September 25, 2019

Dear Friends,

Fall is officially here!

As we transition into this season, I would like to update you on a number of things going on around the county including upcoming road construction, regional data, information from King County Elections, exciting community events, and more.

Kathy Lambert

In this Issue:

      1. Upper Preston Road Frontage Bridge full closure, October 1-4
      *2. Department of Local Services Community Service Area grant application due November 4th
      3. Snoqualmie Valley nonprofits present to Local Services, Regional Roads and Bridges Committee
      4. Carnation Citywide Evacuation Drill
      5. Diaper Need Awareness Week
      6. Update from King County Elections
      7. Open 4Culture grants
      8. Love Snoqualmie Valley – October 5th

1. Upper Preston Road Frontage Bridge full closure, October 1-4

On Tuesday, October 1 at 7 a.m., crews will begin epoxy deck overlay work on the Upper Preston Road Frontage Bridge between Preston Fall City Road SE and 312th Avenue SE near the town of Preston. Following prep work, the bridge will remain closed to traffic 24/7 until it reopens on Friday, October 4 at 4 p.m. This work is weather dependent.

Visit the My Commute webpage to see this location.

2. Department of Local Services Community Service Area grant application due November 4th

The King County unincorporated area is broken up into seven “Community Service Areas” (CSAs) that inform and empower people and communities in these regions. The two CSAs in District 3 are the Bear Creek/Sammamish area and the Snoqualmie Valley/Northeast King County area.

Each year, King County awards funding for Community Engagement Grants in these areas to fund community projects that offer unincorporated area residents in the CSAs an opportunity to participate and be more connected in their communities.

Funding for projects will begin in March, 2020 and amounts awarded are limited to less than $5,000 per project.

If you have an idea that would enhance your community, then join with your neighbors and submit a proposal. Applications are due by 5pm on Monday, November 4th, 2019.

For more information and to access the application, click here.

3. Snoqualmie Valley nonprofits present to Local Services, Regional Roads and Bridges Committee

Earlier this week, nonprofit organizations that are working together to coordinate human services across the Snoqualmie Valley presented at the Local Services, Regional Roads and Bridges Committee meeting.

The group discussed the community needs assessment they conducted earlier this year in the Snoqualmie Valley in order to collect data that will help them identify service gaps and develop solutions specific to the region. The assessment led to a number of interesting insights and findings, which they presented on at the meeting. It shows demographics, needs, and compares the local data to the county at large. This is very helpful information.

You can watch their presentation by clicking here. To view the full report, click here (https://asupportivecommunityforall.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/SCFA-FINAL-Needs-Assessment-2019_0812.pdf ).

4. Carnation Citywide Evacuation Drill

This weekend on Saturday, September 28th, the City of Carnation is hosting a seminar, drill, and safety fair regarding evacuation information in case of a failure of the Tolt Dam. The event begins at 9am at Tolt Middle School and will end at 1pm.

Part of the event will include a “Hike to the Site” in which attendees can hike to the evacuation site in the Tolt Highlands. Those who register for the “hike” will receive a free
t-shirt.

For more information and to register for the event, click here.

5. Diaper Need Awareness Week

The King County Council officially recognized this week (September 23-29) as Diaper Need Awareness Week.

Newborns and toddlers may go through as many as 12 diapers in a single day and nationally, one in three families struggle to keep up with their children’s diaper needs. Of those parents who are affected by diaper need, three out of five parents miss work or school because they don’t have sufficient diapers to send their child to daycare.

Organized nationally by the National Diaper Bank Network and sponsored locally by Eastside Baby Corner and WestSide Baby, the weeklong awareness campaign aims to spotlight the need to support organizations that provide diapers to those families who can’t afford enough diapers on their own. Both organizations do such great work to help families all across the County by providing them with diapers and other needed supplies. I very much respect these organizations for their dedication in meeting many needs in our community.

To view hours and locations to bring donations to Eastside Baby Corner, click here.

6. Update from King County Elections

Earlier this month, the Director of King County Elections sent an email that included the helpful information below:

“Seahawks/CenturyLink Partnership. I’m thrilled to share that we will be working in partnership with these two organizations on a fairly extensive voter registration/GOTV campaign, which includes featuring voter registration at two games this fall and promoting our ads and messaging throughout the season. We will be at the the October 20 game against the Ravens. If you have attended any preseason games or watched them on TV you may have already seen our videos in the stadium or during a commercial break.”

As an update, here is information on how our district voted on the King County Parks Levy:

7. Open 4Culture grants

4Culture, the King County cultural funding agency, is looking for applications for “Open 4Culture.” If you have never applied to a 4Culture grant before and are interested in getting financial support for your project with arts, heritage, or preservation – this program is for you.


The grant program does not have a deadline and 4Culture may award amounts up to $1,500 per applicant. Here are the requirements from 4Culture to be considered for funding:

• “If yours is an arts project, you are eligible if you are an individual artist, arts group, organization, or small business residing in King County, including White Center and Skyway (unincorporated King County), but outside of Seattle. Individual artists must be 18 years of age or older, or youth with adult representation.
• For Heritage and Preservation projects, you are eligible if you are an individual, group, organization, or small business doing heritage or preservation work based anywhere in King County, including seattle.
• Individuals, groups, or organizations who have been funded by 4Culture in the past are not eligible for this grant.”

Additionally, here is a list of projects that could be funded through this grant:

• “Street closure permit, liability insurance, and sound equipment rental for a festival to celebrate the history of farming in Carnation.
• Hire a historian to work with K-8 students, who will map out a farm that once stood on their school grounds on Vashon Island, by creating drawings and writing stories about the farm, based on historical research.
• Fund the planning phase of a garden project in a location of significance to the Japanese community in the International District in Seattle.”

For more information, click here.

8. Love Snoqualmie Valley – October 5th

“Love Snoqualmie Valley” is an event on Saturday, October 5th, where volunteers from around the region will come together to work on a number of different projects that will help our community. The day will kickoff with an event rally at 8am and work projects will go until noon.

To learn more about the event, the different projects, and to register, click here.

Conclusion

There are busy months ahead at the King County Council with the supplemental budget and many other issues such as land use, homelessness, and more.

Stay tuned to future newsletters for more updates.