UAC Meeting August 11, 1998

Attending: Bong, Chuck Nancy, Maria Cain
We were to have reviewed the by-laws but didn't have enough people to make decisions. Bong said he would call people before the nest meeting and ask for their participation. He was to have mailed out 20 copies of by-laws for review to those attending planning sessions but not everyone I've talked to received them. UAC planning sessions are to he held the 2nd and 4th Tues. of each month at 7:pm in the service center. Time line for UAC acceptance about 6 months. Bong feels we need one more public meeting, probable at the school. Maria Cain suggested it be a joint meeting with the Health Dept. to explain the new rules and regulations coming down the pike regarding septic systems maintenance. Jim Hendrickson is the person in charge of this public outreach for the county. I asked Bong to find out when the revision of Avondale is to take place. Several weeks ago I requested form Bong the names, addresses and phone numbers of everyone who has attended a UAC meeting for our area or shown an interest in it as well as his mailing list for our area, and hope to receive this information before another meeting. Maria Cain is recently moved to the Plateau from Bellevue where she has been an activist for YEARS. Phantom Lake was one of her interests, also Lake Samm. She asked for a list of five community concerns as we saw them and I am preparing a memo for her with that list after talking to Don Julien, Debbie Rannfeldt, Andy Walgamott and Chuck Eberhart.

Maria Cain, Council Staff
King County Courthouse
Seattle Wa 98104

Aug 17, 1998

Dear Maria,

In response of your request to note five concerns facing the proposed Upper Bear Creek UAC, Cottage Lake Area Council names the following with the understanding that preservation of the Bear Creek system to support the present lifestyle of our area is the umbrella covering most of the following:
Traffic/transpiration, safety for bikers, walkers. Crosswalks, traffic lights, speed bumps where necessary. Public transportation outside the city limits of Woodinville is very limited, whole housing developments are isolated unless residents have a car to drive to where a bus is available. The only "Park and ride" serving our area is leased from a local church and has limited space.
Land use/code enforcement. If the County is going to make rules affecting residents, it needs to have a way to back up the rules and that way needs to be accessible to all residents. Communication with the county is a maze of dead-ends, even if you know the department you need to call, the phone numbers are hard to find and I seldom find anyone who will take responsibility to follow up on a stated concern. Communication from ground level to appropriate departments is tough and SLOW.
Water management. We need regulations on landscaping of new developments with drought tolerant plants, use of native plants and establishment of good growing surfaces before planting to assure success. Explanation of why the rules for residential and commercial are so different. We need more community involvement to increase awareness of how fragile the Bear Creek watershed is and strong code enforcement to reduce further degradation.
Delivery of human services. The few services that reach our area are provided by Bothell or Redmond. We have no food bank, no senior or community center. We need additional active use parks where teens can work off energy and families can enjoy County Park Recreational programs. My personal hope is that a summer "day-camp" can be established at Cottage Lake Park, this will require some net-working between the City of Woodinville and King County. The nearest senior center is 7 miles away from the junction of Avondale and Woodinville Duvall Road, in Bothell or Redmond. As our population grows older and driving becomes a problem, this distance cuts out alot of people who would like to participate. Many seniors don't drive at night so can't take advantage of classes or social events at the centers. I see our senior population becoming more isolated and would like them to have more choices. See traffic/transportation above
Affordable housing is nearly non-existent in our area. Apartments are available in and near the city of Woodinville with the number of assisted living apartments being very small and downtown. The GAM restrictions have a direct affect in this area. Much of our area is without sewer, much of this area has a high water table, two things that affect the cost of multiple or affordable housing since open building space is at a premium.
Thank you for attending our meeting, hope we see you again!

>Sincerely,

Nancy Stafford

cc: Louise Miller