April 2015
In this newsletter:
1. Noise Ordinance Passes!
2. Unincorporated Area meetings: April 13, 20 and 21
3. Elections Survey
4. New Snoqualmie Shuttle: delivering service that fits the valley
5. KCTV Video: the importance of restoring the DV unit to the Sheriff's Office
6. Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Parking Lot Dedication
7. Spring arrives early for hungry bears
8. County Employees save Money through Innovation
Dear District 3 friend,
These first few months of 2015 have been extra busy. I've spoken at a number of community meetings, held a Town Hall with Sheriff Urquhart in Fall City, helped dedicate the new parking lot for the Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park, attended the Willowmoor Project Meeting regarding Lake Sammamish and had major legislation pass the Council in addition to my regular duties.
In a few weeks there will be three meetings in the unincorporated areas:.
1. A Community Service Area Open House in Woodinville on Monday, April 13
2. The Council's Committee of the Whole Town Hall in Fall City on Monday, April 20
3. A Community Service Area Open House in Fall City on Tuesday, April 21
More information is below; I hope you can join me.
I've included an article on bears being on the move early this year. I thought this was important safety information. We always want to be prepared for the unexpected!
I am so excited that after a year of work, outreach, planning and meetings, we now have a new much more useful noise ordinance.
I invite you to check out my Facebook page. I post a lot of information about our district and the council. It's a great source of information about what's happening.
It's a privilege to represent you on the Council.
Kathy Lambert
The noise ordinance was originally written in 1977 and spans over 11 chapters. It was out of date and a task force spent a year helping to rewrite the entire code. In 2013, 1,603 people reported noise-related complaints to the Sheriff's Office. This new code sets up a process to deal with noise issues that is less cumbersome and easier to enforce. It passed the council unanimously and will likely take effect this summer after State approval.
2. Unincorporated Area meetings: April 13, 20 and 21
Two Community Service Area (CSA) open houses are scheduled this April. The open houses bring together the local County Councilmember and representatives from the Executive, Sheriff and numerous other County officials to meet with local residents and discuss issues affecting local communities.
I'll be attending both of these meetings and invite you to join me and other county officials. Both meetings will run from 7 - 9 p.m. For more information, including locations, please visit the website.
The two CSA meetings in our district are:
Bear Creek/Sammamish:
April 13, 2015 7-9pm
Woodinville Water District Office
17238 NE Woodinville Duvall Road
Woodinville
Snoqualmie Valley/NE King County:
April 21, 2015 7-9 pm
King County Fire District 27
4301 334th PL SE
Fall City, WA
Additionally, the Council's Committee of the Whole will meet in Fall City on Monday, April 20 for a Town Hall. It will be held at Chief Kanim Middle School and starts at 6 pm. Please come and share your thoughts with the Council. The topics will include local and regional government and farm and food issues.
Council Town Hall meeting
April 20, 2015 6 pm
Chief Kanim Middle School
32627 SE Redmond-Fall City Rd,
Fall City, WA
Each month I'll be including a brief survey on an important topic. This month's survey is on elections and I want to get your thoughts. Please answer the survey question!
4. New Snoqualmie Shuttle: delivering service that fits the Valley
Click map to enlarge (pdf, 1.1 MB)  |
The new Snoqualmie community shuttle, Route 628, launched on Monday, Feb. 16, and is the first service to be launched under the expanded alternative services program approved by King County Council in the 2015-16 budget.
It provides a new peak period connection between North Bend, Snoqualmie and the Issaquah Highlands, charging standard Metro fares to ride. The service was designed in partnership with the affected communities and will be operated by Hopelink.
This new peak service will provide more connections to: regional transit services at the Issaquah Highlands Park-and-Ride; new peak service from the Highlands to North Bend; and new flexible service to neighborhoods in the Highlands. Route 628 will help to mitigate the loss of routes 209 and 215, which were eliminated as part of the 2014 fall service reductions. The service will complement Route 208, which provides service every two hours between North Bend, Snoqualmie and Issaquah.
As more riders use this route, we look forward to expanding service as funds become available.
5. KCTV Video: The Importance of Restoring the DV Unit in the Sheriff's Office
This video from King County TV provides a good summation of the importance of adding the Domestic Violence Unit to the Sheriff's Office, which was restored in our new budget
6. Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Parking Lot Dedication
I was really pleased to be part of dedicating this parking lot which was so needed as this is a well-loved and used park area. The mountain biking clubs provided the impetus to add this parking lot and they volunteer many hours of service to keep the park in good condition. It's a great addition to making our King County Parks more accessible!
7. Spring Arrives Early for Hungry Bears
Due to unseasonably warm weather, bears are on the move early this year, prompting state wildlife managers to remind the public about ways to avoid conflicts with black bears.
Rich Beausoleil, bear and cougar specialist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), said the department has already received reports of black bear activity in King and Chelan counties and coastal areas.
"Bears are naturally wary of humans, but they can overcome that fear when they are rewarded with food provided intentionally or unintentionally by people," he said. "Situations involving bears that have learned to associate food sources with people often end badly for the bear."
Two state laws prohibit leaving food or food waste in places where it can attract bears and other wild carnivores. Unintentionally or "negligently" feeding bears can bring a fine of $87 while the fine for intentional feeding can be as much as $1,000.
Beausoleil advises taking the following steps to prevent conflicts with bears:
• Never intentionally feed bears or other wild animals.
• Keep garbage cans in a garage or another secure area until collection day.
• Remove pet food from areas accessible to wildlife.
• Take down birdfeeders until winter.
• Thoroughly clean barbecue grills after each use.
• When camping, thoroughly clean all cooking utensils after use and seal uneaten food in airtight containers that are stored in bear-proof canisters away from sleeping areas.
More information about how to avoid conflict with bears is available on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/bears.html.
8. County Employees Save Money through Innovation
Less stress means fewer illnesses for cats.
Three County employees, Nickie Ford, Debbi Linebarger, and Scott Landwehr, found an innovative and collaborative way to make these cats happy and save $15,000 annually.
Check out the very cool slideshow that tells the story of happy cats and dollars saved.
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Email: kathy.lambert@kingcounty.gov |