SOUTH ROSE HILL/BRIDLE TRAILS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

General Meeting - Tuesday, March 13, 2007

 

President Jeanette Simecek called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.

 

Jeanette introduced Mayor Jim Lauinger and the City Council members in attendance: Dave Asher, Mary-Alyce Burleigh, Jessica Greenway, and Bob Sternoff.  Jeanette also introduced the SRHBTNA Officers/Board Members in attendance and reminded everyone that N.A. elections will be held in May.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

The City of Kirkland Senior Council is looking for volunteers for a Long Term Care Ombudsman program.  The City is looking for ordinary citizens to join them and help in this advocacy program.  Training will be provided and will require a commitment of four hours per week.

 

Neighborhood Connections Update – The City has installed the benches we purchased with grant money at 80th/120th, on NE 70th by Pagliacci, and at NE 70th/120th across from Holy Family.  Plaques will be added saying they are from Neighborhood Connections.

 

Natural Yard Care Neighborhood Workshops – are being sponsored by Kirkland and King County.  Workshops will include natural lawn care, natural bug maintenance, healthy soil practices, and smart watering.

 

The Kirkland Classics, a women’s 50+ softball team, is looking for players.  If interested, please contact Jeanette.

 

Trillium Walk – The trilliums are starting to bloom and an organized walk will be held soon.  Information will be posted on the website and sent to the N.A. distribution.

 

REPORTS

 

The Park at Ben Franklin School and Rose Hill Meadows - Michael Cogle

The City is closer to the final design for the Park at Ben Franklin Elementary and Rose Hill Meadows Park on 124th Ave NE.  The planning for both these new parks has included community meetings and presentations at our SRHBTNA meetings.  The Park at Ben Franklin Elementary will be four acres used by the neighborhood and the school.  There was an opportunity with the School District to make the area more useable to neighborhood and school populations.  The focus was on preserving the natural landscape and the forested area will have improved trails.  There may be a small amphitheatre for classrooms or groups and plans include a small picnic shelter and improvements to the field.  A main feature was to have been a sand volleyball court but the School District objected to sand.  This park will be a great partnership which takes advantage of existing land but will be maintained by Park staff. 

 

Rose Hill Meadows is the name of the brand-new neighborhood park on 124th Ave NE behind Safeway.  The City has been working for eight years to acquire the 4 ½ acres.  Several older homes on the properties will be vacated by the end of March and the demolition of structures will occur shortly after.  Park development will happen this summer.  The existence of wetlands and a stream requires additional planning.  Plans for the park include a picnic shelter and asphalt trails which will connect to surrounding neighborhood including 126th Avenue.  The Park Department will work with the N.A. to hold an opening ceremony in the fall.  Volunteers interested in viewing the construction drawings and providing input on the selection of playground equipment should contact Michael.


 

 

Cascade Water Alliance “Ensuring a Clean, Safe Water Supply” - Mary-Alyce Burleigh

Currently, Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett provide the bulk of our region’s water.  However, these water systems are not connected; they are “separate empires.”  It is expected that over one million people will arrive in our area by 2030 due to job growth and a strong economy.  We also will be facing the effects of global warming.  The existing water sources won’t keep up with the demand.  The Cascade Water Alliance was formed in 1999 to supply its member cities with a predictable, long-term water supply and environmental stewardship.  Members include Bellevue, Covington, Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, Skyway, and Tukwila.  This includes 300,000 residents and 22,000 businesses.  In the Cascade service area, each entity has a representative on the Board of Directors.  Mary-Alyce and Jim Lauinger serve on the Cascade Water Alliance Board.  The Cascade plan is to meet our own needs with our own resources.  Some cities have wells, including Redmond and Bellevue (Covington has a surplus of wells).  A contract has been signed with Tacoma to create new transmission facilities using a new water supply system, Lake Tapps. 

 

The Lake Tapps Reservoir was built by PSE for a hydro-electric energy project and the water quality is actually pretty good.  It will supply 40 million gallons-a-day, rising to 80 million gallons-per day.  In 2025, the Lake Tapps supply will come online.  A secure water future is too important to leave to chance.  While we are willing to put up with congestion, we cannot tolerate turning on the tap and having no water.  Conservation is a huge part of the plan; we must be smarter and do what we can by reducing our consumption of water. 

 

Hopelink Update - Jessica Ivey

Jessica reported on how Hopelink was doing in its new location behind Bridle Trails Market.  Hopelink provides a food bank in their new facility and there had been a concern that the remote location would make access difficult.  Jessica reported that things are going well, in that people can get to the new location.  A lot of their clients say they usually rely on the busses or use carpooling to get to the food bank.  The number of families served has risen slightly.  Hopelink can always use volunteers on food distributions dates; middays on Thursdays and on Wednesday evenings.  Volunteers are also being sought for May 12th which is the biggest food drive of the year, the National Letter Carriers Drive.

 

BREAK

 

CERT Training and Mapping Your Neighborhood - Jim McElwee

Citizen Emergency Response Teams (CERT) is a program involving trained people in the neighborhood, including ham radio operators, helping themselves, immediate households, and the larger community in the event of a disaster.  CERT-certified graduates would be scattered about the community.  The recently formed Kirkland Citizen Corps will be organizing to tie together CERT-trained people, ham radio operators, and City emergency systems.  CERT training will be held for seven weeks, beginning April 18th, with afternoon or evening classes.  Contact Robin Paster if you are interested.  "Map Your Neighborhood" is a program by which neighbors would organize approximately 20 households, distribute brochures en masse, organize one-hour meetings, and reinforce the nine steps of emergency preparedness.  Teams would then be organized to make sure our neighbors and neighborhood are safe after an event and would participate in State developed workshops and compile a census of skills, materials, and resources.

 

Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods – Jim McElwee

KAN is in the process of evaluating the mission of the organization.  They are looking at what we (as a neighborhood) view as important, sharing good ideas, sponsoring Neighborhood University training for leaders of neighborhoods, and sharing neighborhoods’ concerns.  A lot of the issues are not that different from neighborhood to neighborhood and the City Council is very interested in what the neighborhoods have to say.


 

 

HOT LIST (from prior meeting):

·                     Trees fallen down at 116th/67th easement at the park & ride property – Still pending

·                     Undergrounding of utilities on 85th – They will be undergrounded, but not 100%.  The City is looking at alternative funding sources and will start west and head east, adding conduit.

·                     Cars on the 124th Puget Power easement behind Ben Franklin School – Locking posts have been installed.  It was suggested that Silver Spurs and Bridlewood Circle residents be given keys.

·                     Reestablishment of a bike lane on NE 80th? - Still pending

·                     Why is 122nd Ave NE not a 20 miles-per-hour school zone because there are school crossings?  - Still pending, however, there will be a double stripe painted north of 70th toward the high school which will make it a “no passing zone.”

 

New Hot List Items:

·                     Invasive blackberries at the landfill – Margaret Schwendler requested a sustainable strategic plan for the landfill to preserve the habitat, including quail, bald eagles, hawks, rabbits, and many others species. 

·                     Problems with speeding and parking on 122nd between 80th & 85th – It was suggested to add a “respect our neighborhood” sign, have speed enforcement, and work with Farmers Insurance, Starbucks, etc. to address off-street parking alternatives.

·                     Dump trucks speeding on 60th and on 116th - what will happen with a wider road and adding lanes?

·                     Long trucks speeding on 60th – It was a one-time misunderstanding and will not happen again (we have been reassured).

·                     122nd Avenue NE from 70th to 80th, parking on new asphalt shoulder?

·                     Will there be any more dirt added to the landfill in the north fill to finish the cap?

·                     A market will be taking over two buildings on 85th where the Stonehouse Bookstore is.  Many trees will be coming down but the arborist said the developer will plant new trees between 126th and 128th.

·                     Sidewalk in front of Transfer Station?

 

SRHBTNA Nominating Committee – Andy Held

Andy reported that at the next general meeting, the May annual meeting, the election of N.A. Officers/Board Members will take place.  The nominating process and election process were explained and procedures were passed out.  The Nominating Committee will be chaired by Board Member Ern Anderson.  As always, there will be the opportunity to submit nominations from the floor.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 9:03 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

Deirdre DeWan Johnson

Secretary