ISSUE 4 APRIL 2001CITY OF SAMMAMISH QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

Services Higher... Taxes Lower

ince incorporation, the City ofSammamish has successfully increasedCity services while lowering the burden

of resident taxes. We continue our goal as aCity to bring local government services closerto Sammamish residents while reducing the coststhat a citizen would otherwise have paid to KingCounty.

The City had an opportunity to levy taxes withlegislative allowed increases between 2-6%.However, as Councilmember KathleenHuckabay stated, it was Council’s objective to“recommend a tax that allows us to go forwardto the City and tell them that we have heardthe message that [Sammamish residents] wanttheir property taxes kept stable.” This resultedin a $910,584 reduction from the maximum in-crease that could have been levied. Your sav-ings in 2001 property taxes from those paid in2000 is reflected in the chart on page 4.

“Additionally, the City’s annexation to the Fireand Library districts also contributed to yourfiscal year 2001 tax savings,” stated Council-member Jack Barry. When comparing the prop-erty taxes of a $400,000 home, a Sammamishresident will pay approximately $4,903 com-pared to $5,100 paid by a nearby resident whoresides in unincorporated King County . . . anaverage savings of almost $200 per year.

City Services can be measured in various forms,from a resident’s ability to have elective repre-sentation through seven individuals, directallocation of resident dollars to supportresidential services, proximity of planning andbuilding services, increased public safety,transportation improvement efforts, and parksand open space planning, for example.

Our Public WorksDepartment providesdirect and timelyresponse to residents’inquiries and issues re-garding transportationand street maintenanceconcerns. Prior to in-corporation, residentspaid a county road taxused for maintenanceand improvement of lo-cal roads in unincor-porated areas of King

County and for county highways. “It was un-certain whether your taxpayer dollars, if any,would have been dedicated directly to Sammamishroads,” said Councilmember Phil Dyer.

As part of our School Sidewalks program, wehave also built 1,380 linear feet of sidewalk onNE 16th street near Margaret Mead Elementaryand 1,290 linear feet of sidewalk on SE 32nd

Way near Sunny Hills Elementary. The total of2,670 linear feet of sidewalk, compared to zeroprior to incorporation, excludes continuingwork-in-process on 228th. In addition, the Cityhas aggressively pursued and received $2.5 mil-lion in grants from the Washington State De-partment of Transportation, as well as approvalfor $10 million of 0.5% trust fund loans fortransportation improvements within our city.

At the same time the City has reduced propertytaxes, we are investing approximately nine timesmore into the City’s capital infrastructure. The

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graph directly above shows how the City isspending $9 million on capital compared to whatthe County spent prior to incorporation, approxi-mately $1 million.

“We have more than doubled the police protec-tion in our city,” said Councilmember KenKilroy. The Police Department currently has aforce of twenty-one officers compared to onlyeight officers prior to incorporation. This largerpolice force has enabled the City to expand ser-vices by dedicating officers to thefollowing du-ties since incorporation: two traffic officers, aproperty crimes detective, a pro-active detective,two school resource officers, and ten officers whohave been trained in bike patrol.

In addition to enhancing pre-incorporationservices such as the Neighborhood Blockwatchand crime prevention programs, the City of

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What’s InsideMayor’s Message....................... page 2Grant Awarded to City................. page 3228th Avenue Update..................page 3Citizen Friendly Web Page.......... page 4Parks and Recreation...............page 5-7Family Summit............................page 8City Hall Calendar....................... page 5Upcoming Summer Events..........page 6City Council Priorities..................page 7PAB Schedule.............................page 7Council Highlights....................... page 8

SERVICES HIGHER... TAXES LOWER

$-$500

$1,000$1,500$2,000$2,500$3,000$3,500$4,000$4,500$5,000$5,500

Unincorporated KingCounty $5,100

City of Sammamish$4,903

CountyState

Port

EMS

SchoolsFire

Hospital

Library

CityCounty Rds.

$0

$2,000,000

$4,000,000

$6,000,000

$8,000,000

$10,000,000

Before IncorporationApprox. $1 million

After IncorporationApprox. $9 million

Capital Investments In Our City

MAYOR’S MESSAGE

Page 2 APRIL 2001

CITY STAFF UPDATE

hen our first City Council was elected, Jack Barry–then deputyMayor–suggested our government promote a “family friendly,kids safe community.” This theme has stayed with your City

Council since the beginning. It serves as a constant reminder of why wedo what we do.

Why are we making improvements to 228th Avenue? It is not just tomake traffic flow smoother so people can make more money. Rather, it isto reduce congestion so families spend less time on the road and havemore time together. Why did we buy 185 acres of open space? Was itjust to make money? No, we purchased it so we could build parks andpreserve open space for our children and grandchildren. Why have wenot raised your property taxes for the past two years? So you do not haveto spend more time earning money to pay for government and can spendthat time with family. The projects the City has undertaken collectivelyimprove quality of life for our families. That is why we do what we do.

We are improving our transportation system and our park and recreationsystem; we have citizens’ boards working to develop comprehensive plansto guide us in the future. We must now address another importantelement for making our community better. That is the social challengesfacing our youth. Issues such as drugs, underage drinking, lack ofwholesome recreational opportunities in our city, teen pregnancy,and peer pressure, to varying degrees, are challenges to our youth. Toaddress these challenges we have decided to hold the first everSammamish Family Summit.

Special guests will include the leaders of all schools,community groups, churches, and youth organiza-tions. We will present a distinguished panel of cityyouth (the student body presidents of the highschools and junior high schools) to address the chal-lenges and dreams of our city’s youth. In additionto listening to our distinguished panel, we will havethe opportunity to hear keynote speaker Jeff Kemp,

Executive Director of Families Northwest. Retired from playing footballfor the Seattle Seahawks, Mr. Kemp has been actively involved with Fami-lies Northwest, helping families in Washington and now in the north-west. He will give insight on what we can do to strengthen our families.There will be booths in the commons area at Eastlake High for variousorganizations to share their information.

The Family Summit is scheduled for March 29 at 7:00 p.m., at EastlakeHigh School Commons. Everyone is invited to attend. We hope thatas a result of this family summit, your City government will come awaywith a better picture on how to facilitate and help organizations that alreadyexist in our community to serve the needs of our youth. The goal is not toreplace the schools, churches, and organizations, but rather to encourageand help them in the important opportunities they provide for our families.

On behalf of the City Council, please know of our admiration and re-spect for each of you and the challenges you face. We hope we are doingwhat you want to make our community better. That is our primary goal.

Troy Romero, Mayor

John CunninghamDirector of Public Works

Mr. Cunningham joinedour staff on February 16 asthe Director of PublicWorks. Most recently, hewas employed with the city

of Olympia. During his tenure, he was directlyinvolved with the creation of the Public WorksDepartment. As a professional engineer, he hasnearly twenty-four years of experience, includ-ing administrative and municipal duties alongwith the requisite engineering responsibilities.

Mr. Cunningham received his Bachelor ofScience in Civil Engineering from theUniversity of Washington, where he was in thetop 15% of his graduating class.

He loves sports, photography, outdoor activities,and aquariums. In fact, he is completing hiseighteenth year as a volunteer soccer coachand is the proud owner of a 30-gallon fish tank,which is now housed at City Hall.

We are very pleased John Cunningham hasjoined the City of Sammamish team.

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CITY OF SAMMAMISH486 - 228th Avenue NE

Sammamish, WA 98074PH: 425-898-0660FX: 425-898-0669

Website: www.ci.sammamish.wa.us

CITY COUNCILTroy Romero, Mayor

tromero@ci.sammamish.wa.usJack Barry

jbarry@ci.sammamish.wa.usPhil Dyer

pdyer@ci.sammamish.wa.usDon Gerend

dgerend@ci.sammamish.wa.usRon Haworth

rhaworth@ci.sammamish.wa.usKathleen Huckabay

khuckabay@ci.sammamish.wa.usKen Kilroy

kkilroy@ci.sammamish.wa.us

Ben Yazici City ManagerMelonie Anderson City ClerkRichard Baranzini Police ChiefBruce Disend City AttorneyRay Gilmore, Director Community DevelopmentJohn Cunningham, Director Public WorksJesse Baloca, Interim Director Finance Services

Ben YaziciCity Manager

The City Council ap-pointed Ben Yazici as CityManager on January 17,2001. Ben has considerableexperience in municipal

management, particularly with newly formedcities, and is ideally suited for the position.Before accepting the position, Mr. Yacizi servedas Interim City Manager and as both Directorof Public Works and Finance.

Mr. Yazici was formerly with the City ofUniversity Place as both Deputy City Managerand Public Works Director. Ben’s extensivebackground over the past fifteen years includesseveral management positions in public worksand transportation programs at the cities ofUniversity Place, Gig Harbor and Bothell.While at University Place, Ben brought nationalrecognition to the city with his efforts insolving significant transportation problems.

Ben has a Masters of Science Degree in CivilEngineering from the University of Washing-ton and speaks several languages.

APRIL 2001 Page 3

The City of Sammamish was awarded an $816,000 grant forthe roadway improvements on Issaquah/Pine Lake Road. Theimprovements will cover the area between the end of the cur-

rent construction at Pine Lake Middle School and the ConnemaraApartment Complex, and a point past the intersection with SE 32ndWay. The grant was made by the State Transportation ImprovementBoard’s (TIB) Arterial Improvement Program.

“We are very pleased to receive this grant. We will use these muchneeded funds to solve the congestion and safety problems on Issaquah/Pine Lake Road in the vicinity of Sunny Hills Elementary School,”said Don Gerend, Councilmember and chair of the Public Works Com-mittee.

The new grant funds will extend sidewalk and roadway improvementswest on SE 32nd Street to Issaquah-Pine Lake Road and along Issaquah-Pine Lake Road from SE 37th Place to 321st Lane. Also included areintersection improvements at SE 32nd and Issaquah-Pine Lake Road.This extends the recently completed sidewalks on SE 32nd Streetextending east from the school to 241st Avenue SE.

Total cost of the project is estimated at $1,019,500, whichincludes $815,600 in grant funds and a 20% local

matching funds of $203,900. Design is projected tobegin this summer with construction targeted to beginin the Spring of 2002.

TIB Grant Awarded to City

hanks to some budget surpluses at theend of 2000, the City Public WorksDepartment was able to extend theschool sidewalk program on SE 32nd

Way. During late 2000 and early 2001, this pro-gram built new sidewalks in the vicinities of Mar-garet Mead Elementary School on NE 16th, andSunny Hills Elementary School on SE 32nd Way.

This extension placed 900 lineal feet of addi-tional sidewalk along SE 32nd from 238th AvenueSE to 241st Avenue SE (see photo), and wascompleted by newsletter press time. This areais a high priority for the Issaquah School District,and will permit them to reduce expensive bus-sing of school children. The school sidewalkprogram has met with enthusiastic reception bythe schools and parents, and generally by theresidents as well. The addition of a planter stripbetween the curbing and the sidewalk, plantedwith decorative hardwood maples and sod orground cover, provides both protection for walk-ers and an attractive streetscape for walkers, bik-ers and drivers. The resulting new look is inkeeping with the City’s new interim Public

More Sidewalks Completed

TWorks Standards, which place all sidewalksbehind an intervening planter strip to pro-vide for improved pedestrian safety. Thesenew cross sections can be viewed at the City’swebsite at www.ci.sammamish.wa.us.

The City will build additional high-prioritysidewalks in the vicinity of schools again this year,although the funds available do not go very fardown the Districts’ priority lists. According toRon Haworth, City Council and Public WorksCommittee member, “These new sidewalks areinstantly popular with school children and theirparents, and we have gotten rave re-views from the public in general. Wewill do our best to continue and evenexpand this important program.”

The City also plans to pursue somegrant programs for assistance withfuture funding of school sidewalks.

PUBLIC WORKS

Much activity is taking place simultaneously on all three phases of the228th Avenue project.

Phase 1A: SE 32nd to SE 24th Street On this King County portion of thecorridor improvements, project personnel report the last of the undergroundutility work was finalized in February; curbs and gutters were poured aswell. The roadway paving is scheduled for April and the project should becompleted by early July.

Phase 1: SE 24th to SE 8 th Street This first phase of the City-managedportion of 228th advertised for construction bids in early March withconstruction to begin mid-April. The City Council decided not to includeany roundabouts in this portion of the project, but to look for other loca-tions in the city where roundabouts might be more appropriate. The Pub-lic Works Department held a day-long construction review session withvarious experienced professionals to determine methods by which thisphase of the project can be built more quickly and be completed in Octo-ber 2001. Ideas being considered include temporary closures of 228th

Avenue to all but local access traffic to facilitate faster construction.

Phase 1C: SE 8th to NE 8 th Street Contracts have been awarded andpreliminary work has taken place for both survey and right-of-way acqui-sition for this phase. The schedule calls for this project to go to bid earlynext year and for construction to be completed by Fall. King County trafficengineering staff is working cooperatively with City staff to develop solu-tions for traffic operations problems created by accesses previously per-mitted by King County on 228th Avenue north of NE 8 th Street.

228th Avenue Update

32nd Avenue SidewalkProject after completion...

from Margaret Mead to 238th

F

32nd Avenue Sidewalk Project - before

Page 4 APRIL 2001

he second Neighborhood Connectionsmeeting was held January 8 at City Halland was attended by over 21 neighbor-

hood representatives. The meeting focused onthe City’s Public Works Business Plan andCapital Improvement Plan with a presentationgiven by City Manager Ben Yazici. He alsofielded questions on goals and objectives forthese plans and specifically the 228th Avenueconstruction process.

Several neighborhoods cited speeding andtraffic concerns in their areas and requestedassistance. The need to remind citizens tocomply with speed limits was also discussed. TheNeighborhood Traffic Management program isdesigned to specifically address this issue throughuse of radar guns and the speed trailer. Formore information on Neighborhood TrafficManagement or to obtain radar guns or sched-ule the speed trailer please contact Pam Simmonsin the Department of Public Works (425)836-7925.

The next Neighborhood Connections meetingis Monday, April 9 at 6:30 p.m. and will in-clude a presentation from the Community De-velopment Department. For more information,please call Gail Davila (425) 836-7917.

Services Higher (continued)

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CITIZEN-FRIENDLY WEB SITE

The City of Sammamish has a redesigned Web Site. To keep the residents informed, the Cityhas added many new features and made the site more “user-friendly.” New additions include:

• a complete list of all ordinances and resolutions passed by the City Council since its• incorporation;• full text of all passed ordinances since January 2000;• a list of all public notices including land use actions and special meeting information;• a report on each developing subdivision within the City that includes such information as the

number of lots in each plat, the plat applicants name and where the plat is in the process ofdevelopment;

• important news events happening at City Hall such as Mayor Romero’s Family Summit;• forms to request public records or file a Citizen Action Request on line;• zoning and City limit maps;• detailed park information including a location map and aerial pictures.

Along with these new additions, you can still find all the information from the previous web site;meeting agendas, minutes, public services, City Council and staff contact information, and linksto other government agencies and local schools.

Future plans for the web site include posting the informational items such as the CityNewsletters, Resolutions, citizen surveys and, once adopted, the Park and Recreation Compre-hensive Plan.

So next time you are wondering what is going on in the City, just connect to our web seit andcheck it out. If you don’t find what you are looking for then send an email to the Webmaster. TheCity wants this web site to serve the citizens. Please let us know how we are doing.

www.ci.sammamish.wa.us

Connections ProgramNEIGHBORHOOD

Sammamish has added or is in process of imple-menting the following new community-orientedprograms that did not exist previously: bikepatrol, youth partnerships, youth activities,adopt-a-school, anti-loitering, and crime preven-tion through environmental design programs.

The Community Development department hasincreased services to the community by provid-ing customer proximity and access to staff, moreefficient turnaround of complaints and requestsfor information, dedicated staffing with localknowledge and experience versus the County-wide perspective on issues, tailored planning anddevelopment codes that reflect the local needs anddesires of the community, local accountability andenforcement efforts, a stronger relationshipbetween City staff and the community, and theability for the public to have greater parti-cipation and input through the CommunityDevelopment Committee.

The Parks and Recreation department has in-creased services to the community by address-

ing Sammamish park deficits within the com-munity, establishing a Parks and RecreationAdvisory Board that provides direct communi-cation between the City and residents, andby beginning to develo a comprehensive planthat prioritizes the future development ofSammamish Parks. Prior to incorporation, theCounty focus was on the maintenance of exist-ing parks and not aggressive development.

Where Do Your Property Taxes Go?

EMS2.0%

State25.6%

King County12.7%

Port of Seattle1.5%

City of Sammamish

24.8%

Schools28.8%

Fire District0.8%

Hospital3.2%

Library0.6%

AGENCY/ 2001 2000TAXING DISTRICT TAX RATE TAX RATE

State of Washington $ 3.14502 $ 3.30278King County 1.55218 1.68951Port of Seattle 0.19029 0.21585School District 3.52918 4.01758Hospital 0.38784 0.40685Emergency Medical Service 0.24624 0.27299

9.05075 9.90556

City of Sammamish 3.03561 2.22168Fire District 0.09839 1.4254Library District 0.07467 0.08651

3.20867 3.73359

TOTAL $ 12.25942 $ 13.63915

Since incorporation, the City has also assumedresponsibility for several properties previouslymanaged by King County. In addition, the fol-lowing new properties have been acquired:

• 185 Acres located east of Sahalee Way NE andsouth of Redmond-Fall City Road, also knownas the Galley Farm, was acquire primarily foropen space and development of active parkspace.

• Approximately 10 Acres on 228th as poten-tial site for future City Hall and post officespace.

• Building on the 2000 block of 228th NE foruse of a public works maintenance yard.savings in 2001 property taxes

from those paid in 2000

he Sammamish Parks & Recreation De-partment has initiated the orderly devel-opment of parks and recreation services

through a comprehensive parks & recreationplanning process. The planning process resultedin a document to be used over the next five yearsas an administrative and policy tool. The Parks,Recreation and Open Space Plan serves as afoundational guide for planning and develop-ing public parks and open space management.

The mission of Sammamish Parks and Recre-ation is to protect the natural beauty ofSammamish through the development of avibrant system of parks, open space and trails;provide citizens of all ages positive recreationalopportunities in clean, safe and accessiblefacilities; and preserve the city’s quality livingenvironment for future generations.

As parks, trails and recreation needs are betterunderstood and a foundation level of servicewas established during this planning process, aset of development and service objectives hasbeen identified to meet that foundation levelof service. The following summarizes keyelements of the Parks, Recreation and OpenSpace Plan.

n At present, the grossamount of properties con-sidered active park- landowned and operated by theCity of Sammamish is 39.5acres, which includes three(3) parks, named: NESammamish Neighborhood Park, Bill ReamsEast Sammamish Park and Pine Lake Park.

n The current level of service for developed,operational and functional parks owned by theCity of Sammamish is about 1.28 acres ofparkland for every 1,000 residents. A founda-tion Level of Service was established at 6.0 acres

per 1,000 residents. This long range goal iden-tifies the magnitude of our current deficit.

n The initial parks, trails and greenways de-velopment objective is to improve existing parks(Pine Lake Park, East Sammamish Park and NESammamish Park), acquire parkland and developtwo new community parks, six to eight neigh-borhood parks and designate approximately 21miles of trails and pathways.

n Formation of a TrailCommission that willdevelop a comprehen-sive trail plan for thecity. The developmentof a trail system thatlinks future parks, pro-vides access and alternative modes of transpor-tation to schools and shopping, and creates ac-cessible recreational opportunities on a systemof “linear parks” is a high priority.

n A Community Recreation/Aquatic Centeris identified as another priority project. The fa-cility would be multi-purpose, sized at 60,000to 80,000 sq.ft. and cost between $7.5 to $12.8million.

n In the near-term, one effective way to “ac-quire” parkland and develop recreation facilitiesis to create school-parks through interlocal agree-ments with the school districts.

n Other near-term projects recommended ad-dress opportunities for greenway, trails and openspace corridors. These projects are identified as:1. Lake Sammamish Waterfront & Greenway2. Sammamish Greenspace Connector Park3. Beaver Lake Waterfront & Natural Preserve

Area4. East Sammamish Park & Greenway

n A set of policies have been organized, whichenables the Department to carry out its missionand develop, administer and maintain the Cityparks, recreation, trails and open space assets.The policies articulated in the Parks & Recre-ation Comprehensive Plan are titled:• Parkland & Acquisition

• Park, Facilities and Trails Planning& Development

• Recreation Programs & Services• Operations & Maintenance• Economic Performance & Finance• Conservation, Open Space, Natural,

Cultural & Recreation Values• Joint Use of Existing Public Resources• Planning, Development & Use of Trails

& Greenways• Appropriate & Responsive Recreation

Services

he City Council allocated approximately$5 million in the 2001 budget for parksimprovements and land acquisition.

This is considerably more than the County spentannually on parks in our community prior toincorporation. Despite the fact that Councilplaces very high priorty on parks, the City sim-ply cannot make up thesignificant parks capitaldeficit in our communitywithin the existing rev-enues. We need to comeup with creative financingstrategies.

The next step is the creation of an Implementa-tion Strategy for the Parks, Recreation and OpenSpace Plan. The Park Plan has outlined a num-ber of development objectives that address thecurrent parkland deficit that exists in the Cityof Sammamish. The Implementation Strategyoutlines and discusses recommendations forimplementing the development objectives in thelong and short term.

The Implementation Strategy Section willattempt to bridge the community-based devel-opment objectives for parks and the realisticfunding limitations that are present. Thissection will contain two sets of recommenda-tions. The first defines long-term goals, and

Draft Parks,Recreation and OpenSpace Plan Completed

How do we begin toaddress this Park deficit?

Parks & Recreation

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CITY OF SAMMAMISH, WASHINGTON

APRIL 2001 Page 5

Parks & Recreation Commissionan you believe our park land deficit is in the area of $50 million! That’sa lot money! Well, we agree. But that does not mean it needs to cost us$50 million for developing parks and recreation facilities here in

Sammamish. The goal set forth in the draft Parks Plan, of providing six acres ofactive park facilities per 1000 Sammamish residents, is achievable over time.The goal is a reasonable one. Sammamish residents deserve no less.

Using creative solutions, and recognizing that it likely will take more than 5years, we believe we can achieve our goal. Partnerships between the city and thelocal school districts, neighboring jurisdictions and the County can create parkand recreational facilities for significantly less than building them on our own.We can also upgrade and expand on existing facilities to increase the qualityand quantity of recreational opportunities. We can partner with local busi-nesses and landowners. And we can work with our city’s development depart-ment to assure wetlands and greenbelts are preserved.

We have a wealth of creative and enthusiastic people in our community. Weask that you join us to find solutions to meet our severe Parks deficit. Did youknow that Sammamish has one of the lowest level of service ratios for Parksacreage per 1000 residents of any city in the United States? Over the next fewmonths the Parks Commission and staff will be brain-storming over how wecan deliver the quality parks system one would expect in a community likeSammamish. We welcome all of you to join us.

Bente Pasko and Joyce McCallum, Co-Chairs

Vacancy on Parks and Recreation Commission

here is currently one vacancy on the commission which City Councilwould like to fill. The Parks and Recreation Commission meets the thirdTuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall. This commission

advises City Council and works with City staff on parks, recreation and trailsissues within the CIty of Sammamish. Citizens interested in serving on thisvolunteer commission should send a letter of interest and resume to:

Melonie Anderson, City ClerkCity of Sammamish486 - 228th Avenue NESammamish, Washington 98074

.

the second outlines whatwe hope to accomplishin the short term. Thelong term recommenda-tions aim to show gen-erally what is needed toachieve and maintainour level of service goal

(6.0/1,000) in the 20-plus year picture. Theshort-term recommendations define those spe-cific elements needing close attention to achieveour development objectives. The short term rec-ommendations also identify realistic goals for thenext five to ten years.

A realistic look at our parks, recreation and trailsneeds and the dollars required to fund themmakes clear that achieving the goals of this planand completing the city’s parks system will taketime. Achieving balance among the competingdemands for acquisition, development and re-development will be a continuing challenge. Inorder to meet our current needs and keep upwith future growth, the long-term strategyprojects how we intend to meet our level of ser-vice goal. In realizing the tremendous needs,coupled with our current deficit this long- andshort-term approach shows how we intend toreach our level of service goals.

2001 Projects:Putting the Plan into ActionSome of the identified projects for Parks andRecreation in 2001 include the following:

• Evaluate properties and sites for potentialparkland acquisitions.

• Formation of Trail Sub-Committee of theParks Commission.

• Playground Restoration Project: Pine Lakeand NE Sammamish Parks.

• Skate Court Feasibility/Design Study. De-termine ideal location and begin the designand construction process.

• Resurface tennis courts and basketball courtat NE Sammamish Park.

• Begin Master Plan for Pine Lake Park. Thebeautiful wooded lakefront park is in needof some renovations. The Master Plan willbe a public process that will address improve-ments to Pine Lake Park.

• Series of Summer Events. Bringing the com-munity together!

• Apply for Conservation Futures Grant forthe Beaver Lake Natural Preserve project.

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Page 6 APRIL 2001

PARKS & RECREATION - PUBLIC PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES

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Park Plan Open House MeetingsThe Parks and Recreation Commission will be hosting two open house meetings to discuss the ParkPlan, its development objectives, and the funding challenges we face. Your continued input andfeedback is very important as we begin to embark on the development of the Sammamish parks andrecreation system! Please plan on attending one of the two dates:

Monday, April 30 & Monday, May 21, 7:00 to 9:00 pmSammamish City Hall, 486 228th Avenue NE

East Lake Sammamish Trail Design Workshop

The City of Sammamish is hosting a workshop to gather community input on the design and MasterPlan of the East Lake Sammamish Trail. The City Council invites you to share your ideas and visionfor the trail and how to best make it a functional and beautiful asset for everyone in Sammamish. Theworkshop will incorporate study groups to identify different adjacent property owner concerns, trailuser needs, landscaping and future trail enhancements as well as engineering and greenbelt designs.The facilitator for this two-day event is Dan Burden, world-renowned Director of Walkable Commu-nities, Inc. The City recognizes the importance of bringing the diverse issues and concerns for this trailproject together in a dynamic and open public forum. For more information please contact GailDavila, Administrative Assistant, at 425-836-7916.

Friday, April 6, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pmSaturday, April 7, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Trinity Lutheran College - 4221 228th Avenue SE

APRIL 2001 Page7

PARKS & RECREATION - PUBLIC PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES

FAMILY SUMMIT

Mayor Romero and the Sammamish City Councilinvite the community to attend the...

Thursday, March 29, 2001 at 7:00 pmEastlake High School Commons

featuring keynote speaker Jeff Kemp

Help us create a kids-safe, family friendly city.

For eleven seasons, Jeff Kemp was a National Football League quarterback with the Los AngelesRams, the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles. He deliveredhis best performances in 1984 when he quarterbacked the Rams and led them to the playoffsand in 1986, when he threw eleven touchdowns for the 49ers in six games.

Jeff and his father, Jack Kemp, are one of only two sets of fathers and sons who have playedquarterback in the NFL. His father Jack is a former U.S. Congressman, Secretary of theDepartment of Housing and Urban Development and ran for Vice President in 1996.

After quarterbacking in the NFL, Jeff, with a bachelor’s degree in economics from DartmouthCollege as well as an MBA with honors from Pepperdine University School of Business, movedon to his current post as the executive director of Washington Family Council (WFC). WFC isa nonprofit research, education and communication organization dedicated to strengtheningfamily relationships, promoting responsible citizenship and improving public policy in Wash-ington State. In his position, Jeff networks with leaders from all segments of society—business,community, government and media—casting a vision for improved family life in Washington.

Page 6 APRIL 2001

APRIL 2001 Page 9

APRIL MAY JUNE JULYApril 4 - WEDCity Council Regular Meeting7:30 pm

April 5 - THUPlanning Advisory Board7:00 pm

April 9 - MONNeighborhood ConnectionsQuarterly Meeting6:30 pm

April 11 - WEDCity Council Study Session7:30 pm

April 16 - MONParks & Recreation Commission6:30 pm

April 18- WEDCity Council Regular Meeting7:30 pm

April 19 - THUPlanning Advisory Board7:00 pm

April 25 - WEDCity Council Study Session6:30 pm

May 2 - WEDCity Council Regular Meeting7:30 pm

May 3 - THUPlanning Advisory Board7:00 pm

May 9 - WEDCouncil Study Session7:30 pm

May 16 - WEDCity Council Regular Meeting7:30 pm

May 17 - THUPAB Land Use Subcommittee7:00 pm

May 21 - TUEPark & Recreation Commission6:30 pm

May 23 - WEDCity Council Study Session7:30 pm

May 28 - MONMemorial DayHOLIDAYCity Hall Closed

June 6 - WEDCity Council Regular Meeting7:30 pm

June 7 - THUPlanning Advisory Board7:00 pm

June 13 - WEDCity Council Study Session7:30 pm

June 20 - WEDCity Council Regular Meeting7:30 pm

June 21 - THUPAB Land Use Subcommittee7:00 pm

July 4 - WEDIndependence DayHOLIDAYCity Hall CLosed

July 5 - THUPlanning Advisory Board7:00 pm

July 19 - THUPlanning Advisory BoardLand Use Subcommittee7:00 pm

CITY HALL CALENDARCITY HALL CALENDAR

he City of Sammamish has joined approxi-mately twenty cities in King County rep-resenting 690,000 citizens to kick off a

six-month process to plan for the provision of elec-tronic government services in 2001 and 2002.The group of individual city teams who met to-gether for the first time December 14 and 15will be called the “E-GOV Alliance.”

The cities have come together to plan for thedevelopment of electronic government applica-tions for their citizens’ and businesses’ use onthe worldwide web. Examples of the types of

services the cities may developinclude on-line applicationsfor high volume over-the-counter building permits,

park and recreation class aswell as space registration andbusiness license applicationand/or renewal.

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The cities hope to reduce the travel andtransaction time involved in conducting themost common types of business with a city bygiving their customers the option to use theworldwide web from their home, business ora public library.

As most Sammamish residents are aware, trafficis a constant challenge in this area. The CityCouncil is continuously looking for ways toreduce or improve transportation and this maybe one way of reducing the number of tripscustomers make to City Hall. The planningprocess will be completed in May of 2001.

Member cities include Auburn, Bellevue, Bothell,Burien, Clyde Hill, Federal Way, Issaquah,Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Medina, Mercer Island,Newcastle, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish,SeaTac, Shoreline, Tukwila and Woodinville.

What services would you use or like to see avail-able on-line? Let us know by e-mailing yourcomments to manderson@ci.sammamish.wa.us

The City hosted its second recyclingevent on St. Patrick’s Day at EastlakeHigh School. A backyard compost bin

sale was held to promote back yard composting.In conjunction with the compost bin sale, a spe-cial collection event allowed residents to bringtires, anti-freeze, batteries, used oil and scrapwood to be recycled. These items were collectedand removed to appropriate recycling centers.

The City of Sammamish, in cooperation withOlympic Environmental Resources, recentlypublished a Sammamish Guide to Recycling,which was mailed to all residents. Mayor TroyRomero included a special message thanking allcitizens for their efforts to reduce, reuse, recycle,buy recycled and compost!

Visit our website at www.ci.sammamish.wa.usfor updated information on our recycling pro-gram or contact Gail Davila at 425-836-7916.

RecyclingEvent Sucessful

Cities Form ElectronicGovernment Alliance

Mayor Romero & the Sammamish City Councilinvite the community to attend the...

Thursday, March 29, 2001 at 7:00 p.m.Eastlake High School Commons

FAMILY SUMMIT

www.ci.sammamish.wa.us

Upcoming Summer

EVENTSPlanning has begun on a series offun summer events for residents ofSammamish. A “Summer Concert inthe Park” series is scheduled for thisAugust. This four-week series willtake place on Wednesday nights andbring a variety of summer music toSammamish. Concerts will be heldin the meadow at Pine Lake Park.

Also in the works is a partnershipwith the Wooden O Theatre Group tobring two “Shakespeare in the Park”presentations to Sammamish at PineLake Park. This group has been per-forming throughout the County forthe past several summers and hasreceived rave reviews everywherethey have performed. Dates for thetwo performances, The Tempest andAs You Like It, are being finalized.

The goal of these free summerevents is to create multiple opportu-nities for residents to come togetherin a fun and festive environment.Stay tuned for more details on thesegreat events. If you have questions,call the Parks and Recreation Divi-sion at 836-7907.

Page 10 APRIL 2001

PARKS & RECREATION

City Nears Completionof Parks, Recreationand Open Space Plan

he effort to develop the Parks, Recreationand Open Space Plan for Sammamishstarted last summer. Managed by the

City’s Parks and Recreation Division, the pro-cess has been a very public one throughout.Community surveys, workshops and key per-son interviews have been important tools in thedevelopment of this plan. A draft Parks, Recre-ation and Open Space Plan was presented tothe City Council in late February. After fur-ther public input, a final draft of the plan isscheduled to be adopted in April. Elements ofthe Plan include:

Inventory of Existing Conditions: It is essentialto establish the status of current parks and rec-reation services to determine the appropriatelevel of service to be provided by the City. TheInventory of parkland includes city parks, schoolfacilities, and regional parks in the area.

Public Participation and Needs Assessment:Meeting the public need for parks, trails andrecreation services is largely directed and tem-pered by community values and priorities. De-termining recreation needs and development ob-jectives has been accomplished through a pub-lic participation process. A community-widesurvey, public workshops, key person interviewsand consultation with the Parks Commission

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he new Play Area at East Sammamish Park has opened. With the mild winter, the area isalready being used a great deal and has been receiving rave reviews. This project was aterrific partnership between the City and King County. Funds from each jurisdiction

were combined to provide an area with multiple play zones to provide recreation for a mix of ages.

One of the projects targeted for 2001 is a play-ground restoration project for Pine Lake and NESammamish Parks. As shown in the parks andrecreation survey completed last year, improve-ments to the play areas at the three parks trans-ferred to the City were a high priority to citi-zens. NE Sammamish Park would receive a playstructure replacing the current play area in this4-acre neighborhood park. The current woodplay structure at NE Sammamish is very old andin need of replacement. The Restoration projectat Pine Lake park presents a fantastic opportu-

Playground Restoration Projects

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indicated that developing a trail system, acquir-ing land for community and neighborhood parks,preservating open space, and building a commu-nity center/aquatic facility are important issues.

Level of Service and Park Classifications: Thecurrent level of service for developed parks ownedby the city is 1.28 acres of parkland per 1,000residents. The Plan establishes a foundational levelof service for the city at 6 acres of developedparkland per 1,000 residents. That means atcurrent population (30,793) our deficit fordeveloped parks is 145 acres. Park classificationsidentified to meet this deficit are CommunityParks, Neighborhood Parks and School/Parks.

Development Objectives: The initial parksdevelopment objectives is to improve existingparks, acquire parkland and develop two newcommunity parks (30+ acres), 5-6 new neigh-borhood parks (5-12 acres), and designateapproximately 21 miles of trails and pathways.Other near-term objectives include a numberof open space and greenway projects. Theseobjectives identify the critical need to acquireland to address these development objectives.

Parks and Recreation Policies: A number ofpolicies were established to guide the Parks andRecreation Division in carrying out its publicservice mandate to provide parks and recreationopportunities to residents.

Copies of the plan are currently available at CityHall for public review. Citizens are invitd toview the executive summary on the City’swebsite at www.ci.sammamish.wa.us.

nity to enlarge the play space and create a playarea with multiple play zones that could accom-modate a variety of age groups from toddler toolder youth. Pine Lake Park is currently our mostcentrally located and our most heavily used park(over 50% of residents go there at least once ayear according to the survey). Understanding ourneed to create more places to gather and allowyouth to recreate, Pine Lake is an ideal location toput a larger, centrally located, destination play area.

Stay tuned for the upcoming public workshopsand these exciting enhancements to Pine Lakeand NE Sammamish Parks! If you have ques-tions our want additional details, contact theParks and Recreation Division at 836-7907.

Photo at left shows newplay area at East Sammamish Park.

APRIL 2001 Page 11

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

The City of Sammamish Planning Advi-sory Board has been busy absorbing asmuch information as possible regarding

the major issues facing the City. The PAB con-ducted 14 meetings over the past five months,most of which centered on topics related togrowth management planning and the legisla-tive requirements related to comprehensive plandevelopment. In December, the PAB hosted ashort course in local planning, sponsored andconducted by the Washington State Departmentof Community Development. The Board alsoconducted two work sessions on the issue of the228th Avenue project design.

This work has been in preparation for an ambi-tious year to come, including the gathering andreview of existing and potential land use patterns,population projections and transportation links.

Planning Advisory Board Schedule

The vision of Sammamish was the reflection ofits citizens’ opinions expressed during aseries of community workshops. The state-

ment was then refined by the Community DevelopmentCommittee and adopted by Council. From this visionstatement, Council established eight goals with spe-cific objectives that have kept it and staff focused ondeveloping Sammamish into the type of city its citi-zens envisioned. These goals are reflected in the2001-2002 biennial budget recently adopted by Coun-cil. While Council strives during the next several yearsto ensure staff implements these goals, a number ofobjectives have already been met.

Build Roads/Relieve CongestionAnyone who lives in Sammamish should not be sur-prised this is Council’s number one goal. When theCity incorporated, it found itself with limited infrastruc-ture with regards to roads. To address this situation,Council has directed staff to aggressively pursuecompletion of the 228th Avenue project, and applied forand obtained a $1.5 million grant and a $10 million lowinterest Public Works Trust Fund loan for Phase 1B.

Capital Improvement ProjectsRecent completion of Phase I - the 16th Street sidewalkproject near Margaret Mead Elementary and sidewalksalong SE 32nd near Sunny Hills Elementary has indeedmade this a more kids safe community. The lighting ofarterials throughout the city has been completed.As new light poles are installed along 228th the oldones will be moved to key intersections within neigh-borhoods. Both the Capital Improvement and the SixYear Interim Transportation Plans have been completed.

Surface Water ManagementThe draft Surface Water Management ComprehensivePlan has been completed and the flooding on 212t h

Avenue fixed.

Community Communication/RelationsCouncil has expressed its desire to keep the lines ofcommunication open with citizens. With the publish-ing of the City’s newsletter, CityViews@Sammamish,Council and staff can update community residents onimportant projects, meetings and events. By alertingreaders to these dates, citizens can take advantage ofthese public participation opportunities to voice theiropinions. A user friendly City web site also providescitizens with current information on Council decisions,meeting dates, city services, and a convenient meansto contact both Council and staff via e-mail.

Parks and RecreationCouncil is well on its way in meeting the two majorobjectives it set in this area. A draft Park Comprehen-sive Plan has recently been completed and presentedto Council for its review. The final plan will provide the

Council Priorities

The spring months will include communitymeetings designed to bring the City’s planningefforts to the citizens and encourage public par-ticipation throughout the development of theComprehensive Plan. The PAB will also developan existing land use study that will show how thecommunity has developed to date, including all“pipeline” projects (submitted to King Countyprior to incorporation but not yet built).

Once this task is completed, the PAB will againsolicit citizen ideas and comments for use indrafting land use policies that will guide thetype, amount, and location of future develop-ment. After the land use policies are drafted,the PAB will focus on transportation, housing,and environmental policies–including conser-vation areas and open space–culminating in adraft comprehensive plan.

To accomplish this work, the PAB has formedseveral subcommittees: Land Use, Transportationand Public Involvement. In addition to City staff,a team of planning consultants will be workingwith the PAB from spring to fall. The PlanningAdvisory Board’s updated schedule for 2001includes the full PAB’s regular meeting on the firstThursday of each month (7:00 p.m.) and a LandUse Sub-Committee meeting on the thirdThursday of each month (7:30 p.m.). The meet-ings have time set aside for public comment atboth the beginning and end of each meeting.

Additional meetings, times and dates will beavailable on the City’s web site and publishedlegal notices in both the Eastside Journal andSammamish Review.

foundation for the development of a parks and recre-ation program for the Sammamish community. Includedin the draft Comprehensive Plan is a recreation/com-munity facility. A survey was distributed to a represen-tative segment of the community. Results of the sur-vey, presented last November, will provide input toCouncil as it makes decisions to meet the needs anddesires of citizens for a recreation/community facility.

Community Development/Land UseOne of the most critical tasks a city must face is thedevelopment of a Comprehensive Plan, which addressesgrowth management. Council appointed communitymembers to the Planning Advisory Board to overseethis process. After months of meetings and a variety ofpublic participation opportunities, the Board will pro-vide recommendations on a number of areas–land use,transportation, housing, essential public facilities–toCouncil for its approval. At Council’s direction,Community Development is also addressing anotherconcern… that of signs. Several “sign sweeps” haveproved successful in reducing the number that havebeen improperly posted. A brochure has been devel-oped that clearly explains what is permissible and whatis not. This can also be viewed on the City’s web site.

Public SafetyAt Council’s direction, staff negotiated a new FireServices Agreement that has resulted in a significantsavings to taxpayers. (See page one.) A Police Ser-vices Contract with King County was also signed.

Budgeting/Funding ServicesCouncil’s recent adoption of the 2001-2002 biennialbudget and the passage by Sammamish voters of theLibrary annexation measure met two of the objectivesfor this goal.

“The vision of Sammamish is a communityof families. A blend of small-town atmospherewith a suburban character, the city alsoenjoys a unique core of urban lifestyles andconveniences. It is characterized by qualityneighborhoods, vibrant natural features, andoutstanding recreational opportunities. Avariety of community gathering places pro-vide numerous civic, cultural, and educationalopportunities. Residents are actively involvedin the decisions that shape the community andensure a special sense of place.”

www.ci.sammamish.wa.us

SAMMAMISH CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS

Jack BarryCouncilmember

Troy RomeroMayor

Kathleen HuckabayCouncilmember

Ron HaworthCouncilmember

Ken KilroyDeputy Mayor

Don GerendCouncilmember

Phil DyerCouncilmember

JANUARYn At the first meeting in January Coun-cil elections were held. H. Troy Romero waselected as Mayor for 2001 and Ken Kilroywas elected as Deputy Mayor. FormerMayor Jack Barry will continue as aCouncilmember until his term (and allother Council positions) expires at the endof 2001.

n Two hardship exceptions to the LandUse Moratorium were granted: one to theowners of the property at 3602 212th Av-enue SE (Thomas) and the other to theowners of the property in the vicinity ofSE 8th and 203rd Street (Scindia).

n Council appointed Ben Yazici as thenew City Manager.

n A public hearing was held to con-sider, at the request of Beaver Lake resi-dents, the continuation of the Beaver LakeManagement District.

n A hardship exception to the Land UseMoratorium was granted to the owners ofthe property located at 22021 SE 4 th Street(Fowler).

n Final Plat approval was given to theKing County vested subdivision of High-lands Ridge II.

Council Meeting Highlightsn New Council committees wereformed. A new committee, the LegislativeCommittee, was formed to study state andcounty legislative issues that may affect theCity of Sammamish.

n A public hearing was held to take pub-lic testimony regarding the final design ofthe 228th Avenue Phase 1B transportationimprovement project.

FEBRUARYn A public hearing was held to take pub-lic testimony regarding the extension of theLand Use Moratorium.

n Council made the final design deci-sion on 228 th Avenue Phase 1B design. Thedesign will not include any roundabouts.Left turn opportunities will be provided atSE 13th Street as requested by the residentsliving near there. Plans will be made to in-stall a roundabout somewhere in the City.

n C o u n c i l p a s s e d o r d i n a n c eO2001-77 extending the land use mora-torium until August 2001.

n Council voted against contributingfunds to support a lawsuit opposing I-722.

MARCHn Council held a public hearing for theDraft Parks, Recreation and Open SpaceComprehensive Plan. There will be furtherOpen House meetings scheduled for Apriland May. The dates will be announced later.

n A hardship exception to the buildingmoratorium was granted to the Steadmanproperty located at 22510 NE 2nd Streetfor a four-lot short plat.

486 - 228th Avenue NESammamish, WA 98074

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COUNCIL COMMITTEES FOR 2001

Mayor Troy Romero and the City Council formed new Council Committees for2001 at the January 17 regular meeting. Council committees meet at City Hallunless otherwise noted. The Legislative Committee meets as needed and is com-posed of: Troy Romero, Phil Dyer and Ken Kilroy. Other committees include:

Public Works Committee(Meets 1st Wednesday of month, 5:00pm)Don Gerend, ChairRon Haworth, Vice-ChairPhil Dyer, MemberTroy Romero, Alternate

Finance Committee(Meets 3 rd Wednesday of month, 5:30pm)Kathleen Huckabay, ChairDon Gerend, Vice-ChairKen Kilroy, MemberTroy Romero, Alternate

n Council adopted an ordinancedeclaring a state of emergency in the Cityof Sammamish due to damage caused bythe February 28, 2001 earthquake. Thisordinance will assist the City to obtainstate and local disaster relief funding.

n Final Plat approval was given to theKing County vested subdivision ofColumbia at Sammamish Highlands(formerly Cedar Park).

Public Safety Committee(Meets 4th Wednesday of month, 5:30pm)Ron Haworth, ChairKen Kilroy, Vice-ChairJack Barry, MemberTroy Romero, Alternate

Community Development CommitteeMeets 3rd Wednesday of month, 6:30pm)Phil Dyer, ChairJack Barry, Vice ChairKathleen Huckabay, MemberTroy Romero, Alternate