Mayor presents $797 million preliminary biennial budget

City Council "budgets by priority" as described by Council President Angela Birney here.  

City Hall credit Redmond Reporter

Redmond Mayor John Marchione presented the 2019-20 preliminary biennial budget on Oct. 2.

• By Stephanie Quiroz
• Thursday, October 11, 2018 12:38pm
• • REDMOND REPORTER

Redmond Mayor John Marchione presented the 2019-20 preliminary biennial budget at the city council meeting on Oct. 2.

“The next six to eight years will be crucial in shaping the fabric of Redmond,” Mayor Marchione said. “Redmond will receive $8 to $10 billion of private or non city investment. We must create the organizational structure and capacity to keep pace and manage growth.”

The $797 million budget will run from January 2019 through December 2020. The city strives to continue providing the highest priority services to the community. Redmond selected the Budgeting By Priorities (BP) process once again because it focuses budget decisions on citizen priorities.

The budget is organized around the city’s six community priorities: vibrant economy, clean and green, diverse and connected community, infrastructure, responsible government and safety.

Mayor Marchione said there is little change in the allocation of resources among the priorities. Infrastructure received 51 percent of the resources, public safety received 19 percent, responsible government received 15 percent, clean and green received 6 percent, vibrant economy received 5 percent and diverse and connected community received 4 percent.

Commissioners propose $1,234,000 to fund human services

According to a City Council 10/9 memo "Every other year, the City accepts proposals from human services agencies seeking grant funding in the next biennium. This past March, Redmond participated with 17 other King County cities, releasing a joint online funding application. This allowed organizations interested in requesting funding support from any of the participating cities to complete a single application. This year Redmond received applications from 91 programs, with requests for almost $2.2 million.

In 2016 Council approved the Mayor’s proposed budget to increase support to the human service fund from $13.25 to approximately $16.90 per capita. This resulted in tangible impacts and improved service delivery in our community. Adjusting for population and 3 percent inflation, the 2019-2020 human services per capita total is now expected to be about $1.21 million each year. Redmond also anticipates about $24,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding to allocate to human services in 2019, bringing total available funds to about $1,234,000/year."

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The Human Services commissioners recommended an additional $422,534 under "Option 1" to  fund some of the smaller non-profits and in response to community budget requests.  The Council left it up to the commissioners to vet the Option 1 requests.

The bulk of the funding was allocated to 12 non-profits, as follows:  Youth Eastside Services ($152,614) Friends of Youth ($138,227) Hopelink ($115,096) Congregations for the Homeless ($89,617) Sophia Way ($62,555) Health Point ($54,000) Lifewire - survivor advocacy ($50,570.) YMCA ($39,140) Chinese Information Center ($24,643) Catholic Community Services ($23,175) NAMI ($21,177.)

One of the commissioners noted Hopelink's large request even though they haven't added services from the prior biennium.  The same commissioner pointed to the $177,000 chamber video screen suggesting those funds could have been better spent in our community for human services.

The Council thanked the commissioners for their hard work and will vote on the requests at a later date. 

-- Bob Yoder

Sources:  Council Study Session memo, 10/9.  Joint meeting with Human Services Commission.
RCTV.

City to restore Idylwood Park

Idylwood Park cottonwood trees / King 5

Redmond, WA –In March and April of 2018, the City removed 14 cottonwood trees in Idylwood Park after a risk assessment identified the trees as a public safety hazard. The remaining high-risk cottonwood trees were scheduled for removal following the busy summer beach season.

In the summer of 2017, two separate large limb failures resulted in injury to a park patron and damage to private property. These incidents prompted the risk assessment.

Removal of the cottonwood trees started on October 10. Large trees will remain in natural areas along the waterfront away from high-use areas, and permanent fencing will be installed in areas to limit access and protect future restoration plantings.

During this project, the City has been working with numerous organizations and a citizens group to create a restoration plan that would preserve and maintain natural habitats while offering safe, enjoyable experiences for all parks users. Over 60 trees, nearly 400 shrubs and groundcover will be planted which aligns with the City’s commitment to restoring and maintaining the urban forest for present and future generations.

The Redmond community values our trees, and we have programs in place to protect this natural resource, but public safety is our top priority. The cottonwood trees scheduled for removal are in high-use areas and are public safety hazards.

The robust mitigation and urban forest enhancement plan is scheduled for the winter months. The City will coordinate a community volunteer planting event.

Fall colors

Fall colors

My wife, Pam, is standing in front of our beautiful Palmataum Japanese maple tree. With great sadness we lost this cherished tree two years ago to severe back-to-back annual droughts.  It thrived on our property for 43 years. Other's in the neighborhoods lost their trees. The City also had to cut down some of their street trees and cottonwoods at Idylwood Park owing to drought.   

Bob Yoder

Washington Department of Transportation tops hazardous trees

Click image to see the trees

The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is cutting down numerous 80 - 100 year old cottonwood trees growing along SR520 next to Bear Creek. The agency says these trees pose a hazard falling onto SR520 in high winds.  The trees are on WSDOT property, not the City of Redmond's property as many think. For environmental reasons they are topping ...not removing....the trees to provide habitat for birds and other animals. The procedure creates an ugly outcome.  The Mayor said in the Regular Council meeting of 10/2 the tree logs will be scattered along Bear and Evans creek to improve salmon habitat. 

Source:  WSDT blog

Low turn-out at weekday Downtown park event

The Downtown Park 

The city hosted a concert series in the Downtown Park that was curated in partnership with KEXP DJ Sharlese Metcalf to highlight local, Pacific Northwest musical talent, including musicians that have ties to Redmond.  My wife and I went to the last concert on Thursday, October 4th.  And guess what?  It wasn't raining and quite a beautiful Fall evening!

Is this the "Redmond Moving Art Center?"

Mayor Marchione said in a press release, this series brings "fresh new music and fun to Downtown Redmond,  It's a great way to spend a Thursday night with friends and family in the community’s new Downtown Park.”

The City announced that "each evening’s concert takes place in the beautiful Redmond Moving Art Center designed by Brooklyn-based artist Janet Zweig."  It was recommended residents "bring your picnic blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy food from one of the many surrounding downtown restaurants." 

Well, even with good weather and fine music this weekday's entertainment in the Downtown Park didn't appear popular.  At 7 pm I counted roughly 24 adults, four dogs, and 6 children. None brought picnic blankets or food.  

As opposed to the Downtown Park Grand Opening, the park was fully exposed and you could see all the concrete and concrete benches that people are talking about.  Mildly put, I was taken aback. The favorite part of our visit was the colorful light art under the pavilion.  It was really cool.

-- Bob Yoder, opinion
 Photos Yoder

Source:  City press release

John Reinke - Redmond's dragonfly whisperer

Credit / John Reinke

This dragonfly landed on John Reinke's finger when he was trying to scoop it out of a puddle on the Sammamish River Trail.  Here's a closeup in which you can see its legs, one of its large compound eyes, thorax and momentarily waterlogged wings. John believes it is a female paddle tail darner.  

Don't worry, dragonflies don't bite but they are voracious eaters of mosquitoes. Their legs are for catching prey in the air.  Most of their life (1-2 years) is spent as larvae living underwater. They spend 2-3 weeks flying around fattening up to lay their eggs in the water.  

We listened to a fascinating lecture on this animal by James Walker, PhD last week. He sells a book on Amazon and recently was interviewed by King 5.  It's a must listen!

-- Bob Yoder

Redmond Sing Along at Community Center

Eva Moon, a past city arts commissioner, writer, musician and performing artist is partnering with the City of Redmond to start a Sing Along (and play along) night! The Redmond Community Sing Along (and play along) is a monthly, all-ages gathering to sing and play your favorite songs, meet your neighbors and have fun! No singing experience is required, and all are welcome to attend this free community event.

Raise your voice and your spirits!  Bring your acoustic instrument, if you play. 

Here’s a link to the songbook: https://www.dropbox.com/s/thjxfwrz1nnw961/Redmond%20Sing%20Along%20Songbook.pdf?dl=0  We'll project your lyrics and chords.

Redmond to open behavioral health and vocational service office

Council approved a $84,122 grant from Washington Association of Police for integrated behavioral health and vocational services to low income residents of King County.  Services will be located in an office in Redmond and provide the clinical staff for a Mental Health Field Response Team.

Over the past three (3) years the City of Redmond and the Redmond Police Department (RPD) have worked to develop a comprehensive, innovative approach to deal with the complex issues our region faces stemming from unprecedented increases in homeless individuals and the opioid addiction epidemic. We began with the addition of an Outreach Specialist, Kent Hay, that is embedded with our Patrol response. He has assisted by creating a Community Resource Center that has brought representatives from many social service agencies together on a weekly basis.

City saves two mature cottonwoods at Idywood Park

City Park Operations Manger David Tucheck
in Idylwood Park with Cottonwoods

In August 2017, two separate large tree limb failures occurred at Idylwood Park. After the limb failures from drought, a visual tree risk assessment was performed on all trees in high use park areas by a certified arborist on City staff. As a result of the tree risk assessment, thirty (30) large cottonwood trees were identified as needing to be removed.

 March 19, 2018, City staff removed fourteen (14) cottonwood trees.
 March 27, 2018, a formal appeal regarding the project was filed. The tree removal project was put on hold during the appeal process.
 June 1, 2018, the appeal was dismissed by the Hearing Examiner The project was postponed until after Labor Day because of the busy summer beach season.

The City has hired a contractor to remove the remaining fourteen (14) hazardous cottonwood trees. Two (2) of the hazardous will be pruned to reduce risk and will remain. The project is scheduled to resume on October 8, 2018. Restoration of the tree removal areas will occur November 2018 – March 2019.

A community volunteer replanting event will be coordinated by the City. Volunteers and City staff will plant trees, shrubs, groundcovers, and install woody mulch. Replanting quantities include 66 trees, 291 shrubs, and 96 groundcovers.

Source:  Parks and Human Services Council committee memo, 10/2

Downtown Park Grand Opening inundated by rain

Six council members with mayor speaking under the park pavilion

The Ribbon Cutting was at 5:30 pm. Council member Steve Fields was absent. Plenty of parking at the Community Center.  Thirty minutes after the ceremony the park was twice hit with a downpour of rain.   At 7:10 pm right before the events a deluge of rain occurred. My wife and I retreated to our home.

Bob Yoder, 10/1

Facebook comment:  M Harrison Gallagher -- A refurbished Redmond pool is estimated at $20 million; a new Olympic pool such as the King County Aquatic Center is about $35 to 40 million. $42 million bought us a tree-lined concrete slab. Redmond has many deserving communities that are neglected.

Redmond Nourishing Networks addresses neighborhood hunger

Our shared purpose as the Redmond Nourishing Network is to support locally-owned solutions to fill the existing gaps that leave people hungry by weaving together the efforts, stories and ideas of individual and organizational networks. Together we can provide an abundance of nourishment for our communities.

Our efforts include helping people in Redmond become aware of the reality of hunger in our community, knowledgeable of organizations currently addressing hunger needs, and motivated to support local programs in order to form Redmond into a community where all are nourished as they need. Another focus is transformation, to change the way people think of and see hungry people in our community (the dignity of empathy), and to help all members of the Redmond community recognize many kinds of hunger in the people around them and themselves.

Partners:

• Open Kitchen                                    City of Redmond
• Hopelink                                             Redmond Presbyterian Church
• Friends of Youth                                Redmond United Methodist Church
• Seattle Tilth                              St. Jude's Catholic Church
• Justserve.org                              

Redmond Food Box Program is returning for 2017/2018 School Year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We will once again be collecting food for families whose children receive free and reduced lunch at school.

We would love to have you - or your book club, Mom's Group, Boy Scout Troop, Girl Scout Troop or PTSA -
put together a box of food for a family over the upcoming Thanksgiving break.Thanks for helping Redmond families! 

-- Source:  Redmond Senior Center "Encore" publication

LW school district installs 10 energy efficient portables

Student enrollment growth requires Lake Washington to develop short-term space plan to accommodate students energy-efficient portable Enrollment in LWSD has grown 25 percent in the last decade. The district has a long-term strategy to build facilities and increase capacity. Until the long-term plan is completed, the district develops short-term plans to address immediate needs for classroom space. For fall 2018, the district installed 10 energy efficient portable classrooms at Lakeview Elementary (2), Benjamin Rush Elementary (1), Mark Twain Elementary (3), Rose Hill Elementary (2) and John Muir Elementary (2). The district adopted a portable standard in 2014 of SAGE (Smart Academic Green Environment) portable classrooms. SAGE portable classrooms are energy-efficient, have more natural light than traditional portables and are constructed with low-emitting building materials. The LED lights turn off automatically when no one is in the room. The HVAC systems in SAGE portables also improve ventilation and reduce noise. Enrollment is projected to reach 32,000 students in the next five years. For information about LWSD’s plan to increase permanent capacity, visit our Building on Success page. Source:  LWSD Connections, 9/14.

LW students score well on state assessments

Lake Washington students continue to score well above state average on state assessments

Sep 17 2018

Redmond, Wash. – Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students continue to score well-above the state average in all areas tested by the Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA).

“We are pleased to share these results with our community,” noted Dr. Jane Stavem, Superintendent.  “Our teachers, staff and building administrators will continue to work hard to ensure that every single student in our district is learning, growing and succeeding.”

Students in grades 3-8 and in grade 10 took the Smarter Balanced Assessments in English Language Arts (ELA) and in Math. This is a change from previous years, when grade 11 was used as the federal accountability testing grade in high school for ELA and Math. Students in grades 5, 8 and 11 also took new science tests. These tests are based on Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), adopted by Washington state in 2013.

In English Language Arts, the percentage of LWSD students meeting the new standards ranged from 80.5 percent in sixth grade to a high of 88.7 percent in 10th grade. At the state level, the percentage of students meeting the standard in English Language Arts ranged from 55.5 percent in grade three to a high of 69.5 percent in grade 10. (See the chart below for scores for each grade level.) 

In Math, the percentage of LWSD students meeting the standard ranged from 72.3 percent in 10th grade to a high of 80.1 percent in sixth grade. At the state level, the percentage of students meeting the standard ranged from 40.6 percent in grade 10 to 57.5 percent in grade three.

This year, the greatest gains for LWSD were in sixth grade math (an increase of 2.4% over 2017), and fifth grade ELA (an increase of 1.6% over 2017).

Open houses at Ella Baker and Clara Barton Elementary Schools

Clara Barton open house:  Thursday, October 11th, 4:15 - 7PM
12101-172nd Ave NE

Ella Baker Elementary (video) open house:  Saturday, October 6th, 10 - 1:30 PM
9596 East Ridge Drive NE

9/20/2018

LWSD Bond Projects Update

Click on a link below to jump to updates for other projects funded by the 2016 bond:  Juanita High School Margaret Mead Elementary School Peter Kirk Elementary Old Redmond Schoolhouse Explorer Community School

Juanita High School  Juanita High School students returned to campus for their first day of school on September 4. Students will attend classes in what remains of their old building, as well as in 15 double-classroom portables. The first phase of the new school building will open in one year. Roof installation is complete. Masonry at the theater is complete. Exterior work – including brick veneer and window installation – has begun. Sheetrock installation has begun. A regional operating engineers union strike has been resolved.

Mayor Marchione appoints two new directors

Rachel Van Winkle

Redmond, WA – Earlier this week, the City Council confirmed Mayor John Marchione’s appointment of Rachel Van Winkle as the new Parks and Recreation Director and Jonny Chambers as the new Technology and Information Services Director for the City of Redmond. Both Van Winkle and Chambers will begin on October 3, 2018.

“Rachel and Jonny both bring great knowledge, leadership skills, and passion with them to the City of Redmond,” states Mayor John Marchione. “Rachel’s background in recreational programming and facilities coupled with her communication experience will be a great asset to the City.”

Jonny Chambers

Rachel Van Winkle has been serving as the interim Parks Director since July and has accepted the promotion to Parks Director. Rachel joined the City in 2015 and previously worked for the Seattle YMCA, Apex Park and Recreation District in Arvada, Colorado, and the RDV Sportsplex in Orlando, Florida. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Western New England College, Massachusetts.

“The City will benefit from Jonny’s depth of experience and years spent with the University of Washington and Microsoft as well as his ability to innovate and create systems that will support the City’s vision and mission,” said Marchione.                                                                             

After a national executive search, Jonny Chambers has accepted the position as the new Technology and Information Services Director. Jonny comes to the City via the University of Washington and Microsoft. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Management and Psychology from Queen’s University Belfast.

For questions and more information contact Lisa Maher, Communications & Marketing Manager, at lmaher@redmond.gov or 425-556-2427. This press release is available on www.redmond.gov.

Pictures courtesy of City of Redmond

Press release, 9/20

Family support for the mentally ill

NAMI Eastside offers a free 12-week educational program called "Family-to-Family" that significantly improves the coping and problem-solving abilities of the people closest to an individual living with a mental health condition.  Office:  425-885-6264

If you have a home bound family member over the age of 18 living with a psychiatric disorder EvergreenHealth Community Hospital can provide masters-level therapists to treat your loved ones in your home.  For details contact Laurene Burton at 425-899-2667 or click the link.  

For substance abuse recovery support call:  206-722-3700 or email:  support@adhl.org  

Mayor Marchione declared September as "National Recovery Month" during the last regular City Hall meeting.  

--Bob Yoder

Western Screech Owl on Redmond Powerline Trail

Western Screech Owl on Powerline Trail / John Reinke

Actually, the little western screech-owl didn't make a sound, as it silently surveyed me from its vantage point in a
hole in a tree trunk.  And I don't know if it was a male or a female.

I was ascending the Powerline Trail in the late afternoon about a month ago, from its western terminus at the Sammamish River Trail here in Redmond.  After a few minutes, I came to a spot  where I knew one could see a tree trunk with an oval opening that was large enough to serve as a nest cavity.

I hadn't passed that way since last year, when my friend Bob Yoder had published a photo of an adult screech owl peering out of that very same space on his Redmond Blog.  The discovery and photos were taken by his friend Ingunn Markiewiez.

I glanced to my right, and saw what looked like a kind of growth occupying the cavity.  I thought that was odd, and continued climbing upward.  I had also noticed there was a kind of cobweb covering the upper part of the opening.

Credit/ John Reinke  (click photo)

It wasn't until I returned perhaps 15 minutes later, that I stopped to inspect the "growth" further.  I couldn't make out what it was exactly.  But then it moved!  I quickly realized I was looking at a western screech-owl, which had almost perfectly blended in with the surrounding tree bark.

So as not to startle it, I slowly reached for my camera.  The owl was no more than 15 feet from me, at about eye level, due to the downward sloping hillside.

I snapped off a few shots, showing the tree against the surrounding foliage, with the owl calmly nestled in the cavity.  I then zoomed in on it and took several more photos. One of the photos shows the owl blinking one eye.

Blogger Brad Smith describes Microsoft plans for modern campus

At a time when space is at a premium and many companies are looking for room to grow, we recognize that our 500-acre campus in Redmond, Washington, is a unique asset. Neighboring a vibrant urban core, suburban towns, lakes, mountains and miles of forest, it’s one of Microsoft’s crown jewels. And as we continue to grow and look to create the best workplace in the tech sector, Microsoft will invest right here in Redmond, our home for more than 30 years.

Next fall, we will break ground on a multi-year campus refresh project that will include 18 new buildings, 6.7 million square feet of renovated workspace, $150 million in transportation infrastructure improvements, public spaces, sports fields and green space. Today Microsoft has 125 buildings in the Puget Sound region. When this project is complete, our main campus will be comprised of 131 buildings — including the equivalent of 180 football fields of new and renovated space — of modern workspace for the 47,000 employees who work here every day, plus room to expand operations and add up to 8,000 more people.

And while we transform our workspace inside, we will renovate the exterior to create more opportunities to exercise, play and connect with nature for the people who work at Microsoft and those who live nearby. Our plans include a 2-acre open plaza that will fit up to 12,000 people, running and walking trails, facilities for soccer and cricket, and retail space.