SOUTH ROSE HILL/BRIDLE TRAILS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
General Membership Meeting – Tuesday, March 8, 2005
President Bruce Feuling called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.
Bruce introduced the SRHBTNA officers in attendance and the City Council members in attendance, Jessica Greenway and Dave Asher.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
A special thank you to Dana and Rhoda for, once again, bringing the refreshments to our meeting, and to the new Starbucks on 85th Street for donating the coffee.
Jim McElwee spoke about the Kirkland Interfaith Transitions in Housing Memorial Day Bike Ride and will have more information available for everyone at the May Meeting.
Kari Page discussed Kirkland Triathlon which will go through our neighborhood on May 22nd but with minimal anticipated interruption.
A Special Collection Event will be held at the Houghton Park & Ride this Saturday.
A Special City Council Meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 22 at 7:00 p.m. at Rose Hill Elementary. (Please return postcards with your questions for the Council by this Friday.)
REPORTS
Bridle Trails Foundation - Don Prince, President of the Bridle Trails Foundation, passed around a copy of the latest copy of The Advocate newsletter with up-to-date information on the Foundation, and encouraged every to sign up for the newsletter. Don reported that Lorraine Trosper serves on the Board. The Foundation is a 501(c)3 set up to save the State Park from a recurring lack of funding which would close the Park. The Foundation and State Parks system have a 40 year agreement and so far, the agreement is working well. The Foundation will put together strategies to raise money to keep the Park open.
Everyone was invited to attend the Third Annual “Party in the Park” on Saturday, June 25th. It is hoped to have 800 to 1,000 people participate. There will be a young kids' area, a pancake breakfast, fun runs, and exhibitions, from 8:00 a.m. until noon. Parking will be free that day.
UPDATE
Sports Park Field – Jeanette Simecek
The fencing is under construction this week and should be ready for play soon. The Grand Opening will be held in 2006 when the grass, parking, etc. is completed. (There currently is no fill on the north end of the site.) The possibility of a fundraiser for a tot lot toy was brought up. Access to the site will be off 60th only (67th will be blocked off). Right now, it is green, looks beautiful, and is a nice place to take dogs for a walk.
Neighborhood Connections - Kari Page, Neighborhood Services Coordinator
The City started the Neighborhood Connections program in 2000. $25,000 is awarded to a neighborhood each third year. A total of 297 ballots (close to record) were received and Kari was excited to report that the City can fund all but one project on the list. The proposed projects totaled $35,000. The top vote getter was planning street trees and volunteers will be solicited. Other ideas were street lights, landscaping around the Bridle Trails sign, installing picnic benches, and radar equipment for the Speed Watch Committee.
I-405 Corridor Project - Colleen Gants
Colleen discussed the I-405 Project and the Kirkland Nickel Project. Colleen passed out brochures and introduced Norm Storme, a member of the Kirkland Advisory Committee, and Don Samdahl, a traffic engineer on the project. Colleen explained that the funding comes in “chunks”, and that the 2003 Nickel Improvement Projects is a big chunk. The Kirkland Stage One projects are slated for 2005, with Kirkland Stage Two scheduled for 2009. In this first phase, an extra lane will be added to I-405 from 85th to 124th. Stage two will include the extension of the additional lane from 70th to 85th, and a southbound lane from 522 to 70th. All four lanes are expected to remain open during construction during peak hours, with a lot of the construction being done at night and on weekends. There will be an upcoming meeting regarding noise walls at which the neighbors will be invited.
Surface Water Utility Update - Scott Gonsar
An Open House has been scheduled. This public meeting will be held on April 18 at Heritage Hall. The Surface Water Utility was created in 1998 to guide the City on how we work with streams, etc. The Open House will be an opportunity to give comments, ask questions, and to learn about the Utility and its plan for the next four to five years.
Sidewalk Bond Exploratory Committee – Norm Storme, Transportation Commission, and Ray Steiger, Kirkland’s Capital Projects Manager
Norm and Ray reported that the Exploratory Committee has been meeting since July. They toured the City in a Bus and prioritized projects with City Staff, giving appropriate listing of projects in tiers. The Committee plans to go to the City Council to go for a Bond. The passing of a lot of initiatives reduced the motor vehicle excise tax contribution to the City so that there is $1/2 million less in the transportation budget. The City is required to spend a certain amount of money on capacity projects. ($2.7 million on Capacity a year, $1.4 million on maintenance, and what is left is for new sidewalks.) The Committee was formed representing a number of people and interest groups: the school district, neighborhood associations, City staff, healthcare industry professionals, and concerned citizens. The City is looking at various levels of improvements where the community needs are – near schools, arterials, and in neighborhoods, supporting kids’, seniors, and walkers wanting exercise. Ray, as Capital Projects Manager, reported that sidewalks, including parking, bike lane, storm drainage and planter strip, $150 – $290 per linear foot. Issues, such as asphalt and gravel treatments, and SEA Streets are also being discussed.
When would this happen? The Neighborhood Outreach will continue through end of May. There will be a community survey taken to determine the level of support from neighborhood feedback. It is hoped to go to the Council in June, and then the Committee will be looking for a lot of support to get the vote out.
Talk Trash (Solid Waste Task Force) – Bruce Feuling
The Neighborhood Association has a very active subcommittee on Solid Waste which has been meeting for six years. King County Solid Waste has two new committees; ITSG – with staff only on comm., and WISWAC, on which serve Jessica Greenway and Jim Lauinger. They are in the process of establishing criteria for evaluating the existing system. Enumclaw & Vashon have been modernized (one currently being updated). Five sites are being evaluated. The criteria had been put in as a condition in last year’ budget. Before the County could do improvements to Houghton, a MOU was signed between Kirkland and King County. The City is in the process of sending back a response. They would like to prohibit commercial haulers from using 122nd and to require using sound absorption materials in the wall being built. Addressing the wetlands on property would preclude a soundwall on west side of the property, but the sound wall brings up the question, would it increase permanence? 16 municipalities represented on the WISWAC; many of the others are committed to keeping Houghton Transfer Station open. The other municipalities have a vested interest in having the transfer station that handles the lion’s share of solid waste from closing
Establishing objective evaluation criteria is the best hope we have because it takes it out of the discretion of King County Solid Waste. Issues such as noise could be defined as “noise levels within so many yards”. Other criteria, such as travel time and proximity to residential homes, could be addressed, as well as things like where trucks can make right turns, effective cuing, and requiring that trucks don’t drive in front of an elementary school.