Notes from Shoreline council meeting April 12, 2021

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Pam Cross, reporter
Shoreline City Council Meeting
April 12, 2021

Notes by Pam Cross

Mayor Hall called the remote meeting to order at 7:00pm.

Councilmember Robertson was excused for personal reasons.

Proclamation

I, Will Hall, Mayor of the City of Shoreline, on behalf of the Shoreline City Council, do hereby proclaim the week of April 18 through April 24, 2021 as VOLUNTEER WEEK in the City of Shoreline and encourage all residents to continue their good work supporting the community, and express appreciation to those who have helped others during the pandemic.

Approval of the Agenda
Agenda adopted by unanimous consent.

Report of the City Manager, Debbie Tarry

COVID UPDATE


We are simultaneously in a very optimistic and very precarious place. The pace of vaccinations continues to accelerate, however we still face the possibility that we are at the beginning of a fourth wave of infection. Mutated strains are increasing every week.


 

Darnell Park

Good news for this park located off the Interurban Trail at 165th Street! It’s an open space with a lot of potential. However it suffers from an overrepresentation of non-native and invasive plants.

Darnell Park

Kaleidoscope Landscapers, located in Shoreline, has committed to donate a day of labor every month to help restore the park’s biological integrity and to design an open space that is aligned with our goal of providing safety for those who are utilizing the park.

Earth Day Every Day


Public Reminders

The Planning Commission will hold a remote meeting on Thursday, April 15 at 7:00pm to provide the Transportation Master Plan Update

Council Reports

Councilmember McConnell attended a remote meeting for the National League of Cities Transportation and Infrastructure Services Committee. The Committee is totally aligned with local and State priorities. She is proud that Shoreline is a member of the National League of Cities and sees it as a real asset to moving our agenda along.

Mayor Hall: As Councilmembers know, funding for the non-motorized bridge to connect pedestrians and bicyclists across I-5 to the new light rail station at 148th is in proposed budgets in both the State House and Senate. It is dependent on getting a funding package. The funding package that is moving forward right now is the Carbon Cap-and-Invest Bill. It has passed the Senate and is in front of the House.

Mayor Hall regarding COVID: We and our local businesses have sacrificed so much in the past year. To go this far, it’s frustrating people are still getting sick with COVID. Please don’t put yourself at risk - hang in there as the vaccine rollout continues.

Public Comment (written comments available on line)

Edgar Sioson, Shoreline

Parking minimums may be a benefit resulting in reduced vehicle traffic and safety for pedestrians and bicycles, but he is not in favor of them.

Dicky Leonardo, Shoreline

Re Prop 1, one of the parks is very near the enhanced shelter. Want to make sure our families have access to this park and it is not overcome by the houseless. What are the City’s plans to ensure this?

Jackie Kurle, Shoreline

Supports helping the homeless population, but wants to make sure the City and the operators of the enhanced shelter are paying full attention to the community’s needs and being fully transparent with what impacts are happening.

Approval of the Consent Calendar

Consent Calendar approved unanimously by roll call vote. 6-0

Action Item 8(a) Action on Ordinance No. 928 – Repealing Ordinance No. 780 and Provide for a New Shoreline Municipal Code Chapter 13.05

Presented by Randy Witt, Public Works Director

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.

The issue of late charges came up at the March 29th meeting. A 10% late charge is consistent with Ronald Wastewater’s current policy. Late charge language was added to SMC 13.05.130(B) including a waiver policy allowing a waiver once per year without cause. Waivers with cause will be allowed with Director approval.

Otherwise unchanged since the last meeting.

DISCUSSION

No additional discussion.

VOTE

Ordinance 928 is adopted unanimously by a vote of 6-0.

Action Item 8(b) Action on Resolution No. 474 – Repealing Resolution No. 417 Regarding Wastewater Financial Policies

Presented by Randy Witt, Public Works Director

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.

It is unchanged from the proposed resolution discussed on March 29th.

DISCUSSION

No additional discussion.

VOTE

Resolution 474 is adopted unanimously by a vote of 6-0.
Presented by Steve Szafran, AICP, Senior Planner

In April of 2020, the City began a process of developing partnerships with North King County cities and other key stakeholders in support of siting a 24/7 shelter/navigation center to serve homeless single adults in North King County.

Funding through the Department of Commerce to expand homeless shelter capacity became available in June 2020. The City then partnered with King County and Lake City Partners for a site at 165th and Aurora (formerly The Oaks).

On October 26, 2020, the City Council adopted interim regulations for the operation of an enhanced shelter in the R-48 Zone. King County has established a 24/7 Enhanced Shelter on the site under the interim ordinance. The interim ordinance will expire in April if not renewed or permanent regulations put in place.

Permanent regulations will 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, issued a decision recommending approval.


Index criteria include: who can operate it, inspection requirements, a code of conduct, location with frontage on a principal arterial and within 1/4 mile of transit stop with frequent all-day service, a solid 6’ fence abutting residential zoning districts, an acceptable parking plan, and a memorandum of agreement with the City.

Two additional Index Criteria have been added.




POTENTIAL PARCELS

The Oaks site is shown with 1 mile radius outlined by the blue dotted line.

The dark green are eligible sites.

The lighter green are those that are zoned Mixed Business but would not be eligible. For example, the lighter green site on Ballinger Way is not eligible because it does not meet the transit criteria.

DISCUSSION

If Councilmembers have additional ideas for index criteria, how would that affect the Oaks Site? Would the new index criteria apply to shelters already in operation?

Reply from City Attorney Margaret King: Oaks is currently existing so subsequent changes to index criteria will not affect Oaks.

If The Oaks site is changed to permanent supportive housing, (King County has indicated this is a possibility) and if Oaks continues as an enhanced shelter after the supportive housing is built, would we then apply any new criteria? Obviously during construction, the Enhanced Shelter would have to cease operations at the site. If the enhanced shelter then comes back, will updated index criteria apply?

City Attorney: I hate to give a “squishy answer” but it really depends on the facts of the case, length of time it was not operating, what their intent was and other factors.

I would like to consider adding a criteria for distance from schools. This would not apply to the Oaks because the school is outside of the distance (1,500’ or 1/4 mile) I am thinking of. But we are making permanent regulations now and have to think of future sites.

Reply: there is no current conversation about distance from schools, but we can definitely come back with a proposed amendment

I’m not in favor of the school distance requirement. Most of the school distance requirements we have are there to keep kids from temptation (such as a pot shop near a school). But the homeless are not so toxic they need to be kept away from schoolchildren.

We had this school distance discussion with pot shops and I don’t think it was just to keep temptation away. I believe it was just a use that needed some distance from children. I’m not saying shelters are dangerous. But I think we need to remember that children are not adults.

We might not even have any qualifying lots that would be near a school. But if there are, wouldn’t we want some distance from schoolchildren so they can walk without fear?

Minimum distance to schools concerns me. What if a shelter is renovated so it is closed 12-18 months during construction. I don’t really want a future council to say nope can’t do it because you’re too close to a school.

We could make the distance to a school such that the Oaks would still be conforming. And I’m not implying homeless people are “toxic.” But results depend on the mix of the residents we have in an enhanced shelter. Some of the shelters we looked at in other cities had issues with drug dealing that was happening around the shelter, and we had a problem with the methadone center that’s even closer to Shorewood HS.

I think coordination with the Shoreline Fire Department should be included in the Memorandum of Agreement. We include law enforcement but EMS calls are likely to be responded to by the SFD and I would like a threshold of calls to include EMS. These are City resources that are drawn upon.

Referring to Mr. Leonardo’s comments today, I am very sympathetic for everyone who wants to use a neighborhood park for the purpose for which it was designed. It should be a place for everyone, housed and unhoused, to use for recreation. Not as a place to camp. Now we have shelter space, and a community sense that we don’t want camping in our parks. It is trespassing.

My concern with guidelines is we don’t want to make it so difficult to operate a shelter that the houseless are forced outside again in cars or in our parks.

I don’t think the requirements we have are onerous. There is a lot more to manage than for a private home and this is where we can put limitations and guardrails that our community would want us to do.

At the most we will have one more shelter in Shoreline under these index criteria.

I would to add an amendment that shelters shall be operated by a “public agency” instead of state, county or local government. This recognizes that perhaps a federally recognized tribe might want to operate a shelter.

What is the maximum occupancy at Oaks?

Reply from Debbie Tarry: The current agreement limits it to 60. Code puts overall at 100 but we reduced that based in part on the size of facility.

Setting limits on the number of residents is a good idea and helps avoid some of the over concentration issues that we have heard about in other jurisdictions. 100 feels consistent with the other homeless shelter (not an enhanced shelter).

We really appreciate both the staff and the Planning Commission working on this. We put together the interim regulations as quickly as we could because we were under certain deadlines. But we want to take more time putting together the permanent regulations. We want to take more time to be thoughtful now.

This is coming back to us May 3rd.

Study Item 9(b) Discussing Ordinance No. 922 - Amending the 2021-2022 Biennial Budget (Ord. No. 903) for Uncompleted 2019-2020 Operating and Capital Projects and Increasing Appropriations in the 2021-2022 Biennial Budget

Presented by Rick Kirkwood, Budget and Tax Manager
Sara Lane, Administrative Services Director, available to answer questions

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.


This was a very brief presentation. Mr. Kirkwood referred Council to attachment B in the staff report for the details.

DISCUSSION

Can you clarify the lines in the above chart that pertain to the City Maintenance Facility?

Reply: the plan was to set aside $6M for the City Maintenance Facility. Some of that was appropriated during the last biennial budget as phase 1 expenditures started proceeding. But through the adoption of the 2021-2022 budget, timing became better known in terms of when that set-aside would be needed, so there’s $2.759M that’s appropriated in this current biennium plus some carryover from the last biennium that didn’t get spent. That’s how you get to the $2.979M in the right column.

Out of the $6M that I mentioned, that’s where then the $3.636M comes to because, in addition, once the City Manager saw how the fund balance panned out at the end of the biennium, she wanted to set aside more funding and that’s why the amount of set aside designated for the City Maintenance Facility has increased.

Sara Lane: the City Manager had identified a target of putting aside $1M per year into that savings dependent on the availability of additional one-time funding. So that’s why that additional amount is added in the right hand column at this time.

Rick Kirkwood: We put it in the table in this format to show how much of that one time support for the City Maintenance Facility is actually appropriated through the actions that the Council takes versus the amount that’s set aside to be appropriated in a future year. That way it’s really an accounting of all of the intended uses of the fund balance.

There’s an amendment to the financial policies to say that reserves for the wastewater utility shall be no less than 20% of budgeted operating reserves. This is consistent with all of our other policies. We’ve also tried to keep some of the other policies of Ronald Wastewater moving forward. Did Ronald Wastewater have a similar reserve policy? And, thinking about all of our utility funds, is 20% the right number of required reserves?

Reply: we will definitely look into it as part of the Wastewater master plan. It’s a question that was asked and answered when we prepared the surface wastewater plan.

I don’t believe they did.There was a solid analysis in terms of the amount of reserves they would need for capital planning and system replacement, but I’m not aware of any specific written policy that spoke to specific calculation like what we have for our surface water.

Reply Sara Lane: Confirm that they didn’t have a policy but they monitored very carefully to ensure that they had adequate operating funds. We are trying to make it consistent with our Surface Water fund and we continue to determine that this is the appropriate level as we move forward with further master planning.

How far are we from 20%?

Sara Lane: We anticipate that they will be within that.

This will return on Consent April 26.

Study Item 9(c) Discussing Ordinance No. 923 - Amending the 2021-2022 Biennial Budget (Ordinance Nos. 903 and 922)

Presented by Rick Kirkwood, Budget and Tax Manager
Sara Lane, Administrative Services Director available to answer questions

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.


This was a very brief presentation. Mr. Kirkwood referred Council to attachment B in the staff report for the details.

Financial Policies

Wastewater Utility Fund Reserve: The City shall maintain an operating reserve within the Wastewater Utility Fund in an amount equal to no less than 20% of budgeted operating revenues excluding treatment charge pass-through.

DISCUSSION

No additional discussion.

This will come back on Consent April 26, 2021.

Meeting adjourned. 8:13pm

Correction 4-16-21: updated citizen comments



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Scene on the Sound: Tide's out and so are the mountains

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Photo by Lee Lageschulte

A bright, sunny day and a very low tide brought out a few beachcombers. Seeing this, it seems amazing that aircraft carriers and submarines routinely sail these waters - not to mention the occasional oil rig.

Photo by Lee Lageschulte

Most of the haze was gone from the air today, making for gorgeous views of the Olympics. 

When I first moved to Seattle - lo, these many years ago - the air here was still clear and leaders were very snotty about how much better we were than polluted California.

However, no one did anything proactive to keep the air clear and as the years have gone by, our air has become more and more polluted (aka haze).

Unless you were here then, you have no idea how truly stunning the mountains are when you can actually see them.

And California has some of the clearest air in the nation.

Photo by Lee Lageschulte

All the peaks have names, but The Brothers is the only one I can identify. 

--Diane Hettrick



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Gary Walderman is the Life Changer Award recipient of 2020

Commander Larry Fischer presenting the 2020 Life Changer Award to Gary Walderman


By Doug Cerretti

Gary Walderman is the Life Changer Award recipient of 2020.

Commander Larry Fischer of the Shoreline American Legion Post 227 presented the award to Gary at Heroes' Café Shoreline March 9, 2021. The award presentation was delayed due to the pandemic.

Gary Walderman was recognized for his dedicated service to veterans with outreach to Sebastian House and nine retirement homes in the Lynnwood-Edmonds area. Gary began working on the concept of the Hero’s Café in connection with a team under the Mayor of Lynnwood’s strategic plan to make Lynnwood a Veteran Friendly community.

In 2016 Heroes' Café, founded by Gary and his team, began with donations as a free stop-in lunch gathering for Veterans. The mission of Hero’s Café is to bring together area Veterans through monthly meetings creating new friendships and to raise funds and services to meet the many needs of Veterans.

To date, Gary and his dedicated team have devoted 1,800 service hours and have served food to over 1,330 veterans in this once a month gathering. Gary received a $200 check from Post 227.

The American Legion Post 227 created the Life Changer Award in 2012 to recognize people who have made life better for others in their community.



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Northgate Link light rail extension will open to passenger service on Saturday, October 2, 2021

Northgate Transit Station October 2020
Photo by Liam Graham

The new extension, which is moving forward under budget, will offer riders reliable, traffic-free trips of only 14 minutes between Northgate and downtown Seattle. 

In addition to the elevated station at Northgate trains will stop at new underground stations serving Seattle’s U District and Roosevelt neighborhoods. 

Of the 4.3-mile extension, all but 0.8 miles of elevated track at Northgate are located underground.

Sound Transit is working with the region’s transit providers on plans for having the opening coincide with fall service changes on ST Express, King County Metro Transit and Community Transit bus routes. In some cases bus routes are planned to be modified to allow riders to connect with congestion-free Link service.

“This milestone will transform commutes and communities, and further demonstrate the power of light rail to whisk riders to their destinations quickly, sustainably, and absolutely reliably,” said Sound Transit Board Vice Chair and King County Executive Dow Constantine. 
“King County Metro Transit will expand Northgate Link’s benefits by tying local bus routes with stations, so thousands of commuters can simply skip the daily Ship Canal Bridge bottleneck.”

Voters approved the Northgate Link extension in 2008 as part of the Sound Transit 2 ballot measure. Construction on the project began in 2012 following six years of planning. 

Twin boring machines began tunneling in 2014, completing the 3.5-mile twin tunnels in 2016. Guideway construction was completed in 2018 and rail installation in 2019. 

Construction of all three stations was substantially complete at the beginning of 2021, and since last January, light rail test trains have been operating across the alignment to test the overhead electrical power system and train signal system.

The project’s $1.9 billion baseline budget includes a $615 million credit agreement under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA), which provided significant long-term savings for regional taxpayers through reduced borrowing costs. The final project cost is expected to come in under budget.



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Agenda for Shoreline council meeting April 19, 2021


The Shoreline City Council meeting for April 19, 2021 includes one action item and two study items.

Action Item 8(a) Action on the Naming of Park Properties at 709 N 150 Street and 1341 N 185 Street

Staff recommends that the City Council move to name the property located at 709 N 150 Street as Westminster Park and the property located at 1341 N 185 Street as Edwin Pratt Memorial Park as recommended by the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services/Tree Board.

Study Item 9(a) Discussing Ordinance No. 930 - Amending Development Code Chapters 20.20, 20.30, 20.40, and 20.50 and Chapter 13.12 Floodplain Regulations for Batch #1 of the 2021 Development Code Amendments

The first batch of 2021 Development Code Amendments includes administrative, clarifying, and policy amendments. The amendments being discussed address issues that are time sensitive related to: changes in State law; unclear Development Code language; omissions caused by recent amendments to the Development Code; and may directly result in projects either being developed or not. Staff will bring another batch of amendments forward to the Planning Commission and Council later this year that also address important issues such as tree protection, tree retention, and tree replacement, the Deep Green Incentive Program, SEPA, nonconforming structures, and Conditional Use Permits.

Study Item 9(b) Discussion of the Housing Action Plan (HAP)

The 2020 Planning and Community Development Department work plan included a Housing Choices Project to expand the types of housing in Shoreline by exploring the “missing middle” suite of options including cottages, tiny houses, vacation rentals and accessory dwelling units. The Draft Housing Action Plan (HAP) was presented to the City Council at the March 22, 2021 meeting. Council requested the HAP be revised to clarify that, if adopted, the Council was not committing to any particular housing toolkit strategy, but instead the HAP could be used to inform future decisions on goals and work plan priorities on the topic of housing.



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King County Public Health Insurance Enrollment Event at Shoreline City Hall


King County Public Health Insurance Enrollment Event
Saturday, April 17, 11am – 3:00pm


In person, physically distanced, outside event. Face masks are required and will be provided, if needed.

Sign up for health insurance, energy assistance, Basic Food, ORCA LIFT cards, and other support.

For more information call King County CHAP 1-800-756-5437 or visit www.kingcounty.gov/outreach 




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Inslee signs commutations following court decision on simple drug possession

Gov. Inslee
file photo pre-pandemic
Gov. Jay Inslee has signed commutations for 13 individuals convicted of drug possession charges under a law that was recently struck down by the Washington State Supreme Court. Those individuals have been released from Department of Corrections custody.

More commutations are expected in response to petitions from incarcerated individuals, with the governor planning to sign at least two more today. 

Last week, Inslee offered unconditional commutations to individuals remaining in Department of Corrections (DOC) custody solely on simple drug possession convictions.

In February, the court struck down a portion of state law that makes simple drug possession a crime. A majority of justices said the law was unconstitutional because it did not require prosecutors prove a suspect knowingly or intentionally possessed contraband. 

The court’s decision essentially invalidated the statute that was the basis for the criminal convictions and related sentences for numerous individuals, including many in DOC custody in state prisons solely for these now-invalidated drug possession convictions.

While prosecutors and the courts have worked to vacate the convictions of individuals convicted and sentenced under this now-invalidated drug possession statute, the governor has endeavored to use his clemency authority to expeditiously facilitate a more immediate release for other individuals in custody solely on these convictions.



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Cartoon by Whitney Potter: It's tax time

 


Previous cartoons by Whitney Potter here



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Case updates April 12, 2021 - Pausing Johnson / Johnson vaccines; cases rising among King county residents in their 20s

King county positive case totals to date by age group
Distribution: Rate per 1,000


The state DOH will pause the use of the Johnson / Johnson (J/J) vaccine statewide starting immediately, following the guidance of the FDA/CDC. Six women who received the vaccine had blood clots and one died. There have been no cases of blood clots in Washington state. 

King county exec Dow Constantine: In the last week, King County had more people in their 20s hospitalized than those over 70. These new COVID variants are more transmissible, and we must continue to do all we can to stop their spread.

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.

The governor is moving three counties: Pierce, Whitman, and Cowlitz back to Phase 2. King county is still vulnerable because of rising case numbers.


Case updates April 12, 2021


United States 
  • Total cases 31,076,891 - 56,689 in one day
  • Total deaths 559,741 - 569 in one day

Washington state  
  • Total cases 379,056 -  1,104 new cases in a day  
  • Total hospitalizations 21,185 - 126 in a day 
  • Total deaths 5,340 -  11 in a day 

King county 
  • Total cases 91,802 - 87 in a day  
  • Total hospitalizations 5,458 - 9 in a day  
  • Total deaths 1,485 - 2 in a day  

Seattle - population 744,995 (2018) 
  • Total cases 22,591 - 4 in a day
  • Total hospitalizations 1,257 -    -1 in a day
  • Total deaths 381 -   -1 in a day

Shoreline - population 56,752 (2018) 
  • Total cases 2,169 -  3 in a day 
  • Total hospitalizations 191 -  -1 in a day
  • Total deaths 92 - no change

Lake Forest Park - 13,569 (2018) 
  • cases 298 -  -2 since yesterday
  • hospitalizations 17 -  1 since yesterday
  • deaths 4 - no change

Correction: WA state deaths should have been 5340

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Book review by Aarene Storms: Charming as a Verb

Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe

Henri Haltiwanger is a good student at a prestigious prep school, runs his own dog-walking business for wealthy New York neighbors, and desperately wants to be admitted to Columbia University so his Haitian-immigrant dad will be proud of him. 

Henri is also a little bit of a con-man, but he is, seriously, a nice kid who makes a point of charming almost everybody he meets.

Only one person seems immune to his charm, and readers will immediately spot the chemistry between Henri and uber-smart (and kind of spectrum-y) Corinne Troy. 

Their friendship and tiny romance seems like such a good thing... until Henri's ambition pushes him a little bit too far.

This is a fun, own-voices book with relatable characters. Henri's need-to-succeed is obviously bound to fail, but it's the process of reassembling his life that proves his worthiness-- and his fascination with sneaker fashion is pretty adorable, too.

Some cussing, some smooching on the page, and a near-miss sexual situation with extra points for condom-preparedness. Recommended for readers 12 to adult.

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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Jersey Mike's Subs' 41 Seattle area locations raise over $300,000 for Seattle Children's Hospital

Steve Berry, owner of Jersey Mike's Subs in Aurora Village
in a 2011 file photo
"Jersey Mike's thanks its outstanding customers, franchise owners and team members for their generous support during this year's 11th Annual Month of Giving which raised an unprecedented $15 million for local charities nationwide!"

This was twice the amount raised in last year's event.

In western Washington, the 41 stores raised more than $300,000 for Seattle Children's Hospital. 

This included the Shoreline location at Aurora Village in the strip mall across from the Costco entrance.

The owner of the Shoreline location, Steve Berry, owns four stores: Shoreline, Mukilteo, Lynnwood, and Redmond/Overlake. All participated.

His stores collected donations from customers all month. To encourage greater donations they gave discount coupons for $5, $3, and $1 contributions.

On the Day of Giving, March 31, 2021, every store in the United States contributed 100% of sales.

Everyone wins. A favorite local charity gets a major contribution, customers get good food and the chance to participate, and store owners have the satisfaction of giving back to the communities where they are located.

A complete list of charities and money raised by state is available here

--Diane Hettrick


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Flowering currant at Twin Ponds Park

Tuesday, April 13, 2021


Photo by Hitomi Dames

These Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) ‘White Icicle’ are found at Twin Ponds Park near the tennis court.

--Hitomi Dames

Photo by Hitomi Dames

Since I couldn't decide which photo I liked the best - I'm putting them both in!
--Diane Hettrick




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Case updates April 11, 2021

 
Positive cases in King county as of 4-11-21

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.

The governor is moving three counties: Pierce, Whitman, and Cowlitz back to Phase 2. King county is still vulnerable because of rising case numbers.


Case updates April 11, 2021


United States 
  • Total cases 31,015,033 - 49,409 in one day
  • Total deaths 559,172 - 328 in one day

Washington state  
  • Total cases 377,952 -  1722 new cases in 2 days  
  • Total hospitalizations 21,058 - 96 in 2 days 
  • Total deaths 5,329 -  7 in 2 days 

King county 
  • Total cases 91,715 - 277 in a day  
  • Total hospitalizations 5,449 - 3 in a day  
  • Total deaths 1,483 - 0 in a day  

Seattle - population 744,995 (2018) 
  • Total cases 22,587 - 86 in a day
  • Total hospitalizations 1,258 -  1 in a day
  • Total deaths 382 - 1 in a day

Shoreline - population 56,752 (2018) 
  • Total cases 2,166 -  3 in a day 
  • Total hospitalizations 192 - 1 in a day
  • Total deaths 92 - no change

Lake Forest Park - 13,569 (2018) 
  • cases 300 - 1 since yesterday
  • hospitalizations 16 -   -1 since yesterday
  • deaths 4 - no change

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Rep. Pollet's bill to protect children from lead in school drinking water is headed to Governor's desk

Rep. Gerry Pollet D-46
Legislation protecting Washington’s children from lead in their school’s drinking water is headed to the Governor’s desk. 

On Sunday, April 11, 2021 House Bill 1139, sponsored by Rep. Gerry Pollet, (D-46th District) passed the Senate with unanimous support following four years of effort.

House Bill 1139 establishes a 2026 deadline for the Department of Health to test all faucets used for drinking water or in food preparation in public schools. Parents will now be notified of results when elevated lead levels are found.

Schools will be required to develop action plans to reduce all lead levels to below five parts per billion (ppb). 

With the governor’s signature, Washington state will have one of the strongest protections for school children in the nation for a major environmental justice issue.

“Kids go to school to learn,” said Pollet, who is also a faculty member at the University of Washington School of Public Health. 
“The water they drink in school shouldn’t reduce their IQ and ability to learn. The water our children drink shouldn’t cause lifelong behavioral and other health effects. 
"Research has shown us repeatedly just how harmful lead is to kids. Even low levels of exposure lead to neurological and developmental problems. Parents need and deserve to know we have a plan to address the problem. 
"We are finally stepping up to protect Washington students.”

An analysis by a UW School of Public Health graduate student Molly Codding showed that 82 percent of participating schools had at least one faucet or fountain with lead levels of at least 5 ppb, and 49 percent had a faucet with lead levels over 15 ppb.

The FDA’s standard for lead in bottled water is 5 ppb. Numerous schools had lead levels well over 100 ppb, and two schools had levels over 1,000 ppb.

There were 551 schools that participated in the voluntary testing conducted by the Washington Department of Health and Seattle Public Schools. About 2,000 schools remain to be tested.

Schools with elevated lead will adopt an action plan under House Bill 1139. Installing certified filters or replacing valves usually succeed in remediating lead levels to below 5 ppb. These costs are typically under $4,000 per school.

“State Superintendent Reykdal has been an incredible champion for the program to sample and provide the funding to eliminate lead exposure to our children in their school water,” Pollet said. 
“The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction has been awarding grants to schools to remediate lead for several years, and the director of that program, Tyler Muench, provided invaluable technical assistance to the legislative committees’ understanding.”

House Bill 1139 is named in honor of Bruce Speight, longtime Executive Director of the Washington Public Interest Group (WashPIRG) and Environment Washington who championed this effort for several years before passing away to cancer.

The bill had some technical amendments in the Senate, which are expected to be concurred in by the House, with the bill then sent to Governor Inslee to sign.

Rep. Gerry Pollet, D-Seattle (46th Legislative District), represents Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, and part of northeast Seattle including Lake City.


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Senior Center Fundraiser: Happy Days on the Horizon


Older adults in our community need your help now more than ever. 

In the presence of COVID, Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Senior Center requires your support to continue providing hot daily meals through our To-Go Delivery program, free social worker consultations, footcare by individual appointment, low cost fitness classes and support group meetings.

Our upcoming Virtual Fundraiser will raise needed funds so the Senior Center can continue to be a vital hub of social interaction for adults aged 50+. 

From Zoom Exercise Classes to our Pen Pal Program or Clogging with Maureen, the Senior Center is dedicated to offering invigorating programs for our Members. 

Our Virtual Fundraiser will kick-off at 10am PDT on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 with a heartfelt message from the SLFSPC family. For the rest of the week, we will be sharing daily messages and videos from the people that call the Senior Center a home away from home.

Go to our website here or click the button to register today: Register Today!


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95 year old Shoreline man is a regular Red Cross blood donor

Carl Garrison of Shoreline
By Ray Lapine

In August of 1945, Carl Garrison was a nineteen-year-old Marine deployed to Okinawa where forces were massing to invade the Japanese Home Islands. 

He was there when President Truman ordered atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Soon after those attacks, Japan surrendered, ending World War II before the planned invasion could happen.

Now, at age 95, Garrison continues to serve his country and his community. A frequent blood donor at Red Cross blood drives, he says,

 “I think as long as you are able to give blood and there are other people who need it, I think it should be done.”


In Washington State, you must be at least 16 years old to give blood, but there is no upper age limit.

In other words, you are never too old to give blood. Garrison’s son points out that his dad not only can give blood, “he insists on it.”

“It’s something that I can do at my age,” explains Carl. “My balance prevents me from doing a lot of physical things. But something I can do, because I’m healthy, is go ahead and donate blood for people who can’t even do that much.”
 
Carl Garrison and the phlebotomy team at a 2020 blood drive

“I’m really proud of my dad,” his son says.

Carl Garrison lives in Shoreline. In addition to donating blood, he has volunteered his time to the American Legion and helps out at Annie’s Community Kitchen in Edmonds. That organization provides a weekly dinner that’s free for anyone who needs it.

Garrison credits his mother for his desire to help others. She taught him the Golden Rule from the Bible. “It always worked for her,” he says, “and it worked for me. I’ve tried to give off and on when I can, and I’ve had it come right back to me.”

Looking into the future, he expects to be at a Red Cross blood drive every other month.

“It’s a very good thing to do. It’s simple. It’s easy. There are no after effects. I think everybody that can do it, should do it, because there are so many people that need it.”

Eligibility questions? 1-800-REDCROSS

Reprinted with permission from American Red Cross Northwest


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Rick Steves to speak at the Lake Forest Park Rotary Club Apr 21


Rick Steves will speak at the Lake Forest Park Rotary Club
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 7:45am

Zoom Link to Join the Virtual Meeting

Join travel expert Rick Steves — acclaimed for his bestselling guidebooks and public television series — as he answers the questions we're all wondering: When will we travel again? What will travel look like in the future? And what is the true value of travel?

After a lifetime of exploring Europe and inspiring Americans to broaden their perspectives through travel, Rick shares his reasons why joy awaits those who will travel again.

Rick Steves is a popular public television host, a best-selling guidebook author, and an outspoken activist who encourages Americans to broaden their perspectives through travel. 

He is the founder and owner of Rick Steves' Europe, a travel business with a tour program that brings more than 30,000 people to Europe annually. 

Rick lives and works in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington, where his office window overlooks his old junior high school.

The Lake Forest Park Rotary Club is a nonsectarian, nonpolitical organization of men and women making a difference in our community. We meet Wednesday mornings at 7:45am for a casual meeting, and each week feature a different guest speaker.

You can find out more about our club, and the service projects we support locally and internationally at our website: http://lakeforestparkrotary.com/



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King County Elections to host Candidate Workshops in April to encourage people to run for local offices in 2021


King County Elections (KCE) will host virtual candidate workshops for people interested in learning the ins-and-outs of running for office. The workshops will be held to demystify the process by empowering potential candidates with key information they need to file their candidacy.

When:
  • Saturday, April 17, 10am – 12pm
  • Thursday, April 29, 10am – 12pm
Where: Virtual meeting over Zoom webinar

How: Click here or visit bit.ly/kingworkshops to choose a date and register.
This year there are over 330 local, nonpartisan offices up for election in King county.

“We know that one of the key reasons people don’t vote in local elections is because they don’t see candidates on the ballot who look like them or represent their community,” said Director of Elections Julie Wise. 
“These workshops are an opportunity for less experienced or first-time candidates to get information and ask questions directly from the team that will ultimately help them through the filing process.”

The workshops will cover a range of topics including the elections calendar, online candidate filing, filing fee petitions, ballot order, local voters’ pamphlet filing, and more.

“Running for office takes a tremendous amount of courage and even the most technical parts of the process can be intimidating. We want to make to make things as easy as possible,” stated Wise.

The workshops will be in preparation for the candidate filing period this year, which begins on Monday, May 17 through the following Friday, May 21. All Declarations of Candidacy must be received by King County Elections before the close of business on Friday, regardless of postmark.



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Get your hands dirty in an online ceramics class

Get a little muddy and activate your creative mind as you explore hand building techniques with clay in Introduction to Ceramics, an online class offered through Continuing Education at Shoreline Community College! 

Facilitator Gary Georger will guide you through setting up a simple and successful studio at home with common tools and introduce new techniques each week using Zoom and online resources. 

Students will create 4-5 projects, such as vases, planter boxes, wind chimes, and more to stay engaged with the clay. Discover various decoration techniques as you bring your clay to finished wares that will last generations!

Kiln firing and studio transport boxes included. Students must provide clay and glazes; a materials list will be sent to all registered students.

Please note that students will NOT have access to the ceramic studio on campus. Students will deliver and pick up their work for firing outside of the studio at Shoreline Community College. Pieces must fit in boxes (14" x 12" x 10") provided by Continuing Education.

In this 8-week class, students must also commit to 5 scheduled curbside drop off/pick up times on Mondays to successfully fire your projects in the times provided.
 
Fee: $235
Dates: 4/22/21 - 6/10/21 (Thursdays)
Time: 7-9 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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Call for Youth Art for the 2021 Shoreline Arts Festival


Call for Youth Art
2021 Shoreline Arts Festival


We’re bringing it back online for 2021! 

Be amazed by the local talents in the Virtual Youth Art Show as part of the Shoreline Arts Festival. 

Students in Pre-K through 12th grade submit their favorite 2-D and 3-D art works. Awards are given in four different age groups. 

Plus, the art for the Shoreline School District Calendar is selected from this exhibit, making it one of the most anticipated shows. 
Come surround yourself in the fabulous creativity of our youth!
 
Submit your artwork online by May 23rd, 2021. It’s free to participate!
  • Work of any 2D or 3D media will be accepted
  • Maximum 1 entry per category (2D or 3D)
  • 2 entries maximum per student (one in each category)

Award Winners will be announced at the Shoreline Arts Festival on June 26-27 at Pfingst Animal Acres Park, and also posted to our website.

Questions can be emailed to Jonathan at artsed@shorelakearts.org

ShoreLake Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to cultivate creativity and inspire our community through the arts. Established in 1989.



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