Joomla Login LightBox powered by WowJoomla.com

(There is) a growing controversy within the Northshore School District. It seems that a decision was made, somewhat arbitrarily and not based on budget, to limit the number of honors classes offered at the junior highs. The number of students to be provided the opportunity to be in these classes was cut in half this year without any notification to parents.

No one seems to be able to articulate why this was done. When other school districts are expanding opportunities for students to take challenging classes, Northshore is reducing them.

Again - there is no budget impact to providing the same number of sections of honors classes as were offered last year.

Teachers are paid no more for teaching those than for teaching general education classes. So why limit them to just one at each school? Many students are heart-broken.

Parents were not told of this until just last week and some are only finding out this week - less than two weeks before school begins. Northshore has always been known for "excellence in education," but I fear that we have come to the end of that era.

Susan Stoltzfus, Woodinville

Parks and recreation

In dealing with the fallout of shutting down our community center and recreation programs, Councilmember Glickman spoke with great passion at the 8/10 meeting in regard to finding a place to warehouse the Wrangler Program – "Failure is not an option," he said.

Unfortunately, he has already failed. The "new majority" disregarded 17 years of program building and disrespected the voices of Woodinville citizens who, in city-conducted surveys, said yes, we do want a community center and recreation programs.

Without consideration of the actual savings or consequences, the "majority" made a decision to mothball, then under public scrutiny and pressure, belatedly showed some concern for a couple of the programs.

The way to not have failed, would have been to give a passionate "failure is not an option" speech and attitude and direct the city manager to write a business plan to reduce costs and generate revenue to provide the citizens of Woodinville with services we have stated are essential.

After a proper period of implementation and study, if the reports were still an affront, then it might be time to begin a consideration of closure, but only after all of the contracts, ramifications and ultimate savings had been clearly presented and analyzed. Our City has been and should continue to be more than a police-enforced grid of nicely paved roads.

With casual disregard for public notification, the new majority pulled the thread to unravel our community. As a parent, I would be looking elsewhere for a program not advertised as "TBD" so my child could have a consistent educational experience.

If I were a field scheduler (and I have been), I would be transferring my business to the town/field just a mile away, which also has a brand new field with the exact same surface, for one half the cost per hour so that I would uphold my fiduciary duties.

As an advocate for the new sports field, I personally spoke to many adult soccer program schedulers who said they needed consistent use and competitive prices and then eagerly awaited the completion to better serve their current members and allow them to accommodate their waiting lists. The newly adopted field price is not competitive for our area.

Before our parks and recreation programs are blasted apart, and its wonderful employees join the ranks of the unemployed, I want to take this opportunity to thank not only the staff members, but their families as well.

It is entirely possible the council members who have not been in town long enough or have not attended the community events do not have awareness, but when our amazing events such as Harvest Happenings, Light Festival, and All Fools Day celebrations occur, not only is staff there, but also in many cases so are their families, and the city actually gets a "two-fer" or "three-fer" as the spouses and children pitch in to set up, manage or clean up the mess.

To the Parks and Recreation staff, past and present, thank you for the awesome celebrations and all of your hard work and dedication to our city. All of the community is affected by the decision to mothball the Carol Edwards Center and outsource a couple of the programs, but for those who have labored to build and maintain the opportunities for young and old alike to become involved in Woodinville, the loss is great and you will be sorely missed. Here’s hoping there is a city nearby who needs your talent because they realize "essential city services" are more than just roads and police, who realize a program which brings in "outsiders" also brings money to the local economy, businesses to a healthy city environment, home buyers to the local market, and children to keep our award-winning schools open, which in turn, will boost our economy, increase home values and bring in the additional citizens we must find.

I don’t think the CEC is the last thing in Woodinville that will be closing. If we don’t get involved now, we will be left to stand by and watch with despair. But, perhaps will we have something interesting to watch being built where our community center and field once stood.

Debra Sternagel, Woodinville

Most everyone has seen the sign near construction workers that reads, "Give Them A Brake."

I would like to propose a sign for drivers that reads "Give Them A Crosswalk."

My husband and I walk through Woodinville almost every day. A big thanks to the drivers who stop behind the crosswalk, instead of in the middle of it.

My favorite drivers are the ones that just drive right through the red light while turning right. Doesn’t RED mean STOP?

A big thanks to the drivers who stop behind the sidewalk. Many drivers are kind enough to back up when they realize they are on top of the sidewalk.

Today, I was almost hit (again) by a young woman on her cell phone who was turning right on the green light, and OOPS! forgot to look at me in the crosswalk.

PLEASE . . . STOP at the RED light – Get OFF your cell phone and pay attention. My life depends on it!

Carol Wallace, Woodinville walker

Campaign signs

A letter to the candidates running for local, state and federal office, especially Luis Moscoso (1st Legislative District – D), Dave Griffin (1st Leg. Dist. – D), Vince DeMiero (1st Leg. Dist. – D), Andy Hill (48th Leg. Dist. – R), Eric Oemig (48th Leg. Dist. – D), James Watkins (1st Congressional District – R), Jay Inslee (1st Cong. Dist. – D) and Dino Rossi (U.S. Senate – R):

When putting up campaign signs along area roads, please be sure to fully read, understand and follow all laws regarding sign placement.

Under Washington state law, it is illegal to post signs on any state right-of-way.

Area state roads include: SR 522, SR 524 (Maltby Road), SR 9 and SR 202 (Woodinville-Redmond Road).

Each of the candidates listed above has at least a dozen signs along some or all of these roads. Topping the list were James Watkins (50 illegal signs) and Vince DeMiero (approaching 100 illegally placed signs).

I ask these candidates who wish to be selected to write or uphold our laws to first be respectful of all laws currently in place.

Politicians should follow the rules just like ordinary citizens, and no candidate, even a many-term incumbent, is above these laws.

The use of signs in illegal places is also not fair to the candidates who do follow the law, as they miss out on prime locations with high traffic and visibility while others get their name out by shirking all responsibility to be law-abiding citizens.

To voters: Please take respect of the law into account when voting and do not reward these candidates with your vote. Does a law breaker truly deserve your support? Will a candidate who so blatantly ignores the law follow other rules if we send them to Olympia or Washington, D.C.?

Please think carefully about what kind of person you want representing you.

Eric Allan, Bothell

Downtown plan

We applaud Woodinville’s Development Services Department for its efforts to focus on a downtown plan.

It seems appropriate to suggest at this point that, just as relevant as the appeal and overall cohesiveness of the new plan, is a means for pedestrians living in nearby neighborhoods to safely travel to downtown.

171st Street between 143rd Place NE and the stop sign where NE 173rd Street, NE 172nd Street and 148th Avenue NE intersect is extremely hazardous for those of us who either choose or must (due to lack of availability of public transportation) walk, jog or bicycle along this road.

In addition to the dangers inherent in walking up a winding road where cars often speed past, other challenges include the narrowness, unevenness and sloped nature of the designated walking space, as well as the tendency for overgrowth of vegetation there.

To their credit, the City has generally been responsive to our requests for trimming the vegetation on a somewhat timely basis, which we really appreciate.

We have a lot of beautiful, wooded land in and around Woodinville.

Right now far too much of it is inaccessible and unusable to pedestrians. This particular stretch of road winds through a beautiful greenbelt area.

Instead of pushing pedestrians right up against the speeding vehicular traffic, why not consider ways of working with the county to create safe walking trails through that space and use it as park land.

My husband and I appeared before the City Planning Commission last fall to draw attention to the need to create a safe pedestrian/jogging access path into downtown and the officials we spoke with were in agreement.

Since there appears to be a renewed focus on the downtown Master Plan, we once again request that this issue be addressed.

It seems much more advisable to be proactive where safety is concerned, rather than to wait for a tragedy to occur.

Madeline Eyer, Woodinville

NSD supplemental levy

We have only just passed a levy/bond, which increases the amount of money we give over the next four years to $200+ million.

I think that shows how we all feel about supporting our school district during a time of economic hardship.

So to now once again ask for more money in such a short period of time is clearly not right.

What is a supplemental levy anyway! Just another way of the state getting out of its paramount responsibility to fund education.

Then what happens if we do pass this levy, will we then have two levies to pass in four years time? It’s a slippery slope.

How about additional levies if we pass this one; where will it stop?

I don’t know who came up with the idea of levies but it was brilliant. It looks like you are paying so little, a dollar extra here, 20 cents there, BUT what it really amounts to is thousands of dollars on your property tax bill and this all has to come out of sometimes very modest incomes.

Can anyone actually remember when levies were last used for the purpose they were created for — enrichment?

Anyway, I don’t blame the NSD for asking for more money, if you can then you will. I’m not going to vote for it though, because it’s wrong and the more you let the state off the hook by passing levies like this, the less likely it becomes that they would ever fully fund education through a permanent solution.

We can’t allow it; we must hold them accountable.

A Summers, Woodinville

‘Change for a Billion’

Dear friends and neighbors:

Our family has been part of the Woodinville community since 1988.

Recently, we started a non-profit charity called "Change for a Billion."

Our first outreach program will be this September when our oldest son, Adam, will be traveling to Ghana, Africa, for three months.

Every three minutes a child dies from measles.

We are raising money for vaccines. Only 26 cents will save a child’s life. If you would like to be part of this life-saving mission, please visit the Web site: kickstarter.com; search: measles

The video will answer many of your questions.

You may also make a deposit into the non-profit charity account at any Wells Fargo Bank.

With heartfelt thanks,

Brenda Burtle, Change for a Billion

The writers for NBC’s hit comedy show, "Parks and Recreation," would have found a season’s worth of material at last week’s City Council meeting. Watching the contradictions and displays of utter incompetence by the "new majority" was humorous, but blatantly sad.

If you missed the "episode," here are a few highlights:

Councilmember Jeff Glickman motioned to increase the city manager’s severance compensation from six to 12 months, partially in recognition for his interim leadership of the Parks and Recreation Department. Interestingly, this is the same Parks and Recreation Department Glickman and the new majority wants to dismantle due to inefficient operations.

Several council members falsely informed the public that the Parks and Recreation Department has been untouched since the economic downturn. In fact, the recreation director, which accounts for 10 percent of the Parks and Recreation budget, has been vacant since 2009 (an expense that remains in the budget). As such, the ability to enhance programming and drive revenue essentially has been eliminated.

Councilmember Paulette Bauman acknowledged that "the numbers did not exist before" and that she and her new majority colleagues never saw Parks and Recreation financials.

As we all know by now, the new majority moved to eliminate recreation programs and close the Carol Edwards Center on July 13 without properly vetting the numbers in the 2011/2012 budget process. One can only imagine what they would have done with a study of the police department.

After instructing the City staff to present options for a tax levy to support Parks and Recreation only a week ago, the majority back-pedaled on the idea. Then, Councilmember Susan Boundy-Sanders (who moved to include the original amendment for a tax levy two weeks ago) made an illogical motion to place an $816,000 tax levy on citizens to overcome a projected $575,000 deficit in the general budget. Her motion was not seconded and died on the floor.

During public comments, Boundy-Sanders dismissed a parent’s health concern related to an ill-placed boulder with standing water in his kids’ neighborhood playground (incidentally, it is also Boundy-Sanders’ neighborhood). This was an interesting contradiction given she received significant campaign funding from the Parents for Safe Sports Fields president, who claimed they were all about health for kids.

We can only hope this "show" gets cancelled soon!

Rick Chatterton, Woodinville

I did my due diligence. I attended the City Council meeting on July 20, but Mayor Price prevented me from speaking during the public comments section, even though I had put down my name on the proper form for public comments while at the council chambers. Mayor Price wanted to hear from those who had something to say about topics other than the CEC and the Sports Fields. I raised my hand. The mayor passed me over. He chose people from the audience to speak, instead of following procedure and guidelines set forth by the City Council. If it doesn’t fit HIS agenda, then it doesn’t happen. This is "open" government, Mayor Price? I am glad I live in un-incorporated Woodinville. I can see it coming next. If you don’t live within the city limits, Mayor Price isn’t going to let you speak soon.

My topic was on the recent Parks Commission report. The report defines the "Service Area" as 60 square miles with a population of 65,000. That’s compared to the City of Woodinville, which is 5.6 square miles with a population of 11,000. Mayor Price, and those councilmembers called "The Ticket" have gone on record stating they are ONLY concerned with those citizens inside the city limits. Tell me, can a population of 11,000 fully support the Target, Barnes & Noble, the 12-plex movie theater, three grocery stores, Molbak’s and the wineries in Woodinville? No. Can a population of 11,000 support all the industrial and commerical businesses in the downtown area and along 202 west of downtown? No. It takes a population of 65,000, plus extras, to support those businesses. I dine, shop and am entertained in Woodinville. I contract with businesses inside the city limits for services, even though I live outside the city limits. I spend lots of my money inside the city limits, from which sales tax and business taxes are generated for the City of Woodinville. Every establishment I spend my money at has a comparable counterpart either outside the city limits or in Redmond. And you know what? Redmond and King County don’t thumb their noses at those who come and spend money. Go ahead Woodinville. Build a fence on 202, 522, 9, and Woodinville-Duvall Road. Keep everyone out who isn’t a citizen. Put up checkpoints. Either that or find a way to work with the significantly larger population outside the city limits that significantly increases your tax base. Big box stores don’t locate in a town of 11,000, but they do for 65,000.

Mayor Price and Councilmember Glickman asked questions about the Sports Fields last fall ad-nauseum, going on with endless questions about details and trying everything to delay/change/cancel the Sports Fields Project. However, in a split second after the Parks Commission report, a motion was made and passed to close the CEC and raise WSF rates 348 percent. Where is the due diligence? Where are the questions? Where are the comparisons to surrounding facilities? As long as it fits the agenda of THE TICKET, you move forward quick as lightning. If it doesn’t fit the agenda, filibuster it to death.

And if you think a 348 percent increase in rental rates for the Woodinville Sports Fields is going to generate 348 percent more revenue, or 248 percent, or even 148 percent, then the NEW majority (THE TICKET) of the City Council truly is as dysfunctional as they make themselves out to be during City Council meetings. Do you honestly think youth sports organizations are going to spend $140+ to reserve a field for a 2-hour game, instead of $40? The City of Bothell charges $25/hr. Marymoor Park and Northshore School District charges less than the Woodinville City Council approved. $70+/hr? Good luck!

I am glad I live outside the city limits, because if I lived inside the city limits, a recall petition for "THE TICKET" would have already been started.

Brian Marantz, Woodinville, outside the city limits

I would question the City’s Mr. Hart and his characterization of Woodinville having some integral " Northwest woodland character" and having some sort of mystical look and feel that differentiates us from our neighboring markets. It would appear to me that after the completion of the TRF project, Woodinville, or at least the central business district, became locked forever into a very typical and generic suburban shopping zone of one large parking lot complemented by several smaller strip malls. Apart from Molbek’s, please tell me what differentiates Woodinville from any other suburban shopping area? Yes, there are wineries, but apart from a few large faux chateau corporate wineries south of the city, the boutique wineries are all located in nondescript light industrial parks which visitors are able to access without needing to stop in the downtown core. Having run a small retail business in our downtown core for the past 15 years, I can’t really recall any customer noting they came for the wineries. The fact is that those from outside who shop for $20+ bottles of wine will not find much else to their tastes in what is, for all intents and purposes, a rather blue- collar, plebeian town. One can imagine all you want, and the city council can fantasize all they want with their useless codes (see the recent code compliant yet derriere-ugly sign on the Wallace property), but the downtown core will not become another Mill Creek Town Center unless the dominant landlord decides to raze all their properties and rebuild. And the King County Council can fantasize all they want, but mixed-use development in the downtown core is still at least a decade away. One only need to look at the single failed eyesore of an example of such hallucinations across from City Hall to see for oneself the failure of the urban village concept this far from any urban core.

And just what is this nonsense about another "stunning" bridge. Didn’t the city folks learn their lesson from both the completed and the abandoned Gateway projects that wasted away taxpayers’ money over yet another pipe dream. The city taxpayers do not want a stunning bridge, they want an affordable and safe bridge that does not call attention to itself as middle class commuters go about their daily business.

R. Jaffe, Woodinville

Alternatives

Woodinville is a great place to raise a family, and it is a great example of things gone wrong. We have a community that was built on the same principles that caused the problem in our economy to begin with.

What I mean is that the housing bubble has burst because people bought things they couldn’t afford, with money they didn’t have and without foresight as to what the cost would be down the road.

I can appreciate a city that has an infrastructure that allows for its citizens to enjoy themselves on a community level. When urban sprawl shrinks the amount of available outdoor space, it is nice to have a place to go.

When things were going well here in town, we had a ton of building going on. Homes popping up just like everywhere else in the nation. Increased number of homes meant an increase in revenue for the city along with taxes and other revenue coming in to spend on all sorts of exciting projects. And at that time, the heavily pro-park council was happy to blow those expenditures on facilities.

Well, now we have homes that have been on the market for a while and are not selling. that means less money coming into the city coffers. Just like the rest of the nation, we are in a position where we are stuck with more money going out than is coming in. If I were in that position, I’d have to consider some solutions, not unlike what our city may need to do. Here are some things I as a homeowner may have to consider. Maybe they would work for the city?

1. Rent rooms to boarders - Is there available office space to rent in the center?

2. Cut back on other services (cable, internet, phone, watch my electricity consumption) - This is what the city is looking at now.

3. Ask for help from others close to me (Heaven forbid I call the inlaws) - Can each member of a team pay $2 per game to play on the field? What about charging for parking?

4. Ask for outside help from charity sources - What about corporate sponorships? We do have a large exercise equipment producer in town. Would they be interested in sponsoring?

I don’t have any solid answers, but I do know that spending more money than you have the ability to generate is a BAD idea. I also know that this isn’t just magic money we are dealing with, but it is collectively OUR hard- earned money. I would hope that my money was considered to be special money because I word hard for it. I don’t want a group of people running the city who think so little of my effort that they are willing to put the city in a position to expect more of my hard-earned money as I continue to pay my mortgage and support my family.

I am working hard to keep my budget in check. I hope we can do that same as a city, and come up with an intelligent alternative to spending money we don’t have on things we can’t afford.

Jake Dempsey, Woodinville

QFC Closure

We just recently found out that our Woodinville QFC is closing. To all of our QFC employees, we would like to say that our family will miss you. Over the past four years you have provided us with an amazing place to shop, excellent customer service and became our friends. We are sorry that the majority of Woodinville residents didn’t see or value the experience the way that we did.

In a time when customer service is becoming a lost art, every employee at the Woodinville QFC excelled in it. Times are changing in Woodinville in a bad way — from the closing of the Carol Edwards Center to the now closing of our friendly QFC.

Woodinville residents need to stand firm against the deterioration of our small town. Without great stores like QFC here in Woodinville, our town will succumb to the "Big Box" mentality.

But for now our family has to say goodbye to all of our Woodinville QFC employees. We wish you the best of luck at your new stores. The Woodinville QFC has truly been the area’s best place to shop and we will never be able to replace the experience that you gave us. Thank you and we will miss you.

Ken, Cyndi, Lily and Kaleb Andersen, Woodinville

I wish to express my feelings of dismay and sorrow at the planned closure of the QFC in Woodinville, scheduled to take place on the 21st of August. Through my work as an associate in the deli department, I have come to the realization that the store is more than just a grocery shopping center. Truly it is, as one shopper put it, the kind of grocery facility which people call "my store," a place where people feel at home and secure.

It would be an understatement to say that the customers at the Woodinville QFC are unhappy. In hearing the news, a majority of people are shocked and appalled. "They can’t do this!" was one customer’s response. Some are literally crushed, responding to the news as if a dear friend were leaving permanently, for in a real sense this is what is happening.

The Woodinville community will sorely miss the store and would like to see its return at the soonest possible moment. Why has the decision been made? Why was the Woodinville community not told of the impending closure? And where will the people go now? More than anything, Woodinville wants QFC to know how much the store is appreciated and loved and how much it will be missed. The people would like to ask the decision makers for the opportunity to bring QFC back to the city!

While finances may be at the top of corporate QFC’s priority list, for the people of Woodinville, it is great customer service, a comfortable shopping atmosphere and reasonable prices. Are there no alternatives to a complete shutdown of such a place?Sincerely and sadly,

Tristan Sill

Garden Club Tour

The Woodinville Garden Club Tour of Gardens 2010 was a huge success! Over 500 guests visited the six gardens that were featured on the tour. We deeply appreciate all the support from our advertisers and community sponsors, which made possible this great event.

Molbak’s served as a major sponsor for the eleventh year, providing a sales outlet for tickets and a beautiful venue for our after-tour reception. The reception was enhanced by the displays of "hot" plants from each garden, ready for purchase. Molbak’s also contributed a gift certificate for the drawing at the reception, which also included four yards of mulch from DeJong’s, an overnight stay for two at Willow’s Lodge and the original poster artwork, signed by Stacie Clark, the contributing artist.

The Woodinville Weekly also served as a valuable sponsor, providing poster ads throughout the weeks leading up to the event. Many thanks are also due to our community businesses who displayed our posters throughout Woodinville.

The Woodinville Garden Club provides civic beautification, scholarships, youth gardening programs and support for community charities, with the proceeds from the tour.

We would like to express our gratitude to all of our guests and to the businesses that supported us. We look forward to another great season next year. See you then.

Ann Parrish, Publicity Chair, Woodinville Garden Club

Animals, heat and locked cars

Hey, last Saturday my family and I were about to exit the movie theater when a woman came in and asked us if we owned a green BMW. We said no, but it piqued our curiosity. Once we left, we saw the theater manager and some other employees around a car.

I approached them to see if they needed assistance, only to see that there was a dog locked inside with the windows up and locked. The theater manager had called the police and the vet from PetSmart to assist. The theater employees tried to find out who the owner was, but to no avail.

The police showed up and after trying to slim-jim into the car, finally decided to break the window. The vets and the police drove the dog over to PetSmart with sirens and went to work on him.

We went home assuming the best, but when I went shopping the next day, I decided to go in and follow up. The vets worked as much as they could, but eventually the dog had to be euthanized.

I am not sure if this will show up in the police beat, but it might be nice to call attention to this, possibly its own article, and hopefully prevent this happening in the future, especially since we have and will hit more hot days.

Kevin Schmitt, Woodinville

Pipeline Trail

I know that many of us use the pipeline trail for recreation. My family and I walk, while others jog, cycle, horseback ride or dog walk. While my family and I often have to make our way around messes left on the trail by horses (Why can’t there be some way of picking it up?), my real problem is with the dog walkers/joggers.

(I don’t mind) all of them, just the few that don’t leash their dogs and don’t pick up the messes their dogs leave behind. My child recently walked in to the house with dog mess on her shoes. It’s not only disgusting it also carries a variety of germs that can cause harm.

She has also been the recipient of an over enthusiastic dog (as the dog owner put it) which was unleashed and knocked her over.

So this is why I am writing. The pipeline trail is not a toilet for dogs and neither is it a dog park. Please be responsible for your dog and respect others around you.

A. Summers, Woodinville

School Resource Officers

I’ve been hearing some buzz among my contacts in the Bothell Police Department about funding for School Resource Officers (SROs).

The Bothell Police Department has negotiated a deal with Northshore School District to increase the funding provided by NSD for the SRO program, but only for Bothell area schools. Bothell already receives more SRO money from Northshore School District than Inglemoor or Woodinville. Now they are set to receive an additional $30,000.

Are things so very bad at Bothell High School that additional funding to have police presence on campus is needed?

Could the administration at Bothell learn from Inglemoor and Woodinville how to more successfully run a safe school without spending so much money to have police in the school?

If it is not a case of Bothell High School being less safe than the other two high schools, then why does NSD continue to fund Bothell High School SROs at a much higher cost than Inglemoor and Woodinville high schools? Why is there no equity between the schools when it comes to the SRO program?

If it is a case of budget cuts in Bothell Police Department funding, then why is NSD, which is already cutting its budget by millions each year, being forced to make up for Bothell Police Department’s budget shortfall?

Maybe it would be better for Northshore School District to revisit the whole School Resource Officer issue, restructure it and make reductions where necessary. The program needs to prove its worth and effectiveness.

If it can’t, then NSD should consider eliminating it.

Theresa Day, Bothell