neighborhood villages

Credit, Paige Norman, Facebook 

Redmond, WA  � Mark your calendars as Redmond Lights returns on December 1 and 2, 2018, in celebration of the City's diverse winter traditions, cultures, and faiths. In addition to traditional light displays, this year�s event will continue to incorporate public art by featuring six new temporary artist-commissioned light installations. Installation details and locations are listed below beginning with the City Hall Campus and ending at Downtown Park. As the Luminary Walk begins, attendees will walk below the NE 85th Street Bridge and see the � Untitled�  sculptural work by Will Schlough that features a slightly larger than life-size steel blue heron illuminated by LED lights. The heron poses as if she has just taken off from the river and will instill feelings of joy and imagination in the viewers, developing a connection with the river and surrounding natural environment. �RainBrella�  is an interactive light-art installation by local artist group Seattle Design Nerds ...

Internet Redmond, WA  �  Firefighters from the Redmond Fire Department extinguished a house fire Tuesday evening with the assistance of the Kirkland and Woodinville Fire Departments. Firefighters responded to a home off NE 114 th  Way in Redmond to find heavy smoke coming from the garage with a car on fire. The fire was quickly extinguished by fire personnel with the help of the home�s sprinkler system. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. �With the automatic activation of the residential fire sprinkler system, this fire event was quickly and successfully contained to the garage. Incoming crews were able to rapidly extinguish the fire with no reported injuries,� stated Todd Short, Fire Marshal. �It is estimated that in this case the sprinkler system kept the fire damage from being more extensive and saved over $100,000 in additional fire damage. This is a great example of the benefits of residential fire sprinklers and the reason that Redmond adopted a requ...

Friends of Sammamish Valley (FoSV) is a group of local citizens, businesses, and organizations with the goals of protecting the Sammamish Valley Agricultural Production District (APD), maintaining the character of the surrounding Rural Area, and preserving the rural lifestyle for local residents. Learn more . WHY YOU SHOULD CARE The Sammamish Valley is currently being threatened by a proposal before the King County Council (e-mail them here) that would allow for commercial and retail businesses to operate in protected rural and agricultural areas. There are a handful of businesses including remote tasting rooms and event centers that have been illegally operating outside of the urban boundaries. Rather than working with those businesses to relocate into the urban areas, this ordinance would permanently establish them in the protected areas. Wineries and similar businesses are an important part of the region and we want them to flourish, but remote tasting rooms and event centers belo...

AVID: Advancement Via Individual Determination Cassandra Sage School Board Director Every Tuesday morning at 7:30AM I can be found in an  AVID classroom  full of 9th grade students. The teacher is amazing. She exudes energy. She has the respect of the kids. She is shaping the future of her students, so they have career and college options. AVID is an elective and participants are encouraged by their school counselor to apply. They have a good attendance record, a willingness to learn, and average grades. My role is that of facilitator. On Tuesdays we break into small groups and the students each bring a homework item they are struggling with. Individually they give a 30 second speech about the problem. They show the group what they know about the topic, what they assume and what they have tried to solve the issue at hand. The student�s peers and I ask relative questions such as; �Is there a formula your math teacher gave you to solve this?� Or �Did you take notes during t...

Making a splash � Redmond High swim and dive coach named 4A swim coach of the year Nov   26   2018 Redmond High School (RHS) girls� swim and dive head coach, Julie Barashkoff, has been named the Washington State Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association 4A Swim Coach of the Year. She was presented with the honor at the State Swim and Dive Championships November 9-10. John Appelgate, LWSD Athletics & Title IX Specialist, said, �This award is indicative of Julie�s commitment to educational athletics, emphasis on sportsmanship and her positive interactions with colleagues.� The RHS swim and dive team finished in tenth place at this year�s state meet. -- LWSD.org 

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LWSD is considering an additional $120M levy.  This 6-year [school] levy will cost homeowners $29.00 for every $100,000 in assessed value. So the owner of a $700,000 house would pay $203 more per year in property taxes (2020-2026.) Property taxes on the $700,000 house are already: State School Taxes: $1330 McCleary School Taxes: $700 LWSD School Taxes: $1900 Roads, City, ST3, Hosp, etc: $2,800 Total: $6730 School taxes now make up 60% of our property taxes. This levy provides 4 elementary school additions and an addition at Lake Washington High School that was rebuilt in 2011. The District isn't even addressing the construction projects authorized by the Long Term Facilities Task Force. They will ask taxpayers to fund these in the 2020 bond measure. Additionally, the McCleary tax is scheduled to increase by 30% in 2021. I've lived in the same house for 20+ years. In 2012, my property tax bill was $4998 and the school taxes were $2600. In 2018, my property tax bill was $7,900 an...

  SchoolPool Students Walk, Ride, Bus and Carpool in Record Numbers This past October, over 2,500 local Redmond students chose alternative modes of transportation for their school day commutes during the Walk to School Month SchoolPool program. Kudos to their outstanding contributions towards reducing neighborhood traffic and local air pollution! Learn more about SchoolPool and the next opportunity to participate at  RedmondSchoolPool.com

                                  Redmond, WA  �  On December 4, 2018, the City is holding an �Office Hours� event to share information and answer questions regarding its Shoreline Master Program (SMP) Periodic Update. This event will be held in the Alpha and Bravo Conference Rooms on the first floor of Redmond City Hall, 15670 NE 85th Street, Redmond from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm.  State law requires jurisdictions to update their Shoreline Master Programs every eight years. Redmond�s Program is due for adoption by June 2019. This review ensures the City�s SMP stays current with changes in laws and rules, remains consistent with other Redmond plans and regulations, and is responsive to changed circumstances, new information, and improved data.  Properties affected by Redmond�s Shoreline Master Program generally include lands within 200 feet of Lake Sammamish, the Sammamish River, Bear Cree...

2522 -- A RESOLUTION of the Board of Directors of Lake Washington School District [ ] providing a special election to be held therein on April 23, 2019 , for the District�s Capital Projects Fund for constructing and equipping additions to four elementary schools, constructing and equipping additions to Lake Washington High School classrooms, auxiliary gym and commons, and district-wide building safety and security modifications to meet the current and future educational programs for its students. The proposition is to authorize the district to levy for an additional tax of: $20,000,000 in 2019 for collection in 2020, $20,000,000 in 2020 for collection in 2021, $20,000,000 in 2021 for collection in 2022, $20,000,000 in 2022 for collection in 2023, $20,000,000 in 2023 for collection in 2024, and $20,000,000 in 2024 for collection in 2025 Proposed projects include: classroom additions at Lake Washington High School, including auxiliary gyms and commons; classroom additions at Carson Elem...

Sound Transit Link light rail ridership up 6.9 percent in third quarter Publish Date November 16, 2018 Body More than 6.6 million riders rode Sound Transit�s popular Link light rail trains during the third quarter 2018, an increase of 6.9 percent compared to the same period last year. On an average weekday, more than 81,000 people ride Link, up from 74,900 last year. Overall, more than 12.6 million riders took advantage of Sound Transit trains and buses, a 2.8 percent system-wide increase from third quarter last year.  �More riders are discovering how Sound Transit trains and buses can make their commutes easier,� said Sound Transit Board Chair and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. �Those numbers will only increase as the light rail system expands to Lynnwood, Bellevue and Federal Way and more people are able to avoid traffic congestion.� Sound Transit�s growth in ridership is in sharp relief with other regions in the country. According to the most recent data available from ...

APPROVAL LAND-2018-00010, Esterra Park, Block 6B Neighborhood:  Overlake Description:  2 buildings with 260 units; Building A includes 130 affordable  housing units; Building B includes a YMCA day care &130 market rate units  Location:  TBD, parcel number 6448900030  Applicant:  Scott Clark with Clark | Barnes  Staff Contact:  Cameron Zapata, 425-556-2480 or  cazapata@redmond.gov Review Materials:    Memo     Design Deviation     Materials PRE-APPLICATION LAND-2018-00566, Esterra Park, Block 2A/2B Neighborhood:  Overlake  Description:  8-story multi-family building with 600 apartments Location:  15300 NE Turing Street Applicant:  Larry Flack with Runberg Architecture Group Staff Contact:  Cameron Zapata, 425-556-2480 or  cazapata@redmond.gov Review Materials:   Memo     Materials

Credit / John Reinke  A 95th Street Bear Creek Enhancement project will install six log jams, two backwater channels, 230-feet of alcoves and enhance almost 3-acres of buffer. The project is on the Chinook Recovery plan for WRIA 8 because of its high benefit to spawning and rearing habitat in Bear Creek. The project is located south of the 95th Street bridge on City of Redmond owned property. The $143,490 grant will help pay for construction costs associated with the installation of four log jams in the stream, one backwater channel and approximately 180- ft of alcoves. The remaining part of the project is designated as mitigation and will be entirely paid for by the stormwater Capital Improvement Project budget. The construction target is 2019 pending receiving Army Corps permits. --  Council Committee meeting, 11/13 ### Lake Sammamish State Park has grown by more than 5 acres after land was donated to the park by a local company. Lakeside Industries recently donated a 5.3-a...

Redmond, WA  � Mark your calendars as Redmond Lights returns on December 1 and 2, 2018, in celebration of the City's diverse winter traditions, cultures, and faiths. In addition to traditional light displays, this year�s event will continue to incorporate public art by featuring six new temporary artist-commissioned light installations. Installation details and locations are listed below beginning with the City Hall Campus and ending at Downtown Park. As the Luminary Walk begins, attendees will walk below the NE 85th Street Bridge and see the � Untitled�  sculptural work by Will Schlough that features a slightly larger than life-size steel blue heron illuminated by LED lights. The heron poses as if she has just taken off from the river and will instill feelings of joy and imagination in the viewers, developing a connection with the river and surrounding natural environment. �RainBrella�  is an interactive light-art installation by local artist group Seattle Design Nerds t...

Before the journey begins � students learn about life cycles at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery Nov   6   2018 Third grade students at Wilder Elementary School are learning about the life cycles of salmon. The students saw Coho and Chinook salmon up close during a visit to the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery on October 12. During a tour, they learned about salmon habitat and how the hatchery operates. They also learned how to tell the difference between Coho and Chinook, and whether a fish was male or female. The salmon complete their grueling journey from the sea to spawn in Issaquah Creek in the fall. LWSD website

Apply to become a LINKS Lunch Buddy! Redmond, WA, November 5, 2018 � At first, it might not seem like meeting with a local student for lunch once a week can make that much of a difference. �From the get-go, my Lunch Buddy and I would do crafts together,� recalled local resident Laura Spencer, who volunteers as a weekly LINKS mentor at Juanita Elementary School. �We�d sit there quietly and do crafts and we wouldn�t talk much. And then after a couple weeks she started really opening up and sharing and just talking to me. It was just amazing how much she would share with me.� That kind of patience turns out to be just what some kids need. Structured mentoring programs like the Lake Washington School District�s LINKS Lunch Buddies program have a real and measurable positive effect on the social, emotional, and academic lives of children. A 2014 national survey conducted by MENTOR, the National Mentoring Partnership, found that young people who have a mentor are more likely to participate i...