Tomorrow, August 18 the City will be hosting a family-friendly Pop-Up Party! This party will feature our interactive Target Zero spin wheel, safety information, and free treats. The party will take place at Rhododendron Park, near the covered picnic area. Pack a picnic lunch and stop by between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to have fun while learning helpful and important safety tips.

Back to School Safety Shopping

‘Tis the season for back to school shopping! As you stock up on pencils, erasers, binders, and backpacks, don’t forget to think about personal safety as well. When selecting clothes for your kids, it can be helpful to get a light colored jacket over a dark colored one, to help with visibility when out walking. Reflective stickers or clip-on lights can be added to backpacks and kid’s shoes often have reflective stripes on them. All of these items will help kids be seen while on the move either on foot or bike.

New Crosswalk and Bike Racks in Kenmore

The new crosswalk on 68th Ave NE, across from Wallace Swamp Creek Park

As part of the 68th Ave NE overlay project, a new crosswalk has been installed and is now available for entry into Wallace Swamp Creek Park and for Kenmore Elementary students this coming school year. The streetlight at the crosswalk is scheduled for upgrading to a brighter LED fixture as well, similar to other RRFB crosswalks in the city. Along with the widening of the shoulders on 68th and the installation of raised pavement markers along the edge lines which are scheduled for this fall, the overlay of 68th has been used as a great opportunity to improve facilities.

New bike racks on corner of SR 522 and 68th Ave NE

Additionally, two fun new bike racks have been installed at the corner of SR 522 and 68th Ave NE. This fun art work has dual use as heron-shaped bike racks.

Washington State Parks Commission invites public to learn about a new proposal for Saint Edward Seminary

Recently, Daniels Real Estate, a local development firm specializing in historic preservation projects, submitted to State Parks a new concept proposal for rehabilitating the seminary building. Representatives from the firm will present a summary of their proposal at a public workshop from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at Northshore Utility District.

Following the Daniels Real Estate presentation, State Parks staff will describe, from the agency’s perspective, what steps will be necessary for the proposal to move forward. The public will have the opportunity to provide comments and questions during this meeting. For more information, visit the State Parks Commission website.

Northshore Summit Park

Northshore Summit Park Block Party

Northshore Summit Park is the City’s newest park, opening May 2014. Located at 6200 NE 193rd St. in Kenmore, this 3.6 acre neighborhood park is great for walking, playing, having a picnic, and exploring. Last month, the park was used for a neighborhood block party, organized by families in the community, including Nicole Suarez. Nicole attended the For the Love of Kenmore community workshop in April at City Hall and was inspired to plan an event for her neighborhood. The block party was very successful and Northshore Summit Park provided a fantastic environment for everyone to have a fun and memorable time.

CITY STAFF PROFILE

By Brennan Jernigan

Brett Schock, traffic engineer, stands at the site of a new crosswalk on 68th Ave. NE.

Name: Brett Schock
Title: Traffic Engineer

What He Does: Creatively finds solutions to improve conditions on Kenmore’s roadways, including traffic, speeding, walking and biking along roads, and parking.

Fun Fact: Brett loves space—so much so that he takes online courses in astrophysics and planetary geology and follows astronomers, planetary and NASA mission scientists on Twitter!

Brett Schock is the City of Kenmore’s first ever designated traffic engineer. What exactly does a traffic engineer do? “I’m in the business of not being noticed,” says Brett. “If I’m doing my job right, then there are fewer traffic problems—things flow right and work well.”

Brett is still fairly new on the job. He arrived in April of this year. With a little over three months under his belt, we thought it would be a good time to sit down with him and find out more about what he does for the City.

What does your typical day look like?

Every day, I spend a little bit of time reviewing citizen action requests to see what people are concerned about. I am also developing a Neighborhood Transportation Plan program that will get ahead of the issues before citizens have to speak up about them.

I also spend time on other projects to improve walking, bicycling, and traffic flow and usually work on a couple of these projects at a time. For example, I recently had a “pedestrian only” phase added to the light at Arrowhead Elementary.

What exactly are these neighborhood transportation plans you’re working on?

First, we broke the city into 16 neighborhoods. Each neighborhood will meet at City Hall to discuss issues the neighborhood wants to address. Then we’ll formulate a plan for that neighborhood, with issues and solutions that will be classified by priority level in future meetings with citizens. We will then use the prioritized lists to make proactive improvements starting in 2016. Additional information on neighborhood transportation plans will be available online soon.

Many of the projects we fund will be simple, but effective, low-cost solutions. For example, if a neighborhood wants a small traffic circle, we may put in a few large potted planters in an intersection to achieve the same traffic-calming purpose. The program will be very citizen-driven; I, and other City staff, will be facilitating the discussion.

What do you love about working here?

I like the creativity and how fast things can get done. I previously worked in private consulting, where it took me six years of designing projects before I ever saw anything actually implemented. Here, in my first three months, I’ve already seen five or six small projects take shape.

What makes the work worthwhile for you?

Just being able to make a difference. Working here, as opposed to in consulting, I’m much more connected. It’s as simple as a resident saying thank you after I have an opportunity to explain what we’re doing to solve a traffic issue.

COMMUNITY / CO-CREATOR PROFILE

By Jenny Pazar

The George Family, one of many families Hoplink has served in the Kenmore area

Hopelink’s Newly Re-Opened Kenmore Place Helps Local Families in Need

“Hopelink took the weight off of us and I wouldn’t have been able to make it otherwise.” “We’ve always been the kind of people who took care of themselves. We were raised to work hard and pay our own way.” “I feel like I’m a really strong person… but without Hopelink, I would have been back to square one.”

These are just a few of the sentiments shared by Hopelink clients. Hopelink does exactly what its name describes-- provides a link between people’s temporary reality and their hopes and dreams. This nonprofit organization started in 1984 as an emergency shelter. Hopelink now offers families in need a variety of services, including housing in the newly expanded Kenmore Place.

Kenmore Place is the only shelter available for those who are homeless in north King County. The grand re-opening of the shelter is tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18. After extensive renovations, Kenmore Place expanded from nine units to 11, expected to serve 1,000 families over the next 50 years.

Kenmore Place is much more than just a roof over your head, however. Hopelink looks at the bigger picture and focuses greatly on family development, providing case managers who work one-on-one with clients on a weekly basis. Their number one priority is to help the family get out of their temporary hardships and they do this through adult education programs, job development trainings, and providing transportation, just to name a few. Clients are held accountable to meet individualized goals, helping them exit poverty for good and create a sense of stability in their lives.

Kris Betker is the PR Specialist at Hopelink and spoke with me about her experiences with the organization. Kris describes, “We ask them what their dreams are and then we map it out and organize steps to get them there. There’s no reason why you can’t aim for that. Having a path gives you power.” Kris also mentioned that the most common question they receive at their Kirkland location is, “Are you hiring? I’m looking for a job.” So many of these families and individuals are the people who least expected themselves to be the ones asking for help. Yet, life can have unexpected challenges and Hopelink is there as a resource to help those in need get back on their feet permanently.

Besides providing housing through Kenmore Place, Hopelink also offers food banks at each of their five centers as well as family development programs, adult education, financial education, transportation, energy assistance, and emergency financial assistance. These programs are available for anyone living in the service area who qualifies in terms of low income. Kenmore is well within the service area and Hopelink is available to help anyone in need. To learn more about the amazing impact Hopelink has had on people in the community, watch this great video and visit Hopelink’s website for more information.