Camping Equipment worth $50,000 stolen from Redmond Church

As of 7/29 Police were looking for the thieves who stole a rental truck loaded with camping supplies for 300 kids in a Redmond church youth group, said Jim Bove of the Redmond Police Department.

Volunteers at Redmond's Overlake Christian Church are scrambling to replace and pack more than a ton of kids' camping supplies, worth more than $50,000.

Camping supplies owned by the church were packed in a white Penske rental truck and stolen out of the church parking lot late Wednesday night. Also in the truck was electronics and kitchen equipment.

Connor Knapp, Eagle Scout - completes culminating project for Redmond Presbyterian Church

CONNOR KNAPP, Eagle Scout
click collage to enlarge

Connor Knapp's Culminating EAGLE SCOUT Service Project was this natural outdoor amphitheatre for the Redmond Presbyterian Church. The land was donated by the church after review of Connor's proposal. The project was designed by Connor for compatibility with the forest, form and function. Not one tree was removed. Connor planned and organized the project from the beginning to the end. Under the mentorship of his father, Connor raised funds for the materials and recruited all the labor and then supervised the construction. The project's timeline was completion by Easter. They made it!

The church is very happy and blessed by Connor's project. The first use of the amphitheater was the Youth program's sponsored Easter "Sunrise Service". Boy Scouts from Connor's Troop 520 have held meetings here. Spaces within the church, including the amphitheatre, are open to the public, when available. For reservations, call 425-885-2811. The church is located on 166th Ave & NE 100th Street.

Connor's troop meets at the Redmond Presbyterian Church every Monday at 7pm, under the guidance of Dan Weinmeister, a Scoutmaster. Other Scout Troops on "the Hill" meet at Faith Lutheran, First Baptist, Redmond United Methodist, LDS, and Norman Rockwell.

CONGRATULATIONS, CONNOR!

Eagle Scout requirements - minimum of 21 Merit Badges - Connor has 26. Connor is the 5th Eagle scout to come out of Troop 520 (2.5 years old)

A visit with Audi Murphy, of Tent City-4

This is Audi Murphy. He's a Tent City resident, waiting for the bus to go to the library. Audi is carrying a comedy book, the Bible and computer with no web service.

Audi lives about 1/4 mile away from my home in a tent pitched on a parking lot at St. Jude's Church. His neighborhood is called "Tent City-4" though you could barely call it a home. I bumped into Audi at the Junior High Metro bus stop. He said I could interview him. Audi speaks English well.

Audi's life story is one of broken homes and far away places. He is the son of an Irish Philipino and didn't move to the States until 1998. His mother and brother moved to Los Angelos, when he was only 2 years old, leaving him behind. Audi lived with his "father" in the Philipines for eight years until his mother called for him. Audi is a gentle soul and when abusive fighting started with his mother he developed anxieties and anger issues. So, he left to join the Navy.  Working on a Navy boat was his best job but it only lasted 3 years. Audi was dismissed because he started drinking, probably as a way to manage his anger?

Audi moved to Las Vegas and then Kent, WA. He found a Mission in Seattle but, unable to find work, he couldn't pay the $5/night fee. So, he moved to Mercer Island TC-4. He's lived in various Tent Cities for over a year. After Mercer Island he pitched in Kirkland, Woodinville and finally Redmond. He left Kirkland for Alaska to fish for mackerel but got kicked off the boat because he was too small and slow. So, he worked on the dock for 3 months before coming "home" to Redmond.

Audi must be about 20 years old? He wants me to visit him at TC-4. I told him I would. Audi's a kind, quiet soul, eager to find his place in this world.  Audi is itinerent.  He already moved on.

Theno's Dairy

Hundreds and hundreds of kids and families have sat on this cow eating their ice cream.

Notice the incongruency of the two buildings.

Brian Lutz, the Redmond author of The Sledgehammer Version 2. blog recently posted an interesting story about Redmond's locally famous and historic Theno's Dairy. I asked Brian for additional information on the family business that is known for it's yummy ice cream and sherbet and fresh milk. I wasn't sure if the new huge Meta Church, Washington Cathedral owned the land or not.

Brian said "from what I've read, [the church] has pedged to allow Theno's to continue to operate for as long as the Bloor family wishes to do so."

In 2005, Washington Cathedral tried to get the site rezoned for commercial use with the possibility of putting in a strip mall shopping development that would have included a new Theno’s on the corner. An informative Seattle Times article on proposed land use can be found here.

I followed the land use Master Plan Application and Annexation proposals and vaguely remember the Planning Commission deciding against the 5 acre (or was it 10 acres?) development. Most decided a strip mall would be incompatible with the surrounding agricultural land. An influencial neighborhood north of Washington Cathedral held several meetings (I attended one) to organize against the church's plans. Their primary complaint was traffic and congestion at the 124th Street & RED-WOOD intersection. I remember the then Mayor Rosemary Ives suggesting that a small "Farmers Market" would be more appropriate. Environmentalists had concern about impacts to the health of a Class 2 stream.

If anyone has more current information about the status of "our" historic and cultural landmark please comment. Probably, the best source of information is from the children who woolf down the ice cream!

Customer reviews of Theno's Dairy (and their location.)

Brian Lutz is author of The Sledgehammer V 2.0

Photos of Washington Cathedral Grand Opening with Mayor John Marchione. (Photos are available for purchase online)

Tent City is coming to Redmond - Public Meeting set for Monday, 3/23

Two years ago, St. Jude Parish hosted Redmond's first Tent City(4) for the homeless. Tent City is planning to open again at St. Jude from April 25 for about three months. You can see from the above photo of last month's Informational Meeting on Tent City-4 community turnout was low, very low. The few who did speak up were positive and supportive of Father Dave Rogerson's invitation to host TC-4 at St. Jude Parish. The TC-4 nonprofit "SHAREWHEEL" is a co-applicant with Father Rogerson for the Temporary Use Permit required of the City.

A Public Meeting will be held Monday, March 23, 2009, 7PM at the Redmond Junior High School to announce the application and plans for TC-4 and to seek comment from the public.

Interest may be lower this year for some of the following reasons: 1) St. Jude Parish hosted TC-4 two years ago and the community is familiar with the program. 2) The Planning Commission and Council clarified the code to be able to swiftly deal with any permit appeals, 3) the Recession has opened residents minds and hearts that people DO lose their homes and sometimes need a temporary shelter - whether it be in an apartment, a relative's home, or even in an outdoor shelter.

Interest in TC-4 will be heightened for organizations and individuals who want to help with food, clothing, or blanket donations. Call St. Jude Parish 425-883-7685 to donate or volunteer or contact Father Dave Rogerson. Last time the public was welcome to visit TC-4 without apointment after you checked in first at the gate. I spent a lot of time there two years ago visiting the residents. It was both interesting and enlightening.

The TC-4 Code of Conduct - if these rules are not respected and enforced TC-4 may be permanently closed.

FAQ about TC-4 60 -100 residents are expected. Two years ago TC-4 averaged about 40 residents. The average stay is about 3 weeks.

The Site Plan of TC-4 with diagrams of the parking lots that will be use to pitch which tents. "The Hilton" is where newcomers spend their first few nights. It looks like they moved The Hilton and Community Tents closer to NE 104th. St.

The Vicinity Map of TC-4 shows an aerial view of the church and labels the location of the tents and facilities.

The Land-Use Notice