2018 King County community service areas news

Community Service Area town halls a success

Thank you to the many residents of unincorporated King County who attended the 10 Community Service Area Town Halls.  County residents turned out in force to ask questions of their local elected officials and County representatives.  Participants identified positive impacts in their communities as well as local challenges.  We will be sharing the results of the questionnaires from the meetings in a future UA News.   We also shared the King County work plans for each of the local Community Service Areas (CSA) which detail County projects in local areas including contact information.  The updated CSA work plans can be found on the CSA website. 

Start planning for 2019 CSA Grants
The applications for the 2019 Community Service Area grants will be available in late summer.  Start thinking now about initiatives in your local community that could benefit from small grants that support local community initiatives.   The CSA website has information about past grant winners as well as last year’s application guidelines.  These guidelines will be useful when considering an application for next year.   

County seeks director for proposed Department of Local Services

Consistent with the County’s commitment to open and transparent hiring practices that support our Equity and Social Justice goals, the Executive Office has begun using competitive recruitment processes to fill most Department Director positions. Should the County Council act to establish the new Division of Local Services late this year, the Executive’s goal is to conduct a search for the new department’s director and have someone vetted and ready to start by Jan. 1, 2019.

Candidates are welcome to apply for this position, which is open to all qualified applicants with at least five years of managerial experience. The director will be a vital member of the Executive’s Cabinet and will be responsible for shaping and executing the Executive’s vision of performance, accountability, and unified service to unincorporated areas of King County. To learn more, or to apply, please visit the job posting website.

Save the dates! Big Backyard Movies 2018

Bring your low-backed chairs, blankets, snacks and enjoy a relaxed evening in the park. King County Parks is hosting a variety of Big Backyard Movie Nights throughout the summer. The movies will be projected onto a 40-foot-tall inflatable movie screen so invite your friends, teammates and family--we've got space!  Stay tuned for announcements regarding pre-movie entertainment and activities. Movie starts after sunset. July 7 Ravensdale Park. Sunset: 9:08 p.m. July 28 Coalfield Park. Sunset: 8:49 p.m. August 3 Cottage Lake Park. Sunset: 8:41 p.m. August 4 Dick Thurnau Park. Sunset: 8:39 p.m. August 18 Tolt MacDonald Park. Sunset: 8:16 p.m. August 25 Petrovitsky Park. Sunset: 8:03 p.m.

CHOMP! Eat Well. Live Well.

King County’s local food and sustainable living festival returns to Marymoor Park near Redmond on Saturday, Aug. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Celebrate all that is fresh, delicious, local and sustainable at CHOMP!, featuring cooking demonstrations, hands-on workshops, kids’ activities, a farmers market, and so much more, including live music from Matisyahu, Caspar Babypants and the True Loves to name a few. This FREE event will inspire, entertain and feed your appetite for fresh, local and exciting food and sustainability. Follow the event on Facebook to stay up-to-date on all the CHOMP! news.

Summer is road construction season

Many scheduled road improvements will take place over the summer months, some are listed below, and details on all King County road construction projects can be found on the Road Services Division website.

Road resurfacing

Several road resurfacing projects are anticipated to take place in June near Kent, Federal Way, Black Diamond, Maple Valley and North Bend. 

Vashon Island Southwest paving program

Grinding and paving work is underway on Vashon Highway Southwest. A total of 12 miles will be paved over the next two months. For schedules and updates, visit the website. Map.

Summer bridge work

South Park Bridge Lane Restriction
From July 9-12, catch basin cleaning will take place on the south side of South Park Bridge on 16th Avenue South near East Marginal Way South. Daily lane restrictions from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Map.

Stossel Bridge Closure
From July 9-13, Stossel Bridge on Northeast Carnation Farm Road near Carnation will be fully closed for deck repair. Map.

Greenwater Bridge Lane Restriction
From approximately July 16-21, crews will conduct load upgrade work on Greenwater River Bridge on Southeast 496th Place near Enumclaw. The work requires lane restrictions between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and intermittent closures from approximately 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Motorists should expect long delays. Map.

Music in the Park 2018

This news is sure to be music to your ears: Music in the Park returns this summer! Plan on attending this year's Music in the Park concert series at Cottage Lake Park on Thursday evenings starting July 12.  All music starts at 7 p.m. Click on artist names to learn more about their music! July 12 Michelle D'Amour and the Love Dealers Blues July 19  The Home Rulers Celtic Folk July 26 Honky Tonk Sweethearts Honky Tonk & Bluegrass August 2 One Bad Hat 60s & 70s Classic Rock For more information visit the website.

Trailhead Direct adds new route to Mailbox Peak

Trailhead Direct has launched a new service taking hikers from Twin Falls Middle School in North Bend to Mailbox Peak. Check out the website for more information.  Trailhead Direct is a pilot project sponsored by King County Parks and Metro’s Community Connections program. This project seeks to ease vehicle congestion, reduce safety hazards and expand access to hiking destinations along I-90.

Greater Maple Valley/Cedar River Area News

Comments on the Draft Black Diamond Area Stewardship (BDAS) Plan

The Greater Maple Valley Unincorporated Area Council (GMVUAC) reviewed the Draft BDAS Plan, whose area falls entirely within unincorporated rural areas. Comments submitted to King County included keep trails to a manageable number, strive to protect wildlife and natural areas and recognize the entire area is in the county’s rural area. Full comments can be viewed on the website.

Upcoming Community Meetings

Greater Maple Valley Unincorporated Area Council (GMVUAC)

Monday, August 6, 7-9:30 p.m.
Maple Valley Fire Station
Southeast corner of Southeast 231st St. and SR-169 intersection
Maple Valley
Visit the website for the latest information and to confirm meetings.

Green Valley/Lake Holm Association Meeting

Wednesday, July 25, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Fire District 44, Station 95
32316 148th Ave. SE 
Auburn
Sasha Shaw, Education Specialist for the King County Natural Resources Noxious Weeds Program, will speak and answer questions at the May 30th meeting. 
Visit the Facebook page or Twitter for the latest information and to confirm meetings. 

Four Creeks Unincorporated Area Council

Tuesday, July 10, 7-9 p.m.
Eastside Fire & Rescue Station 78
20720 SE May Valley Rd.
Issaquah
Visit the website at for the latest information and to confirm meeting.

Community Alliance to Reach Out and Engage

Monday, July 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Lord of Life Lutheran Church
12819 160th Ave. SE
Renton
Visit the website at for the latest information and to confirm meetings.

Upper Bear Creek Community Council

No meeting scheduled for July.
Visit the website or Facebook page for the latest information and to confirm meetings.

West Hill Community Association Board Meeting

Wednesday, July 11, 7-9 p.m.
King County Fire District 20
12424 76th Ave S.
Seattle
WHCA monthly board meetings are open to the public, and often feature guest speakers in addition to community reports and information from a variety of local organizations. Email for more information.

West Hill Business Association

Tuesday, July 17, 9-11 a.m.
VFW Post 9430
7421 S. 126th St.
Seattle
Open to the public. Are you a West Hill business owner?  Interested in connecting with other local business owners to strengthen our West Hill business district, create more visibility and improve our neighborhood?  For more information contact Cynthia Lamothe 206-722-7343.

Skyway Solutions

Monday, July 9, 6-8:30 p.m.
13470 MLK Jr Way S
Seattle
Visit the website at for the latest information and to confirm meeting or call 206-706-6400.

North Highline Unincorporated Area Council

Thursday, August 2, 7-9 p.m.
1243 SW 112th St.
Seattle
Open to the public. Monthly meeting of all-volunteer neighborhood based community organization.  For agenda information visit the website. For more information contact Barbara Dobkin. 

Fall City Community Association (FCCA)

Tuesday, August 7, 7-8:30 p.m. 
Fall City Fire Department
4301 334th Pl SE
Fall City, WA

The July meeting of the FCCA cancelled. For more information visit the website.

Were you forwarded this from a friend? Sign up for the Unincorporated Area Community News here