a number of trees and has left a majestic big-leaf maple precariously leaning with its roots exposed on the steep hillside. The tree sits on what is called a bench slide, a whole piece of the hill that is moving down-slope as a unit. It’s an historic slide that has been occurring slowly for years. It probably started years ago when the City of Redmond cut into the hillside when it built the access road that runs along the south side of the creek. The effects of gravity and the heavy rains this past year has caused the soil under the roots to break up and collapse. The landslide begins at the top of the slope where caving with the classic “scooped out” appearance can be seen on the relatively horizontal section of the hill where the proposed sewer line for the planned Camwest Perrigo Heights Development will run. In some places, the sewer line boundary will be within 15 feet of the top of the collapse.
Next to the dangling roots, the splintered trunk of a large cedar can be seen on the slope; the rest of the tree lies 20 feet below in Perrigo Creek where it toppled during the January 2006 storm. The landslide that sent the tree into the creek left a huge pile of mud and debris on the roadway. It also exposed a previously hidden clay layer that runs through the hillside. Rainwater percolating through the overlying sandy soils built up on the clay layer causing the overlying sand layer to become saturated and to slide.
When the Redmond City Council approved the variance allowing the sewer line to run down the exceptionally steep, unconsolidated slope at the east side of the property, they never even considered that the hillside might collapse out from under the horizontal portion of the sewer line on the north side. Oddly, the area where the landslides are occurring were supposed to be the backyards of lots 26 – 29 in the original 36-lot plat of the Perrigo Heights development proposed by Camwest. Obviously, the landslide danger on the north side of the hill was missed or understated.
Further down the access road, fresh soil from small landslides that have occurred within the past two weeks can be seen. Clumps of ferns that once lined the top of the slope are scattered along the hillside and in the roadbed where they have landed after the small-scale slides. Additional information on landslides can be found at http://landslides.usgs.gov/ and www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/landslides/about/geology.html.
-- The contributing author, has a degree in Geology from Wellesley College. She is a Redmond, WA. citizen, active in the local land-use issues impacting our environment
I was one of the few public attending the "Downtown Parks Open House" meeting on April 24 at the Old Redmond School House. (It was posted on the city website).
The mayor, councilmembers Vache, McCormick, and Jim Robinson (Parks Chair) were in attendance along with Sue Stewart, Park Board Chair and Gary D. Smith of the Trails Commission.
Parks Director, Craig Larson introduced a well-paid consultant, Guy Michaelson, from Berger Partnership in Seattle. (206-325-6877) to address the audience. Mr. Larsen showed a map depicting 6 downtown projects underway. Most of them were residential.
Guy spent most of the night evaluating our downtown parks, topography, and making suggestions for improve
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Hey! another neighbor just posted a comment. Press "Comments" below 
