Politics hits the Council during Stormwater rate debate.

Filthy stormwater in SE Redmond Industrial District is soaking into Evans Creek aquifer protection zone soils ~200 feet from Evans Creek. The city plans a SE Regional Treatment Plant that must be funded in large part by stormwater fees.

Updated 4/7, OPINION: At their last meeting, City Council evaluated and considered adjusting stormwater fees to better account for "impervious surfaces". Impervious surfaces create polluted stormwater which must be treated and cleaned by the City. If the stormwater is not adequately treated our aquifer could become endangered. Our aquifer is an "underground reservoir" that supplies City drinking water.

The bulk of the conversation was about how to hold SE Redmond industries accountable for their "fair share" of the costs in treating stormwater running off of their polluted impervious surfaces. It's possible Cadman Gravel, Watson Asphalt, AWR, Genie Industries and other SE industries have impervious surfaces for which they are not being adequately billed. In addition, impervious surfaces created by new and "unfound" buildings are being identified throughout the city. Even the gravel parking lot in King County's 60 Acres Park South was "found" would by the Administration's new digitalized aerial photography. The county lot be assessed for stormwater treatment if council okays the Administration's current proposal.

The Marchione Administration is looking into all these scenarios and wants to keep rates fair and accountable using the Best Available Science. Same with Council. However, Council's review is politically charged because of "R.I.C.E.", a long-standing and historically entrenched lobby for the Redmond SE industrial district. A R.I.C.E. lobbyist was sitting "front and center" during the Council meeting; so close to Council that certain members could literally read her lips.

The R.I.C.E. associate has seemingly "wrapped her arms" around several of our older councilmembers. Newly elected Councilmember Hank Myers is heavily obligated and Councilmember Pat Vache' doesn't seem too far behind. Much of R.I.C.E success comes from their financial and networking support for councilmembers during elections. Councilmembers Allen and possibly Margeson appear politically untouched by R.I.C.E. Both have won their seat with broad support from the Neighborhoods. Margeson won support from businesses, too.

The SE industrial influence on city government began years ago with the powerful "industrialists" like Cadman Gravel. Cadman has been around longer than the City itself. They and other SE industries have been a large tax base for Redmond over the years - from day one. My guess is "the good old boy" network has thrived for years and has become a tradition. The coming of Microsoft, rapid population growth, and "need for green" could be impacting political alignments.

The City Administration, led by Stormwater Manager Jon Spangler, announced during the meeting, a new and more accurate method of measuring impervious surfaces. Mr. Spangler is highly regarded by Sammamish/Cedar River Regional Watershed community (WRIA 8). Impervious surfaces are undesirable because they increase stormwater run-off and treatment costs. Generally, the more impervious on your property the higher your rate. Examples of impervious surfaces are roads, parking lots, roofs, and vehicles parked on creek banks. The impervious surface getting the most attention last night was gravel -- yes, gravel. City code defines gravel as impervious. (Our city parks consultant Guy Michealson confirmed this during his evaluation of park trail materials.) The Administration is building an expensive SE Regional Stormwater Treatment Facility. The stormwater revenue generated from "fair share" billing will go towards paying for facility.

Councilmember Pat Vache' wanted to delay most of the new charges until after 2010 owing to the Recession. Did Mr. Vache' forget about his vote to raise neighborhood property taxes 1% taxes starting this year while leaving the businesses untaxed? Councilmember Kimberly Allen wanted to qualify "impervious surfaces" using Best Available Science before moving on. Some wanted citizens and businesses to have a chance to appeal the new charges or to phase them in. Another meeting will he held to review the Administration's proposal.

Pat Vache' and Kimberly Allen are running for re-election to Council this year so I will be highlighting their activities and decisions as they come up.

It's not all about Sports at LWSD schools

Redmond Junior High School orchestra missed out by three points to Rose Hill Junior High in getting the “Best Overall” award in the Western Washington University (WWU) orchestra competition, a statewide competition for middle school and junior high school students. Fourteen groups attended this event, including schools from Seattle, Ferndale and Bellevue. Redmond Junior High’s orchestra received a 2nd place silver trophy out of 14 participants.

In addition to the competition, the students participated in break-out clinics and master classes, and were judged by national-level adjudicator, Kathleen Brungard from North Carolina. Receiving the highest marks for technique, style and presentation, members were congratulated on their enthusiasm and their performance of two very different and challenging pieces. At the end of the day, the participants were treated to a performance by the WWU Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Shaw.

The Lake Washington High School Orchestra had an outstanding performance at the Northwest Orchestra Championships, held in Gresham, Ore., March 14-15. They brought home the third place award in the large school string division.

Redmond High School Knowledge Bowl Team from Redmond High School (RHS), comprised of Tejas Renade, Emily Rice, Rishi Goutam, Jonathan Shi, and Evan Nelson, took fifth place in the Puget Sound Regional Knowledge Bowl competition, thus earning them a place at the state championships on March 28 in Camas, Wash

For more information contact: Kathryn Reith, Director of Communications, (425) 702-3342. Shannon Parthemer, Community Relations & Communications Coordinator, (425) 702-3300

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)

Matching grants can drive counter to Community needs - Something to ponder

This City of Lynnwood neighborhood issue was on the nightly news this week. It is something to ponder. Could you imagine this happening in Redmond?

"Lynnwood Neighborhood Upset Over Bike Lanes"
--Susan West & Q13 Fox News March 18, 2009

Craig Parsons and his neighbors used to be able to park in front of their homes on 208th Street SW in Lynnwood, but not anymore since the city of Lynnwood put up no parking signs.

Parsons says, "We're very frustrated. We've been blind-sided by this project."

It's part of a bigger plan to put in bike lanes on either side of the road and a middle turn lane for cars. But Parsons say bicyclists rarely use 208th and they have the nearby Interurban Trail to bike on. We were even in the area for over four hours and couldn't find any bicyclists.

Meanwhile, neighbors are now having to park on their lawns. Parsons says they've also got another problem on their hands. He spoke to a real estate agent, who told him the value of their homes has dropped because of the lack of parking.

City of Lynnwood Public Works Director Bill Franz says it wasn't an easy decision, but their city growth plan calls for more bike lanes. They also received a 150-thousand dollar federal grant and heard strong support from the bicycle community.

Franz says, "It's about safety. That's what qualified us for the grant. But it's also for the long term, implementing that vision of Lynnwood of having bicycle facilities throughout the city so that people can get around without having to start the car up."

Parsons says they've contacted U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell's office in hopes of getting heard, but Franz says once the weather improves those bike lanes are scheduled to go in.

Franz says this project has been in the works since 2007 and the city held public meetings. Parsons got citizens to sign petitions opposing the plan but the city council approved the project.

cc: Redmond city officials
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What do you think about this? Could it happen in Redmond? Should grant money be the driver of city projects? Will safety ever be an issue on this Lynnwood Street? Where was the city planning here? Did citizens receive adequate public notice and awareness of this 'safety issue'?

Email you comments redmondblog@gmail.com for posting on this page or make a comment below.

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

Neighborhood community cleans out their Neighborhood forest

Ashford Trail adjacent to the Mormon Church

UPDATE, 6/14/09: During my city training to be a Forest Steward for Hartman Park I learned that, at this time, the Parks Operations Manager decided not to install a city garbage container or dog feces bags at the Ashford traihead.  I will continue to leave the metal container at the trailhead and dispose the trash into my personal garbage, for as long as I can...which may not be very much longer. Please call the city if your want these services.

The photo on the left shows Parks new Trailhead signage and the widened, developed Ashford Trail. City pick-ups now ride it and sometime take shortcuts on it from Avondale to Ed. Hill.  Why couldn't they leave a garbage can?  The right photo shows all the trash I picked up in just one full day.  It amounted to 570 pounds of trash, 120 gallons of drinking containers, and rotten construction wood were removed and taken to the dump.

The neighborhhod kids build small "forts" so I didn't take their good lumber, though nails in trees are common. The dirt bikers need the large white buckets to haul dirt for their jumps, so we didn't take the buckets. The dog-walkers want a place to put their poop-bags so I left a trash can on the trail we found it the woods. Two "beer party sites" were left at the trailhead. A computer monitor was removed from the party site and bags were removed from the poop bag throw site.

This forest is a remnant of Perrigo Creek watershed and is located within the Bear Creek Basin. The land is owned by the rate payers of the water utility and managed by the city. Get acquainted with this short clip of the "neighborhood corner forest". (1.2m)

The forest is on the corner of NE 100 St and 171st Ave NE. Two sides of the forest are bordered by homes and the other two sides are bordered by the Church of Latter Day Saints and the Dirt Bike trail jumps. The Perrigo Woods Trail (Ashford Trail) if a favorite hiking and dog-walking trail. The forest is only a 5-10 minute walk from Redmond Junior, Redmond High, and Mann El.

This neighborhood forest is clearly, closely surrounded by mankind and over the years trash and litter has accumulated. A detailed report of the trashing is found here. Several in the neighborhood decided to clean up the trash. I was involved and others helped. A dirt-biker, several youth from Mann, a dog-walker, two hikers and 3 teenagers all helped clean up the forest. Other youth and adults said they would watch the forest and they know who to call if they need help.

Last year, the Parks Department upgraded the network of trails in Hartman Forest and on Ashford Trail. They posted trail head signage and widened Ashford Trail. I hope the Parks Department and commissioners will get more involved with keeping this corner forest clean now that more citizens are using the forest. A couple of simple things the City could do to maintain their improvements are: 1) Place and maintain a Park trash can next to the posted Ashford Trailhead sign 2) Install and maintain a Dog-Poop bag dispenser. The City educates us on the importance on bagging dog poop to help keep our streams and ground water clean. I bag dispenser would seem appropriate. 3) removing the blackberries.

The visiting citizens and youth appreciate getting and keeping the junk and litter out of their forest. Removing the blackberry bushes at the corner would freshen up the place, too. The forest corner was once used by citizen vendors to sell art, photos and native plants for the "Save the Woodlands" fundraiser. I paced off the area then and discovered there was open space for a 'satelite Saturday Market' once the blackberries were removed.

CC: Parks Operations (Attn: Dave), Council Parks Chair, Hank Myers, ParksandTrailsCommission@redmond.gov

Redmond Police Chief Harris retires after 42 years of law enforcement

Redmond Police Chief Steve Harris is retiring March 31, 2009 after 28 years in the position, the third-longest current tenure in Washington State. He has spent the past 42 years in law enforcement including 11 years as Commander with the Arvada, Colorado Police Department and three years as an officer with Seaside Heights PD, New Jersey.

Mayor John Marchione remarked:
"Chief Harris's career is distinguished by his leadership, innovation, and partnership efforts, and his years of service to the City have built a strong public safety foundation for citizens. Under his leadership, the Redmond Police Department has long been an example for its professionalism and best practices both locally and nationally, a legacy for which our community is proud."

Redmond City Council will be honoring him Tuesday, March 17th at its 7:30 p.m. meeting.

City of Redmond entire Press Release
CONTACT:
Jim Bove, 425-556-2545
March 12, 2009
24-hour Media-Line, 425-556-2531

Factoid #1
Approximately 85 commissioned officers & 125 total employees work under Chief Harris.
- Jim Bove, Police Community Laison

Factoid #2
Equipment officers carry - how much does this weigh?
Gun Belt 1 each, Holster 1 each,
Keepers 4 each,
Handcuff case 2 each (or 1 double case)
Magazine pouches 2 each,
Handcuffs 2 each.
Service Weapon 1 each,
Baton 1 each, Baton Holder 1 each,
Protective Vest 1 each
Chemical Weapon and Holder 1 each
Flashlight 1 each, Flashlight Holder 1 each
Taser and holster 1 each
Rain hat 1 each
-- Salary Ordinance document, '09

Is this the City of Redmond's first blog?

I just discovered the Redmond Library blog and added it to my Blog List. The Library blog started up in early June, 2008 and already posts 93 informative, interesting stories. The blog's tag line is: "Community Outreach initiative of the Redmond Library Board of Trustees." The presence of the City LOGO is telling. I wouldn't be surprised if some Friends of Redmond's Library are participating in this master piece. I see many stories authored by Trustee Lorin Catudio, but others write, too.

The Library blog is informative, aesthetically pleasing and garnished with lots of maps, art, photos and is easy to read. My favorite piece so far is the story about the Marymoor Connector Trail. It has encouraged me to jump on my bicycle and check it out!

Will the City of Redmond post or link this blog to their new website once it's built? I think so. Could the Redmond Library one day be the most broadly distributed blog in the City? Possibly. The Library Board of Trustees meets at 7PM the first Wednesday of every other month. I'm going to stop by one time and say thank you for their wonderful new publication. I hope you read it. You'll see.

Basketball and Church draws Mayor John Marchione back to the neighborhoods.

Updated, 3/22: It's refreshing to see Mayor John Marchione getting out into the community and showing interest in the neighborhoods that elected him our city CEO and Representative. John participated with Fire and Police in student Olivia's High School Dodge Ball Fundraiser at the beginning of his term, but then became bogged down with managing the bureaucracy and budget. For a while , I was fearful John would morph into a total bureaucrat. It doesn't look like it now, but we'll know for sure by baseball season.

Currently, tournament basketball and city-church land use activities are pulling John back into the neighborhoods. Yeh! At the last Council meeting John announced high numbers of students busing to Tacoma to root for our H.S. Boys State Basketball players in the State tournament. It must have helped. Redmond took 5th in the State!

(The http://www.redmondboysbasketball.com/ high school site has stories, pics and video clips).

Did you hear, Lenny Wilkens, the winning Sonic coach during the 1979 NBA championship, was the featured guest at the Washington Cathedral's (WC) event last Saturday? John Marchione's council work on WC land-
use Reviews engaged him with the church . Mr. Mayor was part of the Saturday ribbon-cutting ceremony for WC's massive new recreation/sanctuary facility. (Pastor Tim White is on the left). I missed it, but who knows, John could have been asked to start the tip-off in the Redmond-Woodinville basketball game played in the WC gym (played by football players). If John can throw in the ball to start high school dodge ball games why not throw the tip-off for this church basketball game?

Mr. Mayor, council and staff get involved with churches often during land use proposals. In the case of Washington Cathedral (WC) a large and complicated annexation and re-zone was required at the city's sensitive northwestern Gateway. Critical wetland, streams, slopes and severe traffic were mitigated; this project abutted rare valley agricultural land. The city drew the line on WC's 10 acres along 124th. WC wanted to develop this hillside land to build a large grocery store for income. Meta, Mega or Mighty - a church this size needs income. I attended WC many years ago when it was a Nano/Micro-church at Lake Washington H.S.

St. Jude Catholic Church on 166th Av. & 104th St. stands out in it's association with Mayor Marchione. John is a parishioner. Past Mayor Rosemarie Ives attends. Every year, the Parish hosts a "Mayor's Breakfast". Several high-level staff are members. To many neighborhoods, St. Jude is the home of Tent City 4 (TC4). Though TC4 was a success, two years ago the city and citizens underwent a painfully long and troublesome Review and Appeal process. "Temporary Use" was put to the acid test and failed so miserably that this year the Planning Commission re-wrote the code. When TC-4 opens up this spring at St. Jude any appeals will be adequately managed. My wife and I attended this church once, thinking it was Episcopalian! A Public Notice Sign was just posted for a TC4 opening this Spring.

During the Ed. Hill Neighborhood Citizen Advisory Committee, the City and Mayor Ives got involved with the Pastor Robroy Ranger's Redmond Assembly of God (RAG) on 166th Ave., half way up the hill. Robroy spent months, if not years, generously hosting the Advisory Committee and attending Planning Commission meetings. Part of what came of the meetings were the 166 Ave. 3:2 lane improvements and plans to extend 160th Ave. north. The RAG has a basketball court and the church has hosted teams looking for facility. The RAG also hosts a highly regarded day-care service. The church practices speaking in tongues and other charismatic methods of spiritual enlightenment. Pastor Robroy is incredibly passionate and a friendly sole.

A much smaller land use project transpired a few years ago at Redmond Presbyterian Church on NE 100 St. & 166th Ave. Marchione, a councilman at the time, wasn't directly involved but staff was present. Redmond Presbyterian is only 5 minutes from my home so I had some questions about the tree removal to install a parking lot and children's building. Actually, at the project's completion, I found I could enjoy the trees even more because I could see them -- when taking a short-cut through the forested church lot to the Junior High -- and walking the NE 100 St. sidewalk. In addition a lush, green forested greenbelt and a bio-swale is present and best seen inside the sanctuary!

I've attended all the churches listed above but finally found a home at Redmond Presbyterian with Rev. Dr. Larry Grounds and his flock. The church inspires faith in God, celebrates children, and honors community. Larry did his Doctoral dissertation on "Children Stories in Worship". Now I know why we love and learn from his skits for the children every Sunday! Larry's talks are exceptional. This verse about neighbors read last Sunday at Redmond Presbyterian triggered me to post this story. Coincidentally and in theme with this story, Larry Grounds played basketball in High School. He broke his ankle while playing. While in recovery his ministry germinated.

VIDEO UPDATE: Mustang Boys defeat Lake Stevens to take 5th in State!

Fifteen buses carried 750 SuperFans to the Tacoma Dome to root for their District winning Redmond Mustangs game against #1 seed, Federal Way HS. Redmond's SuperFans were perhaps the largest, loudest, and most synchronized H.S. fans in the State, EVER. Coach Larsen thanked the SuperFans repeatedly for their support.

Redmond drew Federal Way H.S. in the first round - the team that went on to defeat the Garfield Bulldogs to win the State tournament. (Factoid: during the regular season Redmond lost to Garfield in double overtime). But, Redmond went on to defeat Beamer, Mariner and Lake Stevens to take 5th Place in State! The Lake Stevens game went into double overtime. Read the Seattle Times (3/7) story here. Mustang Chris Harrington was awarded "2nd Team All-State" honors.

Below are a series of video clips of their first game against tournament winning Federal Way H.S., the second game vs. Beamer and final game vs. Lake Stevens. Redmond's Super Fans, band, and cheer are featured in the first two games. Read the tournament ending Bracket scores here. Find the http://RedmondBoysBasketball.com High School site here.

Redmond vs Lake Stevens H.S. VIDEO CLIPS:

Player Intros a start of Lake Stevens State Tournament game for 5th Place.

Redmond wins tip-off and Harrington drives to basket on opening play.

Harrington on "O", Justin on "D".

Redmond bags 2 baskets, playing well together

Redmond works is slow for a 3 from Phillip

Phillip Leyland again.

Great "D" by the Twin Towers!

Ellis hustles, and then hustles again.

Chris Harrington's famous flop-drive to keep the game alive

Harrington's 2nd clutch foul shot to keep the game alive and help him win bearth to "2nd Team All-State".

Under construction


Federal Way H.S. VIDEO CLIPS featureing SuperFans, Band, Cheer:

SuperFans filing into the Dome while Team warms-up with Band, 38 s

Pre-game warm-up with Band and SuperFans, 56s

Player introductions the game w/ Cheer/Fans, 2m

Mustangs score first vs. Federal Way! 1.33m

DOUBLE TROUBLE !! Jarad Alexander vs. Federal Way 1.12m

SuperFan Roller Coaster with Cheerleader twist

Major Traffic Delays expected on Cleveland & Redmond Way this week and on future projects

Daytime construction of critical utility work at Redmond Way and Cleveland Street beginning Thursday, March 12 to Sunday, March 15 will result in potential traffic delays. Construction will begin at Redmond way and Cleveland Street intersection. The purpose of the work is to install a new water main down Cleveland Street. For more information on this project, contact Lisa Singer, Project Manager at lsinger@redmond.gov or 425-556-2726. -- City Press Release

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The above is one of many city road projects that will cause significant local or widespread traffic delays. Additional downtown road construction projects planned in the near future are, as follows: 1) Redmond Way traffic will be impeded and/or diverted when the city installs a regional stormwater trunk line down the complete length of Redmond Way. 2) Redmond Way and Clevelend Street will be converted from 1-way to 2-way streets causing delays, 3) extensions of 164th St and other grid streets will be constructed. B&B Auto mall will be demolished to build the road grid. 4) The Bear Creek Extension continues to be a mess while citizens and LWSD employees patiently await for tree and shrub plantings in the vicinity of Saturday Market, Heron Rookery, Wetland Pond Facility and the Parkway extention.

On a positive note: The once controversial 166th Ave. lane and signal light conversion adjacent Redmond Junior High is complete and appears a success. Don Cairnes was the Project Manager and led the public outreach. Nice work, Mr. Cairnes!

Hazardous Waste spill east of Marymoor Park is being evaluated.

During council "consent agenda" proceedings tonight the Mayor requested emergency funding to evaluate possible groundwater contamination from hydraulic fluid at Fire Station No. 16 Maintenance Shop.

Fire Station No. 16 is located at 6205 185th Avenue NE just East of Marymoor Park. Redmond has six fire stations and their locations can be found on a city map by clicking Fire Station No. 16. It's interesting to see where the City stations are located relative to our neighborhoods.

The Maintenance Shop provides a full-range of apparatus repair and maintenance services for the City of Redmond and for King County Fire Protection District 34.

A hydraulic hoist is used to conduct maintenance on Fire apparatus. A release of hydraulic fluid, a hazardous material, from the hoist cylinder has been discovered and it is urgent to find out if the release of hydraulic fluid has impacted soil and groundwater beneath the facility. A subsurface investigation of the soil and groundwater beneath the facility is required to discover if a plan for appropriate remedial measures is needed.

The Public Works Department and Fire Department are very cognizant and cautious about protecting our groundwater and this emergency action is proof the city responds quickly to hazardous waste issues.

My only recommendation is the City use biodegradable, vegetable-based hydraulic fluid , whenever possible. The City has been groping with defining what 'green' means as the City builds. A category for biodegradable petroleum supplies seems appropriate.

Any comments?

Courtney Martin - Redmond High Girls Basketball Record-breaker

Update, 5/7/09 - Courtney signs with Western Oregon University.
Update: Courtney was recently named 1st Team KingCo 4a

Courtney only played 66 games throughout her Sophomore, Junior and Senior seasons. Yet, she set four new high school foul-shooting records, as posted on the Mustang Girls website. Had Courtney played the average number of games (78) in her three Varsity years as a Mustang, she would have the momentum to set 10 new records.

View the following spreadsheet link to see how Courtney (66 games) would have ranked when adjusting for games played as compared to players Ashbaugh (80 games), Flynn (80 games), Campbell (84 games), Edwards (73 games), and Graham (85 games). Courtney had momentum to achieve the most Career Points Per Game at 15.4 points. Click on the spreadsheet to see all six records Courtney could have made when adjusted for games played. "

30 second video clip of: Courtney Martin's classic move under the basket; Captain Alicia Valentine's trademark stealth steal at half-court. (2/8/08 Ballard game).

Caveat: "Minutes played per game" are not tracked by RHS so any adjustments for playing time in a game couldn't be made. "Team strength" and any plaguing injuries could not be factored into Courtney's pro forma stats.

Photo's courtesy of parent Jerry Smith

Redmond High School Student "Rides Along" with City of Redmond Fire Department

This slide show contains video clips and you will run into problems if you click on the pictures. However, it's okay to pause the slide show and advance or rewind it.

If you want to view the video clips click here! You can pick and choose the clips you want to see and share the album with your friends!

Captain John Stockman invited me for the Ride Along and he was gracious to include Lexie. Lexie Yoder is my daughter. She's a Junior at Redmond High School. Thank you Redmond Fire Department. You guys are awesome!

"Approximately 70 percent* of the department’s call volume is categorized as emergency medical services related. It has become a community expectation that fire departments provide rapid, effective, and efficient response to emergency medical incidents. Redmond Fire Department employs approximately 145 emergency medical technicians (EMT's)and provides response services from six strategically located stations within the City of Redmond and King County Fire District 34." -- Council Memo
$909,000 is requested for funding the EMT's during 2009. The city bills King County Emergency Response Services for Basic Life Support services.
--3/3/09 Council Memo, Basic Life Support, 2009-13
*On my ride along, various firemen quoted 60%, 80% and 90% of call volume was emergency services related. The citizen isn't charged for transportation to a hospital when picked up by a Basic Life Support or Paramedic Vehicle.

An Influence of Technology: What ever happened to courting?

Contributed by Jordon Scheibe, Junior at Redmond High School

Oh my gosh! So I texted him saying “Hey,” then he texted back saying “What’s up?” and I said I was “just chilin’ at home on Facebook, you?” and he texted back saying “sweet.” What does that mean!? Is it sarcastic, does it mean he doesn’t want talk to me? Does it mean he really thought it was sweet that I was on Facebook? Did he not see the “you?” Maybe he is really busy and can’t talk right now, but I don’t want to be nosy and text him again. That would be TOTALLY against the rules.

Right now I would just like to say the previous scenario is not an actual conversation, It is so impersonal that you can’t really consider that any form of talking. Our present day life is filled with technology. It does almost everything for us. What ever happened to waking up when the sun came through the window and the rooster cock-a-doodle-dooed? We have alarm clocks now that get us up at ungodly hours. And as much as I love the light bulb and Tom Edison, if we didn’t have light bulbs we wouldn’t stay up late, and we would all be rested.

When my father was a young lad, he lived ear Audubon and Idylwood Park and his good friend Danny lived over on the Plateau near Eastlake. When he wanted to go hang with Danny he would put all his clothes and shoes and whatever else he needed in a plastic bag and swim across the lake. Now that is true dedication. My father was born in this era, he probably would have texted Danny, told him to get on Xbox Live to play COD (Call of Duty), put on the ridiculous headset and sat on his behind for four hours.

Where is the sincerity in today’s relationships? It takes no work to talk to someone, so what does it mean if they just flip open their phone and send a text, its almost meaningless. It really gives the saying, “it’s the thought that counts,” a whole new meaning. It literally is a thought, plus a few quick movement to get the phone, whip it open and push little buttons a few times to get in contact with anyone.

Everyone has cell phones now a days. Even my great grandfather has one! Granted he only knows how to dial and call; the rest of the features on the phone are just to much for him. Every single one of my friends has a cell phone and will usually have it on them at all times. Whenever someone wants to bet a hold of friend, it takes a few moments and you are in contact. The call is so instant. There is no checking the mailbox and waiting for a letter. Where is the fun in cell phones? It has been said that the wait is half the journey. If we keep getting everything we want it in an instant, then we have nothing to look forward to. No excitement or suspense. And no, the three long minutes you have to wait for a text message back doesn’t count.

What ever happened to courting? Young men who were interested in a certain girl would write her letters and spend time with her family. Now a guy will text multiple girls at one time with no sincerity. A by-product is now there are these semi-relationships called “thing,” where they like each other and are off limits, but there isn’t any attachment??! I call that confusing. Every person I’ve talked that says they are in a “thing” is just plain confused. There is no clarity in the guy’s intentions if he hasn’t asked her out by now. But there is instant gratification you are together with someone, even if it isn’t official; and these things unusually happen quick and end quick. It’s an empty relationship because neither people have spent time together getting to know each other and are shocked when the infatuation fades away and they see they really didn’t know this person after all.

Technology can be a very helpful thing, and with the right mindset it can be used to help form lasting relationships. But, if we let technology keep taking over our lives, we will end up like the people on Wall-E: fat on floating chairs on a space cruise drinking our liquidated food in a cup and playing virtual golf with the guy in the next chair over from us. (755 words)

-- Jordan Scheibe,
Feature Editor of Redmond High School’s “The Blaze” , January 30, 2009
Blaze Advisor: jmauck@lwsd.org
Published in "The Blaze", Volume 44 Issue 4

Tournament video clips of the Boys Basketball Game vs. Garfield

The Mustang Boys Basketball team and their SuperFans, Band, Dancers, and Cheer gave the neighborhoods some great entertainment this year. Thanks for all the fun 'Stangs and good luck in the Tournament

Nationally renowned Redmond High School teacher Mike Town on TV this Wednesday night!

LWSD-Redmond High School Environmental Sciences teacher Mike Town (left) will appear on KCTS 9’s - 17th annual Golden Apple Awards, which airs statewide 8PM this Wednesday 2/25. Mr. Town was awarded the prestigious Stanley O. McNaughton Award for his excellence in Washington state education.

Please don't forget to tune in and celebrate our famous teacher's success this Wednesday night at 8PM on KCTS - 9.
The broadcast will include short documentary-style segments of the award winners in action and highlights of the award ceremony held at Seattle’s Intiman Theatre in January, where an array of guest speakers paid tribute to the local award winners and institutions that continually raise the standard of Washington state education. Speakers included Bill Gates Sr., Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the newly-elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, Randy Dorn, and the Lieutenant Governor of the State, Brad Owen. Maurice “Moss” Bresnahan, President and CEO of KCTS 9, and Stanley W. McNaughton, President and CEO of PEMCO Insurance, also discussed how community partnerships extend the impact of educational programs and support lifelong learning.

Mike Town, Teacher, A.P. Environmental Science, grades 11-12, Redmond High School, Lake Washington School District is known throughout his school district for his passion for environmental science. He personally advocates for all students to have access to rigorous A.P. courses and believes strongly that if a student is introduced to college course material and receives credit, the odds of them attending college will increase dramatically. Because of this, Mike opens his six A.P. courses to all students with great success; 50 percent of the student body is enrolled in his courses, and 90 percent of his students score well enough on exams to earn college credit. Outside the classroom, Mike mentors the Environmental Club, which successfully reduced the school’s carbon footprint by implementing environmental changes at the school, including solar panels, a recycling program and environmentally friendly practices in the cafeteria. Under his guidance—and starting from his “simple idea” to invigorate the student body with pride in their environment and their school”—the students launched the Cool Schools campaign. The campaign challenged teachers to reduce their classroom’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2000 pounds, with a plan to achieve a 46-ton reduction. Ultimately, the electricity bills revealed that over 72 tons of carbon dioxide emissions were prevented. This “green school” concept has been replicated at 17 other district schools and has received the Presidential Environmental Youth Award, first and second prizes in Washington State University’s “Imagine Tomorrow” contest, and entry into the Congressional record. Mike’s teaching philosophy holds that change begins in the classroom. As students become passionate and learn about combating global warming, they bring these lessons home to their families and friends.

SW Leary Stormwater Wetland Facility

As you look South when you drive on Leary you will notice the wetland facility. It will not be finished until over 100 trees and shrubs are installed. Do you see the orange mesh fencing? The Sammamish River (and Trail) is behind it. Steve Hitch, the City Senior Stormwater engineer designed the project.

A Seattle consultant for the Redmond Parks Dept. renamed nearby "Slough House Park" to "Old Town Gateway Park". Many citizens, including Pres. Nancy McCormick prefered "Dudley Carter Park". The small park is near the purple tree next to Sammamish River Trail bridge. (4m)

Updated: Kempin Creek, Part II - the misuse of science in classifying city streams, Part II

2005 Stream Map
City of Redmond Stream Classification Definitions


Updated Opinion, 3/14/09: A couple of weeks ago I gave testimony to the Planning Commission and staff during a Public Hearing. The Hearing was a final step in the public process of approving the revised "Stream Map". The Critical Area Ordinance (CAO) requires cities in Washington map out their "critical areas" (streams, wetlands, flood plains, geological hazards, and aquifer recharge zones).

The Stream map is a city guideline to help developers, landowners, citizens, and "qualified consultants" rank our streams according to their value and function. Value is mostly defined by the presence or absence of fish species. A Class I "Shorelines of the State" streams (Sammamish River, Bear & Evans Creek) have the highest value owing to their size and presence of Federally endangered Chinook and other salmon. Class II streams, like Kempen Creek in NE Redmond provide habitat for "salmonid" ( salmon, steelhead, bull trout) and fish. Class III streams as in Perrigo Creek of Hartman Wetlands, have no fish nor potential for fish. Streams are buffered from land use development according to their classification (and usually size) with Class III getting the least amount of buffer

So what does all this have to do with Kempin Creek - the subject of an earlier post? Kempin Creek is unusual because it crosses county-city jurisdictions. In the county, qualified fish and wildlife biology consultants determined during a land use proposal that Kempin Creek harbored salmonid fish and should have buffers equal in size to Redmond's Class II stream rating. However, during the CAO Stream map revisions, city staff downgraded Kempin Creek to Class III when it flowed downstream from the county into Redmond.

But then something weird happens. Several hundred feet further downstream this Class III segment of Kempin Creek is classified a Class II stream again! Question. How can salmonid fish swim up Kempin Creek from Bear Creek, then swim to where they are not supposed to be (the Class III segment) only to re-enter fish bearing waters of Kempin Creek of King County?!

Below is a chart of Kempin Creek's city classification from it's source in King County downstream to Bear Creek.

Creek- County Class22222- City Class333333333333- Class22222 Class1111Bear Creek
upstream in county (fish-2)...... at Redmond border (no fish-3)- then (fish-2 again) further downstream to Bear Creek class 1111 (fish-1).


Note the Class 3 segment containing no fish, yet salomonid are upstream.! How does the the city's best science explain that!

The map is a guideline and I wouldn't make a big deal of this were it not for the city's misuse of "Best Available Science" (BAS). According to the Critical Area Ordinance, "Best Available Science" (BAS) is to be used during land use projects when classifying streams and other critical areas. City stream classification changes are triggered when a "qualified consultant" is hired by a developer for a project. In this case, the developer was CAMWEST. The BAS for Kempin Creek proved the developer's consultant misclassified the creek. A King County qualified biologist proved salmonid were present upstream in the King County segment. Thus, by best science, salmonid have to be present downstream -- all the way to Bear Creek. But for some bureaucratic reason the city's lesser "Washington Trout" mapping data pre-empted the Best Available Science provided by the county. Most importantly, re-classification of the stream mapping guide is is etched by land-use development triggers, not by cartography. As a result, the city presents an embarrassing, illogical mapping of Kempin Creek and a flagrant disregard for Best Available Science.

Some good news: Wise Planning Commissioners recommended that hydrology surrounding Redmond Creeks near the county be monitored. Another Planning Commissioner (KP) recommended stream temperatures be monitored as a city indicator of water quality and fish health.

Fishing Tip: if you're looking for a good fishing hole might try the city's Class III "no fish" segment of Kempin Creek. Your won't find staff fishing there! But, check with WDFW first to see if Kempin is fishable.

Redmond Code: 20D.140.20.-010 - Redmond's Class III streams connected to tributaries are streams without fish and without any potential to support fish or salmonids. They connect to downstream salmonid-bearing Class II and Class I streams. While these streams don’t contain fish themselves, they can be critical “headwater streams,” providing cold, clean water to the salmon-bearing streams into which they flow, further downstream.
Kempin Creek - the stream with a split personality, Part 1

CC: R. Odle, Planning Director, C. Beam, Environmental planner, PlanningCommission@redmond.gov

UPDATED: Community Dirt Bike Trail and forest gets trashed.

Recent trashing, dumping, and littering in the vicinity of the Dirt Bike Trail

This slide show tells the sad story of recent disrespect for our neighborhood by adults and youth.

Currently the City Parks and Recreation Department does not supervise the Dirt Bike Trail or surrounding water district forest. This slide show tells the sad story of recent (and past) disrespect for our neighborhood by adults and youth.

Redmond Parks & Recreation Department asks users to:

1) respect the neighborhood
2) remove litter and keep area clean of litter
3) limit bike use to marked areas.
4) not remove soil within the root zones of trees and shrubs.

Clearly, citizens are not being held accountable to Parks Department guidelines. I couldn't find any "marked areas" but did find a significant cedar tree painted green marking the site of a "tree house". It's not just our kids who need supervision. A short side trail at the terminus of NE 100th St. accesses a dump site. Adults are dumping plastic jungle gyms, picket fencing, boxes, and paint buckets.... right off of 171st Ave. I don't set policy but if this were my park I would shut it down until the neighboring kids and adults cleaned it up. What would you do?

Even though the kids aren't responsible for adult dumping they are privileged to have this beautiful place to ride their dirt & mountain bikes and play in the forest. The neighborhood needs to take year-round care and ownership of this beautiful forest and bike trails. Youth leaders need to step up and monitor the site year-round...not only during the summer. The Parks and Trails Commissioners could visit this "corner forest" periodically to see how the city could help. Neighborhood work parties once a year would go a long way towards restoring the beauty of this forest.

The above is my comment to Mr. Larsen, Parks Director and the Mayor's Parks & Trails Commissioners.

If you want to send feedback to the city I will copy your comments made at this post to Mr. Larsen, the commissioners and the Mayor.

CC: Redmond Police
Mr. Craig Larsen, Parks & Rec. Director
ParksandTrailsCommissioners@redmond.gov
Mr. Mayor

Woodinville and Redmond cities cooperate on traffic

Mayor John Marchione is living up to one of his goals for Redmond - "becoming a regional leader". Several months ago, Mr. Marchione and his Council met with the City of Sammamish. Mostly, they talked about developing a Park in northern Lake Sammamish from a patchwork of land owed by Redmond in cooperation with the City of Sammamish. Then, on January 27, John Marchione and Council invited the City of Woodinville officials to Redmond city hall to discuss economic development, tourism, transportation alternatives and of greatest interest, the BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) rail corridor,

Woodinville's Mayor Scott Hagerman and his Council are profiled here (click here to read their biographies.) Woodinville has a "council form" of government where they hire a city manager and their Mayor is appointed by Council. We elect our Mayor directly.

Woodinville Councilmembers Chuck Price, Jeff Glickman, and Hank Stecker had the most to say about transportation. Two transportation corridors reviewed were: 1) The Willows Extension to 522 and 2) The Avondale "Eastside Loop". Mr. Price insisted the 522 interchange flyover project must be complete before Willows Road is extended. McCormick warned traffic could be drawn off of 405 onto a Willows Extension. I hope we can work with Woodinville and the State to build that 522 interchange pronto. Red-Wood Road has bottlenecks and can't carry growing traffic loads much longer. A Roundabout on RED-WOOD Road by Hollywood Hills is planned and may help some.

While we await construction of the 522 interchange (PSRC) I sincerely hope Redmond can cooperate with Woodinville for their tourism needs in the Willows corridor. As Mayor Marchione said, both cities can partner by "showcasing our strengths" and "build together vs. steal together." A Willows Road extension built for compatibility with tourism and convenient to Redmond hotels is a win-win. I often drive my out-or-town guests down the green valley corridor to Woodiville.

Councilman Stecker, brought up the idea of an "Eastside Loop". Avondale would need to be expanded to four lanes from NE116 to Wood-Duval Road. "Backroads" would have to be build-out through Paradise Valley Road to a major Maltby interchange. My two cents: an alternative to Paradise Valley Road is probably necessary. The County needs to work with cities to widen Wood-Duval.

It appeared the the BNSF corridor decisions to remove or keep the rails were made before the meeting started. Woodinville wants the rails, Redmond wants them removed. Mr. Cole threw out a caveat that once the rails are removed they will never come back. He also, said there are still wide discrepancies in cost and usage estimates (see next post). Nancy McCormick referenced an un-named study claiming the best use for the rails was "scrap metal". Glickman stated it costs much less money to reuse the track and lease light-weight cars. Mayor Marchione likened the rails to a knife in the heart of downtown.

I remember as a salesman in Oregon seeing the Portland East-West Connector Street
Car being built decades ago. The roads were torn up forever. Mr. Glickman noted that while it was being built fear of cost over-runs and under-use raged. According to Glickman, it paid for itself in 6 months.

Though Redmond and Woodinville have understandable differences about the BNSF Trailway Corridor both cities emphasised they have many good reasons (including state funding) to work together. Mayor Marchione suggesting developing a "Corridor Vision" story to present to the State - not just focusing on "projects". Stickler talked about a long range state plan to build a business arteriole that parallels 405 from Woodinville, Bothell, to Everett and Snohomish County. Deputy Mayor Vogt and Councilmember Price summed up the meeting looking forward to future talks to coordinate multi-jurisdictional efforts. I am pleased Mr. Marchione is working with our neighboring cities. Do you have any comments?

Sound Transit/PSRC Burlington Northern Santa Fe Feasibility Report, 1/30/09, contributed by Councilmember Richard Cole.

Should rails be pulled out along the BNSF Trail corridor?

Two weeks ago, Woodinville and Redmond City Council's met in Redmond Chambers. The conversation centered on transportation. Several Woodinville councilmembers Glickman and Price were most outspoken in favor of keeping the BNSF rails for a super-light mass transit line. Mayor Marchione likened the rails as "a knife through the heart of our Downtown". My next post will address the joint-city meeting. Please enjoy Shaw Etchever's informative analysis of the BNSF corridor.

Letter to the Editor - no trains along the BNSF Trail
--by Shaw Etchevers
Posted on KirklandViews by Admin on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 23:10

The joint Puget Sound Regional Council/Sound Transit Study called for by House Bill 3224 (or ST-2) confirmed how little benefit taxpayers would get by spending over $1 Billion dollars on the Eastside corridor to run passenger trains, no matter where the money comes from. And, this does not even include other important hidden costs.

But, not surprisingly, there are already pro-train people projecting 154,000 ‘North-South trips/day on the Eastside’ by 2030, rather than the mere 6,270 trips/day projected for 2020 by the ST-2 between Tukwila and Everett. So, let’s consider the effectiveness of this new number and see how cost-effective the same 1 Billion dollar investment (railroad-only cost, no trail) would be. 154,000 trips/day (yr 2030) = 77,000 people traveling round-trip during the day. Using only buses that carry 75 people seated, we’d need 2,053 bus-trips per day (154,000 / 75). Everybody seated!

If we spread the bus service over only 12 hours/day to move those people, we’d need 171 buses, assuming that the buses can make - on average- ONLY 1 trip per hour. That means that we’d be able to transport 12,825 seated people per hour (171×75). If we get the fancier buses at $1 Million each, the total cost would be $171,000,000 (assuming that we buy them all today and park most of them until 2030!). That is 17% of the estimated rail-only cost on ST-2.

171 buses deployed each hour would theoretically allow individual bus-departures every 21 seconds throughout the Eastside. Thus, if they were to start from, say, 11 key points, they could run every 4 minutes. Or, if 14 key starting points were chosen, they could run every 5 minutes.

WHAT’S OVERLOOKED
Service
The 171 new buses could have many starting and ending points, as well as stops along the way and serve the people who live in the denser/central areas, as well as those farther away. They would run on existing roads and use P&Rs.

Trains envisioned in the ST studies would make stops only every 3 to 5 miles in odd locations requiring transfers to buses. However, this is the type of service provided elsewhere in the world to connect central stations of cities far apart, not in the same urban area. Buses, tramways and subways are used in urban areas, depending on the city size and density. In King County, we don’t need many major train stations, only a good one in Seattle that is well connected.

Buses could also start immediately on the Eastside for a fraction of the $171,000,000 cost estimated for 2020 or 2030, and routes could be modified at will over time to achieve optimal results and eventually mesh up with the Light Rail line that will be built.

Urban Sprawl
The train will service mainly people living near the outer limits of the RR route. Thus, it will actually encourage further growth away from Bellevue and Redmond, rather than motivate people to live near downtown areas. This will make the future regional traffic problem worse, rather than better.

Urban Planning Issues
Any effective, urban, train or light-rail transportation system will eventually REQUIRE a DOUBLE track, greater frequency and many more stops. So, looking into the future, what would the Eastside and Kirkland look like with a double rail bed through the middle of existing residential areas of the city, instead of on some of its existing streets or highways? Where would the trail be?

UNTIL we have just a few attractive ‘dense-living areas’ with a wide range of apartment prices on the Eastside, we will NOT reduce car driving. We will simply waste taxpayers’ money. There are currently too many must-go-to areas, for work, exercise, and doing errands, dispersed around the Eastside, to which one must drive a car to get to them in a timely fashion.

To achieve higher density in and near downtown areas on the Eastside, they must be people friendly, not just business friendly. Downtowns need to be places where people WANT to go to relax, not places where they HAVE to go to shop or do business. They should include many types of amenities, galleries, pedestrian-only streets, and summer and winter parks.

The North-South through traffic challenge cannot be solved by using trains. But, discouraging car-use by people near city centers will help a lot. Over the very long term, new roads and/or tunnels will have to be built. Meanwhile, the loss of a potential ‘linear park & trail’ for the Eastside along the BNSF Corridor would be a tragic loss for a large swath of the heaviest residential area on the Eastside. This linear park and non-motorized transportation corridor could service many cities and neighborhoods, as well as connect innumerable already existing parks, bike trails and even some beaches on Lake Washington. All of this, without people having to get into a car or, if coming from farther away, by simply driving to the closest P&R.

A well-developed, multi-use linear park would be an enormously attractive urban feature for young and old Eastside residents. Its cost? About $60-70 Million dollars (if the RR tracks are removed). Best of all, if the density of the Eastside ever justifies the use of the space for something else, the corridor will still be there. In the interim, one or more generations of people would have enjoyed this public asset.

SHOULDN’T THE $1 BILLION SAVED after buying the 171 buses and building a multi-use Trail/Park ($1.3 Billion, minus $171M in bus cost and $70M in Trail cost) BE BETTER used on Education, low-cost Housing, downtown Transportation, urban improvements, etc.?

Sincerely,
Shawn Etchevers

Mustang Boys Basketball Club website features school spirit at Eastside games

Senior Justin Alexander

Click on this link to find the Redmond Mustang Boys Basketball Club website. It features their slide show of our players and our wonderful and supportive fans (minus 1 bad apple) during the traditional Super Fan* "Black Out Night" at Eastlake.

The Redmond Mustangs Boys Varsity are number #2 in their KingCo 4A Crest Division with a 9-4 record! They lead Issaquah, Skyline, Newport, and Eastlake in their Division! Go 'Stangs!

This page will be updated once the results of last night's Garfield game are officially posted.

minus 1 bad apple

Commissions are the incubator of city Leadership.

OPINION: In a story a few posts down, I focused on three recent problematic issues surrounding two city Commissions. I hope you'll enjoy reading this positive story about the great good that comes out of our Commissions.

When thinking about "what's right" with our commissions it is clear commissions often serve as an "incubator" for the growth and development of new city leaders, councilmembers, and mayors.

For Example:

1. Four sitting councilmembers were once commissioners. Councilmember Hank Margeson was a past Vice Chair with Parks Commission. Councilmembers Richard Cole, Kim Allen, Pat Vache, and Nancy McCormick were once on the Planning Commission. Of special interest, Pat Vache sat on the first Planning Commission established by the City. I nick-name Mr. Vache "The Commissioner".

2. Tom Payne was on the Parks Commission before election to Council. He has since resigned.

3. Suzanne Querry was a Parks Commissioner before Vice-Chairing the Planning Commission. Suzanne is the only citizen I know who has served on two commissions. She is well qualified to be a councilmember should she choose to run.

4. Richard Grubb has been a long-time community activist, councilmember and eloquent speaker. I don't know if he was ever a commissioner. Maybe a reader could fill in the blanks.

5. Mayor Rosemarie Ives informed me she served on the Planning Commission for six years and as councilmember for four years, before being elected Mayor for 16 years.

6. Mayor Doreen Marchione served on Council for two years.

7. Mayor John Marchione served on Council for four years, though not on a commission.

8. Redmond's first woman Mayor Christine Himes opened up a dozen new parks and a citywide trail system so she may have been on a Parks Commission of sorts before becoming Mayor?

Citizen Advisory Committees and the Redmond Historical Society are other ways to volunteer and grow into a commissioner or council seat. Miguel Llanos, V.P. Redmond Historical Society and Newsletter Editor was recently sworn in to the Landmarks and Heritage Commission. Councilman Hank Margeson served on the Education Hill CAC. Planning Commissioner Querry was the Ed. Hill CAC liaison. Martin and Lori Snodgrass once chaired two different commissions as spouses under the Ives Administration. I posted a story on the Snodgrasses in 2007.

The bottom line? "Much good" comes out of our commissions! Personally, I have high hopes for an Arts Commissioner to rise up to a Council position. I believe their time is coming.