April 16, 2003 Minutes—Compiled by Oscar Bandelin. Notes by Edie Jorgensen and Oscar Bandelin.

In attendance: David Rockabrand, Tom Fisher, Bette Filley, Matt Hebb, John Gillingham, Paul Zucati, Edie Jorgensen, Denise Lockner-Jones, Oscar Bandelin, Marissa Alegria, and members of the public.

The meeting convened at 7:04 PM.

Oscar moved that vote on minutes be postponed until Gwendolyn returns—passed unanimously [the vote was in fact taken at the special meeting of May 7, and Gwendolyn was still on vacation]. March 19^th Regular Meeting minutes approved.

Deputy Sarver is leaving us; his last day will be the 30th. Steven Maxwell will be his replacement. A veteran of 18–19 years, Maxwell is a former resident of May Valley. Maxwell served on the D.A.R.E. program and in crime prevention; his wife is in real estate. He will be at the regular meeting in May. Beginning the 28th and 29th, it will be possible to visit him at the storefront office.

There were twelve burglaries in the western edge of the district, mostly in open garages. This was about average. There were also 7 auto thefts, of which five were "auto recoveries" from Renton—that is, stolen cars from Renton that ended up in our jurisdiction. There were 24 larcenies—a low number when considered per capita.

There were 6–7 reported mail thefts; these probably happened last month. Mail thieves are good identity thieves—take steps to protect your credit accounts!

Matt Hebb asked for status of a recent break-in on 169th in Licorice Fern area about 11:00 AM. A suspect had been arrested; Deputy Sarver will give the case number.

There was a car jacking at Texaco on 900 on April 1—last Tuesday.

Also, officers intercepted some "precursor chemicals"—ingredients used in meth labs.

Dave Rockabrand noted that there was a drug distribution house in his area, and asked what to do. Deputy Sarver replied that drug activity at a residence often features pattern behavior. For example, there could be lots of cars coming and going, particularly at odd hours. Officers encourage neighbors to drop by the storefront to discuss details. Perhaps a "knock n’ talk" will help, or extra patrol resources could possibly be allocated.

The issue of barking dogs received some attention. The problem is covered by the Noise Disturbance Ordinance as a public nuisance, though not in all cases. A lot depends on specifics. At any rate, a first offense under this law is a civil infraction; a second constitutes disturbing the peace. The law is difficult to enforce criminally, whereas civil enforcement requires court action. Call 911 to report incidents.

A non-emergency number one can call about police-related issues is 206-296-3311. Emergencies, of course, are handled on 911.

The memorial service for the late Kent Pullen of the King County Council will be held at 11 AM on April 24 at the River of Life Fellowship, 10615 SE 216th, Kent. Offering a brief eulogy, Bette said she knew him for 30 years; she noted that he was always willing to listen, and a "good fellow." Edie moved that a sympathy card be sent; Oscar seconded—passed unanimously. Bette will do so on our behalf.

Connie Blumen, who was supposed to be in attendance, could not make it due to illness. She was supposed to have discussed the May Valley issue in general, and Pioneer Park in particular. Dave said that he asked Ms. Blumen to come out for the May 21 regular meeting.

Dave asked whether there were other issues to discuss.

Oscar suggested having Ms. Blumen come to the special meeting in two weeks. Dave noted that special meetings are poorly attended. Tom Fisher moved to have the meeting on May 7th—seconded by Oscar—passed unanimously. Bette will get publicity out. A member of the public promised that it would be a "fun meeting."

John Gillingham asked whether we should move our meeting time to 6–8 PM, or keep it at 7–9 PM. There was a little commotion as members overwhelmingly reaffirmed the 7–9 PM meeting time!

The question of venue came up. Gwendolyn had said that we would have to move back to the library. We might need to find a new home. Perhaps we could keep the current room, or find another in the same building, maybe the gymnasium across the hall.

Tom declared that we should keep our current location until space really becomes an issue; let’s not speculate before the fact.

Dave said he would talk to Pastor Keith Thompson about the situation.

Dave praised the Administrative Committee meeting, at which the following ideas were raised:

1. Print business cards (25 each). These will include councilmember’s name and the UAC P.O. Box (3501, Renton, WA 98056), as well as any other information the councilmember requests.
2. Each member is to receive a map of the appropriate district; at-large members will receive miniature maps of the entire Four Creeks Area. A large map would be at every meeting to show the districts.
3. Cynthia Green was exploring the question of insurance, whether it would be cheaper, necessary, and so on.
4. A 2-page brief guide to Roberts’ Robert's Rules of Order would be made up.
5. P. R. initiatives to be taken with the Issaquah Press and the South County Journal.
6. Bette would work on a UAC paper; more on that below.

Regarding insurance, the council asked whether it would be feasible to consult a lawyer. Denise noted that there was a new "good Samaritan" law on the books as of July 2001 that could affect our insurance coverage. She will provide a link to the law. Tom moved to make final decisions on insurance by the next regular meeting, even though directors’ insurance is already paid up. General liability will come due in July. The matter is still under discussion.

Dave, Edie, and Oscar were present at the quarterly Citizens' Participation Initiative meeting earlier in the day, and reported on this to the Four Creeks Council. The main issue under discussion was the budget. Dick Bonewits of Maple Valley UAC was forceful in his defense of local community interests in that budget. Bette asked for clarification on that point.

In general, Dick's polemic had to do with problems of taxation versus levels of service, and the issues that this raised in municipalities on the one hand and unincorporated areas on the other.

Oscar explained that generalizations and stereotypes of unincorporated King County communities were being made that were unfair and devoid of even the most basic logic. He defended Dick at the CPI meeting and encouraged Four Creeks councilmembers to attend Maple Valley UAC’s July meeting, at which the issue will be discussed in greater detail. Dick had made the same invitation to all UACs. Oscar will pass along details.

Topics suggested for the paper were discussed, and included: development, land use, annexation, transportation, property rights, Critical Areas Ordinance revisions, schools, crime, drugs, Comprehensive Plan updates, growth management, Cedar Hills landfill, West Nile Virus, and the problems associated with the May Valley drainage ditch. Articles on what’s happening in our area and the UAC mission should be included, along with information on our website, the election, and councilmembers. Perhaps we could also include maps of districts, and the ballot. Paper production and distribution issues were also discussed.

Paul declared he would make table signs for councilmembers for use at meetings.

The meeting adjourned at 8:14 PM.

Respectfully submitted by Oscar Bandelin

Originally posted to the website May 14, 2003 -gh

Adopted with amendments at May 21st Regular Meeting.
Text with strikethrough removed, and underlined text added.
Updates posted to the website May 25, 2003. -gh