Redmond Police: "Hang up and drive"

The Redmond Police Department Traffic Unit is conducting directed enforcement during morning and afternoon commute hours on Avondale Road beginning this week through the end of the month.

Specifically, traffic officers are looking for cell phone and texting violations, failing to signal, unsafe lane changes, following too closely, speeding, and failing to stop for school buses.  Vehicles are not required to stop as long as one full lane separates the driver and a school bus when traveling in the opposite direction. It is never legal to pass a stopped school bus traveling in the same direction with its red lights flashing no matter how many lanes there are.

Traffic Reader Boards were placed at Avondale Road /180^th Avenue NE a week in advance warning drivers to “Hang up and drive…Patrols start next week.” There were also signs placed at Novelty Hill RD/Avondale Road which read “Distracted driver enforcement next week.”

The City of Redmond has experienced an increase in rear end collisions recently, many of which have no evidence of braking prior to impact. Out of the 750 collisions in Redmond last year, 40% were rear-enders, far higher than the national average which is closer to 30%.

Register Your American Cancer Society Relay For Life Team Today

Redmond, WA – March 18, 2013 – The American Cancer Society Relay For Life® of Redmond/Kirkland gives everyone in the community a chance to help the organization save lives and create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Register your team today by visiting www.redmondkirklandrelay.com or by calling 1-800-227-2345.

            Former and current cancer patients, those who have lost a loved one to cancer, families, businesses, faith-based and civic organizations, and anyone wanting to make a difference in the fight against cancer are invited to take part in this exciting team event. Relay For Life takes place from 12noon on June 1 until 8am on June 2 at Redmond High School.  Read More >>

LETTER: LWSD needs to plan sensibly and carefully when they ask voters for more money.

Susan Wilkins said...

What many people don’t realize is that when a developer applies for a permit to build new houses or a new apartment or condo complex in Redmond, the school district is automatically informed that new development will take place. For many years, the Lake Washington School District would have its attorney send a letter to the city and the developer demanding the payment of school impact fees for each house/condo/apartment that would be built. The letter was signed by the school superintendent and the developer could not continue with the permitting process until an agreement to pay was signed and registered with the county. A few years ago (~2008), the City of Redmond changed the policy and automatically required the developer to agree to the impact fees and then collected the fees and forwarded them to the school district as part of the planning process. In the past decade, the school district has received millions of dollars in impact fees and has been informed about every unit of housing that has been built.

All along the school district has known about the new apartments and condos that are being built in downtown Redmond. They knew about the thousands of houses being built in North Redmond and out at Redmond Ridge East. They knew that hundreds of new students would soon be enrolling at the schools. Instead of systematically tearing down and rebuilding all the school on their 1998 and 2006 “modernization” lists (with most of those rebuilt schools located on the west side of the district where little growth was occurring), the school district should have reallocated money and built or expanded schools on the east side of the district for all the new students who were moving into the new houses, condos and apartments.

The school district is once again sounding the alarm that classrooms are overcrowded and schools are running out of space. They want taxpayers to fund another round of tear-down/rebuild “modernization” and they also want to add two new elementary schools for $80,000,000, one at Redmond Ridge and the other in north Redmond at the corner of NE 122nd Street & 172nd Avenue NE. The trouble is that the school district is $500,000,000 in debt for the past 15 years of construction (plus another $240,000,000 in interest). There are limits to how much debt the school district can take on, and with the district’s current rate of construction spending, it will soon reach that limit. ***If taxes for bond payments rise too high, lower priority bonds for libraries and parks will be suspended.***

The construction spending spree that the district has been on for the past 15 years needs to end and the district needs to plan sensibly and carefully if/when it asks voters for more money. They need to take an inventory of facilities and classroom space that they already have and reallocate it more efficiently and effectively.

Old Redmond Historic Walking Tour Schedule, 2013

The Redmond Historical Society is pleased to announce the 10^th anniversary of Old Redmond Historic Walking Tours. The tours will be held April 21, May 19, and June 16, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.  and the haunted history tour on September 15 will be held in the evening. Historian Tom Hitzroth is the man with the stories, gossip, and names that make the early history of Redmond so interesting.

Tours begin on the front steps of the Justice White House, 7730 Leary Way NE, at the west end of Redmond Town Center where the Saturday Market is held. The fee is $10 per person. This benefits the Redmond Historical Society and is payable by credit card on our website, or you can mail a check to the office at 16600 NE 80 Street, Room 106, Redmond, WA 98052. Registration is required by the Friday before the tour.

Tours include a significant amount of walking and standing, with limited opportunity for resting. We recommend comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing. A tour will not be held if it rains.

If you have any questions, please call the Redmond Historical Society office at 425-885-2919, or email at info@redmondhistoricalsociety.org. Check out our website at www.redmondhistoricalsociety.org.

Evergreen Health holds community open house celebration for Halvorson Cancer Center

EvergreenHealth and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance host community open house celebration for the Halvorson Cancer Center

What:

EvergreenHealth and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) invite the community to an open house celebration to mark the grand opening of the Halvorson Cancer Center at EvergreenHealth on Saturday, March 30, 2013, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Halvorson Cancer Center is a collaboration between EvergreenHealth and SCCA that aligns comprehensive cancer care and supporting services in a beautiful, integrated facility like no other on the Eastside, specifically designed with patients’ and families’ perspectives.  Read More >>

LETTER: The Office of Superintendent of Instruction appears to have erred on transportation efficiency ratings

Susan Wilkins said...

Being familiar with school bus transportation here in Redmond and having recently written about how bus transportation could be improved, it seemed odd that the OSPI would rate the Lake Washington Transportation Department at 100% efficient.

I visited the OSPI website and reviewed the supporting documents and reports that were posted with the school district transportation department efficiency ratings. The OSPI’s Efficiency Detail Report for the Lake Washington School District listed LWSD as having 12,924 basic riders and 1,210 special ed riders. (Total bus riders: 14,134) It also noted that the district had spent $7,532,315 on transportation in the 2011-2012 school year and determined that the school district’s relative efficiency rating was 100%. The Lake Washington School District has only 25,400 students. The idea that more than 14,000 students ride buses to school each day is hard to believe.  Read More >>

This is HOT: TIMBER! Outdoor music festival

Posted on King County Blog

Get on the ball and line up your friends because tickets go on sale Tuesday, March 19 at 10 a.m. PT, for the hottest musical festival this summer will ever know. With a vision for “a big neighborhood campout,” the organizers from Artist Home Presents are partnering with King County Parks to bring the freshly announced Timber! Outdoor Music Festival to Tolt MacDonald Park and Campground this July.

Timber! Outdoor Music Festival
July 26 & 27, 2013
King County Park’s Tolt MacDonald Park and Campground (Carnation, WA)
BUY TICKETS

The first lineup of artists announced:
Helio Sequence
Fruit Bats
Lemolo
Bryan John Appleby
Kithkin
River Giant
and more to be added…
Take what you know about the average music festival, turn it on its head, then add some campfires to the mix and you’re looking at one of the most unique live music experiences that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Timber! festival goers will enter the outdoor venue by taking a nice walk through the forest until they arrive at the main stage situated in a meadow surrounded by towering fir trees. What’s special about this experience is the level of intimacy you will feel with the music as the sun begins to set and campfires glow while the featured night stage ushers in even more live performances for the ultimate night cap.
This ticket is so hot, it’s already in the news and you can sample their tunes, too.
For more updates on the music lineup, check out the Timber! Outdoor Music Festival Facebook page.

Tolt MacDonald Park & Campground

Ctiy Council studies advantages of LED street lighting

The City of Redmond wants to be on the leading edge of "light emitting diode" (LED) street lighting and has already been trying them out in the Woodbridge neighborhood of SE Redmond.   They figure they can save $35/light annually with LED's over the existing "high pressure sodium" (HPS) lights.   LED's use 30% less energy consumption, have significantly lower maintenance, and bring improved lighting uniformity and color rendering to streetscapes. 

Currently the city owns 1500 city lights and PSE owns about 3,000.  HPS lights have to be relamped every four years which raises the maintenance cost.  LED's can last up to 15 years in our cool northwest weather.  Thus, LED's are less labor intensive and the payback period for new installations is only 4 years and 7 years on a retrofit.  The city council studied LED technology and models from different vendors in their last Study Session but no decision was made by the Mayor on implementation. 

Reported By Bob Yoder

Note:  Sometime after this report the City converted to LED's

Redmond Fire Department Offers Free Home Safety Assessments and Free Smoke Alarm Installations

Redmond, WA – The City of Redmond Fire Department has been awarded a Vision 20/20 Grant through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. This grant provides resources to install 2,500 smoke alarms, 15 hearing-impaired smoke alarms, and perform 1,000 home safety assessments for families located within the Redmond Fire Department response area.

Through this grant, Redmond Fire is able to provide educational Home Safety Assessments, which consist of testing/installing smoke alarms, identifying potential fire/safety hazards, educating residents how to prevent cooking fires, and helping them create an escape plan.

The smoke alarm installations and safety assessments are free to Redmond residents and are conducted by Redmond Fire Department personnel.

You may benefit from this service if you don’t have working smoke alarms in each sleeping area and on each level of your home, or you would appreciate assistance in creating a fire escape plan. This service will also identify potential fire hazard risks in your home. Although this grant targets multi-family buildings (including apartments and condominiums that do not have fire sprinkler systems), this service is also available to residents in single family homes.

“Home fire safety assessments, regularly practiced fire drills, and working smoke alarms are essential for your family’s safety”, stated Redmond Assistant Fire Marshal Todd Short. “Let Redmond Fire help keep you and your family safe by conducting a free 20-30 minute home safety assessment and smoke alarm tests”.

If you are interested in having Redmond Fire conduct an informational Home Safety Assessment with smoke alarm installation, please call 425.556.2264 or email Kristen Thorstenson at kmthorstenson@redmond.gov. Assessments will be scheduled by appointment only.

LWSD Transportation Department Scores 100% Efficiency Rating

Redmond, Wash. – The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has released itstransportation efficiency ratings for school districts around the state. The Lake Washington School District’s rating was 100 percent. School district transportation operations were evaluated for efficiency using a statistical process. Among the data included in the analysis is the number of students transported between home and school and the location of each school bus stop and related destinations.  Read More >>

LETTER: Where will the children moving into downtown Redmond go to school?

Susan Wilkins said...

Where are the children from the new apartments and condos in downtown Redmond supposed to go to school? Redmond Elementary is already near capacity with 401 students and Redmond Middle School is seriously overcrowded with 970 students. Nearly 400 elementary students from the east side of Redmond (Woodbridge, Evans Creek & Hidden Ridge) are bused out to Dickinson Elementary and Alcott Elementary every day. Both of these schools are more than 3 miles outside the city limits. Students from River Trail, north of QFC, are bussed up to Rockwell Elementary. It seems like the vision for downtown Redmond is walkability - walk to shops, walk to parks, walk to entertainment, walk to the transit center. But walk to school? Forget-about-it! Why hasn’t the City of Redmond told the school district to plan for students living in the downtown area and insisted that they build schools to meet the walkability model that is being developed?

The school district says that there isn’t enough land available to build schools in downtown Redmond. Note that Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWIT) built a satellite campus next to Marymoor Park in 2004 and DigiPen just moved into its new campus along Willows Road last year. A number of churches/religious groups have converted warehouses in the industrial areas that are comparable to a typical school in size and space usage. Redmond could really use another elementary and a middle school downtown (or maybe a K-8) that residents could walk to.

Bob Yoder has hit a nerve when asking what the future identity of downtown Redmond is going to be. Maybe the plan is to create a thriving, exciting downtown for Yuppies (young urban professionals) and DINKs (Dual Income, No Kids) in which case, downtown schools will not be needed. If children are supposed to be part of downtown Redmond, then the City needs to open a dialogue with the school district about where they will go to school within the City limits – and insist that the schools be located where children can actually walk to school.

By Susan Wilkins, Education Hill, Redmond

 

Redmond Mustang PTSA Community Digest

PADDY FEST! Come to the Old Fire House Teen Center for the Paddy Fest on Friday March 15th at 7pm. Cost is $8

REDMOND POLAR PLUNGE! Time is slipping away! Register now for the 2013 Polar Plunge benefitting Special Olympics Washington on Saturday, March 16th at Idlywood Park - St. Pattie's Day themed!

REDMOND'S GOT TALENT FINALS! Come to the Old Fire House for the finals of Redmond's Got Talent! On Friday March 22nd at 7pm. Cost $8

SCRAMBLED EGG 5K. It's a 5k with an egg hunt built in! Join us March 30 at 8:30am at City Hall for our new race, the Scrambled Egg 5K! Participants will find different colored eggs scattered all over the course and each color will either help or hurt your time. We do not reveal what each color means until after the race! If you think you are fast, run straight through without picking up any eggs. Otherwise, try your luck at getting the best time by collecting up to 10 eggs! $30 pre-registration fee includes chip timing and tech fabric shirt.

CROSSFIRE SELECT CLUB OPEN COACHING POSITIONS. The Crossfire Select Soccer Club is now accepting coaching applications to fill head coaching vacancies for the following teams:

· 2 existing boys teams that will be u12 next fall

· 1 existing girls team that will be u15 next fall

. 1 existing girls team that will be u14 next fall

· Incoming U11 boys and girls teams

Please see the web site for more details and how to apply.  READ MORE >>

LWSD urges state legislature to adequately fund K-12

Lake Washington School District Board urges state legislature to address K-12 Funding

Lake Washington board joins others from around the state

Redmond, Wash. – At its March 4 meeting, the Board of Directors of the Lake Washington School District unanimously passed Resolution No. 2142, which urges the Washington State Legislature to address K-12 Funding. The resolution notes that the board “expects the Legislature to adopt a comprehensive system for stable and sustainable revenue that meets the requirements of Washington’s K-12 public schools and students.”

The Washington State School Boards Association has asked school boards across the state to adopt such a resolution.

“We gladly add our voices to the other school boards across the state as well as parent groups and other education advocates who are reminding the state legislature of their paramount duty to fully fund basic education,” noted Jackie Pendergass, president of the board.

Doug Eglington, the board’s legislative chair, noted that the Supreme Court’s McCleary vs. State of Washington opinion made it clear the state is failing to provide adequate funding for basic education. The state has developed a revised definition of basic education but has failed to fund it.

“The legislature has the spending plan done but they have yet to have the hard conversations that will determine how to fund it and how to phase it in,” noted Eglington. “The children of our state, their families and their communities have been waiting a long time. We urge the legislature to complete the job.”

Redmond Safety Alerts, By Jim Bove, RPD Community Facilitator

How Do You Know

We receive many calls for peddler’s knocking on doors, whether legitimate or not. For the record, as of today, these are the only businesses that have been issued peddler licenseseses (they are valid 2/1 – 1/31 of the next calendar year):Eastside Tree Works, Tree of Life Chiropractic, Edward Jones, and Evergreen Tree Care. Something to keep in mind—just because someone may knock on your door and NOT have a peddler license, does not make them a criminal. 

Some people are not required to have a license—for instance, local newspapers, charitable organization, religious organization , non-profit organization, if items being sold door to door are being shipped from outside the state of Washington and the business has no physical presence in Washington State, etc. Regardless, these people will normally carry some sort of official ID.

For more information, please see: http://www.codepublishing.com/WA/redmond.html - RMC 5.08 or search for “peddler” and it’ll bring it up.

From a safety perspective, best advice on dealing with these knocks—simply talk through the door and tell them you aren’t interested (if you aren’t). Yes, they may be legit. They may be legit but don’t know they need a peddler’s license. They may be burglars who are hoping for an empty house so they can go around back and break-in. That’s why it’s important to let them know someone is there and you aren’t interested. If interested, ask them to leave info by the front door so you can research it.  Read More >>

Byron Shutz is running for Redmond City Council Position 2

Redmond, WA, - March 05, 2013 - Redmond resident Byron Shutz announced today that he is running for Redmond City Council Position 2. Council President Pat Vache announced Monday that he is not seeking re-election to Position 2 the end of 2013.

“Redmond celebrated its Centennial anniversary last year, and now Mayor Marchione and the City Council are laying the foundation for Redmond’s next 100 years. This is really a dynamic time for the City.” says Shutz, who served on a Redmond Budget by Priority Results Team in 2012. “While cities across Washington continue to cope with the nation’s economic recovery, Redmond is looking well ahead to the future. The City is in good financial shape.”

Shutz looks for Redmond residents to actively participate in their city’s growth. “Our city services continue to be more refined and responsive, and energized with a pride in weathering the recent challenges. The City’s open data initiatives to engage and activate its residents and businesses will continue to expand citizens’ roles in Redmond’s governance. Redmond’s high-tech economy fosters the city’s integration of two-way technology for the public’s participation on growth management and infrastructure development, safeguarding the environment, ensuring public safety, and thoughtfully managing finances - all essential to Redmond’s continued success.”

Shutz is also proud of Redmond’s diverse and future-ready schools focused on students’ individual learning. “Our public schools are among the best in Washington. Strong schools attract businesses and young families.” Shutz is currently VP and Fundraising Chair of the Lake Washington Citizens Levy Committee. He has been a citizen advocate for Washington State K-12 education and for the Lake Washington School District (LWSD). He has served on the Board of the Lake Washington Schools Foundation as Trustee, Treasurer, and Co-President. He has held a wide range of leadership roles on the PTSA boards of the Lake Washington PTSA Council, Audubon Elementary, Redmond Middle School, and the new LWSD STEM High School.

Shutz moved to the NW in 1978 from Kansas City, Missouri, to attend University of Puget Sound. In 1990 he founded an outdoor equipment design and manufacturing business in south Seattle that he later sold to K2 Industries. He and his wife Susan moved to Redmond’s Idylwood neighborhood in 1994. Their children have attended LWSD public schools in Redmond since kindergarten, and currently attend Redmond Middle School and STEM High School.

OPINION: School Board is making strides in their policy-making process

OPINION:   It is delightful to see the strides our Lake Washington School Board is making to upgrade their quality of governance..   Last night's school board meeting displayed the most dynamic conversation the Board and Superintendent have ever shown in the four years I've been reporting on the District. 

The conversation was catalyzed by three speakers from the audience and previous speakers before them.   One speaker was a Lakeview parent concerned about the lack of affordable access to all day kindergarten.   He is on the school wait list for a second class that just opened.  Tuition for all day kindergarten is $3500 and he couldn't understand why other school districts offer all-day to their students for less cost.  Board Member Siri Bliesner asked Dr. Pierce to plan a way for the district to be more proactive in securing all-day and to ask the other districts how they do it.  Pierce said she would look into it but said she thinks the district could be growing faster than others and space more limited. 

Another Lakeview parent was pleased that the reconsideration process for their "Leader in Me" program was scrutinized but he felt the curriculum selection policy process for Leader in Me was flawed.  School Board member Chris Carlson stated the curriculum selection policy needed to be revisited because Dr. Pierce cited examples where the program implementation was improper.  Members Bernard, Bliesner, and Pendergrass all agreed that curriculum policy needed to be reviewed by the Board and that they had concerns with implementation of Leader In Me.  Carlson asked Pierce for a report on her progress with implementation.  No date was set by the Board to review policy. 

The conversation was enlightening and rewarding.  I'll be following their progress. 

Redmond Mustang PTSA Community Digest

REDMOND POLAR PLUNGE! Time is slipping away! Register now for the 2013 Polar Plunge benefitting Special Olympics Washington on Saturday, March 16th at Idlywood Park - St. Pattie's Day themed!

SCRAMBLED EGG 5K. It's a 5k with an egg hunt built in! Join us March 30 at 8:30am at City Hall for our new race, the Scrambled Egg 5K! Participants will find different colored eggs scattered all over the course and each color will either help or hurt your time. We do not reveal what each color means until after the race! If you think you are fast, run straight through without picking up any eggs. Otherwise, try your luck at getting the best time by collecting up to 10 eggs! $30 pre-registration fee includes chip timing and tech fabric shirt.

HOST FAMILIES NEEDED TO WELCOME 34 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS. Education First Educational Homestay Programs (EHP) is now accepting caring volunteer host families who are ready to welcome students into their home for a few weeks this summer. From July 16-August 5th host families on the Eastside will welcome 34 EHP students. EHP students will attend language and culture classes and enjoy planned activities during weekdays. Weekends will be free for host families to enjoy discounted activities with their students while building long lasting cross-cultural bonds. Families also earn travel rewards and discounts through this program. Children of host families can earn community service credit and 24-hour support from EHP staff is available. Families able to provide a room (shared room is fine), an extra plate at the table, and - most importantly - a stable caring environment, have what it takes to share their life with an eager student from abroad this summer. Contact Karene Busby at (425) 466-8538 for details.

Redmond's identity crisis

Where did all the outdoor art go that is now replaced by a parking lot?  The city does have a call for artists to plan art for the Cleveland Street corridor. 

Five more buildings will be torn down in the next four months to make room for an expanded Downtown Park.  Few will use the park until the downtown builds out.  It will be an eerie place for a while. 

What's holding back Leary Way from developing with quaint shops while right next door a tall crane builds a 6 story apartment community abutting the sidewalk?

Western brick and wood buildings are being dwarfed by multi-colored high tech apartment communities.  Do they match up?  

Thousands of residents will be moving into downtown Redmond bringing with them more congested roads and pedestrians you can barely see..   Where is the street lighting?

The city has been planning to reconfigure 166th Ave from four lanes to three lanes for safety for many years.  Will the Mayor have the guts to stay on schedule before his term ends?

Currently Downtown Redmond has about 2800 residents.

By 2030 the Administration's vision is 13,000 residents. We are facing a crisis of growth for years to come. 

Bob Yoder, opinion

Maxwell Schrempp is first scout in King County to earn all 130 BSA badges

A bit of self-motivation can produce amazing results.

Eagle Scout, Maxwell Schrempp, 18, of Troop 572 from Kirkland, Washington reached his goal of earning every merit badge currently offered by the BSA, 130 badges total. Less than 200 Scouts have accomplished this feat, and Max is also the first Scout in King County to earn all of them.

“It’s been an exciting journey,” he says.

Max has been in Scouts since 2002, first as a Cub Scout, and then as a Boy Scout. He earned his Eagle in 2009, and has remained in the troop since. During these years, Max attended Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, kayaked up and down Ross Lake, biked around the San Juan Islands, and enjoyed countless other experiences. All the while, he completed merit badge after merit badge.

The purpose of the merit badges is to allow Scouts to explore a wide variety of subjects to determine if they would like to pursue them as a career or avocation. From Pioneering, to Medicine, to Nuclear Science, this program has exposed Max to a number of fields. He recently earned his Scuba Diving merit badge in the frigid waters of Puget Sound.

“It was cold, but as a first-time diver, the thrill of being underwater kept me distracted.”

Max’s first merit badge was Environmental Science which he earned almost seven years ago. His final merit badge, Archaeology, was completed a few days shy of his 18^thbirthday.

“Each one brought something new and exciting. I would complete one and then become interested in another. Finally, they started to add up.”

Max would like to take this opportunity to thank his family, friends, and all of the people in his troop. He stresses that without this support base, his goal could not have been attained.

“This was a collective effort. So many people provided inspiration and support. I am thankful to know so many wonderful people.”

So what’s next for this young man? Max plans to stay active in his troop until he goes off to college. Since he is no longer a Scout, he will be serving as the Troop’s youngest adult leader.

“For me, Scouting is all about trying new things, going on exciting adventures, and simply growing as an individual. This applies to people of all ages. It is an opportunity to build relationships with fellow Scouts and adults, learn new skills, and create memories that you will always treasure, even the small ones.”

A little self-motivation can go a long way. This is an experience which Max will cherish for the rest of his life.

For more information about Scouting, please see the Chief Seattle Council website at www.seattlebsa.org.

Letter: Improvements needed for LWSD busing

Susan Wilkins said...

The Lake Washington School District will spend $7,500,000 this year busing 8,500 K-12 students and 500 special-needs students to school. This is an astounding amount of money to transport relatively few students. Many people assume that providing additional bus transportation to Redmond Middle School will cost taxpayers even more money. This would be true if the school district were already providing highly efficient bus service, but an unofficial audit of the LWSD Transportation Department in 2011 found significant inefficiencies in the department. Although the school district had 85 full-size buses, only 65 were regularly scheduled with the rest being reserved for break-downs, replacements and field trips. And although the schools had staggered start times (high schools - 7:30 AM, junior highs - 8:00 AM, elementary - 8:30 & 9:00 AM) only 7 of the full size buses were efficiently scheduled to provide service to 4 schools each day. Most buses were scheduled for 2 regular routes per day. Buses were frequently assigned to schools on opposite sides of the district so that a lot of time was spent traveling across the district without passengers. Sometimes buses sat idle for 20 minutes between routes. Currently, bus routes are so poorly planned that students have to be at their assigned bus stops an hour before school starts and then ride bizarrely long routes on their way to school. Many parents give up on bus transportation and simply drive their children to school. (Note: these students live too far to walk.) Far too often, buses end up being only partially full. If the district planned the schedule for each bus more efficiently, with each bus carrying a full load of students and servicing 4 schools per day, then capacity would be increased without adding more busses or drivers. More importantly, with more students riding buses, the school district would receive significantly more than the $4,000,000 that it receives from the state in transportation reimbursement funds annually.

The LWSD Transportation Department has a bloated bureaucracy with one director and two supervisors earning a combined $240,000 per year. They have an additional 6 support staff who earn another $300,000. With more than $500,000 spent on transportation routing staff, it’s hard to believe how poorly planned so many of the bus routes are. Does anyone in the school district have any formal education in transportation planning? I have asked about this multiple times but the school district will simply say that their supervisors “have years of experience and are highly qualified.” According to Glenn Gorton, program supervisor for student transportation at the OSPI, “The state of Washington does not have any specific qualifications for Transportation Directors” ... “The hiring practices and qualifications for the individual school districts are handled on the local level and the local districts have the latitude to hire as they feel meets their needs.”   

 

Bus routing and trip planning software is available, but it requires a technology background and specialized training in order to get maximum efficiency. Providing training for the existing staff or hiring a seasoned computer-based transportation planner would save the school district thousands, if not millions of dollars, and many more students would be bused to school each day. 

There is a bright spot for possible transportation improvements on Education Hill. Students can ride Metro buses to school and LWSD will pay for bus passes for eligible students. Metro Bus #221 serves the Education Hill area but the bus route is not well synchronized with school start and end times. (How often do we see the bus traveling up and down 166th Avenue NE nearly empty?) Metro annually takes input and requests for route/schedule changes. I have asked the City of Redmond to work on morning and afternoon route changes that will coincide with school start and end times with the primary focus on helping students utilize Metro buses as an alternate transportation choice for getting to and from RMS and RHS. (This change would not take effect this school year.)

 

By Susan Wilkins

Education Hill and PTSA member

Lake Washington Insitute of Technology Open House Feb 28

LWIT Open House Feb. 28 Highlights Pathways to Better Lives

Kirkland, Wash.: Did you know achieving higher paying and more rewarding career opportunities can take as little as two academic quarters? Or that students can cut overall four-year college expenses by more than 60% by enrolling in one of several specifically tailored transfer degrees? How about the fact that today two-year degree graduates are finding higher paying work faster than recent four-year degree graduates?

Learn more about changing times and the opportunities available at Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWIT) during our annual Open House Thursday, Feb. 28, from 4 to 7 p.m.

During the event LWIT will open its cutting edge facilities to the public, giving visitors the unique opportunity to talk with instructors and students, try their hand with actual equipment used in class, see demonstrations of more technical program skills, and experience student work in gaming, culinary arts, massage, nursing, collision repair, funeral services, machining, and many more disciplines.  Read More >>

Senior housing project in downtown Redmond moving forward

The city moved one step closer to approving an 50-70 senior housing unit project on 8550 160th Ave NE across from the Courthouse and Public Safety Building.   Council approved by consent agenda a  "Framework for Request for Proposals" to approve a development team and long term, no cost lease by the Spring of 2013. 

Reported By Bob Yoder

Lake Washington schools begin bond discussions

February 21, 2013

By Caleb Heeringa
Sammamish Review

New: Feb. 21, 10:16 a.m.

The Lake Washington School Board is sifting through population growth projections and eyeing aging buildings in preparation for a bond measure, likely in February 2014.

While much work needs to be done, Doug Eglington, Sammamish’s representative on the board, said the board is weighing whether to include in the measure a new elementary school in Sammamish or simply remodel and add space to existing schools.

The choices will have an impact on the size of a bond measure that will likely include a major overhaul of the aging Juanita High School as well as additional schools in Redmond. A $234 million bond measure in 2010 failed to garner the 60 percent approval necessary, leading the board to scale back plans and push for a smaller, $65.4 million levy in 2011. Needing only 50 percent approval as a levy, the measure passed easily, 59 to 41, providing funds for the recent expansion of Eastlake High School and the new STEM school just north of city limits.

“Lots of times our eyes are bigger than our stomachs when it comes to the cost (of a bond measure),” Eglington said.

District spokeswoman Kathryn Reith said the district expects Sammamish to have 394 more elementary students than classroom space in 2021, though that projection assumes no use of portable classrooms or other temporary structures. Elizabeth Blackwell Elementary currently has 377 students, Christa McAuliffe Elementary houses 485 and Margaret Mead Elementary has 600.

Reith said Samantha Smith, Mead and Louisa May Alcott elementaries are all due for an update according to the district’s modernization schedule. The district will be examining each and see if it makes more sense to remodel or completely rebuild and whether they can add capacity at the same time.

While the district will need additional elementary space in the coming years, the issue is not as pressing as it could have been. In 2010, the district moved sixth graders from elementary to middle schools and ninth graders from middle schools to high schools to help alleviate crowded elementary schools, where portables, computer labs, art and music rooms were being used as regular classrooms.

Reith said district staff is hoping that space issues at the high school level can be alleviated in the coming years as the STEM school takes on additional grades. It currently only houses ninth and 10th graders, though those classes will be moving up to be juniors and seniors in the coming years and additional ninth and 10th graders will enroll behind them.

The board is due to discuss some of the long-term planning issues and their impact on a bond measure at their annual retreat, March 8 – 10 at 7375 Icicle Road in Leavenworth.

Burglary by forcible entrance in Grasslawn residence: Redmond Police Blotter, 2/21

Burglary, Resid, Forcible Ent	03:48:26 02/21/2013	13-003038
GRASSLAWN	159xx block of NE 53 ST
Redmond Police responded to a residential burglary.

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Theft-From Mtr Vehicle	22:39:50 02/20/2013	13-003034
OVERLAKE	148xx block of NE 24 ST
A vehicle prowl occurred at a local business.    Read More >>

Demonstration against shipping untreated medical waste is planned at Evergeen Health

Demonstration to Demand Safe Disposal of Infectious Medical Waste, Feb. 23

By Rob Butcher on February 19, 2013 in Neighborhood News, "Kirkland Views"

A demonstration against the shipping of untreated medical waste is planned at Evergreen Health on February 23 from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM. The header image above was found at: http://stoptruckingmedwaste.com.

The following is a news release announcing the demonstration:

Citizens have joined together in the Safe Hospitals, Safe Communities campaign to raise awareness about the transportation of medical waste through local communities. Over the past several years there have been many incidents involving accidents and improper disposal of transported medical waste. These incidents threaten the health and safety of our communities.

The group is asking hospitals to stop shipping untreated medical waste through our communities. 85-90% of our nation’s hospitals truck infectious medical waste off-site to be sterilized, which forces hazardous materials to be driven by our homes and neighborhood schools.