VRCC
POB 15218
Seattle, WA 98115-0218
TRUSTEES
2000 MEETING MINUTES
Nov 21, 2000
Sept
20, 2000
June
20, 2000
May 17,
2000
April
18, 2000
March
21, 2000
February
15, 2000
January
18,2000
MINUTES
- VIEW RIDGE COMMUNITY CLUB, INC.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
PERRY HALL
SAND POINT COMMUNITY CHURCH
September 20, 2000
President Bob Lucas called
themeeting to order at about 7:05. About 40 people were
presentincluding 14 trustees.
PRESENTATION:
Deborah L. Jacobs, City Librarian, and Alexander Harris,
CapitalProjects Director, presented a status report regarding the
NorthEast Branch Library and possible Sand Point Branch Library.
Alsopresent from the North East Library was Elizabeth Yee and
CareyCook Petersen and Tom Mendelson, Central Library Staff.
Handouts, which are filed with the minutes, include: North
EastBranch Library Status
Report, Memorandum to Library Board of Trustees dated August 16,2000
from Citizens Implementation Review Panel for Libraries (CIRP)re:
Opportunity Fund Proposals (item 2, Sand Point), Memorandumto
Library Board of Trustees dated August 11, 2000 from CIRP re:Opportunity
Fund Process, the August, 2000 issue of SeattlePublic Library
News, and a large Postcard with logo “BuildingLibraries for
All” for requesting information. The speakerscalled for our
input at future library meetings.
There are conflicting opinions about use of Sand Point/MagnusonPark
buildings for a branch library. Also, the library prefers toown
central and branch sites and that might not be possible there.While
the need for a branch library in the immediate neighborhoodis
well established, planning is still visionary. By contrast,the
North East Branch expansion is close to hiring a projectmanager
and advertising for architects. Responding to questions,the
presenters said that there would be off street parking
withconservation of trees and that temporary lodging for the
librarymight be forthcoming from neighboring businesses or
churches. Wewere encouraged to take another look at the library
whose shelvesare now stocked with volumes from Paul Allen’s
gift of $20,000,000with $15,000,000 earmarked for collections.
RATIFICATION OF MINUTES:
The minutes of the Trustees Meeting of June 20, 2000 wereapproved
as published with minor corrections noted by TreasurerDuane La
Violette.
TREASURER’S REPORT:
Duane La Violette reported a new balance of $5,022.87. He
wascontacted by the IRS this year, as he is every four years,
toconfirm that the VRCC is still in existence and that assets
arestill less than $25,000. He complied with this request
forinformation.
OLD BUSINESS:
Need for a View Ridger Editor: VRCC By Laws require publicationof
one issue per year. Usually, three or four issues arepublished.
Bob Lucas has information on hard drive, but isstrapped for time
and needs help with publishing right now. Laterin the meeting
Rose Williamson volunteered to serve as the newView Ridger Editor.
She also asked to be a Trustee. Her requestwas gratefully
accepted.
Friends of View Ridge Playfield: Alice Clark, a new View
Ridgeresident, provided handouts, which are filed with the
minutes.They include a sheet with a site plan on one side and a
briefhistory and status report of the FVRP on the other along
with acommitment/pledge form. She said that the application for
amatching grant of $75,000 has already gone to the Department
ofNeighborhoods. It seems likely that $75,000 can be raised
byJanuary 2001 through neighborhood donations of time and money.The
matching $75,000 will be used for site preparation and
thedonations from the neighborhood for equipment. She
emphasizedthat a tree may be moved only for the health of the
tree and notfor the sake of the park and she described a bark
chip surfaceover gravel, which is superior to sand.
Trustee Dick Phillips announced that the Wedgwood Community
hadpledged $500 to the View Ridge Playfield. There was
arecommendation that the VRCC double that amount and a
suggestionto give $500 now and another $500 at year’s end.
Then KenPetersen, a View Ridge resident and printer, offered to
publishthe View Ridger free. Applause! It was then moved,
seconded andpassed to propose a pledge of $1,500 to the FVRP with
thisproposal to be voted on at the next meeting.
Off leash area at Sand Point/Magnuson Park: Trustee
FletcherShives presented a resolution, which is filed with the
minutes.The resolution was for signature by President Bob
Lucasindicating the VRCC’s endorsement of the off leash area
andsupport of proposed improvement and expansion as reported
byBetty Schiess. Lines were drawn between the dog lovers and
theenvironmentalists led by VRCC Trustee Bob Brown who believes
thatnext to airplanes, dogs are the worst things that can happen
toSand Point/Magnuson Park. But, it wasn’t exactly a one-issuediscussion.
Trustee Carol Veatch wanted to know why, when ittakes $75,000
from the community to get $75,000 from the city fora children’s
play area, dogs can get $700,000 from the Cityfor a dog’s
play area without having to “lift a leg”.Trustee
Jeanette Williams lamented loss of the total picture forSand
Point/Maguson development and use of a piece-meal approach.Trustee
Inge Strauss lamented loss of a balanced effort toachieve the
lake front plan for which she has labored for so manyyears. Dick
Phillips moved that the resolution be tabled untilnext regular
Trustees meeting. This was seconded and approved by10 of the 14
trustees present.
Trans-Lake Washington Project: Lucas will circulate informationon
this to be discussed next meeting.
Children’s Hospital Building Update: Bob Lucas went to
ameeting last week concerning the site at 70th and Sandpoint
Waywhere an administration building will be built next year. It
willnot block the view of houses behind it and will have off
streetparking. Consideration will be given to the September
harvest ofthe pea patch gardens and gardeners will be transferred
to thecommunity garden. Bob also mentioned that he had
recommendedChildren’s apply for a traffic light at 70th and
SandpointWay. Children’s staff is following up the
recommendation.
Field Lighting: There will be a new appeals hearing on October 4,so
it is important to reiterate our opposition to 100-foot
lightpoles before then. Jeanette Williams moved that Bob attend
thismeeting and voice the continued opposition to unregulated
fieldlighting. The motion was seconded and passed.
Street Parking at Elementary School: On hold for this month.
NEW BUSINESS:
Candidates Night: Bob Lucas raised the question of
holdingCandidates Night this year. There is a need for volunteers
tocall candidates and the committees regarding propositions
andlocal initiatives. Trustees Veatch and Williams volunteered
tohelp with the calling. Candidates Night is set for
WednesdayOctober 25.
Water System Advisory Committee: Need a volunteer.
University Village Building Program: An 800-car garage will
bebuilt at the north end of the Village and the area where
Bartellsis located will be expanded to two stories. Two story
stores willalso be built in the area behind Bartells.
Neighborhood Leadership Program: Training programs will be
heldduring October and November. They are sponsored by the
Departmentof Neighborhoods.
Recycling and Yard Waste: Laurelhurst is petitioning for
morefrequent pick-up.
UW Campus Master Plan: Laurelhurst objects to a new driving
rangefence and added second story.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 pm
Respectfully Submitted:
Jo McKinley, Secretary
MINUTES
- VIEW RIDGE COMMUNITY CLUB, INC.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
PERRY HALL
SAND POINT COMMUNITY CHURCH
June 20, 2000
Call To Order:
President Bob Lucas called the meeting to order at 7:10PM.
A quorum was present soon after that. Only 7 people signedin, but
twice that number attended, including visitors.
Ratification of Minutes:
Minutes of the Trustee Meeting of April 18 were approved
aspublished. (The meeting of May 17 was the VRCC Annual Meeting.)
Correspondence:
A Certificate of Amendment to the View Ridge
CommunityClub, Inc., Articles of Incorporation was received from
theWashington Secretary of State. The Amendment was filed
onFebruary 24, 2000 changing the term of existence to perpetual.
An anonymous letter to Bob Lucas criticizing the "attack"on
the View Ridge Elementary School by the VRCC published in TheView
Ridger.
A letter to the VRCC taking issue with the term fussy beginningof
the Wedgewood QFC.
A letter from Bob Lucas to Jan Freidler, Office Manager,
SandPoint Community United Methodist Church re VRCC meeting dates.
Letters from Bob Lucas to Cynthia Sullivan, Metropolitan
KingCounty Council and to Jim Compton, Seattle City Council
thankingthem for appearing at the VRCC annual meeting.
Treasurer's Report:
Duane La Violette reported a balance of $4,962.97.
Inreply to a question, he said that the balance a year ago was $5,531
Presentations:
Children's Hospital: Suzanne Petersen, Director
ofCommunity, Government Affairs and Advocacy for
Children'sHospital and Regional Medical Center, introduced Pat
McDonald ofRonald McDonald House and visitors Stephen Scheibe of
Children'sand Bob Royer of the Burke Gilman Authority. Pat spoke
on a planfor additional housing in the Ronald McDonald Housing
area at5000 40th Ave NE. The present facility with 22 rooms would
beremoved and replaced with one having 63 rooms. Families from
thefour state areas of Alaska, Washington, Idaho and Montana
staythere while their children with cancer are being treated
atChildren's. Fund raising for the project, which will be
phasedthrough 2010, is already underway. A bungalow style like
BurkeGilman Village will be used. Zoning allows for 3 stories.
Patleft brochures, which describe the present housing and used
alarge map to indicate where the new development will be.
Thepurpose of this presentation was to inform the
View Ridge Community of this project and gain its support.
View Ridge School: Mike Matteson, a teacher at the View
RidgeElementary School, and Janet Praulx, mother of a
kindergartner,presented an update on the View Ridge School area-parking
problem.Using a map of the school
grounds and adjacent streets, they reviewed the problems
andpossible solutions. There are only 10 on site parking spaces
fora staff of 50 plus volunteers. These people park on the street
inspaces which residents believe to be their's. An additional 30spaced
could be created utilizing 1/3 of one of the playgrounds.There is
a mix of 15 small special education busses, 5 largebusses, 100 to
140 children being given rides to and from schoolin cars, and 50
to 75 kids who walk. In the mornings, thechildren are dropped off
from cars and busses. The afternoon pick-upsinvolve waiting for
children to sort themselves out and board theappropriate vehicle.
Some thought has gone into staggering pick-uptimes and redesign
ting pick-up points. A school district safetyexpert has objected
to one of these solutions without coming upwith a better one or
offering funding. School
busses must traverse narrow streets with cars parked on bothsides.
Relief for one street means messing up another one. DickPhilips
suggested that someone on the school board might have theschool
declared earthquake vulnerable, then pull the whole thingdown and
start over. Laughter, applause. Matteson will continueto address
these problems over the summer and report back inSeptember.
Post Office: Jack Robinson was unable to attend and give anupdate
on the Wedgewood Post Office Branch relocation study. BobLucas
pointed out that the most logical move would have been toSand
Point. There is a property owned by Thriftway at 123rd andLake
City Way that is under consideration. The present Branchlocated
on 35th could be improved during the interim, but this isunlikely.
As of now, there are no longer any plans in the offingto improve
or relocate the Wegewood Post Office.
Committee Reports:
Inge Straus presented a report on the Magnuson/SandPoint
project by Jeanette Williams. Should the City consider anEIS?
Copies of this report will be sent to trustees forrecommendations.
Marsha Brown and Gary Hammons reviewed the problem of the
lakeviews being obstructed by trees. Keith Monson will help Bob
Lucaswrite a letter expressing VRCC's stand that some residents
areconcerned about this situation. Gary will continue with his
workon this.
Old Business:
Jaime Friedman reported that the problem at the View
RidgePlayfield has improved tremendously. The SPD has been
veryresponsive to the situation. He will continue to monitor any
latenight activity and keep us posted.
New Business
Keith Monson reported on whether the VRCC should
applyfor 501(c)3 tax status. A former IRS agent, Sandra Deja, can
dothe 80 pages of paper work for $750. This should be done at
least6 months before an organization plans to make use of it.Organizations
with incomes less than $5,000 need not apply.Donations to the
VRCC are so small that donors would not get anappreciable tax
write off. Candidates Night might be construed aslobbying. By
calling attention to our club, we might have tostart paying taxes.
Keith recommends that we not do it. Inge saysthat she has done
that application for another organization.Discussion indicated
that it may not be in our best interest costwise to pursue this
issue.
The NE Library expansion and the 100 ft. light poles will be
onthe agenda September 19, the next scheduled meeting. There
willbe no meetings in July or August.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 PM
Respectfully submitted: Jo McKinley, Secretary
MINUTES
- VIEW RIDGE COMMUNITY CLUB, INC.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
PERRY HALL
SAND POINT COMMUNITY CHURCH
Annual Meeting
May 17, 2000
President Bob Lucas called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
Total of 35 people signed in, but a head count indicated
therewere about 60 in attendance. Several young children were
alsopresent.
Because the first speaker was delayed, the agenda was revised.
The minutes of the annual meeting of May 26, 1999 were approvedas
published.
The treasurer's report prepared by Duane LaViolette was approved.
Past VRCC presidents were recognized by Bob Lucas and
presentedwith certificates. Of the 18 contacted 10 were present.
Anadditional 4 sent their regrets. This year is the 60thanniversary
of the founding of the VRCC.
Nominations Committee Chair, Neale Weaver, presented the slate
ofcandidates for elective office. They are the incumbents:President,
Bob Lucas, Vice President, Dick Hillmann, Secretary,Jo McKinley
and Treasurer, Duane LaViolette. A motion to closenominations was
seconded and approved. The slate was approved byacclamation.
President Lucas opened the meeting to questions from the floor.
Aquestion was asked about the redesign of the View Ridge
PlayField. Dick Phillips reviewed the intent to
facilitatesupervision of young children.
There were a number of questions regarding overgrown trees
inMagnuson Park, which are spoiling many residents' lake view
andcomplaints about the Poplar trees planted in the Park, which
aregrowing taller. It was suggested that View Ridgers
withdiminished views contact the Parks Dept. or NOAA. We do have
acommittee working on the problem and hope to have answers soon.
Dick Hillmann, Vice President of VRCC and President of the
NorthPrecinct Advisory Council, introduced visitor Capt.
CindyCalwell, Seattle Police Department.
President Lucas introduced Jim Compton, Chair of
theSeattle City Council Public Safety Committee, who spoke on
thefollowing topics:
1. The search for a new Chief of Police: Jim Compton
representsthe Council on a 22 member citizens' selection
committee. ABellevue firm has replaced the original "Search
Firm".Neighborhood forums have been held as well as a
meeting of keypeople from neighborhoods. (Dick Hillmann
represented the NorthPrecinct Advisory Council and Bob Lucas
represented our Club atthis meeting) They tone of the meeting was
to "design"a police chief suitable for Seattle. They
determined thatcommunity orientation and management skills are
important skillsneeded by our next chief. The "Search Firm"
will matchup 40 resumes with these and other requirements. Six
will beinterviewed and one appointed by the Mayor in late July.
2. Investigation of the World Trade Organization meeting by
anappointed committee of the Council is concentrating on
threequestions: A) Who decided that Seattle should host the WTO?
Wholooked into money issues, and who provided an overview of what
toexpect in demonstrations? B) Strategic planning. By not
givingpolice adequate resources, were civil rights violated? C)Operations
(headed by Jim Compton) Who was in charge of thecommand center?
Who gave instructions to police? The Policeofficers, through
their unions, have been reluctant to talk. Thegoals of the
investigation are: Develop criteria for hostingfuture similar
meetings in Seattle; Establish financial and legalresponsibility;
Develop a communication protocol so that policeand citizens know
what to expect.
3. Examination of the jurisdictional issue between divers in
theFire Dept. and Police Dept.
A question and answer period followed:
Q: Aquarium cost, where will funds come from; Local streettraffic
increases and lack of street repairs?
A: The aquarium should be allowed to proceed. There has been
toomuch process and not enough decision. Seattle is behind
mostcities in the road thing. If the Transit does not reach
Northgateand busses continue to clog downtown, merchants there
will nottolerate years of disruption again. The light rail will
provide anorth/south spine. Some believe that the east/west
trafficproblem should be addressed first, e.g., Ballard to the
UDistrict. He mentioned that in a recent survey, Seattle ranked
inthe lower third of like cities when it came to traffic
problemsand the conditions of its streets. Something he is very
concernedabout.
Q: Police accountability committee and citizen participation?
A: A two-part overview is being developed: a citizen panel and
aPolice Department panel.
Q: Use of tax dollars vs. private contributions for funding
theaquarium, etc.?
A: Private contributions will reduce the cost to the city. Non-profitswill
take over once it is up and running.
Q: What, if anything, is being done regarding the
potentialtraffic problems along Montlake Blvd. which will result
with UWexpansion of a hospital clinic at the corner of Pacific
andMontlake
A: UW usually cooperates with city in traffic problems.
Furtheranalysis of the traffic problem around UW could trigger
mandatefor a new Montlake bridge. Applause!
Q: Current Council members do not appear to know the history
ofSand Point/Magnuson Park. Everything there has been
donebackwards. The suggested development as proposed by the
BlueRibbon Committee is being ignored.
A: He promised to look into the matter.
Q: The WTO committee evaluation should not be too parochial.
Intravels around the world, most comments were in praise of
Seattleand its "riots" that brought attention to
worldproblems in corporate power and wealth distribution.
A: He was aware of this reaction and felt that the WTO
Seattleexperience was a mixture of positive and negative.
President Lucas then introduced Cynthia Sullivan,
member,King County Council, who spoke on the following topics:
1. Harborview and Courthouse ballot propositions.
2. Sound Transit extension to Northgate. It is impossible tosolve
the traffic problem if everyone continues to drive. The UDistrict
cannot accommodate a terminal. A terminal at theRoosevelt QFC (rather
than at I-5) is attractive. Federal andstate funding will come
later. Equity between north and southends of the Transit is a non-issue.
The south end would neverhave gotten a terminal.
3. Halfway through the comprehensive plan, the council does
nothave a handle on transportation, but progress has been made
inother areas. Urban sprawl has been contained: there has been a
47%(200,000) population increase since 1990. Of that, 97% has
goneto urban King County, 3% to the rural areas. Housing goals
wereachieved 100%, but need upward revision, because job growth
hasexceeded the estimate by 30-40%. Houses cannot be built
fastenough. Trails in King County are a wonderful legacy for
ourchildren. Metro service has been cut 25-30%.
A question and answer period followed:
Q: Do you support inclusion of the Sammamish Trail into the
trailsystem?
A: Yes
Q: Low income housing?
A: The Overlake Project is an example of what we are trying to do.Leveraging
is 7:1. A total of 4200 units have been built. KingCounty surplus
property is being used for housing.
Q: Housing for the elderly?
A: There are 50-60 units of senior housing in Kent.
Q: Availability of alternative treatment programs for
thehomeless?
A: Alternative/complementary medicine is available in
publichealth facilities in King County.
Q: The City Council has treated Magnuson Park harshly withrespect
to environmental projects. In view of your continuedinterest, we
hope that you can express a County Council interestin park
development.
A: I will do that and appoint someone to look into our ability
towork on this problem.
President Lucas adjourned the meeting at 8:45 for cake and
coffeeprovided by Barbara LaViolette and other ladies. The
groupthanked them. During this social time a video of VRCC's
historywas available for viewing.
Respectfully submitted: Jo McKinley, Secretary
MINUTES
- VIEW RIDGE COMMUNITY CLUB, INC.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
PERRY HALL
SAND POINT COMMUNITY CHURCH
April 18, 2000
President Bob Lucas called the meeting toorder at 7:00 PM. The meeting was delayed because the church wasnot unlocked and the room was not set up. A total of 24 peoplesigned in including Seattle Police Department (SPD) Officer, HopeBauer, and Crime Prevention representative, Diane Horswell, LTSim Tamayo and SGT Sam Derezes.
Minutes of the Trustees Meeting of March 21,2000 were approved as published.
The treasurer’s report was approved. Acheck for $245.00 for the View Ridge Playfield was presented toTC Richmond as a transfer of contributions we had received. Thereis a balance of $6,004.97 in the account.
Debbie Lawson, a resident, reviewed the problem oflate night noise on weekends at View Ridge Play Fieldapparently created by high school age kids. She confirmed thecomplaints made by Jaime Friedman to the Board at the lastmeeting. SGT Derezes reviewed SPD’s response to the 10-20calls per month received since last October, when Dr. Friedmanfirst wrote the SPD about the problem. Although SGT Derezes hasonly 8 officers and 7 cars to patrol the area north of 65thand east of the freeway, an area amounting to 20 square miles, asignificant police presence has been channeled to the View RidgePlayfield. He suggested that this problem with the kids could be"managed", but probably not overcome. Calling the SPD’snon-emergency number, 625-5019, will keep attention focused on it.
Bob Lucas suggested that 4 or 5 neighbors get together in acar and take down license numbers of offenders. Diane Horswellcautioned that only non-angry volunteers should take on this job.Jaime has agreed to help out with this project and is alsoconsidering to be the trustee for this area. Other suggestionsincluded restricting parking, posting signs, contacting parentsand students through letters from the schools, and taking photosof offenders. LT Tamayo congratulated the VRCC on the action ithas taken as a neighborhood and indicated that the SPD wouldcontinue to assist in this problem.
Two new trustees, Doris Moehring and Penny Stanard,were introduced. They are replacing Connie Ellis. Conniepresented the position of residents regarding parking and accessto 48th NE, NE 71st, and 49th NE.They noted that on street parking is being taken by staff fromthe View Ridge Elementary School. In addition, parents, andspecial education busses block the access to their "cul-de-sac."Connie said that she needs a letter from VRCC supporting theirposition to include the idea that the school has ample space onits grounds for faculty parking and may be getting a grant forthat purpose, as well as the requirement for a residentialparking zone. Dick Hillman so moved and was seconded. FletcherShives moved to amend the motion to limit VRCC support to aletter to the Seattle Engineering Department requesting arestricted residential parking zone for the streets in question.The amendment and motion passed. Connie will provide a statusreport for inclusion in the View Ridger.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
View Ridge Playfield: TC Richmond
The Boys and Girls Club is the new fiscal agent for the Friendsof
View Ridge Playfield. They hope to raise $75,000 and have $3,700pledged
so far. There was a good turnout for the design workshop.Regular
meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month.This
committee can address a problem raised by Jack
Gordon,neighborhood street captain, regarding the lack of
pedestriantraffic markings at 45th NE and NE 70th.
Traffic: Dick Phillips-excused
Traffic along 35th NE checked at NE 55th,NE
65th, NE 70th, NE 75th
hasincreased by 6% over the past 5 years. At 35th NE
andNE 70th 7,000 cars per day are recorded.
NE District Council: Bob Lucas
Meetings are the first Thursday of the month. The last
meetingfeatured the head librarian. Bob requested approval to
invite thelibrarian to the September trustee meeting to discuss
the impacton our community of the expansion of the Northeast
library. Amotion to that effect was made, seconded and passed.
Bobindicated he would invite the Hawthorne Hills Community
Club,Wedgwood Community Club and other surrounding clubs to
thismeeting.
Sandpoint Library: Neale Weaver
There is a May 1st deadline to petition the
SeattlePublic Library to designate funds from their Library
OpportunityFund towards establishing a library at Sand Point.
JeanetteWilliams moved that President Lucas write a letter
recommendingthis, seconded, passed. The community clubs of
Wedgewood,Laurelhurst, Hawthorne Hills, Inverness, Windermere and
the SandPoint Liaison Committee also endorse this action
North Precinct: Dick Hillmann
The SPD was reimbursed $40,000 for its participation in thedemise
of the King dome. Dick Hillmann and Bob Lucas have bothbeen
invited to take part in a community forum for the selectionof a
new police chief on April 29.
Magnuson Park: Jeanette Williams
Jeanette called for more care and thought in the distribution
oftaxpayer money. She is concerned about turning Magnuson Park
intoa sports complex for adults only and twenty-four hour
lighting,which was not in the original Environmental Impact
Statement. BobLucas showed photos of the 100-foot poles for which
the ParksDept. and School District are seeking a variance in the
city codein order to use. A group called Seattle Residents for
FairLighting is requesting letters from opponents. It was
moved,seconded, and passed that Bob Lucas write such a letter for
theVRCC. Use of this lighting at Sand Point and other
playfieldswill create a nuisance for neighboring residents.
Anniversary Committee: Bob Lucas
The annual meeting will start at 7:00 PM with a presentation
byJim Comption followed by Cynthia Sullivan. There will be a
socialbreak and then excerpts from an 8 mm film on the history of
ViewRidge. Bob will send a letter to 15 past president inviting
themto be honored at the meeting. Topics for the meeting are
beingdeveloped and suggestions are welcome.
Spring Cleaning, April 15 – May 14.There will be an article in the View Ridger.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM.
The next meeting will be the Annual Meeting on May 17th,Sandpoint Community Church at 7:00 PM.
MINUTES-
VIEW RIDGE COMMUNITY CLUB, INC.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
PERRY HALL
SAND POINT COMMUNITY CHURCH
March 21, 2000
President Bob Lucas called themeeting to order at 7:10 p.m. when a quorum of 8 trustees werepresent. Mary L. Burke, a new trustee from the 7001 Condominiums,and Jaime Friedman, a View Ridge resident were introduced. Atotal of 12 trustees and residents were present.
The minutes of the February 15,meeting were approved as published with corrections formisspellings of names.
"Thank you" notesfrom Bill Arensberg, Bill & Mary Davis, Bob Alvern, and Mr. C.W.Pleis were given to the secretary for inclusion in the minutesand filing.
Treasurer Duane La Violettereported that 294 households contributed $3,234,an average of $11apiece, during the membership drive bringing the balance to $5,834.97.Five donors contributed a total of $245 toward the View RidgePlayfield.
Jaime Friedman who lives at4223 NE 73rd St, adjacent to the View Ridge Playfield, presenteda concern regarding high school age kids in 15 to 20 cars gatherlate on weekend nights on 45th Ave NE which fronts on theplayfield. They create a public nuisance by making noise andleaving trash. Jeanette Williams said that they also compromisepublic safety. Jaime wrote a letter to the North Precinct lastOctober and has also called 911 to complain about this. He saysthat police response decreases the duration of these parties butnot their frequency.
Discussion of this problem developed the ideathat kids are going to get together somewhere. If police patrolone area enough to discourage them, they will move on to another.Therefore, the problem is not a local one but is of concern tothe entire View Ridge Community and, indeed, to the City ofSeattle. Neale Weaver moved that President Lucas write a letterdescribing the problem to the North Precinct with copies to thecity council members and that concerned individuals e-mail theprecinct and council. Carol Veatch seconded and the motion passes.Bob Lucas suggested that Captain Cindy Caldwell, of the NorthPrecinct be invited to the April meeting. Jim Compton, the CityCouncil Chair of the Safety Committee, is already scheduled tospeak at the May meeting.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
View Ridge Playfield: DickPhillips Dick indicated that representatives of Friends of ViewRidge Playfield met with the Boys and Girls Club and has beenaccepted into membership. This means that the FVRP will be partof a group that is a 501(C) (3) organization and thus anycontributions will be tax deductible. Dick will work with Duaneto make the transfer of funds we are holding to the neworganization. The FVRP wants to maintain a continued strongrelationship with the VRCC. FVRP and the Parks & Minutes VRCCMarch 21, 2000 Page 2
Recreation Department is having a meeting atPerry Hall on Sunday, March 26, at 12:30 pm replete with photosof play equipment for children to vote on. Dick believes that themeeting has not been sufficiently publicized and will contactsome families with children to solicit their interest. He pointedout that the project will be ongoing through 2000 and into 2001,and that a key element is the relocation of the play area forlittle kids to a place where they can be more easily supervised.The Friends of View Ridge Play Field are committed to raising $75,000for a matching grant.
North East District Council: Bob Lucas Bobreported that the Parks & Recreation Dept. is holdingmeetings on three consecutive nights starting tonight for thepurposes of reviewing their COMPLAN 2000 Update. They aresoliciting public input. Bob Lucas has a copy of the COMPLAN ifanyone is interested in reviewing it.
SEATRAN Construction: Bobnoted that a variance in the amount of noise permissible at atunnel blower vent building construction site near Portage Bayhas proved not to be necessary. A similar situation in theRoosevelt area has not yet been addressed.
Garfield and Roosevelt high schoolsboth have plans for expansion. A performing arts addition forRoosevelt high school will possibly be built in the northwestarea of the school grounds.
View Ridge Views: Gary Hammons-excusedabsence Trees have been trimmed in several target areas. MaryBurke from 7001 said that trees at that condo have been trimmed.A very large tree adjacent to a driveway continues to be aproblem. Fletcher Shives said that some trees cannot be toppedsuccessfully and should be replaced. Neale Weaver suggested thatthe idea of "environmental stewardship" be promoted inthe View Ridger along with advice on appropriate trees.
Traffic: Bob Lucas, DickPhillips There has been a substantial increase in traffic on 35thAve NE and speeding continues to be a problem on NE 75th St. andNE 70th St. In fact, 35th has become a north/south through routefor most traffic between Sand Point Way and Lake City Way. Thelibrary expansion at 35th NE and NE 68th will make a badsituation worse. There needs to be a city council member reviewof traffic for additional lights, parking, left turn control, etc.Dick indicated that he would head up a fact-finding project tosee what can be done regarding these problems. We may want tocontact other Community Groups such as Hawthorne Hills, RavennaBryant, Wegewood, Meadowbrook and Lake City to see if they areinterested in pursuing this matter.
Security: Bob Lucas, DickHillman Bob Lucas got a reply to his recent letter to the Mayorand City Council indicating that police protection for the northend is being addressed. However, Dick Hillmann said that officerstrength in one area is down from 6 to 2. He announced subjectsfor upcoming North Precinct Minutes VRCC March 21, 2000 Page 3meetings. There was some discussion regarding the SchoolDistricts and Parks Departments desire to increase the height oflight poles at schools and parks from 30 feet to 100 feet. Thiswill create a major problem for homes in the surrounding areas.
Magnuson Park/Sand Point:Jeanette Williams Jeanette announced that there would be a publicmeeting on March 25 at the Park. She mentioned that there aremany discrepancies occurring which do not conform with the masterplan and they need to be addressed. Neale Weaver expressedconcern about the final hydraulic test results of variouslandscaping projects.
OLD BUSINESS
Radford Court Housing: BobLucas The Traffic Impact Analysis prepared by Lorig &Associates indicates that the addition of another 100 units forstudent housing and road alterations will not have a significanttraffic impact because students use public transportation ratherthan cars. The City Council has not taken up the request toabandon NE 64th St., which, if approved, would direct all trafficfrom Radford Court to NE 65th ST., the main access road toMagnuson Park. It is felt that this should be opposed, as doingso would cause a great deal of additional traffic on an alreadybusy street.
NEW BUSINESS
UW parking: Carol Veatch CarolVeatch moved to put the UW notice of construction of a newambulatory and surgery treatment facility on the VRCC web page.She suggested we urge viewers to send their thoughts to Fred Kingbefore 4/3/00. Motion was seconded by Neale and passed.
Annual Meeting May 17 isscheduled for the Annual Meeting and we will celebrate the 60thanniversary of VRCC. Cynthia Sullivan and Jim Compton haveaccepted our invitations to be our guest speakers. Pastpresidents will be recognized. There will be a short video on VRdevelopment. Carol, Neale and Dick H. offered to help Bob withthis.
View Ridger: Carol Veatch Thedeadline for submitting articles is April 21. We want to get thenext issue to post office for mailing by April 28.
Nominating committee: NealeWeaver All incumbents have agreed to run for another year.
President Lucas adjourned
themeeting at 8:55 pm. The next meeting will be April 18, 2000.
MINUTES
- VIEW RIDGE COMMUNITY CLUB, INC.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
PERRY HALL
SAND POINT COMMUNITY CHURCH
February 15, 2000
President Bob Lucas called the meeting to orderat 7:10 PM.
There were approximately 25 residents andTrustees in attendance.
The minutes of the January 18, 2000, meetingwere approved as revised.
Correspondence:
1. We received a thank you letter from Citizens Sand
PointPlanning Association for the $500 we donated to their
Internetsite project.
2. VRCC sent a thank you email to Cynthia Sullivan for the $750grant
we received to help toward the publishing costs of the ViewRidger.
3. We received a thank you email from AE2 (Decatur) Tree
PlantingProject for our support. There will be a work party there
onMarch 4 from 9-4 PM
Treasurer's Report:
Our balance is $3,255.97, which includes $685 from newlycollected
dues and a $750 grant from King County. The Friends ofView Ridge
Playground project has received $200 to date. Thetreasurer's
report was approved as presented.
There was a presentation by Seattle City Lightrepresentatives Steve Church, Director of North Service Centerand Jerry Swanson, Director of Engineering. There have beenseveral power outages in View Ridge and it was discovered thatthe original cables for underground lighting, which were laid in1969-79, need replacing. They presented maps and progress reportson the first project due to begin next week, which will replaceunderground electric cables on 53rd and 54th Avenue N.E. from N.E.74 to just south of NE 70th. There will be trenching, laying ofconduit, and backfilling. This will take approximately one month.The report was very thorough and gave us a good understanding ofthe process. Cable replacement for the rest of View Ridge willbegin in 2002 and will take 3-5 years to complete. City Light isnow in the process of completing a similar project inLaurelhurst, which has taken 5 years at a cost of $8 million.
Friends of View Ridge Playfield:
Becky Ringhouse presented a report. The group meets 1 x month
atSand Point Community Church on the 1st Wed of the month.
Therewill be an interactive design workshop at the church on
March 26in the afternoon. They will do fundraising planning after
thedesign plan is more formulated. They will need help in all
areasbut especially with publicity and marketing. Currently
KingCounty is redoing the backstops at View Ridge Park. This
isseparate from the Friends of View Ridge Playfield project,
whichis involved with play equipment. Seattle Parks Department
isdoing the landscaping project.
7001 Condo Tree Trimming:
The 7001 Association has budgeted $5,500 for tree and
shrubtrimming as good neighbors to protect views of View
Ridgeresidents. President Bob Lucas asked for volunteers to be on
aVRCC committee, which would act as a sounding board to
helpresidents solve view problems. Neale Weaver and Gary
Hammonsvolunteered along with Jim Von Lossow who was not present
at themeeting. Justine Barton indicated she would serve as a
liaisonbetween the community, Children's Hospital and the
ParksDepartment with regard to tree and shrub trimming.
Marcia Brown passed around two letters forsignature. One written by Bob Brown dealt with poplar trees atNOAA, which are now growing up into the views of residents in thearea. The other letter addressed Magnuson Park trees, which aregrowing into the water views of residents in View Ridge. Severalpresent signed these letters.
NE District Council:
The Blakely Condo project (behind the Silver Cloud) does not
meetDCLU requirements.
Neale Weaver discussed the Privatization ofParks issue. This issue would allow the City to establish a localtaxing authority. Senate Bill 6566 deals with this proposal.Neale recommended that VRCC not take a position at this time.
Sand Point/Magnuson Park:
Jeanette Williams suggested that we look at the Magnuson Park
website, www.magnusonpark.org. It outlines what the City Council
haspassed with regard to the development of Sand Point/
MagnusonPark. The Blue Ribbon Committee report to Mayor Schell
waschanged by the City Council and there have been two very
activelobbying groups--dog owners and soccer fields
proponentsattempting to influence decisions. The dog owners now
have 9acres and 175' of waterfront. The soccer players have 2additional
fields, which come out of open space and wetland areas.Mud Lake
is now the lowest priority. All the playfields will havelighting
and impervious surfaces. The Sand Point PlanningAssociation will
petition the new City Council to take a closerlook at the needs
of the park and the recommendations of the BlueRibbon Committee.
The final vote for the park plans will beDecember 31, 2000.
The Cirque du Soleil will be at Sand Point thissummer for two months so traffic concerns will be monitored.
North Precinct Advisory Council:
Dick Hillmann reported that Lt. Bob Peters is the acting
precinctcaptain. A letter was presented for our consideration
asking formore police in the North end. It was proposed in 1966
that theCity needed 12,500 police officers. No more have been
added, eventhough the population has escalated. It is hoped that
the newbudget will provide for additional officers. There are 14advisory
councils in the city and they have joined and will havetwo
positions on the committee to pick the new police chief. Itwas
moved, seconded and passes that the VRCC send a letter toMayor
Schell addressing the concerns of low police staffing,safety
concerns regarding the use of 911 and other needsparticular to
the North Precinct.
Articles of Incorporation Amendment:
View Ridge Community Club was incorporated in 1940 for 50
years,so, according to those provisions, we are out of compliance.
TheAmendment of Article 4 of VRCC Articles of Incorporation
wouldextend the Articles of Incorporation indefinitely. It was
moved,seconded and carried to amend the Article accordingly. This
yearis VRCC 60th Anniversary.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:15PM. The nextmeeting will be held on Tuesday, March 21, at 7:00PM in theSandpoint Community Church.
Respectfully submitted:
Marsha Nemitz, Secretary pro tem
MINUTES
- VIEW RIDGE COMMUNITY CLUB, INC.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
PERRY HALL
SAND POINT COMMUNITY CHURCH
January 18, 2000
President Bob Lucas opened the meeting at 7:15pm when theeighth member arrived. The club has a quorum minimum of eight. TCRichmond from the Friends of View Ridge Playfield was also inattendance. The secretary being absent, Carol Veatch took notes.The minutes of the last meeting were approved as amended tocorrect the spelling of Neale Weaver and Carol Veatch.
Duane LaViolette presented a year-end treasures report,comparing this year’s activity with prior years. Our balanceas of 12/31/99 is $3,048.98. The full report will appear in theView Ridger.
T. C. Richmond summarized the status of the Friends of ViewRidge Playfield for us. They have a door-to-door campaignplanned, and hope to enlist VRCC trustees as supporters in therespective neighborhoods. They estimate that they will need toraise $20,000 to $40,00, depending on the type of equipment theypurchase. The Wedgwood Community Council will lend support intheir neighborhoods as well. An application for a Small andSimple grant is scheduled to be submitted in September.
Neale Weaver reported that he sent a letter to Karen Ko torenew our membership in North East District Council (NEDC). Itwas moved, seconded and carried to ratify that request. Neale isthe VRCC representative to the NEDC and Bob Lucas is thealternate.
Neale Weaver reported on a NEDC proposal to have a parkbetween the Burke Gillman Trail and Blakely Avenue east of 25thNE, known as the Blakely Crescent, funded by a donation from theSeattle Seahawks. This was proposed to mitigate the stress ofhaving the Seahawks play their games at Husky Stadium. Neale saidhe would advise the NEDC that we not accept this proposal becauseit was an insult to all the neighborhoods involved. A motion toaccept Neale’s position on this issue was presented,seconded, and carried.
Neale Weaver reported that many new additions to Sand PointPark are not in conformity with the plan that was presented bythe Blue Ribbon Committee and have been amended by the Mayor andCouncil. A proposal to include a Community Garden including a"P Patch" north of the playground to grow native plantsover four acres was being planned. The Liaison Committee voted tooppose matching grant funds for this project. Eric Friedli hadasked to be put on NEDC agenda for their January meeting to seekits support, but did not attend the meeting. Neale suggested thatwe not support this project as there is a question regarding the"P Patch" being allowed in Seattle Public Park areas.There may be more on this later.
Justine Barton reported that Childrenšs Hospital will removetrees more than 30 feet high from their 70th and Sand Point Wayproperty. City Parks will remove trees more than 30 feet highfrom parts of the Burke Gillman trail right-of-way.
Dick Hillmann reported that (1) Jim Compton has been assignedas council member to the North Precinct Advisory Council. Theyare very pleased of this appointment. (2) Seattlešs new Chiefwill probably come from outside the Department. (3) During WTO,the crime rate in North Seattle was practically non-existent. (4)Police Explorer Post has been very successful. And (5) Plans aredeveloping to split the North Precinct into two Precincts.
Carol Veatch reported that she would need about 4 morearticles for the View Ridger by Saturday, January 22, 2000.Several people volunteered to write various articles to add towhat she had.
Bob Lucas reported that electrical outages in the easternportion of View Ridge were due to the type of equipment used inthe original project in the early 70’s. There is work beingdone now to correct that deficiency. Gary Zarker at City Lightpromised new construction from 70th to 74th NE and NE 53 to 54thbetween now and 2002. Steve Church, a View Ridge resident, isproject director and will be at our February meeting to speakmore of this project.
Bob Lucas has been advised that VRCC will receive $500 fromKing County Council-member Cynthia Sullivan’s budget to helpsupport our newsletter. Bob noted that we received $500 last yearalso, but the funds may be reduced this year due to the passageof I 695. A letter of thanks has been sent to Cynthia.
Bob Lucas and Neale Weaver have committed to work to getbetter attendance by Trustees at our meetings.
A revision to our Articles of Incorporation was read to amendArticle VI to "term of this corporation shall be unlimited."It now reads "50 years" which technically meantthat the Club ceased to exist in 1990. The Secretary of Statesoffice advised that they still considered us a viableorganization, but we should amend the Articles of Incorporationto reflect our continued operation.
The next Trustee Meeting will be held in Perry Hall at theSand Point Community Church at 7:00pm on the third Tuesday of themonth, February 15th, 2000.
Meeting adjourned at 9:15pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Carol Veatch, Secretary Pro Tem