Thirty-six Lake Washington District Teachers Achieve Board Certification

Thirty-six Lake Washington District Teachers Achieve National Board Certification

197 National Board Certified teachers in districtRedmond, Wash. – Thirty-six teachers in the Lake Washington School District achieved National Board Certification®, as announced by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. That puts Lake Washington at number 17 on the national list of top 20 districts by number of new NBCTs in 2011.

There are now 197 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) working full-time in the district’s schools. Read More >>

WSDOT- It’s official: Tolling on SR 520 bridge starts Dec. 29

Tolls on Evergreen Point Bridge (520) start December 29

WSDOT - 2011 - It’s official: Tolling on SR 520 bridge starts Dec. 29:

It’s official: Tolling on SR 520 bridge starts Dec. 29

Set up a Good To Go! account to get the best toll rate.  Buy any of the five pass options online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/goodtogo

Starting Dec. 29, drivers will pay an electronic toll to cross the bridge and the Washington State Department of Transportation is urging travelers to get ready by setting up a Good To Go! account.

Read the entire WSDOT announcement, learn how to apply for a Good To Go account, and how much it costs.

Redmond's "Winter Lights Festival 2011" - a glowing success, Eastside festival destination

SUZANNE QUERRY/ City Hall Light

Redmond's  "Winter Lights Festival 2011" a glowing success.

OPINION:  The thousands of citizens, families and tourists lucky enough to discover Redmond's "Winter Lights Festival" last Saturday are probably still glowing from their holiday experience in Redmond.  

It was the two magnificent, lit-up trees - one evergreen and the other deciduous - that drew my wife and I to the event.  We drove closer towards the downtown streets and then City Hall to see the trees and get a pulse on the event.  OMG.  The numbers of people moving around  the festival was absolutely astounding.  Never, in my wildest dreams did I expect thousands of residents and visitors would show up!  One of the mayor's favorite words and goals for the city is "vibrancy" and seeing people walking on our sidewalks.  The energy and movement around the various entertainment events and displays was almost frenetic.  The luminary trail lined with families and community from City Hall to Redmond Town Center was absolutely beautiful!... with entertaining "discoveries" at every turn.  Visit the website to see them!

My wife and I fully embraced this grand celebration when we saw the entire community was behind Winter Lights, including the Redmond business community.   Prior to the Marchione Administration, these festivals were funded almost exclusively by citizen taxpayers.  Expansive, city run entertainment is "nice to have" and significant to our culture and heritage, but not required of the city with the same emphasis as  community safety. Read More >>

Lake Washington School District Board announces Dr. Traci Pierce as preferred candidate for Superintendent

Dr. Traci Pierce

In last night's Lake Washington School District public business meeting, the school board announced Dr. Traci Pierce, PhD as their preferred candidate.  According to Director Kathryn Reith, the actual hiring vote won't take place until later in the spring.

A letter by School Board member Dr. Chris Carlson was read by the Board, announcing his reasoning for hiring an internal candidate - not losing momentum was key.  Dr. Carlson was not in attendance.

Dr. Carlson and Ravi Shahani said "hiring a superintendent was the only most important decision they make."  Senior school board member Doug Eglington said "six hours were spent interviewing the candidate as a Board" and "the board has done it's due diligence."  Doug stated there is "no statutory process for hiring a superintendent" and emphasized their "process was transparent."  Read More >>

Cause of devastating New Year's Day Fire at Sammamish Ridge Apartments Ruled Undetermined

"The aftermath"

Redmond, WA – The Redmond Fire Department released its final report regarding the January 1, 2011 fire at the Sammamish Ridge Apartments.

Redmond Fire Investigators recently received the testing results from wiring and electrical outlets sent to the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Forensics Laboratory in Maryland. The ATF laboratory determined the electrical samples were not the cause of the fire. This was the last piece of information required to complete the report.

After a thorough investigation, the cause of the fire is ruled undetermined.

“We appreciate the efforts of all agencies outside of Redmond who were part of this response including the ATF, Washington State Patrol, and Seattle Police,” commented Assistant Fire Marshall Lynn Sjolander. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected in this situation including the family, friends, residents, staff, and first responders.”

City Press Release, 12/6/2011
Google Images Photo

OPINION: Redmond High School Expansion costs $18,600,000 - Adds Only 14 Classrooms

RHS Expansion:  14 classrooms, 4 portables, small gym, staff parking

$18,600,000 REDMOND HIGH SCHOOL EXPANSION - Each Classroom costs one million dollars,  By Susan Wilkins

OPINION:  Everybody remember the dire warnings last January before the Lake Washington School District special election? If we didn’t approve the $65 million levy for additional classroom space then our schools will be so overcrowded that there would be double shifting at the high schools and portable classrooms!

The levy was approved in the February 8, 2011 election and the school district started plans to build the new schools right away. The election mailings sent out by the district projected that enrollment would increase from 24,500 to 27,000 in just a few years.

After the predictions of exploding student population growth and overcrowding, the Redmond High School Expansion will add only a small gym and 14 classrooms to the school: 11 classrooms, 2 science labs and 1 art room. At maximum capacity, that’s enough additional space for 448 students.  READ MORE >>

Letter: Council to decide on stripping 1050 trees from Overlake development; Dec. 6 Hearing scheduled at City Hall

NOTICE OF HEARING, DECEMBER 6, 7:30 PM, CITY HALL


from the desk of Mary W., Reader, Redmond Neighborhood Blog

In case you did not see a Notice of the Redmond City Council's "Continued Open Hearing and Vote on the Overlake - Group health proposed development," it is scheduled for Tuesday Dec 6th at 7:30 PM according to the 3rd page of the Redmond City Council Agenda for that meeting.

Hope to see  you there to support the retention of as many of the large significant and landmark trees as possible and the expansion of the park area.

Mary W.

LETTER: "Sustainable Redmond" asks City to save trees in Overlake Village development

Group Healh Overlake Village master plan proposes Exception to city code to remove
every single tree on the site - and create 10 acre canopy forest off-site

LETTER:  One thousand trees are about to fall in our community. All we need to do for this to happen is to keep quiet! Sustainable Redmond, a grass-roots citizens’ action group focused on environmental sustainability, is asking that concerned citizens speak up NOW to persuade the Redmond City Council to consider better, more forest-friendly options in the impending redevelopment of the Overlake Group Health site. The developer of the 28-acre site has proposed a high-density housing and retail shopping complex which will include removing ALL 1,050 trees currently on the site, and with them as many as 120 40-year-old landmark trees. Public awareness and input is extremely important for alternative plans to be requested by the City Council. A public hearing on this issue is scheduled for December 6, 2011, as the third item on the agenda of the Redmond City Council meeting, which starts at 7:30 PM (see http://redmond.gov/cms/one.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=61603  for details.)

Near the planned terminus of the future Eastside Light Rail line, this project stands to become a model for future similar developments on the Eastside. The location of housing and retail near the light rail station to reduce transportation miles is a solid sustainable feature of the plan, but other aspects of this development raise concerns. A distinctive feature of the soon-to-be-demolished Group Health facility is the presence of stands of native woodland, a rarity in that highly developed area. Situated between 152nd and 156th Avenues NE on either side of NE 28th St, current plans call for leveling the existing structures, tearing up the asphalt parking areas, and removing ALL vegetation including ALL trees, some with diameters exceeding 4 feet!

Redmond’s city code states that “In all new developments including additions to existing non-single family buildings and parking areas, a minimum of 35 percent of all significant trees shall be retained.” (RZC 21.72.060). Exceptions can be requested, and the current proposal presented to city council is to allow an exception that all trees can be removed, i.e. 0 percent retained.

Sustainable Redmond is proposing that the city not grant an exception in this case, given that this area is quite unique in that it is the only large stand of trees remaining in the Overlake area, and that at least two stands of existing trees be retained. Please join us at the Council meeting on December 6th at 7:30 PM to help save some of this important woodland area!

 -- Sustainable Redmond
Photo By Yoder

RNB article:  http://redmondcity.blogspot.com/2011/10/opinion-group-health-overlake-master.html

Eastside Symphony: Free Christmas Concert, Sunday December 4

State Auditor reports Marchione Administration improves 2003 "overhead allocation plan"

November, 2011 State Auditor Performance Report shows the Marchione Administration improved upon an outdated 2003 "Allocating Overhead Cost plan" 

According to a Performance Audit by the State Auditor's Office on "Allocating Overhead Costs," 11/28/11: 

"Washington’s cities spend about $500 million per year for overhead costs such as information technology, human resources, accounting and facility maintenance. Approximately one-third of these costs are paid from funds whose use is restricted by law, including water, sewer and other utility funds.

As municipalities increasingly face shrinking revenue, they commonly use utility or other dedicated funds to help pay for overhead services. However, our past audits have found cases in which cities overcharged their utilities for overhead, essentially shifting costs onto utility ratepayers that should have been borne by all taxpayers....

The following cities participated in the audit: Aberdeen, Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Monroe, Mukilteo, Redmond, Spokane and Tacoma.   Read More >>

Redmond High Girls Basketball to host "Jingle Bells" games and contests

Redmond High School Girls Basketball invites Girls Teams and Individuals in 1st -6th Grade to a FUN Holiday Event promoting Girls Basketball in the Community. Games to include the “Jingle Bells Jump”, “Snow Queen’s Court” and other basketball competitions.

Event to take place at Redmond High School Gymnasium, Friday, December 2nd. Gym OPEN at 6:15 PM, GAMES starting at 6:30 PM , AWARDS starting at 8:00 PM for winning Teams and “Most Spirited”…Bring on those Holiday Hats, Bows and Bells!

Coaches are encouraged to participate with their teams; Parents are invited to attend the games. Baked Goods and Raffle items to be on sale during the event. Donations to the RHS Girls Basketball Program will be accepted at the door (suggested $5 per Player).

Click HERE to register On-Line for the Event or Email  katedunn1963@gmail.com  with contact information and a list of participating players.  Season game schedule here.

Also, please mark Your Calendar: RHS Alumni and Women’s Professional Basketball Player, Ashley Graham will be directing this year's Stangs Summer Camp on June 25-29, 2012!

UPDATED: Abandoned, rural city parks give sun, soil, and greenspace to "grow local"

SAMMAMISH VALLEY PARK, 32 acres
Open Space and Natural areas
near 60 Acres

UPDATED OPINION:  It looks like it won't be too long before the City approves "backyard chickens" and their coops for single family homes. We should know by this Tuesday, December 6. 

All you need, is your coop 'n run setback 5-15 feet from your neighbor, registration with the city, and a standard-sized lot with 1-6 housing units/acre.  "Sustainable Redmond," and the county will educate you on raising 'em.  Of course, it would be neighborly to notify the folks next door of your new addition and perhaps, hand over an egg or two.

Backyard chickens, like pea patches and community gardens, are about "sustainability."  Many are growing
our veggies "close to home" and with backyard chickens we can now "grow our own local protein" for a more balanced meal!  It's the cool thing to do and "Green," too.  Boo yah!

"Sustainable" pea patches have sprung up by veggie growers suffering from  inadequate sun to grow veggies on their property.  Juel Park and Marymoor Park have patches you can rent for cheap. 

ARTHUR JOHNSON PARK, 15 acres
Natural areas and Open space
South of Union Rd./ West of 196th AV, NE






Opinion By BobYoder
Juel photo by Yoder
Johnson and Sammamish photos courtesy
of City of Redmond website.

Arthur Johnson Park & Sammamish
Valley Park are undeveloped and offer potential for patches.

Backyard egg-layers have their own needs -  to run and peck. It's probably only a matter of time before apartment dwellers, certain HOA members, and neighbors governed by covenants, will ask for space to raise their hens. In addition, 5-15 foot setbacks may not pencil out. A neighbor may just say "No".

Community chicken coops would be a solution for
inadequate 'pecking space,' just as
today's community patches substitute for lack of sun and good soil at home. Juel Park, Sammamish Valley Park, and Arthur Johnson Park could offer needed public 'greenspace' for raising community poultry.

 These parks were once rural, abandoned farms.  A pig shed still sits in Juel Park near the sunflower field.  Councilmember Hank Myers said last night, that active parklands are needed in south Redmond.  Renting coops and pea patches would be a source of revenue.

JUEL PARK, 38.3 acres
This sunflower garden is fallow; potential for Community Coop
Community Garden  in foreground
Open Space, Community Garden, Trail, Frisbee Golf
NE 116th and Avondale

http://redmondcity.blogspot.com/2011/11/redmond-city-council-agree-on-chicken.html?showComment=1321399192796



City Council to take action on "Backyard Chickens" Dec. 6, Public invited to attend or speak.

"backyard chicken coop and run"

On this Tuesday evening, December 6, 7:30PM, at City Hall, the Redmond City Council will vote on the 2010-2011 update to the Comprehensive Plan and associated amendments to small animal husbandry (chicken) codes. 

TO TAKE ACTION:
YOU HAVE A 4-MINUTE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE CITY COUNCIL ABOUT ANY ISSUE YOU CHOOSE, including Animal Husbandry and chickens.  SIGN-IN AT THE FRONT DOOR.
 
Speak at the city council meeting or sit-in on December 6th, Tuesday evening, 7:30pm. City Hall  (next to the library)  Read More >>

LETTER: Area businesses fighting city stormwater regulations designed to protect drinking water

By chance, last Sunday, from 12 midnight to nearly 1 am on Ch 75, I watched the Nov 22 meeting of the City Council on the topic of "Stormwater Infiltration Assessments" - a topic I knew nothing about and had never heard of before.

It seems that city staff have become concerned about surface water leakage from our stormwater runoff system, into the groundwater aquifer layer where we get our drinking water. So they want to have mostly SE Redmond industrial businesses spend big bucks (through a new permitting process) to treat their stormwater runoff before it gets carried away into the runoff system.  According to business leaders, the overall cost could amount to $4-8 million

The affected businesses (known as "TAG") are fighting this and hired an outside expert to put forth a case arguing against a serious runoff pollution problem.

I found it quite interesting, and most of the councilmembers wanted to know more about potential dangers. They mostly struck me as smart, reasonable persons.

Today I learned of the existence of the Washington Stormwater Center (http://www.wastormwatercenter.org/  Evidently it was mandated last year by the state legislature.. A press release said that the Boeing Corp. very recently donated $85K to the Center, to help it aid small businesses in complying with new state stormwater permitting requirements.

I guess this stormwater runoff issue is a whole lot more serious and complicated than I thought!
 
By John Reinke
Education Hill, Redmond.

What's behind the Puget Sound's ER building boom? | LocalHealthGuide

What's behind the Puget Sound's ER building boom? -- Seattle Times Seattle/LocalHealthGuide:

"What’s behind the ER building boom?" — Seattle Times
LocalHealthGuide November 27, 2011

Hospitals in the Puget Sound region are in the midst of an emergency room building boom, and in today’s Seattle Times health reporter Carol Ostrom explains the economics–and controversy's–behind the construction.

“Hospital-industry leaders say they’re doing what patients want and what makes good business sense,” Ostrom writes, but critics say the free-standing emergency rooms are “cash cows for hospitals, strategically built in affluent areas to lure busy, well-insured patients and collect fat reimbursements."

Hospitals say the new ERs will streamline care and help reduce costs, but Ostrom points to research that suggests the opposite:

Read "Seattle Times" reporter Carol Ostrom's article here >>

Last year, the "Center for Studying Health System Change," a national research group, noted concerns that increased competition around Seattle could increase overall costs. It found hospitals invading one another’s turf with free-standing ERs and vying to provide big-ticket specialty procedures in cardiac, cancer and orthopedic care.
--Seattle/LocalHealthGuide

Read all RNB stories on Redmond's free-standing Emergency Rooms (ER) here!  
B.Y.

LETTER: What are the School Board's requirements for their superintendent?

LETTER:  Does the Lake Washington School District have a list of the minimum requirements for the next superintendent?

The LWSD website listed the results of the survey and how people ranked the importance of instruction, operations management and management style;  but those were just opinions of the survey respondents based on predetermined survey questions.

What are the exact REQUIREMENTS that the superintendent candidate must meet in order to be considered for the position?

We need to know what the school board is really looking for so that we'll know if they're truly looking for the best candidate or have simply already decided on someone from within the district and are just pretending to conduct an internal search.

--By a Reader's comment to RNB story:  LW School District board looking for "internal" superintendent candidates.

UPDATED: Costs of the "The Redmond Central Connector" linear park and open space.

You may have seen the BNSF railroad rails stripped from their beds along Redmond Town Center this summer. Soon thereafter, a large stormwater trunk line was buried under the rail bed.  Next will be an expensive one mile linear trail and initial 10 acre downtown park installation.  The costs? 

In 2010, the City purchased four miles of former BNSF Railroad right-of-way in Redmond for $10 million.   In 2011, the City identified a phased approach to building a regional trail and linear park called the "Redmond Central Connector Master Plan."

Phase I of the Connector is a 1.1 mile regional trail from the junction of of East lake Sammamish Trail/Bear Creek Trail to the Sammamish River Trail. In addition, initial development of 10 acres of park space in the heart of Downtown Redmond is planned.

On June 21, 2011, City council approved the following expenditures for Phase I of the Central Connector:

• $395,000. LEGAL: *Stoel Rives, JD. for acquisition, easement agreements with King Cty, Sound Transit and Puget Sound Energy; DOT Surface Transportation Board meeting, possible BNSF Corridor litigation claims.
• $870,000 PROJECT MANAGEMENT, LANDSCAPE DESIGN: The Berger Partnership. (Includes $119,600 contingency)
• $90,000: CITY ADMINISTRATION: City of Redmond
• $115,000, John Flemming for Artistic Services (approved 12/2011)
• `$2.5 million for 1.1 mile of the four mile, $10 million corridor acquisition. [purchased earlier]
• _____________ cost of 10 acres open space (Downtown Park).  est.  $20 -30 million.

$3,855,000:  COSTS OF PHASE I, not including (1) open space land acquisition or other expenses.

The cost of 10 acres of downtown park space is significant, but unknown at this time.  I'll update this post, or another, when the figure's available.  Acquisitions and demolition of the Brown office building, Redmond Bicycle Shop, Quesnos, and small shops will be expensive.  Nonprofit  "Realize Redmond" is charged with raising downtown parkland funds.  Does anyone want to estimate the final cost for this "Master Plan" project?

(1)  "The Redmond Central Connector is on the former BNSF rail corridor that the City purchased for multiple city infrastructure projects including the nearly complete downtown stormwater trunk line, NE 161st Ave NE extension (complete), NE 164th Ave Extension (construction planned in 2012), and a future Avondale Way Extension.  The purchase price for the [four mile] corridor in 2010 was $10M."

Read about the project, see the consultant renditions here.
http://www.bergerpartnership.com/redmond-central-connector-moves-into-phase-1/

*Ref: AM NO. 11-128 (C.12)
Salvaging the Rails of the Redmond Central Connector, By Berger Consultants.
Central Connector City Site.
(1) Carolyn Hope, Senior Park Planner and Project Manager

By Bob Yoder
Updated, 12/15/2011

Eastside Symphony performs traditional free Holiday Performance, features LWSD teacher Linda Vogt

Eastside Sympony's Holiday Celebration

Sunday, December 4, 2011, 3:00 p.m.

The Eastside Sympony's holiday performance will be held at the Redmond Performing Arts Center, Redmond High School, 1772 NE 104th Street, Redmond, WA.

Linda Vogt- concertmaster Teaches for LWSD Our traditional FREE holiday concert. Haydn: Trumpet Concerto (1st mvt), Mark Baker, trumpet Monti: Czardas, Linda Vogt, violin; concertmaster Tchaikovsky: Excerpts from The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty Anderson: The Typewriter Anderson: Festival of Carols (sing-along) Anderson: Sleigh Ride (with Santa) About Linda Vogt:    In addition to teaching for the LWSD Plateau Orchestra Program and teaching privately, Linda performs with several quartets, freelances, and plays in a contemporary rock/folk group with her husband, Bob. They are the proud parents of two sons, Ryan (23) who is currently attending college while serving in the Marine Corps, and Chris (17) who is a senior at Eastlake High School, and an Issaquah police explorer with hopes of becoming a police officer. For more informtation, contact:  Valentina Giovannetti, (206) 334-2055  valentinagio@comcast.net

Ross Hunter proposes billion dollar levy changes to K-12 funding

K-12 Funding Proposal – Local Levy Swap

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Ross Hunter

"I’m stepping outside my role as Ways and Means chairman to put out a personal proposal for comment. The idea described below is a big one, moving around about a billion dollars in property taxes that are used for the support of public schools."  Read More >>

###

Excerpts from Ross's proposal: 

• "would no longer need “levy equalization”;  hundreds of millions that we use to correct for the fact that some districts don’t have the property base to collect similar amounts of levies. These districts will be better served by increased state funding and less reliance on levies."

• "we should make local school levies more reliable, since they are likely to be a significant part of school funding well into the future. Instead of voting to renew levies every 4 years we should amend the constitution to allow voters to approve levies that would stay in place until the district wants to increase them." 

Comments?  Comment here or on Ross's blog. 

LETTER: Lake Washington Institute of Technology relies on international students.

LETTER:  In the face of higher education budget cut decisions due out of Olympia before the end of the month, this is an ideal opportunity to highlight the value of our higher education institutions not only to residents, but also our economic partners abroad. Our schools rely on a balance of international students.

Three percent of Lake Washington Institute of Technology's (LWIT) students are international students, who each pay three times the resident tuition.  Five international students provide the funding to add an additional class to our programs that can serve 25 students, and for every $1 in tuition an international student pays, they contribute $7 to the local economy in room, board, travel, expenses, entertainment, etc. What’s more, these international partnerships allow us to send faculty abroad (thus saving a job) when budget cuts dictate elimination of faculty positions at the school.

--By Jen Boyer, Communications Specialist, LWIT

Armed Key Bank robber gobbles up money

Armed Key Bank robber gobbles up money

                                                        
Redmond, WA –Key Bank on the 15100 block of NE 24th Street was robbed shortly after 10:40 a.m. this morning.

The suspect was wearing a dark colored ski mask and carrying a semi-automatic handgun.  He jumped the counter and stole an undisclosed amount of money before fleeing eastbound on foot.  There were no injuries.  
Read More >>