Mayor Marchione writes Letter to Residents about the Storm

Letter to Editor

Office of the Mayor – Communications Office
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY

CONTACT: Marta Gronlund, Voice: 425-556-2427
SENT: December 30, 2008

Letter to Redmond Residents

I have heard from many of you over the past two weeks, voicing your anger about the road conditions during the prolonged snowstorm. I share your frustration and apologize for the difficulty in navigating around the city.

To make matters worse, garbage and recycling piles up and overflows its containers. My neighbors are upset with me as I explain that cul-de-sacs will be the very last streets plowed. My children voiced their displeasure that our Christmas celebration was postponed four days because family could not make it to our house on Education Hill.

What I can tell you is that City of Redmond employees have been working 24/7 since December 17th to plow and clean our streets. Is it enough? Obviously not. A major limiting factor to our service is that the City owns only three large plows/sanders and one smaller plow/sander for 100 miles of road. This level of equipment is generally sufficient for most years; however, a storm like this occurs about once every 25 years and the equipment level clearly fell short this time. You have my commitment to review the City's response for lessons learned and to implement changes to our snow removal plan quickly.

I have been in touch with Waste Management representatives and they report trucks are out in full force this week. Some of their trucks have extra staff on board to help with any extra trash or hard to service containers. Waste Management asks for your patience as their crews work through the very real logistical complications associated with the sheer volume of material they expect to find at the curb.

On all these issues, I asked staff for a complete debriefing of what happened, what changes need to be made and how we can prevent similar problems in the future. We will provide the City Council with a report at the January 6th City Council meeting. We certainly can’t control the weather, but we can learn and make changes to our response. As soon as I have more information, I will report back to you and the Council on what steps and changes we are taking. This information will also be available on www.redmond.gov.

Thank you for sharing your experiences. Hearing from you has been painful but provides useful information that will help the City better respond to future storm events.

Sincerely,

John Marchione
Mayor
City of Redmond

Happy New Year...and good luck!

Neighbor Matt's Sleigh Ride (luge) ride!

short clip - 11 sec.




Click to see Redmond's #1 Fan!

Snow people and snow art from the 'Hood. Happy Holidays from the Yoder family!

WINTER STORM FORUM - First Storm

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*12/22/08 - roads are extremely hazardous. try to stay away from all back-street hills, especially driving downhill. ice under snow. 4-wheel, 2-wheel, it doesn't matter.

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Due to severe weather the Puget Sound Blood Center is experiencing a critical shortage in blood.

Please stop at the regional donor centers (anytime this week or next) : http://www.psbc.org/programs/centers.htm
-- Communications Dept., City of Redmond
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Windstorm preparedness:
http://www.redmond.gov/disasterprep/winterstorms.asp

Redmond Community Radio AM 1650 works best from a car radio.

Tune into AM 1650 (which would mean you'd need a radio with batteries)--there is already information about windstorm preparedness and it will be updated regularly regarding warming centers, shelters, closures, and other information necessary to survive if the electricity goes out. Hopefully this won't happen, but please be prepared in case it does. -- Redmond Police

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STORM FORUM (EMAIL REDMONDBLOG@GMAIL.COM or "comment" and I will post your comment on this page)

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..... has the City contracted operators with heavy equipment to begin plowing access routes for not only trapped citizens but emergency vehicles such as fire and ambulance? There has been no mail delivery or garbage service on this street for over a week.I speak specifically of NE 105th Court. The residents at the bottom of this steep hill have hand shoveled two paths a block long so that those with 4WD vehicles can negotiate the hill.

--Loren, Education Hill neighbor

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from Mayor John Marchione

"Letter to the Editor"

I am very aware that the last week and a half has been very challenging for us at the City and, of course, for you as residents and business owners. The snow, freeze, thaw, snow cycle has stressed the City’s snow clearing capacity to its limits, and has severely impacted citizens ability to move about and through Redmond. As of Christmas Eve, we are still battling the elements.

To some residents it appears the City is doing very little to clear the roads; however, I assure you our Public Works crews are working around the clock and have been since this storm began. Since this type of sustained snowstorm is very rare (if not unprecedented), the City has invested in the proper amount of snow removal equipment for our more normal, much more limited, snow falls. Our three large and one small plow/sander trucks have been working the City’s streets in our established priority order. The highest priority is our arterioles and main thoroughfares. Once the main streets are plowed, we move on to plowing the secondary streets with cul-de-sacs being the lowest priority. With the almost daily snowfall and nightly freezing during this storm, it has been difficult to get beyond the highest priority areas.

Since I am also a resident living on one of the city’s largest hills, I understand your frustration with the outcomes of this storm. Not having a 4-wheel drive, I am also finding it difficult to move around. While some errands are required; along with the Redmond Police, I urge you to avoid driving unless absolutely necessary until we get some rain to wash this snow away. I also urge you to use the City’s communication tools, our website (www.redmond.gov), RCTV cable channel 21, and our new low-frequency Emergency Radio station, AM 1650, to keep updated on the latest closure information as well as tips on how to weather the storm.

This storm has caused a great deal of havoc and I want you to know that the City of Redmond is doing all it can to improve the roads. However, I also know that for those stuck in a cul-de-sac on a steep hill, that may be little comfort. I can only ask for your patience during this difficult event.

Despite these trials, I hope that your family is together (if only in spirit) and safe this holiday season. On behalf of all of us at City Hall, I wish you a happy holiday season and a very happy and healthy New Year.

Happy Holidays,
John Marchione, Mayor of Redmond

12/24/08, per email from C.O.R. (color edits)
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Anonymous

Email or Call the City to Plow and Sand 104th East of Abbey. Public input regarding the City's snow and ice removal policy and procedures is welcome and can be voiced by calling 425-556-2821 or emailing pwops@redmond.gov.

--Anonymous "comment" December 23, 2008 3:51 PM

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Redmond Citizen said...
*I completely agree the initial conditions were not as dangerous as reported. However, the strategy employed by the city now has created a very hazardous situation. Through the natural thaw and freeze cycles, a layer of ice has formed on the compacted snow. In the past years, within a few days the hills were sanded. Our city’s lack of preparedness for the storm has stranded thousands of people. Unfortunately, this seems to have been by choice – a major thoroughfare like 104th not being plowed for 5 days.
-- Redmond Citizen
December 23, 2008 7:54 AM

How about a blog post where the community can share feedback on maintenance during the storm of 104th and 166th? For some folks - those make up 2 of five road closures - and they can legally not drive out of their homes without passing a "road closed" sign. I already emailed the mayor on this very subject with appropriate caveats regarding both safety, road priority, and plow allocation. The net is that a huge taxpayer base on Ed Hill is legally trapped with more snow on the way. Specifically, the neighborhoods feeding into 184th @ 104th.
- ANDY
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This may sound macho, but I'm from snowy Ohio and New York and if you drive smart the conditions aren't as hazardous as the City would like you to believe. (12/19) If you don't have front wheel drive or all-wheel drive then, I'd agree with the police and stay off the roads unless you're rear-wheel drive has cables or chains. Some tips from blizzard driving experience: 1) drive slowly, especially on down-hill curves , when turning, approaching intersections and when breaking. 2) when you begin driving test your traction once or twice by braking hard on a level road clear of cars, 3) use your lowest gear going down hills or icy roads to minimize breaking. 4) Usually the biggest road hazard are the cars around you! Look in your rear view mirror especially near intersections for fast moving cars that could skid into you. 5) As you start to drive up a hill, don't gun it or spin your wheels. Creep, creep, creep into a slow start. 6) leave 2-3x as much distance than usual between you and the car in front. 7) If a macho 4-wheeler is riding your back, pull over and let him pass (& crash)!
- BOB, 12/19

"Boring budgets" are ANYTHING BUT...in Kirkland!

Most information, excerpts and the photo are courtesy of Rob Butcher's recent articles on his KirklandViews, 12/17/08

UPDATE: The Mayor of Kirkland told his Council they need to follow Redmond's Budget By Priority process! Hear and see Mayor Jim Lauinger say it!
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During Redmond's Budget proceedings, Mayor John Marchione gave strong warnings about "digging a hole" in our City budget. He cautioned if Council didn't raise the 1% property taxes we could end up like Kirkland, in a hole. Kirkland's "gap" was $13.8M -- 12% of their General Fund!

Kirkland has recently taken extreme measures to balance their budget. The problems started when Council authorized 6% salary and 10% cost increases. (Lesson to be learned?). A cursory listing of of actions taken to balance their budget are, as follows:

• Kirkland's existing business tax was replaced by a "Head Tax". Every business in Kirkland must now pay $100 for every full-time employee hired.


• Utility taxes increased.


• Property taxes were increased


• Service levels were cut. Nix Economic Development Manager , Communications levels, etc.


• Cut $3M from the capital budget.

Citizen attendance at Kirkland (and Redmond's) budget meetings were telling. According to KirklandViews, in Kirkland's October meeting only 6 of 48,000 citizens showed. Most were there to protect their interests. At Redmond's final Hearing only 7-8 showed up to speak...again most to further their interests. Council President McCormick proudly said on at least two occasions that Redmond citizenry were "fully engaged" in our budgetary process based on the "excellent turnout" at the final *Hearing.

"KirklandViews", reported that Kirkland's Council Chambers were overflowing at their final Budget meeting. Now, that's participation! Only two of eight citizens at Redmond's budget meeting addressed ideas for cutting costs; I was one. Is that "engagement"? Or, does the City have a way to go?

*Active citizenry participation in Marchione's "Budget by Priority" Public Workshops (2) and the six citizens on staff's Results Teams probably provides a more valid demonstration of public participation.

That funny blinking yellow arrow-light on 166th & 104th

The signal light on 104th Street & 166th Avenue by the Redmond Junior High is working! Councilman Margeson made the formal announcement in Council Chambers tonight.

Earlier today, Mayor Marchione, Councilman Margeson, Principal Barone, Public Works staff and some passing students celebrated the "lighting ceremony". Did anyone else participate? It would be a good story for the Redmond Reporter.

The signal is already famous for it's blinking yellow left-turn light. It's the only light of it's kind in town. The Mayor said the blinking yellow arrow light means "you can turn left if the coast is clear".

This funny yellow light has been quite the buzz on the Hill. The school "Parent Organizer" printed a blurb about it and soon parents were talking. Mayor Marchione said there was information of the signal on the city website. I hunted all over and couldn't find anything on the yellow arrow light. This is the best I could do...and the "google" image you see.

Do any of you have thoughts on the signal.....or the intersection in general? Aren't those sidewalk shrub plantings elegant? How about those richly painted light posts? Do you think the sidewalk ramps will work for bicyclists?

Savvy builder is proving that "Green sells".

Sometime within the next 2-3 years a mixed-use "residential-business" complex could well be built in SE Redmond adjacent Marymoor Park and the Sammamish Trail. (6089 - 6213 East Lake Sammamish Park.) "Marymoor Park Place" will be 2 buildings, 4 stories tall, with business use on the 1st floor and 50 multi-family residential units on floors 2-4. 10% of the units will be "affordable". A photo and vicinity map of the triangular project site is found here. The triangular site is south of Les Schwab.

But the Peter Chee landowners/developers have a few hurtles to overcome before they can build:

1. They are asking the City to change the zoning for that area from Manufacturing Park (MP) to Business Park (BP). This zoning change is precedent setting for the city.
   
2. In April 2007, the Council voted 5-2 against the Chee's proposal for R-18 zoning. Council's reasons were a) economic diversity loss, b) use incompatibility, c) housing was not needed.
   
3. Council and Planning Commission must approve both the zoning change and the mixed-use project.
   

The Chee family are savvy developers. To sell their program, the Chees are taking full advantage of the city's "Residential Green Permitting Program" and community recognition for the values of sustainable living. They are focusing on a sustainable site, as follows:

1. "Hardscapes" (impervious surfaces) are reduced by building underground parking.
   
2. Drought tolerant plants will be used. Leyland Cyprus will buffer noise from the manufacturing zone.
   
3. Solar PV panels will be installed on the roofs - 30% power will be conserved.
   30-40% energy consumption will be saved by using LEEDS approved light fixtures and occupancy sensors.
   
4. Over 90% of construction debris will be recycled. Extra insulation and laminate windows will reduce sound and energy waste. Less toxic and volatile glues and paints will improve air quality.
   
5. The Chee's property will achieve a LEED'S Gold Award for sustainability -- one level higher than City Hall's Silver rating.

Taking advantage of their proximity to the Lake Sammamish Park Trail, the Chees expect residents to bike to work and play. The Chees plan for locked storage of bicycles to encourage trip reduction.

MP will have to be rezoned to BP to make the project work. Manufacturing (MP) is not attractive in Redmond. Rents are two times less expensive in Kent and Auburn. The Chee's BP zoning will allow for a wide variety of choices for businesses and bring new jobs into Redmond. The Chee's Marymoor Park Place will be right at the Gateway into SW Redmond. They say their BP mixed-use buildings will be more attractive for our Gateway that manufacturing. Who could doubt that?

The Chee's project seems a no-brainer. The City and it's leadership has changed since Council's decision two years ago. Existing manufacturers in Redmond have had plenty of time to lobby for preservation of Manufacturing zones. But, land costs are high in Redmond. Rezoning to BP is a compromise where almost everyone wins. The Chee family appear model citizens and developers who have a lot of pride in their work. We are fortunate to have them.

See how Council and Planning Commission voted two years ago.

Updated, 12/16 - Redmond's New Sign Ordinance will keep our sidewalks and neigborhoods clutter-free

Update, 12/16: Opinion on the new sign ordinance from an West Redmond realtor.

OPINION: City Council, the Planning Commission, and our two Code Enforcement Officers have been working for months, if not years, to update and improve our sign ordinance. A new, improved ordinance will be officially in place after one final Hearing on private "banner signs". Signs come in all shapes and types. The photo on the left shows two "A-Board directional signs" for the same project. On the right is a large residential property sign. Hey, do ya think those copper capped posts come included with the Purchase & Sale!

At stake has been striking a balance between the needs for advertising, public safety, and removal of visual clutter. In addition, the ordinance had to be written within the confines of the 9th Circuit Court decision. Doborah Farris, Code Enforcement Officer said the ordinance would be strictly enforced. The first violation is a warning. Second violation is the sign will be pulled with a $50 fee for retrieval. Third violation is a $100 fine. Redmond's two Code Enforcement officers have many other duties than monitoring signs. The Code Enforcement officer's email and phone is 425-556-2465

In short, only one sign is allowed by the the new ordinance for commercial, project construction, and residential advertising. Councilman Vache made a point that precautionary safety signs should not restricted. Signs are limited in size to six square feet. Council Pres. McCormick indicated the Land Use Application Project requirements for 1 4x8 "extraordinary" White Sign every 500 feet (and 1 Yellow 2x3 sign/project ) remain the same.

After persistent lobbying by the Real Estate industry, an exception to the 1-sign rule was allowed for residential real estate advertising in most neighborhoods (R-1 to R-8). Real estate agents, FSBO's, landlords and new single family home projects are allowed up to 3 "directional signs" only during OPEN HOUSES, in addition to the one property sign. Arrow signs count as directional signs.

In a short drive through N. Redmond, I found one housing project posting 11 directional signs and three "landmark signs". A-Boards (sandwich board) and any other staked signs are restricted from public right-of-ways. i.e sidewalks, driveways, bike lanes. Home businesses, including daycare, are not allowed to put out signs. Deputy Planning Director Roberts said code enforcement recently pulled out over 100 signs - mostly in N. Redmond.

Apartment and condominium complexes zoned R-12 & up are allowed 1-sign per complex and no directional signs. Councilman Margeson emphasized visual clutter would be mitigated on roads with multiple apartments/condos like Avondale, 148th Ave, and Redmond Way.

The ordinance will especially be felt by landlords and FSBO's who are often desperate to get the word out. I know for a fact, since I rented a house for years and eventually sold it by owner. I won't tell you how many signs I staked because I'm embarrassed. Most that were pulled were on the 104th Street and 166th Avenue intersection. With this new ordinance - advertisers beware!

Disclaimer: to verify the ordinance quoted in this post, please contact Deborah Farris. This story is informational and my sole opinion. Signs leading from Redmond to the county or another city may or may not be subject to the new ordinance.

Food, restaurants and East Indians at "Redmond Lights Festival"

Redmond Lights Festival, Chain Restaurants and Indians
--Compliments of Grant Yuan's Chef Seattle Blog. Grant is a Redmond, WA. resident.
-- Posted by: Grant Yuan @ 12/10: 8:05 pm on Grant's Seattle restaurant, food, and chef blog.


Last night, I headed out to the Redmond Lights festival, which is a walk along the Burke Gilman/Sammamish River that ends up at the Redmond Town Center. I’ve been a little leery of RTC lately because of some political issues lately, but they’ve seemed to be getting better according to a popular Redmond blog that I keep up with. Anyhow, the festival was fun, with the sparkling of blinking red lights that everyone wore, holiday music, and general holiday mood. With the sour economy, it was nice to see everyone just out and having fun. Of course, it helped that there was free food involved, as there were lines 50 people deep for even some simple foods like Panera Bread cookies. Even though the lines were long, we (Steve, my girlfriend and I) had no problem waiting around and enjoying the scene. If we can camp out at Black Friday at 3am, we can wait 10 minutes for free food. :)Most of the food vendors were those directly in Redmond town center, like Thai Ginger, Meyfil (I always wondered if this name was a clever play on “Me Fill”), Ruby’s, that new sandwich/soupy Italian chain that replaced Cosi (THANK YOU), and Todai. Also there was Canyons, Azteca and Qdoba, which are close by.

For various reasons, we don’t review chain restaurants as a rule on Chef Seattle, but it’s events like these that tend to put some things into perspective on the roles of big food chains. What I mean is that when a large business gets involved, they have a marketing budget to sponsor events like the Redmond festival, because marketing and branding is what chain restaurants do best. Small, independently owned restaurants often don’t have the budget, manpower or - and I think this is a primary reason - foresight to sponsor these type of events. I love my small restaurants, but having talked with many chef/owners, I say it with love when I say they know food, but suck at self-promotion.The only independent food vendor passing out free food here was Meyfil, while every other one was a chain of some kind - though Thai Ginger and Canyons are both Seattle-based chains. I’m going to single out Mefil for a second, because as an Indian restaurant, I have to say that of all the various ethnic restaurants owners, Indians are the best pound-for-pound marketers. There’s often a good reason for that though, which is that many Indian restaurant and business owners are often highly educated individuals, with MBAs or other post-college education.

When I was volunteering at a food bank warehouse a few years ago, I had an eye-opening discussion with an Indian fellow - Gugan, I think his name was - who was working off 20 hours of community service. Explaining, he told me he owned seven convenience stores and managed all of them by himself, employing friends and family. Apparently, he had an MBA and wanted to start an integrated chip design outsourcing business when he came to America, but found he could do quite fine selling drinks and snacks to the masses. When I asked him about restaurants, he was pretty adamant that it was the same for that niche as well, with many well qualified owners doing it because they money made it worth it. After he left for the day, he offered me free Slurpees anytime at his stores, though I never quite took him up on that offer. :)

-- Grant Yuan http://www.chefseattle.com/
December 10, 2008 8:37 AM

minor edits by B. Yoder

Proposed Jail in Kingsgate: half of inmate population have prior felony convictions

compliments of KirklandViews

A County Jail is proposed for Kingsgate. Kingsgate is only 3-4 miles from Redmond.

A study of Kirkland’s inmate population shows that most inmates have prior felony convictions.

Jail proponents argue that if a planned 640 bed jail were to be built in Kingsgate, the neighboring residents should not be alarmed as those incarcerated would be guilty of only minor offenses. Kirkland’s own 2007 study shows that inmates picked up for minor crimes most likely have been convicted of prior felonies. A 2007 study of Kirkland’s inmate population showed that most misdemeanant inmates are “frequent flyers” of the corrections system.

When the City of Kirkland was studying the option of jail expansion in the Summer of 2007, the City Council was briefed on the profile of the Kirkland inmate population. The Council was presented with the following about Kirkland’s jail population on a given day:

Of the 36 persons held on misdemeanor charges
28 had previous felony convictions
7 had multiple previous misdemeanors
1 was a first-time offender
A 7 minute video discussing the profile of the inmate population is here.

You may watch the entire July 3, 2007 City of Kirkland study session Jail Update here.

A public meeting regarding a proposed jail in Kingsgate is to be held this Wednesday, December 10th at the Hollywood Schoolhouse in Woodinville from 6 to 9 p.m.

Posted by Rob Butcher on Friday, December 5, 2008, 13:02 This news item was posted in Features category of KirklandViews

2/4/09, UPDATED: Will Redmond Town Center partner with the City on flood protections and salmon preservation?

2nd in a series of opinions on Redmond Town Center.

UPDATED 2/4/2009  You'll find a post 2 days ago trying to understand the relationship between Redmond Town Center and the City. Talk from some neighbors and my review of several city council meetings reveal the city was negotiating with Redmond Town Center for Bear Creek buffer land. It appeared from these talks the city was frustrated with Redmond Town Center and their owner, Macerich REIT.  Its since been learned, the relationship is back on track with hopefully no strings attached by Macerich.

According to Mayor John Marchione: "...Regarding the (Redmond) blog, the City has a very good relationship with Redmond Town Center. We are working together to transfer land buffering Bear Creek to City control. Earlier in the year we approached Macerich for permission to perform survey work on the land in anticipation of the project. There was a delay as attorney’s work on language. But the delay was weeks, not months or years.....  Read More >>

1.3% annual property tax/levy increase approved in Council's budget

Council approved the 2009-2010 budget 7-0 this week. They approved the 1.3% property tax*/levy lid increase 5-2, with Council members Kimberly Allen and David Carson dissenting. (pictured here)

According to the "Budgeting by Priorities" manual General Fund revenues are expected to grow approximately 3% over the next two years to $142 M. The $142M does not include the Capital Budget which is expected to grow by 8% to $234M to pay for the massive infrastructure expenses we see around town. The city has a AAA bond rating and is taking advantage of their superior rating to borrow approximately $30M for the Bear Creek Road Extension.

The biggest bone of contention on the Budget was the 1.3% property tax/levy increase. Ms. Allen and Mr. Carson could not find a clear need in the budget to justify the tax increase. The increase averages about $15/year for an above-average priced home. Most council members felt they needed the money to manage inflation. The Mayor felt he needed the money to "steady the foundation, to keep from listing one way or the other." Mr. Mayor kept talking about "a hole" Redmond government would dig if the tax didn't go through. He referenced Kirkland's problem.

Mr. Carson and Ms. Allen where more concerned about the average citizen scraping by in this historically weak economy. Even though the tax was minor, historic, prolonged unemployment and precipitous housing prices are exceptional times for citizens. Ms. Allen felt the city had enough money for the next two years to justify cutting out the property/levy tax.

Council President McCormick justified the tax increase to the cost of inflation of the city supplies. Approximately 80% of the cost of Redmond Government is paying salary and benefits to city workers. Council passed a $538,000 Human Resource "compensation program" to manage salary reviews, improve efficiencies and be more proactive. Council member Vache, who has career experience in human resource contracting felt the program was expensive but went along with the Mayor.

Council member Myers was the only council member that made a concerted effort to find specific ways to cut the budget. He recommended cutting: 1) the $207,000 cost for a "road button reflector truck", 2) $20k travel and tuition for council, 3) $100k/year for a compensation analyst and 4) a review of pub/private $570,000 spent on community events (Holiday Lights, Derby Days, etc.)

Mayor Marchione has invaluable experience in financial administration and is building an reputable and effective finance team -- Micheal Bailey, Dir. of Finance and Melissa Files, Finance Manager. The AAA city bond rating is a tribute to their excellence. Mr. Marchione's team has a goal of saving $1.6M over two years through greater efficiencies.

Council Finance Chair Richard Cole efficiently ran the "Budgeting By Priorities" program. Mssrs. Margeson and Myers were on Mr. Cole's Finance Committee. Six "Results Teams" of six staff and one citizen each ranked the budget priorities. Mr. Mayor appointed the six citizens. If citizens want to have a direct influence on council and staff in shaping the budget next biennium you may want to notify the Administration. of your interest in a Results Team.

*Mr. Bailey, Dir. of Finance wrote a Letter of Clarification on 11/25/08. He described the 1% property tax. No mention was made of the parks & safety levy lid tax increase. (.3%)

The entire budget is online here.