|
South Lake Sammamish Association (SLSA)
Quarterly Meeting Minutes
June 28, 2006
The meeting was held at 7:00 pm at the Library Service Center on Newport.
Attendees
Gary Thede –
Chair & Sammamish Beach Club
David Bangs – Secretary/Treasurer
Deborah Parsons – Vice Chair &
Greenwood Point
Melody Scherting – Sammamish View
Windsor Lewis – South Cove
Steve and Karen Ridlon – Sammamish Beach Club
Wayne Eddy - Weatherwood
Brett Heath – Public Works Operations Director
Greg Galbraith – Issaquah Public Works Operations
Jeffrey Estrin - Issaquah Public Works Operations
Public Works Presentation
Brett Heath explained that Issaquah Public Works Operations is in charge of maintaining the streets, sidewalks and stormwater system.
Those with questions or requests can
contact the “Go To” Guys:
Todd Jensen for Stormwater (837-3470)
and Jim Brown for Streets (837-3470)
Catch Basins and Storm Drains Cleaning In Progress
Issaquah is in the process of cleaning storm drains and catch basins in the annexed areas between the freeway and Lake Sammamish. They have already competed service in all the neighborhoods except for South Cove proper.
The results have been surprising. Apparently, these storm drains have never been cleaned since the neighborhood was built. Much construction debris was removed. The crew identified many needed repairs which will be completed over time. In some cases, it is clear that initial construction was incomplete leading to lines that do not appear to serve their purpose.
Crews performed significant work to solve highly visible drainage problems in the Waterford Terrace neighborhood.
Street Paving In Our Area This Summer
The following streets will be overlaid this summer or fall:
S.E. 49th St and S.E. 48th Street
in Waterford
Terrace
186th Ave S.E.
in Weatherwood (Including cul-de-sacs on
west side of street only)
193rd Ave. S.E. / S.E. 43rd St / 191st Ave
S.E. in South Cove between SE 44th Way and the Blackberry Park.
In preparation for this work, Issaquah has already sealed cracks and repaired sidewalks and curbs along these roads.
The overlay job has been contracted to Lakeside Industries, which can choose to perform this work anytime between July and October.
Homeowners will be given 48 hours
notice to move their cars before surface preparation and before paving.
Surface prep will include milling down 2.5” at edge of road so that overlay
will meet with gutters. Roads will crown
more and be 2.5” thicker in the middle, which should reduce future potential
for cracking.
Double Yellow Lines on 192nd Ave. S.E.
Residents have long wanted King County
to erase the double yellow lines on 192nd
Ave. S.E. .
Instead, the county kept repainting the lines every year, and even added
reflective bumps.
Issaquah has decided that it will not actually remove the double yellow lines due to cost-effectiveness considerations.
However, they will refrain from repainting them and gradually let them fade.
Sidewalks
Sidewalk Maintenance is generally the responsibility of homeowners. But the city has recently fixed some sidewalks and curbs along streets that will be overlaid this summer. They also sometimes fix sidewalks in conjunction with storm drain work.
Before working on a sidewalk,
homeowners should apply for a “Street Use Permit.” A deposit is required.
The permit center is located in City Hall North, next door to the Holiday Inn.
Trash Along West Lake Sammamish Parkway
Several people mentioned the trash problem along West Lake Sammamish Parkway.
· Heath pointed out that trash on the freeway side of the fence is the responsibility of WSDOT. He will call WSDOT.
· There is still a King County “Adopt A Road” sign saying that a group picks up the trash. Heath doesn’t know whether this King County program is still in effect post-annexation. He will check.
· Issaquah has a limited trash pick-up program, and does not rely on groups to volunteer to pick up trash.
· Someone noted there has been a problem with debris in a King County Greenbelt located along the parkway east of the graveled area at the Sammamish Beach Club monument. Heath said Issaquah has become aware of this and has added the property to its mowing list.
· Someone mentioned that the path near the lighted wall on the parkway is frequently blocked by cars disobeying the “No Parking” Signs. Heath recommended calling the police to report infractions. 425-837-3200.
Street Lights
Street lights are maintained by Puget Sound Energy.
Repair requests can be submitted with this form: https://www.pse.com/InsidePSE/contactForms/streetlight.aspx
Each pole is marked with a Pole Number on a vertical yellow tag to make identification easier.
Water and Sewer
Our water and sewer service is still provided by the City of Bellevue.
Issaquah is currently negotiating with Bellevue to take this system over, but the results will depend on a condition survey, which is being planned.
Issaquah Update
Issaquah Park Bond
David Bangs and Gary Thede are both currently serving on a Park Bond Citizen’s Advisory Committee to get public input and make recommendations regarding a Park Bond which Issaquah will likely place on the September ballot.
Some information was sent to the
SLSA email list, and is posted to our web site at this address:
http://www.issaquahweb.org/slsa/updates/2006/20060626_parkbond.htm
Though it is unlikely that the park bond will result in any specific project in our area, David has been urging the city to accelerate the negotiations with King County to transfer Meerwood and Timberlake parks into the Issaquah park system.
Issaquah Economic Vitality Task Force
David Bangs is currently serving on the Issaquah Economic Vitality Task Force. The city has put this task force together to recommend the best path for economic growth which would preserve the city’s uniqueness, livability, and environmental quality.
David related that growth and development in Issaquah seems certain, so the committees aim is to help the city plan to direct that growth to be as beneficial as possible to the community.
We brainstormed briefly at the SLSA Meeting. These are some suggestions from attendees.
· Make Issaquah More Bicycle Friendly
· Drive Tourism with Events
o Example: Circ du Soleil performed at Marymoor Park. Why not Lake Sammamish State Park?
o Move Concerts on the Green to State Park and make it larger
· Encourage homeowners in downtown Issaquah to remove broken furniture and garbage from their yards; perhaps provide a free dumpster or haul-away service once a year.
(If you would like to submit a suggestion, email davidweb@bangsfamily.net)
Lake Sammamish Community Day
The expanded Ice Cream Social will be held August 21st at Meerwood Park from 4pm to 8pm.
Once again, there will be activities such as large toys and face painting, funding by local Homeowners Associations.
Mary Victory is the coordinator, and will need volunteers. Stay tuned for more details.
Neighborhood Networking
Here are some items mentioned in the Neighborhood Networking section of the meeting.
· The South Cove park landscaping committee is investigating switching to organic fertilizer and reducing chemicals to protect Lake Sammamish water quality and reduce toxic exposure to people and pets. Leigh Bangs is working with Signature (South Cove’s landscaping contractor) and Hendrikus Organics to create a plan. These two companies have already implemented organic landscaping in the Klahanie neighborhood.
· Private Fireworks Are Illegal In Issaquah. We discussed whether firework show near sunken forest will occur this year.
· Invasive animals known as Nutria have been spotted in Lake Sammamish. These look like a cross between a large rat and a beaver. They voraciously eat shoreline plants.
· People have seen more Blue Herons and Eagles on Lake Sammamish. The numbers seem to have increased dramatically in recent years. Herons nest in cottonwood trees in the State Park.
City of Issaquah Channel 21
· Gary Thede reported that he has been working with Comcast about getting us switched over the City of Issaquah lineup of channels, so that we can receive the city’s TV channel, Channel 21. Comcast reported they have been working on engineering the switch, which is expected to take place during September. Issaquah Channel 21 covers local events, city services, and city council meetings.
Adjourn
The next SLSA Meeting will be scheduled for late September.
