August 2014

In this newsletter:
1. Stossel Bridge is closed for three months
2. KCTV: Jobs for veterans
3. Noxious weeds
4. Eastside Rail Corridor
5. September is National Preparedness Month
6. Sno-Valley Volunteer Match website debuts
7. Sign up for a van pool

Dear District 3 friend,

Our summer was wonderful! I'm also looking forward to a beautiful Washington fall.

This fall will also be filled with official county duties including continuing work on the Eastside Rail Corridor and budget decisions that will affect many parts of our county including transportation and Public Health. It will be our first full biennial budget and also the first one to have a local government section. I am so eager to finally see this as it highlights the importance of both roles of local and regulatory government. It will again be a challenge to balance all the competing interests and develop a budget that both prioritizes and spends taxpayer money wisely. We must have a balanced budget by law! I am on the Budget Leadership Team again this year and always value your input. There will be budget hearings across the county and I will have the dates and locations in next month's newsletter. I look forward to seeing you there!

It's always a pleasure to serve the citizens of District 3.

Best wishes,

Kathy Lambert

1. Stossel Bridge is closed for three months

Drivers should plan for their commute around the detour as construction crews have closed the Stossel Bridge over the Snoqualmie River near the city of Carnation for a repainting project. This project began on August 25, and for three months the bridge will be closed allowing the extensive job to be completed.

2. KCTV: Jobs for veterans

King County TV produced this great video highlighting how the county helps our veterans when they return home after serving. We've hired several veteran interns here at the council and they have done an excellent job.

3. Noxious weeds

King County's Noxious Weed Program enlists residents and business owners in the battle against leafy invaders that can harm our environment, plus animals and even people. Learn more about how the County's information and outreach efforts are helping keep noxious weeds in check on the website. (Yes, the county is working on being a good neighbor too in cleaning up public lands.)

4. Eastside Rail Corridor Tour

Last week I went on a tour of the Eastside Rail Corridor to view the progress that's been made and talk with our local elected officials about future plans. This is truly becoming a "corridor for the ages", that will benefit residents of King County forever. It's exciting to see progress and to know that it will also be a corridor that will have many uses: recreation (a trail for walking, running and biking), Sound Transit light rail, utility easements and will also have the potential to be used for commercial and business rail traffic in the future.

5. September is National Preparedness Month

If an emergency occurred tomorrow, would you be ready? With school starting, now is a perfect time to involve the entire family in preparing for all types of emergencies, including natural disasters and other potential threats. Don't forget to practice your disaster plan for home, school and the office. For more information, including tips and checklists, visit the website.

I was able to record a video in support of the National PrepareAthon when I was at a recent meeting of the National Association of Counties. I hope you'll take a couple minutes to watch it and to act on the suggestions it mentions. Watch this video from my homepage.

Congrats to King County for now having all 19 of their ESF – Emergency Support Function – plans for dealing with emergencies, approved by the state this month.

6. Sno-Valley Volunteer Match website debuts

The Snoqualmie Valley Community Network has developed an exciting new online tool for individuals and groups who are interested in volunteering in the Snoqualmie Valley. Sno-Valley Volunteer Match (SVVM) allows for easily locating and signing up for volunteer opportunities in Snoqualmie Valley. Organizations that rely on volunteers are strongly encouraged to start using SVVM for volunteer recruitment. Additionally, the site offers a registry for Snoqualmie Valley non-profits.

The Snoqualmie Valley Community Network hosts an annual Key Leaders Summit and participants over the last couple of years have expressed a desire to have better tools available for communicating about opportunities in the Snoqualmie Valley. SVVM will enable valley volunteers and valley organizations that need volunteers to find one another!

Local cities and valley organizations are encouraged to add a link to SVVM to their websites to help promote valley-wide use of this new tool! Please visit the website.

7. Sign up for a Metro van pool

A Metro van pool is a great way to lower your commuting costs, use the HOV lane and get where you're going faster. Here's information on how to sign up.