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Posted by: District3 Newsletter	5/1/2008 12:00 AM
In this newsletter: • Charter Review process • Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail corridor acquired • In the community • Emergency preparedness tip of the month • Stroke awareness month Dear District 3 residents, It is good to welcome spring finally to our corner of the Northwest. Along with the warmer weather comes a list of new and continuing issues for the King County Council. We welcome your comments and concerns. Charter Review process The 21-member Charter Review Commission concluded its once-a-decade review of our county’s constitution last month. The final report will include a list of 12 suggested charter amendments as well as some additional recommendations and a proposal to phase the amendments on the ballot over three years. Here is what happens next and how you can be involved: • May 30 – The Charter Review Commission submits its final report to the Council. • June 2 – The Council will receive a presentation from the Charter Review Commission about its report and recommendations, beginning at 9:30 a.m. • June 16 – The Council will host a Town Hall meeting in Federal Way to accept public comments about the proposed charter amendments. The Town Hall will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Federal Way Community Center. • Beginning June 30 – The Council will receive staff briefings on the proposed charter amendments and conduct public hearings on ordinances to place any charter amendments on the ballot. • Sept 19 – This is the final date for action on any ordinances to place charter amendments on the November General Election ballot. A list of the proposed amendments is available at www.metrokc.gov/exec/charter/. Of greatest concern to me are the proposals affecting delivery of local government services, including the addition of a statement to the Preamble, and providing for a senior official to coordinate services to unincorporated areas. These amendments have been proposed for the November 2009 ballot, but I believe the oversight of local government services for our unincorporated areas is more urgent and should be considered as soon as possible. I addition, I will be urging more scrutiny of the proposal to grant bargaining authority for working conditions to separately elected county officials. The Charter Review Commission’s proposal falls short of answering the concerns of the Sheriff and does not meet the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Task Force. Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail corridor acquired Last week, the Council voted unanimously to partner with the Port of Seattle on the acquisition of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) rail corridor on the Eastside. On May 12, the Port also approved the acquisition unanimously. A good portion of this historic rail corridor runs through Council District 3, so I have been involved in the long-term negotiation process that culminated with this historic agreement. The Port will pay $107 million to BNSF Railway to acquire the 42-mile Eastside rail corridor, and King County will pay the Port $1.9 million for a 26-mile easement that runs from Renton to Woodinville and includes the segment known as the “Redmond Spur.” Existing rails will remain in place as the regional planning process begins, to evaluate possible use or preservation of the rails. The County also will retain the right of first refusal on parcels within the corridor if the Port ever decides to sell them. As we plan for population increases, we need to look at new and innovative ways for people to commute, recreate and do errands. For economic sustainability, we need to continue using this resource both for transportation – including bike, pedestrian and rail – and for freight traffic. It is exciting to see the bicycle, trail and transportation communities come together with a multimodal vision for this corridor. I look forward to the regional planning process and to hearing your priorities for the use of this corridor. In the community I will be participating in several upcoming community events, and I hope to have a chance to see you at one of them: • Sheriff’s Precinct 2 Community Meeting, May 15, Redmond Ridge • Big Rock Ball Field Ribbon-Cutting, May 17, Duvall • Dedication of new sewer system for the City of Carnation, June 2, Carnation Wastewater Plant • Duvall Parade, June 7, Duvall • Also during May, I have been appointed to serve on the Elections Canvassing Board, so I will be involved in extra meetings to certify the results of the May 20 special election. The Renton School District and two fire districts have measures on the May 20 ballot. Emergency preparedness tip of the month May is designated as Older Americans Month by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In the event of a disaster, senior citizens especially need to be prepared with a support network and emergency plan. Here are some suggestions from Senior Services: • Talk to family, friends and others to create your personal support network. • Write down your emergency plan and share it. • In the event of an evacuation, determine where and how you will go. • Make sure that someone in your support network has an extra key to your home and knows where you keep emergency supplies. • Keep at least a week’s worth of medications and medical supplies on hand. • Teach your support network members how to administer medications and operate medical equipment that you depend upon. • Keep an updated list of prescription medications, including dosage, treatment and allergy information. • Have available extra personal items, such as eyeglasses, hearing aides and oxygen. • Have your Social Security check deposited automatically, in case of disruption of mail service. To register for direct deposit, go to www.GoDirect.gov, or call 1-800-333-1795. • For a copy of the American Red Cross booklet “Disaster Preparedness for Seniors,” call (206) 323-2345. Stroke awareness month May also is National Stroke Awareness Month. More information about prevention and recognizing the signs of stroke is available from the National Stroke Association at www.stroke.org. Learn to recognize the warning signs of stroke: • Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body. • Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding. • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes. • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination. • Sudden severe headache with no known cause. If you think someone may be having a stroke, act F.A.S.T. and do this simple test: F – Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop? A – Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? S – Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Are the words slurred? Can he/she repeat the sentence correctly? T – Time: If the person shows any of these symptoms, time is important. Call 9-1-1 or get to the hospital fast. Brain cells are dying. Sincerely, Kathy Lambert
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