Jobs: City of Shoreline seeks Equity and Social Justice Community Consultants

Saturday, April 10, 2021

The City of Shoreline is forming an Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) Community Workgroup and will be hiring several Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) Community Consultants to support Shoreline City Council Resolution 467 Declaring the City’s Commitment to Building an Anti-Racist Community, adopted in November 2020. Deadline to apply is Friday, April 16, 11:59pm.

ESJ Community Consultants will work with City staff on the ESJ Workgroup to plan multiple Community Listening Sessions, to hear from Shoreline community members what an anti-racist community looks like (vision). The Listening sessions will also help identify the types of activities and outcomes the City should support and prioritize.

ESJ Community Consultants will have strong connections to Shoreline residents, groups, and partners who reflect diverse backgrounds and perspectives, especially Black, Indigenous, Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, and other people of color; recent immigrant/refugee; LGBTQIA+; People with Disabilities; youth; and other groups.

Expectations
  • ESJ Community Consultants will support the values in the Anti-Racism Resolution; encourage partnerships for positive change; and will be asked to review materials before meetings to prepare. Individuals must meet the following requirements to apply:
  • At least 16 years old
  • Live or work in Shoreline
  • Have connections and knowledge of Shoreline organizations and/or resident groups
  • Commit to attending ESJ Workgroup planning meetings. An estimated 3 planning sessions for 2-3 hours each will be scheduled (dates/times in May to be determined). All sessions will be held online.
  • Support resident participation in Community Listening Sessions (dates/times in June – summer, to be determined).

ESJ Community Consultants will be paid for their time and must complete a W-9 to receive payment. If you have any concerns about completing a W-9, please contact Suni Tolton at stolton@shorelinewa.gov to discuss options.

To learn more, visit the City’s Equity and Social Justice Community Workgroup webpage. To apply, applicants may:
The deadline to apply is Friday, April 16, 11:59


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Shorecrest girls varsity tennis vs Kamiak 4-9-21

 

Girls tennis season begins for the Shorecrest high school Scots with an away game at Kamiak High School in Mukilteo.



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Lake Forest Park's Expedia Cruises is still afloat - start with a virtual river cruise

While our Lake Forest Park office is currently closed, our agents continue to work remotely to support our clients and their vacation plans. 

With travel beginning to ramp up, it’s a great time to plan for what was missed in 2020 – the family vacation or reunion, an anniversary or retirement celebration. 

Or, tick something off of your Bucket List – transiting the Panama Canal, exploring the Galapagos, an expedition cruise to Antarctica or maybe that World Cruise you’ve been thinking about.

We have a series of Virtual Events planned over the next few months – starting with Legendary Rivers on Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 3pm PDT. 

River cruising is gaining popularity as an alternative to ocean cruising. With fewer passengers, more ‘all inclusive’ opportunities and variety of Specialty Cruises – Wellness, Nature and Garden (Floriade in 2022), Food and Wine, Golf, Christmas Markets and more, a river cruise can be a most memorable vacation.

If you’d like to join us for our Legendary Rivers Virtual Event, please send an email to panderson@expediacruises.com and the registration link will be sent to you.



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WeatherWatcher: Convergence Zone to strike again, frost, then summer

Marginal snowfall in Shoreline.
Photo by Carl Dinse.


A Puget Sound Convergence zone is expected Saturday morning with temperatures cold enough that we could see some snow flakes, graupel or other wintery type mixes in the rain showers early in the morning. Don't be surprised if some of it sticks to lawns and other areas, but it'll be short lived. We should warm up towards Saturday afternoon with clearing skies.

Next, we have a freeze coming Saturday night into Sunday morning. Clear skies will allow for widespread frost and temperatures into the upper 20's to low 30's. You may want to protect any of your frost sensitive plants Saturday evening.

Sunday through the end of next week a switch is flipped and we skip spring and go straight into summer. We are looking at sunny skies all week, with high temperatures near or into the low 70's, especially Wednesday through Friday. Low temperatures are still expected to be chilly, between the upper 30's and low 40's most nights.


For current weather conditions visit www.shorelineweather.com




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Scene on the Sound: Yearling bald eagles at Richmond Beach

Friday, April 9, 2021

 

Photo by Bill Schnall

Not quite sure if "yearling" is the right word, but they are definitely too big for "fledgling." These two are enjoying the sunshine by the Sound.




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Reminder: Dinner Friday at the Senior Center


Support the Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Senior Center by purchasing your dinner Friday night at the Senior Center.

This is a drive through and pick up event. $10 includes Janet’s famous meatloaf, mashed potatoes, braised carrots and a brownie.

We will be having social distancing procedures in place.  It will be on a first come, first serve basis starting at 5:00 pm and we will only be accepting Cash or Checks. 

18560 1st Ave NE - entrance on NE 185th



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Home sales in Lake Forest Park during March 2021

The following are properties that sold in Lake Forest Park during the month of March 2021. Data compiled for the Shoreline Area News by the Shoreline Windermere office.




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Assessor releases Taxpayer Transparency Tool for Shoreline Park Levy election - cost of proposed levy by household

King County Assessor John Wilson today released his April 2021 Taxpayer Transparency Tool, a website which provides each King County taxpayer an individualized accounting of where their property tax dollars go, and the estimated cost of any proposed property tax measure to be voted on. 

The only property tax measure on the April ballot is the parks levy in the city of Shoreline:
City of Shoreline: Proposition 1. General Obligation Bonds for Parks and Recreation Improvements

“Taxpayers have a right to know where their money is going, and what each proposed property tax levy will cost them,” said Wilson. “Property taxes keep going up. We need to make sure the public understands why.”

The tool can be found at http://localscape.spatialest.com/#kingcountyassessor/Tax.

There is a link to the tool on left side menu of the Assessor’s web page https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/assessor.aspx

The Transparency Tool only shows the impact of property tax measures. Other ballot measures, including sales tax measures or benefit charges, are not included.

The Tax Transparency Tool was introduced by Assessor Wilson and first used during the April special election in 2018.

The Tax Transparency Tool was developed for the King County Assessor by Spatialest Inc, a unique enterprise software company focusing on Location, Value and Technology. The company also created “Localscape” for the King County Assessor in 2014, a map-based visualization tool that aggregates data to present information. (http://localscape.spatialest.com/#kingcountyassessor/).



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Letter to the Editor: Residents will have input on park plans if Shoreline Parks Proposition 1 passes

To the Editor:

Save Shoreline Trees visited all of the parks mentioned in Proposition 1 and had subsequent conversations with City staff. These conversations focused on how Proposition 1 will affect mature trees in many of the City’s parks. City staff confirmed that while the design concepts (elements) designated for each park will not change, residents will have input on park plans if Proposition 1 passes.

Some of the most significant park improvements proposed in Proposition 1 are also the most needed. Brugger’s Bog Park in Ballinger and James Keough Park in Meridian Park, for example, have water retention issues that make these parks unusable for residents for many months. In addition to improved drainage, new proposed design elements include—in one or both parks— a walking trail, sidewalks, restrooms, new landscaping and parking.

The bond measure also provides these park amenities: a new or improved off-leash dog area (Ridgecrest Park, Shoreview Park); a new splash pad (Briarcrest Community Park, Hillwood Park); a new or improved multi-sports court (Brugger’s Bog Park, Richmond Highlands Park); and new or upgraded playgrounds (Brugger’s Bog Park, James Keough Park, Briarcrest Community Park, Richmond Beach Saltwater Park, Richmond Highlands Park, Hillwood Park, Shoreview Park, Ridgecrest Park). New picnic shelters and improved parking are also recommended for many of these parks.

These are just some of the park improvements the City, with input from residents, is proposing. Save Shoreline Trees— with further input from Shoreline residents— will work to ensure that if Proposition 1 passes, the existing trees in many of these parks remain in place and are incorporated into the new design elements.

You can read Save Shoreline Trees review of Proposition 1 parks here

Kathy Kaye
Member, Save Shoreline Trees Advisory Board



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Case updates April 7, 2021

Positive COVID-19 cases in Shoreline

 Vaccine Locations
Vaccine eligibility is open to people in Phase 1B tiers 3 and 4. On April 15, everyone is eligible. Some sites are taking pre-registrations. King county may slip back to Phase 2 because of rising case numbers.

Shoreline City Manager Debbie Tarry in the council meeting April 5, 2021 as reported by Pam Cross:

"King County has shown a 26% increase in new cases since last week, primarily among 18-24 year olds. They first thought it would be just be a few cases, but this is clearly a trend. In fact our current increase shows we are above the peaks we saw in the first and second surges. There is no indication it will be leveling off soon. We may be looking at a fourth wave of infections.

"Shoreline is also showing an increase with 73 new cases in the past 14 days compared to 45 the two weeks prior."


Case updates April 7, 2021


United States 
  • Total cases 30,737,477 - 74,860 in one day
  • Total deaths 556,106 - 871 in one day

Washington state 
  • Total cases 373,212 - 1,042 new cases in a day  
  • Total hospitalizations 20,933 - 48 in a day 
  • Total deaths 5,316 - 10 in a day 

King county 
  • Total cases 90,362 - 336 in a day  
  • Total hospitalizations 5,429 - 21 in a day  
  • Total deaths 1,481 - 1 in a day  

Seattle - population 744,995 (2018) 
  • Total cases 22,264 - 90 in a day
  • Total hospitalizations 1,254 -  8 in a day
  • Total deaths 382 -  2 in a day

Shoreline - population 56,752 (2018) 
  • Total cases 2,144 -  2 in a day 
  • Total hospitalizations 191 - 1 in a day
  • Total deaths 92 - no change

Lake Forest Park - 13,569 (2018) 
  • cases 297 - 1 since yesterday
  • hospitalizations 16 -   -1 since yesterday
  • deaths 4 - no change


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Hate Crime charges filed against Shoreline resident for harassing neighbor

Statement from the City of Shoreline

On Monday April 5, 2021, Shoreline Police arrested a Shoreline resident for committing a Hate Crime against her neighbor. Today, Thursday, April 8, the King County Prosecutor filed one count of Hate Crime on the suspect.

Shoreline Police responded to the 700 BLK N 201 ST in Shoreline on April 5 for a reported Hate Crime. The victim, a 33 year-old Vietnamese-American woman, called 911 after ongoing harassment escalated with her 72 year-old female neighbor. The victim reported that the neighbor had been yelling racial slurs at the victim for years.

On Monday, the victim reported she was outside in her front yard gardening when she noticed the suspect sitting in her car on the roadway staring at her. The suspect moved her car forward and backward on the road. The victim was afraid of what the suspect was trying to do so she began recording her with her cell phone. On the cell phone video, the suspect is seen rolling down her car window and yelling racial insults and threats at the suspect.

The victim told Police she believed the threat was racially motivated and she was very scared of the suspect. Shoreline Police spoke with the suspect on-scene and she denied making any threats or racial types of comments towards the victim. However, her statements were inconsistent with what the video showed.

Shoreline Police arrested the suspect and she was booked into the King County Jail on Monday.

The King County Prosecutor filed one count of Hate Crime on the suspect today.

The City of Shoreline stands against all forms of racism, harassment, and discrimination, and is committed to upholding anti-racist values so all residents feel safe, respected, and belonging in the community. No one should be subjected to threats or physical and psychological harm. It is our collective responsibility as a community to fight hate.

If you are a victim of a crime or witness a crime, and feel safe to do so, please call 911 immediately.

More information

The following sites have more Information on hate crimes and resources available to victims, regardless of immigration status. Interpretation services are available.


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Collision on Ballinger blocks lanes for an hour Thursday night


On SR 104 / Ballinger Way eastbound at 15th Ave NE a collision blocked all lanes. The collision was at 9pm and the street was reopened an hour later.

Traffic was diverted onto 15th NE in the meanwhile.



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Notes from Shoreline council meeting April 5, 2021

Pam Cross, Reporter
Shoreline City Council Meeting
April 5, 2021

Notes by Pam Cross

Mayor Hall called the remote meeting to order at 7:00pm.
All Councilmembers were present.

Proclamation

I, Will Hall, Mayor of the City of Shoreline, on behalf of the Shoreline City Council, do hereby proclaim the month of April as SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH in the City of Shoreline and join advocates and communities throughout King County in taking action to prevent sexual violence by standing with survivors. Together, we commit to a safer future for all children, young people, adults, and families in our community.

Approval of the Agenda
Agenda adopted by unanimous consent.

Report of the City Manager, Debbie Tarry

COVID UPDATE


King County has shown a 26% increase in new cases since last week, primarily among 18-24 year olds. They first thought it would be just be a few cases, but this is clearly a trend. In fact our current increase shows we are above the peaks we saw in the first and second surges. There is no indication it will be leveling off soon. We may be looking at a fourth wave of infections.

Shoreline is also showing an increase with 73 new cases in the past 14 days compared to 45 the two weeks prior.




COVID-19 Vaccinations
  • Effective April 15, everyone 16 and older will be eligible for the vaccine. So please be patient.
  • Go to doh.org for the most up-to-date information on locations providing vaccines.
18 people are now living in the North King County Enhanced Shelter at the Oaks.


Earth Day Every Day

More than 250 people have already registered for the April 7th event.


Shoreline Walks
  • Saturday, April 10 at 3:30pm. Boeing Creek Plant Walk and Work Party. SPACE IS LIMITED so preregistration is required. contact Marianne Johnson mjohnson@shorelinewa.gov, 206-801-2638
  • Masks and social distancing required.
  • For more information including where to meet and a schedule of walks, go to shorelinewa.gov/shorelinewalks

Mayor Hall thanked the outgoing volunteer PRCS/Tree Board Members for their hard work, dedication and outstanding accomplishments.
  • Bruce Amundson
  • John Hoey
  • Christine Southwick
  • Elizabeth White
Council Reports

Councilmember McGlashan: we had our first standalone Seashore Transportation meeting. We reviewed our work plan, including what to do about future hybrid meetings of in-person with potential remote attendance. The North King County cities are drafting a letter to the Sound Transit board to remind them how important the regional aspect of the 522/ 523 bus rapid transit is to get people from north King County to our light rail stations.

Public Comment (written comments available on line)

Whitney Murray, Shoreline

Expressed unhappiness with chip sealing (tar and gravel) of 21st and 22nd Ave NW. This is not appropriate in an urban setting. She is concerned about the safety of children, the elderly, and property damage from chips hitting vehicles.

Greg Anderson, Aliso Viejo, CA, SVP, Multifamily Development for Shea Properties

Spoke about development in MUR70

Shea Properties develops and maintains ownership of multifamily residential. They are working on two projects in Shoreline. They have concerns about the expiration of Multifamily Property Tax Exemption (MFTE) after 12 years. They would like to see Shoreline eliminate the requirement for affordable housing or at least offer a reduction in number of affordable units or an increase in the income requirements.

Jackie Kurle, Shoreline

She wants to make sure there is adequate monitoring of safety issues around the now open enhanced shelter to protect the residents and neighbors.

Approval of the Consent Calendar
Consent Calendar approved unanimously by roll call vote.

Action Item 8(a) PUBLIC HEARING and Discussion of the 2022-2027 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP)

Presentation by Nytasha Walters, Transportation Services Manager

The Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) is used a lot in working for grants as well as with agencies for partnering opportunities. Potential partners and grant applications want to know what’s in our TIP.



Note: CIP is our Capital Improvement Plan which will be presented later in the year.


What has changed since last year?

I-976 which removed the ability of governments to impose Vehicle License Fees (VLF) for transportation purposes was determined to be unconstitutional. Since then, VLF money that was essentially “frozen” has been restored. Shoreline’s VLF has a $20 fee for pavement maintenance and a second $20 for sidewalk rehabilitation.

One new project has been added: 

Eastside Off-Corridor Bike Network (Pre-design study) Looking for an alternative parallel route due to the challenges for biking on 145th

One completed project from the 2021-2026 TIP has been removed because construction will be completed this year.

195th Pedestrian and Bike Connector (a shared-use path along NE 195th St from 5th Ave NE to just east of 7th Ave NE) utilizing Complete Streets grant funding.

There are several unfunded projects that are in the prior 2021-2026 TIP that are not included in the 2022-2027 TIP. It was determined that the TIP should more accurately contain only those projects that (a) the City would be completing, or (b) have a real chance of progression in the identified 6-year period.


The first project shown above actually was funded and that will be completed by developers as part of Shoreline Place.

We don’t see getting any grant funds in the next 6 years for the remaining unfunded projects based on our other needs.


Note: A woonerf (also known as a home zone, living street, or shared street) is a street that facilitates pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular traffic within a shared space. Woonerfs typically lack separate pavement and include a variety of surface treatments, bollards, street lighting, and landscaping to define a shared space. (Shoreline Engineering and Design Manual)

Total cost for the TIP for unfunded projects is $85M with a grand total of $273.5M.

The good news is that a lot of these projects we’re working on have received grant funding.


Highlighted projects are priorities for grants.

Sustaining a grant match is important. Staff recommends the Council continue setting aside revenue annually to utilize as match on these projects and identify additional funding sources, in addition to the retail estate excise tax (REET), to provide adequate grant match for these projects. This enables the City to continue to have the ability and flexibility to apply for and compete for outside funding to help with constructing important projects. Currently there is not enough REET to support grant match for all priority needs.

PUBLIC HEARING

Public Testimony

Whitney Murray, Shoreline

Referring to public comments made earlier in tonight’s meeting, can any of the VLF money we’re talking about here be redirected to different surfacing of roads?

DISCUSSION

Can staff remind Council how the Vehicle License Fee (VLF) revenue is programmed?

Reply from Debbie Tarry: there is $20 for the sidewalks repair and maintenance program.

The other $20 is for the pavement management program. We have to spread our dollars because the revenue from the VLF and the retail estate excise tax (REET) does not pay for our current pavement management program. Some of it goes to overlay on the arterials. We use chip seal to extend the life of the roads because the City cannot afford asphalt paving for all of the streets in the City.

The 15th Ave project is a high priority segment from NE 175th to NE 205th. It is unfunded. We have talked about reducing the speed limit on this segment. How would that affect whether or not you move forward on this project?

Reply: Reducing the speed limit helps public safety but in terms of improvements it would not change what’s being proposed.

It’s one of the few 2-lane roads in Shoreline. Is changing that configuration part of the proposed study? It does need improvement.

Reply: Different segments along 15th are being considered for sidewalks, bike lanes and so forth. Although we are looking at it as one segment, we may break it down into phases.

I hope the work with the business community continues.

Reply: It will. We try very hard to work with the business community.

I would like to see both the Ballinger Way and the 15th Ave projects given higher priority. These are big problems whether you’re in a car, on foot, or on a bicycle. Yes, they are long segments and expensive. But improvements here might save lives unlike the 3rd Ave woonerf. It belongs in a different category.

We have the Ridgecrest Safe Routes to School on the list of funded programs but not as a priority project. I would like it added as a priority project for Safe Routes to School funding.

Matched funds: are you saying that there are some things on the list, or removed from the list, because we don’t have matching funds so you’re not even going out for grants?

Reply from Debbie Tarry: We have never been in the position where we have not applied for a grant because we didn’t have enough matching funds. We have always found a way to have the necessary matching funds.

This needs simplifying. We are looking at the same roads at different times, months apart - speed reductions one time and improvements the next. How are streets and roads coordinated by staff when studied in overlapping topics?

Reply: We look at it holistically, including sidewalks and ADA requirements, bus service, speed reductions and so forth. I think the speed reductions presented by the city engineer will be implemented.

There is a never-ending list of projects. We wish we had more money.

This will be back on May 3 as an Action Item.

Study Item 9(a) Discussion of 185th Street Subarea Progress Report Follow-Up and MUR-70’ Zone

Andrew Bauer, Senior Planner, gave the presentation

The 185th Street Station Subarea Plan Progress Report was presented to the City Council at the November 30, 2020 meeting. Although the data reported show that new residential growth is occurring at the pace anticipated by the plan, it also found there was limited commercial development in the subarea and limited activity of any type within the MUR-70 zone.

We will provide responses to questions asked at the November 30 meeting and will begin the discussion of identifying topics the Council would like further studied, with the goal of facilitating development outcomes in the MUR-70 zone as envisioned in the two light rail station subarea plans.

Staff reached out to representatives from Seattle and Mountlake Terrace and they found common areas of discussion.


There are short term topics we might want to study further. We need to measure the impact as well as the effort required when working with Development Agreements, development incentives, building height, and the extension or expansion of the City’s Multifamily Property Tax Exemption (MFTE) Program. It is an important tool used to encourage the construction of new housing, including affordable housing.

Medium term projects (2023 to 2025) also need to be measured in terms of impact and effort required. We need to consider catalyst projects that would encourage developers to come to the table early, identify and build more flexibility in parking standards, and look at revising and altering some of these areas that have historic plat restrictions (we may have to work with the State on this). We need to look at property aggregation in order to encourage and facilitate larger scale developments, and infrastructure including utility planning and transportation areas such as sidewalks and bike lanes.

Long term we need more ways to offset infrastructure costs and identify deficiencies and fixes in external utility planning.

Staff recommends short-terms topics be advanced for study.

DISCUSSION

The stations aren’t even open. I’m ok not making radical changes yet. But we should start doing the studies.

I believe we need to make the rules now. If we don’t, we won’t get the kind of product we want. Once a building is built, it’s there whether we like it or not. Remember when we finalized townhouses, there were already multiple developers and 100 projects in the pipeline that we couldn’t touch with our new guidelines.

Before expanding MFTE (Multifamily Property Tax Exemption), I’d like to see some data. We are giving up significant revenue used for public benefits like parks and schools to get a little affordable housing. We don’t know what will happen with market forces. The apartments may stay affordable. But at the end of 12 years, I don’t want the buildings to be places where only the rich can live.

The Development Agreement with Pacific Place took too much time and effort from us and the developer for what was ultimately decided. The City was too involved. I think it would have turned out about the same without the City’s micro-management. I would prefer moving forward with fairly rigid requirements allowing some flexibility for individual circumstances.

There is a lot to study here. I would benefit from a workshop rather than trying to have this discussion under the limitations of the council meeting rules and time constraints.

Extremely glad we are having this conversation. Seattle, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace seem to be doing better and I’m concerned Shoreline has too many requirements in MUR70 so development doesn’t pencil out. Now is the time to look at this. We should be seeing things in the pipeline.

If it doesn’t pencil out for the developer, it’s not going to happen. Do we have the expertise in-house to figure out what things actually cost? We need to be working closely with developers so see if what we put out actually make sense. We aren’t looking at things the same way developers are. Need technical expertise to go along with our wish list.

You said Mountlake Terrace and Seattle express caution about too much commercial. Can you elaborate on that?

Reply: they focused on where commercial would work. If you require it everywhere, the outcome may result in empty storefronts. In Mountlake Terrace, it’s allowed everywhere but only mandated for a very small area.

We need to keep moving forward in order to get to Council goals for MUR70. We get letters about the cost of building parking. We need to look at parking standards to protect the environment and local neighborhoods and different rules on setbacks between local road vs other roads. Why do we have a setback on a local street in an MUR70 zone when it’s across the street from another MUR70 zone? Sometimes it’s right next to the station.

We need to make changes but I don’t want to take away too much parking because of spillover parking.

Aggregation is a big issue. Mountlake Terrace was lucky enough to have a huge property owned by their School District. We don’t have that opportunity. We have a bunch of single family residences that would need to be aggregated.

I’m reluctant to go over 70’. 70’ was a big jump for our community. Before we go to 200’, I’d like to see the data. I don’t see a lot of that kind of height going on along I-5 in north Seattle and they’re built out pretty heavily along I-5.

We don’t want a bunch of 3 story buildings or a row of 70’ buildings and it ends up looking like a flat landscape. We were able to keep the two stations as long as we supported transit oriented development there. If nothing gets built, that’s a waste of a $30M station.

Developers may be waiting until light rail is open. They don’t want a building to sit at low occupancy in the meantime.

We’re looking at about 24 months before these buildings are built and ready for occupancy. That will be right when the stations open.

Our regulations need work. In the past few years we lost two projects due to too many regulations. For one, Council came in with so many amendments, the developer said no way. Another one was SHAG housing with so many amendments, SHAG said it no longer worked for them.

We need look not at a project, but an AREA, with too many regulations according to developers. Maybe we should do away with the development agreement process because we micromanage and it takes a long time. It has to be easier to start a project or they won’t be done by the time light rail gets here. And it will be here before we know it.

Maybe we do need a weekend workshop in order to address so many items. It’s going to involve several hours of discussion.

This is not a crisis but we don’t want to wait a year either.

Now is the time to do something. And consider adjusting regulations to stay ahead of the curve.

We will get together with staff about how we want to move forward

Study Item 9(b) Discussing Resolution No. 473 – Establishing the 2021 Wastewater Rate Schedule

Randy Witt, Public Works Director, gave the presentation

The assumption of the Ronald Wastewater District (RWD) is set for April 30, 2021. The City is required to develop and implement a schedule for the wastewater utility fees.

The 2021 Wastewater Rate Schedule will be converted to the format of the City fee table.

Staff is proposing no changes to the rates or rate structure as established by RWD.

There is a City’s 6% utility tax.

Late charges will be discussed in more detail next week.


DISCUSSION

A late charge is a good idea but 10% is a very high charge for an essential public service. It can be significant for many residents. We need to think about what charge is appropriate.

Is there help from County programs with this utility charge after the pandemic? The pandemic does not allow late fees.

Reply: Low income and senior discounts will continue. Also, the City gave money to Hopelink for help with utilities.

It’s 10% of what?

Reply: It’s 10% of that one bill. And there is a one-time waiver if requested based on either “I forgot,” or for a reasonable cause.

At this point and so close to finalizing, we need to maintain continuity.

Returning April 19 on Consent.

Meeting adjourned


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Lee's Flowers: Beautiful flowers in front of Richmond Beach Lutheran Church ⛪️

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Photo by Lee Lageschulte

Beautiful flowers in front of Richmond Beach Lutheran Church ⛪️ 



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Shorewood softball vs Cedarcrest


Shorewood vs. Cedarcrest at Meridian Park
Home game 4-7-2
Pitcher(s) and Catcher(s)    
Cedarcrest:   P. Hayes, E. Duke (2) and M. Knowles (catcher)

Shorewood:  Skylar Tillman, Rebecca Carson (5) and Haley Canada (catcher)

Highlights
Cedarcrest:  T. Predmore 2-3
                    
Shorewood:  Skylar Tillman 1-4 (2B)
                    Haley Canada 2-3
                    Katie Ponomarchuk 2-3 (2B)

--Paul Jensen



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AG Ferguson files lawsuit against janitorial services company for exploiting mostly immigrant workers

Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a consumer protection lawsuit against janitorial services company National Maintenance Contractors on April 6, 2021.

National took advantage of immigrants with limited English proficiency and promised them the independence of business ownership.

Unfortunately, in reality, National locked its franchisees into contracts that often left them earning less than minimum wage, paying exorbitant fees, and with little ability to advocate for themselves.

Read more here



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Book review by Aarene Storms: Deep River

Deep River by Karl Marlantes
 
I grew up in a place that Annie Dillard described thusly:
God might have created such a plunging shore as this before He thought of making people, and then when He thought of making people, He mercifully softened up the land in the palms of his hands, wherever He expected them to live, which did not include here.  (Annie Dillard, The Living)
 
Now, Karl Marlantes takes a swing at a story of life in the rough-and-tumble of early Washington State.  His story centers on three immigrant siblings from Finland: Ilmari, Aino and Matti.  
 
Ilmari comes to America before the others, builds a home and works to survive and make a living. He, alone of the family, befriends Vasutäti, a Chinook tribal woman (who seems to be all alone in the world, her children having died of measles and the rest of the tribe... just gone... for some reason... also, she can maybe do magic or something?) and he stays as separate as possible from the rapidly-changing modern world.
 
Ilmari is eventually joined by younger brother Matti who seeks financial stability with Scarlet O'Hara-esque fervor, and sister Aino, an ardent Marxist, whose political beliefs and actions led to imprisonment and torture in Finland. Aino soon becomes the focus of the story as she waves her socialist ideals in the faces of logger barons, rum-runners, and fish-cannery owners, with varying degrees of success.  
 
As anyone who knows local history could have predicted, things go terribly wrong for our Finnish friends. There are logging accidents, fishing accidents, and several "massacres" between local capitalists and the union organizers. Medical science is primitive at best, and death is always nearby.  
 
I grew up hearing stories such as these from the fishing families of my classmates, seeing pictures of tiny loggers cutting down gargantuan trees, learning about the early days of white settlement in my home state. This book tells some stories I already knew, and some that I didn't. 

To this day, when I ride my horse through the forest near my home, I see stumps bearing springboard cuts: remnants of the days when trees were cut by hand by a couple of guys with a cross-cut saw, hauled out of the woods on skid roads by oxen or horses instead of trucks.
 
It's not a perfect book, but book groups will enjoy discussing and arguing over many of the points.  
 
Cussing, bleeding, death, sexual situations, torture, happiness, sadness, and fishing.
---
Aarene Storms is a librarian who reads and reviews books for all ages. She can be reached at aarenex@haikufarm.net 


 

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Tiny chipmunks forage in local backyard

Chipmunk mid-chew at lunch
Photo by Tanis Coralee Leonhardi

Calmly munching on seeds, this tiny chipmunk doesn't get distracted by photographers.

Photo by Tanis Coralee Leonhardi

A group of chipmunks is called a scurry. Seems appropriate - except at lunchtime. This little one is focused on digging seeds out of the landscaping.

Three chipmunks forage side by side. Definitely a scurry.
Photo by Tanis Coralee Leonhardi

Tanis Leonhardi managed to get photos of three chipmunks in her Innis Arden backyard in March and April of this year. 

I took this photo midday of the Chipmunks while they were out. For sure there are three Chipmunks, and there might have been a fourth a part of the group I photographed. Fun to see the family coming out to forage together.

Uh oh Honey, we've been spotted!
Photo by Tanis Coralee Leonhardi

These tiny little chipmunks don’t seem to be afraid of us, so we can stand just three to four feet away from them.

Except for this one, who stood at attention before returning to his lunch.


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Flags at half-staff Wednesday for Congressman Alcee Hastings of Florida

Flag Lowering - 04/6/2021 (Congressman Alcee Hastings)

Pursuant to the attached Presidential message, Governor Inslee hereby directs that Washington State and United States flags at all state agency facilities continue to remain lowered to half-staff, in honor and remembrance of Congressman Alcee Hastings, of Florida.

Flags should remain at half-staff until close of business or sunset on Wednesday, April 7, 2021.



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Case updates April 6, 2021 - a million vaccinations given in King county


Vaccine Locations
Vaccine eligibility is open to people in Phase 1B tiers 3 and 4. On April 15, everyone is eligible. Some sites are taking pre-registrations. King county has given a million vaccinations but may slip back to Phase 2 because of rising case numbers.

Case updates April 6, 2021



United States 
  • Total cases 30,662,171 - 61,258 in one day
  • Total deaths 555,231 - 781 in one day

Washington state 
  • Total cases 372,170 - 1,518 new cases in a day  
  • Total hospitalizations 20,885 - 66 in a day 
  • Total deaths 5,306 - 7 in a day 

King county 
  • Total cases 90,026 - 283 in a day  
  • Total hospitalizations 5,408 - 10 in a day  
  • Total deaths 1,480 - 5 in a day  

Seattle - population 744,995 (2018) 
  • Total cases 22,174 - 79 in a day
  • Total hospitalizations 1,246 -  1 in a day
  • Total deaths 380 -  -1 in a day

Shoreline - population 56,752 (2018) 
  • Total cases 2,142 -  6 in a day 
  • Total hospitalizations 190 - 0 in a day
  • Total deaths 92 - no change

Lake Forest Park - 13,569 (2018) 
  • cases 297 - 1 since yesterday
  • hospitalizations 17 - 1 since yesterday
  • deaths 4 - no change


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Social Services Champion: Theresa LaCroix

Theresa LaCroix, Executive Director
Shoreline - LFP Senior Center
As Executive Director of the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center, Theresa has gone above and beyond during the pandemic to adapt programs and services so that seniors are still cared for. 

Between March and October of 2020, she coordinated home delivery of more than 11,000 hot cooked meals; provided 1,045 grocery bags to low-income senior households; spent over 340 hours providing Wellness Calls to check on members; and provided over 345 hours to Resource Management, assisting seniors through personal challenges created by COVID-19.

(Ed. her work has continued into 2021) 

She fundraised throughout with creative drive-through dinners and desserts, and held multiple food drives. 

As a nomination noted, “Theresa is a great inspiration… She is totally committed to making sure that seniors don’t go hungry and that they are not forgotten.”

In December 2020 she was nominated as a Social Services Champion for NUHSA, which provided this article.



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Curbside pickup of printing now available at the Shoreline Library

Shoreline Library photo by
Steven H. Robinson
Curbside pickup of printing is now available at the Shoreline Library! Print jobs must be no more than 10 black and white or 3 color pages total per week.
 
You will need to schedule your pickup appointment through the myLIBRO app or website (see printing instructions below) or by calling the library at 206-362-7550. They are not able to process walk-up print requests.
 
Your request must include your library card number, your PIN/password, and the email address you will use for printing.
 
Please read these instructions before sending your first print job:

The Shoreline Library is located on the southwest corner of NE 175th and 5th NE. It is no longer possible to make left turns across traffic from westbound NE 175th.



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Share your stories in an online Memoir Writing class

We all have stories that we love to tell, or want to tell, or have been waiting for the right moment to share.

Learn how to shape these stories in Memoir: Writing Your Stories, an online class offered through Continuing Education at Shoreline Community College. 

This class provides an opportunity to craft stories from the significant events and memories in your life in a fun and supportive online environment.

Fee: $129
Dates: 4/13/21 - 5/11/21 (Tuesdays)
Time: 6-8 pm
Location: Online via Zoom

Click here to view the full details for this course and register today! Questions? Please email continuing-ed@shoreline.edu.



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Agenda for Shoreline council meeting April 12, 2021

 

The agenda for the April 12, 2021 Shoreline City Council Meeting includes the following:


The assumption of the Ronald Wastewater District (RWD) requires that the City of Shoreline develop and implement a new municipal code chapter to establish its governing authority by which the City will own and operate the wastewater utility. The City Council passed Ordinance No. 780 on October 2, 2017, which updated Shoreline Municipal Code (SMC) Chapter 13.05 establishing the regulations for the new wastewater utility. Proposed Ordinance No. 928 (discussed at the March 29, 2021 meeting) would repeal Ordinance No. 780 and replace it with a new SMC Chapter 13.05 that updates the regulations for the wastewater utility.


Related to above Action Item 8(a), proposed Resolution No. 474  would repeal Resolution No. 417  which set forth the Wastewater Revenue and Customer Service Policy, so that the Administrative Services Director can exercise the rule-making authority granted in Ordinance No. 928.


On October 26, 2020, the City Council adopted interim regulations for the operation of an enhanced shelter in the R-48 Zone, which will expire in April. Tonight, Council is scheduled to discuss permanent regulations that would allow enhanced shelters in the Mixed Business (MB) zone, subject to index criteria. The Hearing Examiner held a public hearing on March 17, 2021 regarding this rezone and on April 2, 2021, the Hearing Examiner issued a decision recommending approval which will come to Council for final decision making.


Due to delays and other unanticipated issues, some appropriations were not expended in the 2019-2020 Biennial Budget. To provide adequate budget resources in the 2021-2022 biennium to pay expenditures incurred for operating programs or to complete capital projects in progress, re-appropriation of a portion of the 2020 ending fund balance for expenditures in the 2021-2022 biennium, commonly referred to as a reappropriation or carryover, is needed.


During the first quarter of 2021, staff identified several operating programs and capital projects that require additional funding due to unanticipated needs that were unknown in November 2020 at the time the 2021-2022 Biennial Budget was adopted. Additionally, the City is moving forward with the assumption of the Ronald Wastewater District effective April 30, 2021, which requires amendments to both the operating and capital budgets for the Wastewater Utility Fund. Staff is requesting that the 2021-2022 biennial budget be amended to provide funding for these programs and projects.

The meeting begins at 7pm on Monday, April 12, 2021 and will be held virtually.

information listed below to access all of these options:

Meetings

Click here to watch live streaming video of the Meeting on shorelinewa.gov

Meetings

Attend the Meeting via Zoom Webinar: https://zoom.us/j/95015006341

Phone System

Call into the Live Meeting: 253-215-8782 | Webinar ID: 950 1500 6341

Chat

Click Here to Sign-Up to Provide Oral Testimony
Pre-registration is required by 6:30 p.m. the night of the meeting.

Click Here to Submit Written Public Comment
Written comments will be presented to Council and posted to the website if received by 4:00 p.m. the night of the meeting; otherwise they will be sent and posted the next day.


--Pam Cross



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