December, 2011

In this newsletter:
1. Redistricting King County Council districts
2. Prepare for flood season with December 13 workshop
3. Broadband cable service sale to WAVE Division I
4. I-90 Wildlife Watch
5. King County 8th in using transit to relieve traffic congestion
6. SR 520 tolling starts December 29

Dear District 3 friend,

As we approach the end of 2011, it is a good time to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year. One of the things I am pleased with is the implementation of the national Safe Place partnership with Metro Transit and local youth shelter providers that occurred at the end of August. In the past week, two young girls already have been rescued from the street and connected with help and safety at youth shelters, thanks to the quick thinking of the bus drivers they asked for help. The rapid implementation of this program, which started with discussions in my office early this year, could not have happened without the commitment of Metro Transit and the non-profits YouthCare, Friends of Youth and Auburn Youth Services. Please spread the word to anyone who works with children that every Metro bus is a safe place for youth to ask for help. Let’s make sure every child has a warm, safe place to spend the holidays and safely begin a new year. Read more at www.nationalsafeplace.org.

Another accomplishment is the completion of our 2012 budget. This was done in a non-partisan manner collaborating with the executive, and it was accomplished nearly two weeks early and with a unanimous vote. By law, we must have a balanced budget. Now, we wait to see the impact of state budget cuts that will be passed on to the county and to cities. I am concerned with the proposed cuts to mental health services at Western State Hospital and to corrections, which could increase the inmate population in our jails – a most expensive and inhumane way to deal with people who need to treatment. I will be working with our legislators to be sure they know the full impact of their decisions. The legislative session always is another busy time. This has indeed been another busy year!

It is a pleasure to serve you. Merry Christmas, happy Chanukah and happy holidays to you and your family!

Kathy Lambert

1. Redistricting King County Council districts

King County Council District 3 looks a little different this month following the recently completed redistricting process that takes place every 10 years using new population data from the Census. Because District 3 had grown more than the other council districts in recent years, the district boundaries needed to shrink. As a consequence, the City of Woodinville was removed from District 3 and split between District 1 and District 6. Also, the part of Redmond west of Willows Road and West Lake Sammamish Parkway was reassigned to District 6. It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve these residents, but they now will be represented by Councilmember Bob Ferguson in District 1 and Councilmember Jane Hague in District 6. District 3 now represents 214,325 residents, including more than 32 percent of the residents in King County’s unincorporated areas. Read more at http://kingcounty.gov/operations/districting/news/11-15-adoption. New maps are available for you to check on your Council district at http://kingcounty.gov/operations/districting/adopted_plan.

2. Prepare for flood season with December 13 workshop

With the predicted wetter and colder La Nina winter arriving, this is a good time to get prepared for flooding season in the Northwest. I will be presenting information about the King County Flood Control District and the county’s alert system at a Flood Preparedness and Insurance Workshop on Tuesday, December 13, beginning at 6 p.m. at Snoqualmie City Hall.

Here are some flooding awareness resources to keep handy:

• Flood warning and alerts for the Tolt, Snoqualmie, Raging and Skykomish rivers and Issaquah Creek: www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/flooding/warning-system.aspx

• Flood warning system: www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/flooding/warning-system/about.aspx

• National Weather Service forecasts: www.wrh.noaa.gov/sew/

• National Weather Service hourly weather data: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=47.52890&lon=-121.82400&unit=0&lg=english&FcstType=graphical

• Get automated flood warnings sent to you by voice mail, text or e-mail: www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/flooding/warning-system/flood-alerts.aspx

• Checklist to prepare for a flood – before, during and after: www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/flooding/prepare.aspx

• Find out where to get sandbags: www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/flooding/sandbag-distribution.aspx

Stay safe this winter!

3. Broadband cable service sale to WAVE Division I

Broadband cable television subscribers in the unincorporated area of Duvall and Carnation soon will get a new service provider. Following approval by the Bankruptcy Court, WAVE Division I expects to close its purchase of Broadstripe’s cable systems and franchises by December 31. The King County Council is scheduled to approve the final WAVE franchise in early January. The agreement includes plans by WAVE to invest about $15 million in facility upgrades. The distribution area should be connected to WAVE’s system by March or April 2012. WAVE is a Northwest company with corporate offices in Kirkland and will operate its own local call center and 24x7 network operations center. More information about the WAVE franchise is available at http://mkcclegisearch.kingcounty.gov/custom/king/legislation and type in 2011-0491.

4. I-90 Wildlife Watch project

District 3 includes much of King County’s rural and wilderness lands, and a bounty of wildlife. Those who travel along Interstate 90 (I-90) can be of great assistance to the I-90 Wildlife Watch project. This is a citizen-based wildlife monitoring project that invites motorists to report wildlife sightings along I-90 in the Snoqualmie Pass region. This area is the focus of an extensive effort by the Washington State Department of Transportation to improve highway efficiency and make I-90 safer for people and wildlife. The I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition, the Western Transportation Institute, and other I-90 Wildlife Watch partner organizations are currently gathering information about wildlife between North Bend and Easton to help inform highway planning at Snoqualmie Pass. To report a sighting of either living or dead wildlife on I-90, go to www.i90wildlifewatch.org.

5. King County 8th in using transit to relieve traffic congestion

The Seattle/King County area ranks eighth out of 439 urban areas in the nation for hours of congestion delay saved by the use of public transportation. This is from the 2011 Urban Mobility Report just published by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). We rank ahead of a number of cities with major rail programs (e.g. Dallas, Salt Lake City, Portland and Atlanta). TTI found that public transportation saved local travelers more than 14 million hours of delay, $312 million in costs related to congestion, and nearly 7 million gallons of fuel. Based on AAA data about local driving costs, Metro estimates that King County transit commuters save about $2,000-5,000 annually for a 20-mile daily commute. Read the TTI report at http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums and an American Public Transportation Association news release about the findings at www.apta.com/mediacenter/pressreleases/2011/Pages/110927_TTI.

6. SR 520 tolling starts December 29

All-electronic tolling on the SR 520 Bridge will start on Thursday, December 29. If you haven’t yet obtained your Good To Go! Pass, they are available at several retail locations and also online at www.GoodToGo520.org. The Washington Department of Transportation has been testing and retesting the toll system components since summer to ensure it can collect data at highway speeds to create transactions for more than 100,000 vehicles every day. To provide more options, Metro Transit and Sound Transit have added about 130 bus trips a day across the bridge, for a total of 700 daily bus trips on SR 520. Read more at www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2011/12/7_sr520tollsstartdec29.htm