Are Redmond's City Council members doing a good job?

"Are Redmond's City Council members doing a good job?"  This was a "question of the week" in the Redmond Reporter's May 15th edition.  The answer to the poll was Yes:  36.8%  No: 63.2%. 

I was surprised that nearly 2/3 of those polled felt Redmond City Council members were not doing a good job.  That is a significant number of people!  So how do you think the Council could do better?  Re-look at the city's growth policy?  Are we growing too fast?  Establish greater efficiencies within the government?  Should Council have to ask us for more levy money?  Pay more attention to neighborhood issues?  Is Council over-involved in regional issues?  City Council follows Mayor Marchione in lock-step.  Should they be more outspoken?

What do you think is right or wrong about the City Council?  The City is always posting favorable results on the many surveys they take on citizen satisfaction.  This Redmond Reporter poll is a true eye-opener.

Opinion by Bob Yoder

 

Redmond Mayoral Candidate Steve Fields Resume

" I am not a career politician but my experience in local government is extensive. In the positions I have worked, I have had the chance to see King County and City of Seattle operations from all perspectives. I worked with all department heads, elected leaders, finance manager, and all levels of staff and external partners. I want to bring that experience to Redmond as Mayor. I want the people who live here to have an efficient, effective and transparent City government that people can trust and rely on."

STEVE FIELDS RESUME
16909 NE 105th St.  Redmond, WA.  98052
C:  425-444-3188  H:  425 881-7106  E:  Website  Linked-In  Twitter Facebook

Down Pour Coffee Bar LLC                                                                                2014-Present
Co-Owner/Project Manager

• Planned, designed, and managed construction of 1303 Square Foot Facility
• Co-founded a highly successful, profitable, and popular coffee shop

City of Seattle, Seattle WA.                                                                                  2013-2014

Strategic Advisor/Business Analyst-City Budget Office

• Project Manager for Citywide Budget System Implementation
• Provided leadership in process improvement for budget preparation for City Budget Office
• Prepared a strategic guideline to implement city-wide Performance Management capabilities

King County, Seattle, WA.                                                                                    2003-2013

 

Business and Finance Manager - Public Health Department                                 2013-2013

• Established business process improvement program
• Coordinated activities of divisional finance managers

Project Manager - Department of Executive Services                                             2009-2012

• Managed implementation of countywide budget system
• Managed development of countywide Performance Management solution
• Managed Benefits Realization plan for $84M Program to update County-wide business systems    

Budget Manager - Office of Management and Budget                              2003-2009                              

• Managed professional staff supporting the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Transportation
• Oversight on behalf of Executive Office on Capital and Information Technology projects
• Governance Finance Committee chair supporting, Strategic Technology Plan, IT Business Plans, policies, procedures and guidelines

Prior Accomplishment in Telecommunication and Aerospace Industries

• Developed Program Management Office to oversee standardize project management methods for large wireless engineering department
• Developed and managed a system of performance metrics for wireless company including call center data, system-wide performance, and asset management
• Business Manager for Aerospace customer solutions including United State Space and Defense Programs
• Negotiated vendor agreements resulting in multi-million dollar savings
• Business development and project management consultant for business delivering advanced technology solutions

EDUCATION

• B.S. Accounting, San Diego State University
• Graduate Courses, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA
• Training in Project Management, Government Financial Management, Contracts Administration and Negotiations, Certified Government Manager and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

A photo of Steve Fields was provided but unfortunately I'm having technical difficulties posting it. B.Y.

 

 

 

 

Steve Fields contests John Marchione in run for Mayor

Steve Fields: A New Voice with the Right Experience for Redmond

REDMOND, WA – You can find him early every morning with his wife at Down Pour Coffee Bar in Redmond, serving up some of the best cups of coffee – and community conversations – on the Eastside. But for the next six months, you will most likely find Steve Fields walking to homes and businesses in his beloved Redmond as he today filed his official paperwork to run for Redmond Mayor.

Steve Fields, 62, is a government efficiency guru who designs and implements systems to bring public budgets under control, making them more transparent and understandable for the citizens they are meant to benefit. For more than 30 years he has worked to improve the performance of businesses and government, helping King County and the City of Seattle become more financially accountable for the services people expect their governments to deliver.

Why is Steve Fields running for Mayor?

“Redmond is changing very fast. We are building everywhere. We have endless traffic congestion. Our parks and recreational facilities are deteriorating, and our neighborhoods are being ignored while we focus our investment on the changes in downtown. We’re losing the beauty that is Redmond; we are losing confidence in leadership that is promoting growth, but does not have a plan on how to manage this growth so it works for everyone.” he said.

“People are frustrated and feel powerless. There is a sense we will just have to endure the consequences of haphazard growth and in the end pay more to cover costs of the infrastructure, parks, and transit improvements for development projects that have not been well planned. The current request for a bond and levy increase this year should have already been included in our budgets. The question I asked myself when I decided to run for Mayor is “How did we get here?”

“The current Mayor talks about the importance of city government living within its means. But are city leaders making decisions that would allow small businesses, retirees, and working families to live within their means?” he said.  

Fields will take on two-term Redmond Mayor John Marchionne. “John has been a good caretaker Mayor and completed a number of city projects during his term, but Redmond needs new leadership focused on efficient government and inclusive growth. We need to find ways out of a bureaucracy that requires constant tax dollar increases but still doesn’t address Redmond priorities.”

Fields is promising a “Field campaign” – one where most of the voters will meet him on their doorstep as he goes to them. “I’m ready to listen, something that’s become a lost political art. I’m also ready to hear new ideas and build community engagement that’s real, not contrived meetings and ribbon cutting ceremonies that lack spirit and authenticity.”

Steve Fields, married to his coffee shop partner, Ronni Fields, has lived in Redmond for almost 25 years. His three children attended Redmond schools and his youngest child, Jackson Fields, will graduate next year from Redmond High School. Steve Fields, a local sports, tennis and health advocate, coached Redmond kids in basketball, baseball, and soccer in Redmond’s recreation leagues. Steve loves living in Redmond. “Redmond needs to keep its heart and soul. It needs to be a livable city for everyone. We can’t let unmanaged growth and government inefficiencies destroy the community we have built and love he said.

Steve Fields Linked-In    Facebook

Small Business Owner and Charity Advocate Hank Myers Announces Redmond City Council Reelection Campaign

              Small Business Owner and charity advocate Hank Myers today announced  he will run for re-election to the Redmond City Council. A diverse group of supporters lined up behind Myers, reflecting his work in Redmond to promote responsible tax policy and regulation, reduced traffic and his caring voice in support of community organizations.

“What makes Redmond great is the way we combine the innovative spirit of business with a sense of community and caring,” said Myers. “To have leaders in business and local non-profits supporting my reelection means a great deal and it reflects my efforts to keep the tax burden on families and businesses down while lifting up those who are in need.

In addition to serving on the Redmond City Council, he also represents the city’s salmon recovery efforts on the local watershed council and served on several transportation advisory groups.

“Working with business and non-profits demonstrates that in many ways they both need the same thing – the freedom and encouragement to solve the problems in the way that works for those they serve. That is the spirit I bring to the council – the recognition that solutions come from the community to City Hall if we listen,” said Myers.

Myers used his successful business background to improve the finances of Eastside Friends of Seniors as Director and help guide Redmond’s Together Center into more direct client services, despite the challenges of the economic downturn.

“I met Hank Myers as part of a Leadership Eastside project I organized to refurbish a Friends of Youth facility for homeless teens,” said Stu Linscott. “Hank worked ceaselessly until the project was complete. His dedication to getting the best results sets him apart."

Hank also earned the respect of regional leaders for his work to make Redmond a great place to live.

“I have known Hank Myers for many years in my work at Metro Transit and my association with the Together Center in Redmond,” says Barb de Michele. “He helped create high speed transit service between Redmond and Seattle. Hank is an advocate with amazing energy who listens and supports the community.”

Hank and his wife Christine have lived in Redmond for nearly 40 years, where they raised two children.

Celebration for Bear Creek Restoration Partnership

Redmond, WA - Come help us celebrate the completion of the newly relocated and restored lower Bear Creek. The project, located between SR 520 and Bear Creek Parkway, behind Redmond Town Center, relocated about 3,000 feet of Bear Creek from the mostly straight, channelized “stream” to a meandering, reshaped, and re-planted channel, in an existing adjacent open space.
The project established stream buffers consistent with the City’s Critical Areas Ordinance and allowed the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) “Stage 3” widening of the SR 520 freeway adjacent to Bear Creek. The parallel path and “side-routes” allow people to walk over to the stream and to view and interact with a much improved Bear Creek.

“This collaboration between the City and State emphasizes how proactively addressing our regional transportation challenges and improving our environment can move us forward together,” stated Mayor John Marchione. “Relocating and restoring this portion of Bear Creek into a productive salmon-bearing stream continues the City’s commitment to protect and improve our environment.”

The grand opening celebration will be held on Thursday, May 14, from 5 - 6 pm on the Bear Creek Trail (adjacent to 168th Avenue NE and Bear Creek Parkway).

For more information about the Bear Creek Restoration, contact Mike Haley, Project Manager, at mhaley@redmond.gov or 425-556-2843. This press release is available on www.redmond.gov.

Reprint: Redmond has restored the Upper Reach of Willows Creek

Reprinted from Thursday, August 5, 2010

Redmond is Restoring The Upper Reach of Willows Creek

Willows Creek

Have you ever been to Willows Creek?  Oh my!  It's probably one of the most beautiful, urban natural open spaces remaining in Redmond.   If you look hard you'll find an unmarked trail-head in Willows Creek Park that will take you to it.  We hiked the creek a couple of weeks ago and took a few pictures. 

Willows Creek is good size stream that drains the western "Rose Hill" watershed area.  It flows into the Sammamish River in the vicinity of Willows Golf Course.   According to Tom Hardy of the Redmond Department of Natural Resources Department, (DNR) federally protected Chinook salmon often find "safe harbor" in the cool waters of the mouth of Willows Creek.   Chinook linger in Willows Creek as they swim upstream toward Bear Creek to spawn.   But they no longer spawn in here owing to habitat destruction.

Years ago, the creek forests were severely logged  and the salmon stopped spawning to the upper reaches of the creek.  As you can see, it's a beautiful meandering stream with gravel beds, perfect for salmon rearing.   Tom Hardy's crew has a project underway this summer to restore the creek banks and improve the habitat for fish. 

As we speak, they are placing new logs and fallen trees along 800 feet of the upper reach.  These logs will help shore up eroded banks, control floods, reduce sediment, and create pools.  Tom's crew will plant over 100 trees to shelter the creek and cool the waters.  This is a Department of Natural Resources project funded by our Stormwater rate bills.   Is it possible the salmon and trout will someday swim up Willows Creeks again to spawn?  I think that's the city's hope.   

Bear Creek,  Evans Creek and the Sammamish River encircles Redmond.  They are valuable, wild urban salmon bearing streams which makes Redmond  unique.  Peter's Creek and Willows Creek flow into the Sammamish River from the West.  They are just north of the 90th Street Bridge.           

By Bob Yoder

Photo and slides by Yoder

May 18 Sustainable Redmond Speaker Series on Community Gardens

Eastside Community Gardens Topic of May 18 Meeting:

Sustainable Redmond Spring Speaker Series Continues at Old Redmond Schoolhouse

 

Sustainable Redmond will hold the third of its Spring Speaker Series at 7pm on Monday, May 18^th at Redmond’s Old Schoolhouse Community Center – a change from past meeting venues.  This meeting will highlight community garden initiatives in Kirkland and Bellevue as well as Redmond.  The meeting is open to everyone and all are welcome to attend.  Read More >>

City Council approves over $382,454 on projects to improve fish passage in three Redmond creeks

The City Council approved $382,454 on projects to improve fish passage in Juel Creek, Peters Creek, and Seidel Creek.  Seidel Creek is in the Watershed Preserve.  Peters Creek is a tributary to the Sammamish River near Willows Road.  Juel Creek is a tributary to Bear Creek.  Read More>>

Executive Constantine speaks his mind about Shell Oils request to establish an Arctic drilling operation at Port of Seattle's Terminal

Executive Constantine today issued a statement in regard to the City of Seattle's Department of Planning and Development denying a request by Shell Oil to establish an Arctic drilling operation at the Port of Seattle's Terminal 5.

Story

"I commend the City of Seattle for ensuring that all rules are followed as Shell Oil seeks to site its Arctic drilling fleet at the Port of Seattle's Terminal 5. We are in a race against time to drastically reduce carbon emissions while preparing as best we can for the impacts of diminishing snowpack and rising sea levels.
"Instead of putting all our effort into real economic development - like highly profitable clean-energy technology and manufacturing - we're being asked to allow our publicly-owned port facilities to play host to Arctic oil-drilling operations, accelerating an already dire local and global crisis.
"This is the wrong direction for any community, but doubly so for King County, with our environmental ethic and our enormous capacity to invent the future. We should be using our resources to support innovative companies that are creating 21st-century energy solutions rather than fossil-fuel operations that threaten both Arctic waters and our entire planet. Let's invest in economic activity that keeps us competitive in the global market and sustains our environment and quality of life.
"And as a state that depends heavily on trade, we should be wary of making container ships compete with fossil-fuel-drilling vessels for space at our ports."

King County News

Redmond Saturday Market's Opening Day is May 2nd! We're back for our 40th Season! Calling all shoppers, all locally-made enthusiasts and all farm fresh foodies - your favorite Eastside market opens this Saturday! Let the farmer's market festivities begin! We sure have missed you these past few months! Providing Eastsiders with fresh, locally grown produce and quality handmade arts and crafts is both a passion and a lifestyle for us, and we're beyond excited to share it with you! Join us at 9:00 sharp for our Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony with Mayor Marchione - he'll be honoring us with his presence and kicking off the season. And he'll be backed up by a band-the Redmond High School Pep Band to be exact! They'll be playing some terrific tunes for your listening pleasure! This is something you won't want to miss-they put on quite the sterling performance.  Read More>>

Mayor Marchione presents 4 sites for the proposed pool-community center-senior center-teen center complex

Mayor Marchione and his staff presented four potential sites for a proposed "community center-pool-senior center-teen center" complex to city council last night.  All sites, according to President Hank Margeson had some drawbacks -- mostly parking and traffic flow.  Council agreed to spend $17,000 to further study three of the sites.

So far the site that has gotten the most study and review by Marchione is Fire Station 11 headquarters and the Edge Skate park.  Yes, that's right.  They are actually considering removing both the downtown Fire Station and the Edge Skate Park.  Parks Director Larson said the Skate Park could be re-built on the city campus and it would be larger then the present park.  They would probably have to buy land to rebuild the Fire Station headquarters. 

Though President Margeson didn't commit to a site preference, he liked the nearby parking available from the Park and Ride building.  Councilmember David Carson indicated his preference in working with Kirkland on a pool and was concerned about the high costs associated with the complex.  He didn't like the Firehouse/Skate Board site.  Councilmember Allen wanted more information on the de-watering and associated costs that would have to be done on the sites.  Councilmember Hank Myers asked for traffic studies. 

It just seems like Marchione and staff are dead set on cramming in all these recreational buildings into downtown Redmond -- which is already stressed out from traffic and parking issues.  Hopefully Redmond can work with Kirkland on a joint pool site.

Marchione, Carson, and Myers terms of office are expiring on 12/31/2015 and it's not too late to apply with King County Elections to run for office.

Reported/Opinion by Bob Yoder

 

Redmond's oldest service group to share it's history and role of women in community

  Community service groups have helped shape Redmond, but none has been around as long as the Nokomis Club –  founded by six women in 1909 to bring culture to what was then a Wild West Redmond. Set up as a literary club, the organization eventually went on to found Redmond’s first library. Alexa Munoz, current club president, will present the Nokomis story at the Redmond Historical Society's Saturday Speaker Series program on May 9^th at 10:30am at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center.

“The history of the Nokomis Club is an example of the role that women played in the community during the first half of the last century,” says Munoz. “It’s a great topic for Mother’s Day weekend.”  Read More >>

City of Redmond Positions up for re-election 2015

Filing deadline is May 15

 FROM PAIGE NORMAN'S  BLOG: "Paiges Prattle"

5 offices in our current City of Redmond legislature will be up for vote this coming August. (August 4th Primary) and November (November 3 General Election).  All terms end December 31, 2015.
The first position is Mayor of the City of Redmond; this is a non-partisan office.  Currently this position is held by John Marchione.  According to the City of Redmond web page, Mayor Marchione was elected in 2007 and is serving his 2nd term (this election would be running for his third term).  At this time he is unopposed.
The City of Redmond is a classified as a non-charter Code city, that operates under the Mayor-Council plan of government.  (RCW 35A.12, RMC Chapter 1.02)  According to the candidate manual (pg. 14) for King County elections, “All cities in King County are “non-charter code” cities, except the city of Seattle and the towns of Beaux Arts Village, Hunts Point, Skykomish, and Yarrow Point.”
What does the Mayor do?  This varies from city to city, but in Redmond, the Mayor presides over all meetings of Council,   and is responsible for administrative duties; including hiring and firing staff, veto power, implementation of legislation passed by the council and ceremonial duties.  He may also be the tie-breaker vote in council votes.  This is called a “council-strong mayor” structure.
The remaining 4 positions are City Council members.  City of Redmond has 7 council positions; all non-partisan offices in staggered terms.  Council positions run 4 years; 3 positions expire in 2017 (Kimberly Allen Position 4, Byron Shutz Position 2 and John Stilin Position 6).  “The City Council adopts the City budget, establishes law and policy, approves appropriations and contracts, levies taxes and grants franchises.”
Tom Flynn (Pos. #5) is retiring at the end of his term; at this time only one person has announced intent to run for his position.   Parks and Trails Commissioner Angela Birney announced her campaign for Redmond City Council Pos. 5 (Redmond Reporter, February 9, 2015).   At this time she is unopposed.
The other 3 positions are uncontested at this time.  Position 1 is held by Hank Myers.  Hank has been a councilmember since 2008.  Position 3 is held by Hank Margeson and has been a councilmember since 2007.  Position 7 is held by David Carson, who has held the position since 2008.
Persons interested in filing for candidacy must file intent no later than May 15th (page 10). A candidates must be a registered voter, file a Declaration of Candidacy and include either the filing fee or a completed filing fee petition.
Candidate workshops will be held April 24th and 25th.

Redmond Way - Cleveland St. "couplet conversion" scheduled for late 2016

Posted April, 2015

Several weeks ago at a joint meeting with the City of Kirkland, Mayor Marchione stated the "couplet conversion" would be installed late 2016 or early 2017.  The couplet conversion will change Redmond Way and Cleveland Street to two-way traffic flows.  It's been in the planning stages for years and is controversial.

At last night's Redmond council meeting a measure on the couplet conversion was voted on during the consent agenda and the following conversation ensued.  Councilmember David Carson stated that he does not support the conversion.  Councilmember Hank Myers stated that though he was concerned about the costs and over-runs he would vote in favor of the couplet measure because federal funds would be lost if it didn't move forward and "it's a good idea for flow."  The measure passed 6-1 (Carson). In a council meeting last year, Hank Myers was concerned about traffic flow problems by the conversion on a portion of Redmond Way.

Bob Yoder

Keep current on the progress of the couplet conversion and see what else is planned for the downtown. http://www.redmond.gov/cms/One.aspx?pageId=94497

Spring Plant Sale at LWIT runs next two weekends

ANNUAL LAKE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SPRING PLANT SALE RUNS THE NEXT TWO WEEKENDS

Kirkland, Wash. – The wait is over for the annual Lake Washington Institute of Technology’s (LWTech) Environment Horticulture spring plant sale. The sale, which runs this weekend, April 24^th and 25^th and next weekend, May 1^st and 2^nd at the greenhouses on the Kirkland campus, raises money to provide scholarships for the college’s horticulture students.

Plants for sale are grown by LWTech’s horticulture students. There are blooming fuchsia baskets for the shade, mixed flowering baskets for the sun, veggie starts, herbs, four-packs of annual color to bloom all summer long, perennials and more.

 

WHO:              Lake Washington Institute of Technology

 

WHAT:           Annual Spring Plant Sale

 

WHEN:            April 24^th and 25^th and May 1^st and 2^nd from 9:00am-3:00pm.

 

WHERE:          The greenhouses at Lake Washington Institute of Technology’s Kirkland campus at 11605 132^nd Avenue NE, Kirkland, Wash. 98034

 

Please coordinate with Leslie Cohan at leslie.cohan@lwtech.edu or 425-739-8236 if you are planning on sending a crew or photographer. She will provide information for access to the sale.

 

About Lake Washington Institute of Technology:

Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWTech) is a public, broad-based technical institute providing education in more than 40 areas of study and offering pathways to certificates, associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees designed to give students the latest cutting edge skills relevant to today’s workplace.

 

Four Redmond City Council positions and the Mayor's office is up for grabs this year

Unhappy with the way the city is being managed?  Or do you just want to make a difference for your community?  Consider running for one of four councilmember positions with terms expiring by the end of this year.  The Mayor's term expires 12/31/2015 too.  Councilmembers Carson, Flynn, Myers, and Margeson positions will be up for grabs when their term expires on 12/31/2015. 

To learn the ABC's of running for office King County Elections is holding two workshops in April to help you get started.  Go HERE for more information on the workshops.

The filing deadline is May 15.  You must file with the Dept. of King County Elections.

Contact info@redmond.gov to get the job description for city councilmembers.

Reported by Bob Yoder

LETTER: Nokomis Club building should be saved

I am a long time resident of the city of Redmond. My family has called the greater Redmond area home for over 100 years. The growth that I have seen in the last 50 years has been positively mind boggling with the change from a sleepy little town of 500 populated mostly by farmers and loggers, to a bedroom community for Boeing and finally to a center of High Tech businesses that have a world-wide reach.

I have long watched this growth and seen some of the pains associated with it but generally have accepted it as the price of progress. However the story of the Nokomis Club building has touched me through to my core. If you do a little Internet research you will discover that the Nokomis Club was truly ahead of its time. Up through the early 60’s Redmond had its own library as the KCLS had not yet moved into town. Due to that the city was responsible for funding and maintaining a library. The Nokomis Club was quite involved in providing financial support for the Library in the early days. My Grandmother Jessie Adams Norman, who was a school teacher was active in Nokomis and was one of the wonderful women that helped support our library in those days. As a youth, a visit to the library was always an event that I looked forward to as there were many different places I could visit just by reading the volumes contained within those walls.

Currently the Nokomis Club building is going to be demolished in order to make room for new construction in the area that surrounds the building.   The contractor plans to use a small amount of the materials salvaged from the demolition in the construction of the planned new building, which hardly pays homage to the women who stepped up to provide a needed service to this Community. Sadly there is no interest at the highest levels of City government to do anything to prevent this building from being demolished.

Please take a moment and visit this website to learn more about the Nokomis Club and its impact on the history of Redmond.[ http://nokomisclub98052.org/library.html ]. This is the story of a group of forward thinking women on a philanthropic mission to help our town.

The Nokomis Club is a part of my heritage and a very important part of our City’s history. Let’s not allow this landmark to slip through our hands and be lost forever.

Russell L. Norman

Redmond, WA

Harry and Elizabeth: Redmond leaders behind the Hare Krishna Movement and Vedic Cultural Centers

August, 2012 article reprinted (not updated)

Vedic Cultural Center in Sammamish, WA.

A Hindu-based Hare Krishna awareness movement (ISKON)  is alive and well on the Eastside.  Their Vedic Cultural Centers  in Sammamish and Bothell house temples and provide gathering space for activities.  I spent some time last month with Harry and Elizabeth, the spiritual and operational leaders of the Eastside congregations. 


Harry Terhanian, affable Redmond resident, is the President of one of 20+ ISKON congregations in the United States.  His spiritual name is "Harivilas Das."  Harry says ISKON plans to open a Vedic Cultural Center in Bellevue this year and  SE Redmond in the next year or two, but only with community acceptance and under city guidelines.  

Harry and his pleasant, outgoing wife Elizabeth recently purchased a 9 acre farm on Avondale Court north of the PCC Shopping Center "to become a part of the growing farming culture in Redmond" and practice bhakta yoga.  He is negotiating to buy another farm nearby just off the bus line.  He plans to use the farm as a “factory” for growing plants and manufacturing herbal pharmaceutical extracts.  Signage for the 4^th Annual Ananda Mela Festival was constructed in the farm's outbuildings. 

Elizabeth said cows and bulls are planned for Harry and Elizabeth's farm which has a Class 2 tributary to Bear Creek and buffers will be required for these large animals.  Harry thought the farm will be attractive to bird watchers. 

We visited Leon Hussey’s KIS farm to pick up tips on soil nutrition and understand the value of stream buffers.   Bear Creek meanders through the Hussey farm with well preserved buffers and excellent salmon watching opportunities in the fall. 

Elizabeth recently arrived from Florida where she was running an ISKON farm. "When I see a flower, I see Krishna smiling." she told me. Elizabeth is not a Hindu. She is German-Swiss American. Elizabeth lives in the farm house which also serves as temple.  Elizabeth didn’t make the Ananda Mela Festival in Redmond,  preferring to attend community farming activities in Hawaii. 

Harry was born in America to Armenian Christian Orthodox parents.  He’s not Hindu.   ISKON sent him to Seattle in l991 from Pennsylvania, when the Seattle temple was on the verge of closing. (Early on in the 60's-80's people were turned off by cultish, chanting, proselytizing actions in the airports and college campuses.)  Slowly, he built up the community.  But it wasn't until the mid-1990s, as Indian families began joining, that Terhanian saw a "base by which we rebuild our legitimacy." (Seattle Times, 8/2008)

Harry is also the founder of "Northwest SHARE", a Seattle-based human services non-profit. It includes a restaurant providing free vegan food.  Free food and food banking is a faith element of the Krishna congregation. They also believe in spreading Kirshna's 'personality' with festivals. Harry was the lead organzier for the 4th Annual Ananda Mela Festival. He runs it every year out of his herbal extract retail store near Blazing Bagels.

Reported by Bob Yoder

City to hold three public meetings to get feedback on Parks & Rec plan update

Redmond, WA –The City of Redmond invites everyone who uses Redmond’s parks, arts, and recreation facilities and programs to participate in the Future of Fun initiative, which will result in the update of the Parks and Recreation Department’s long range plan for capital projects. The Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture and Conservation Plan is updated every six years. Now is the time to get involved and help create a renewed vision. You can participate by attending a meeting, engaging in our online platform, and participating in a survey.
Three public meetings will be held in May throughout the City. The meetings will take place from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, with a short presentation at 6:30 followed by small group discussions about arts and culture, parks and recreation, trails, and conservation. The meetings will be held on the following dates:  Read More >>

OPINION: Blog reader spots a Mercedes city Public Works vehicle

A Redmond Neighborhood Blog reader, Sue Peak Hogeboom reported that she noticed a City Public Works vehicle that was a Mercedes.  She was concerned our tax dollars were being spent extravagantly and wrote the Mayor about it.  Below is the City's response:

"Thank you for your inquiry. You are correct the City is proposing a levy in order to meet critical city service needs. We work diligently to use the taxpayers’ money in the most efficient way and an example of that is the purchase of City Fleet vehicles. Whereas it may look like the purchase of a Mercedes vehicle is not cost effective, in actuality we purchased this vehicle through the Washington State contract which yields the lowest costs to public agencies. We did explore purchasing a similar U.S. made vehicle but found that it would have cost more. Thank you for expressing your interest in ensuring the City is being fiscally responsible."

John
Mayor, City of Redmond

What do you think?  Does this satisfy you?

BECU Celebrating 80th Anniversary by "Closing for Good"

BECU locations to open late on October 20th as 1300 employees lead financial literacy workshops

Tukwila, April 16, 2015 – BECU announced today that it is closing its doors for part of the day on Tuesday, October 20, sending its 1,300 employees to lead Financial Reality Fairs in high schools across Washington State. “Closing for Good” will reach at least 2,500 students. The initiative is part of BECU’s 80th anniversary celebration as a not-for-profit credit union dedicated to community involvement. The event is also part of an internal BECU initiative giving employees paid volunteer time off. BECU’s financial centers will reopen at 1 p.m.

“As a credit union, our primary motivation is making a difference for our members and our community,” said BECU CEO Benson Porter. “Through ‘Closing for Good,’ we want to make sure the teens in our community have a high level of financial literacy as they embark on their adult lives.”

During the workshops, students will participate in a hands-on financial role play simulation. Students are assigned a career and starting salary, then must make decisions about housing, utilities, food, transportation and other expenses.

“’Closing for Good’ is all about experiencing the real-life budgeting decisions people face every day,” added Porter. “We want to give teens a chance to think about their financial choices analytically, so that when the time comes, they can make educated decisions.”  Read More>>