Monday, Dec. 6, the Greater Maple Valley Unincorporated Area Council held its regular monthly meeting. There were several topics discussed including the Ravensdale Ridge, King County code, and Unincorporated Area Council funding.
- Ravensdale Ridge
In September the council formally voiced several objections to King County’s Department of Development and Environmental Services (DDES) with regards to the Reserve Silica Sand Pit Mine trench filling application. These included 24 hour operation, monitoring of on-site fill, correction of current storm water problems and State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) shortfalls in the areas of traffic, noise,and future timber growth.
Frank Melfi, president, Bill Melfi, vice president, and Pete Cawlfield, site manager, all of Reserve Industries Corp., were present to answer some of our concerns. Melfi described their basic operations and potential noise impacts. They will be accepting new fill materials from several public projects like the Seattle downtown tunnel, in their existing pit. The council questioned the number of trucks, the noise they will make, and the times they will arrive and leave the site. Melfi mentioned that approximately 100 trucks each night could be typical, but that King County DDES noise studies to date have not addressed such truck traffic.
King County DDES is contemplating a limited-scope EIS. The council will work with DDES to ensure that proper noise studies are conducted to address the Ravensdale community’s concerns over truck traffic impacts. The council also will try to set up a Ravensdale community meeting to bring all the parties together, including King County DDES, to discuss the issues.
- King County code recommendations
In the fall the council completed a comprehensive review of applicable King County Code chapters and submitted it to the King County Code Review Committee. That committee distributed our recommendations to various King County departments. King County Department of Transportation recently responded favorably by letter to the council’s recommendations on transportation concurrency and mitigation payment system policies.
The chair of the King County Code Review Committee, Harry Reinert of DDES will be invited to our January monthly meeting to discuss specific actions on our recommendations.
- Unincorporated area council funding
The King County Council recently passed a budget for 2011 that proposes modifying how area councils are constituted by eliminating the local area councils in favor of one countywide commission. The council believes local citizens need a voice to enumerate local issues of importance to them and, therefore, voiced its opposition to this proposed commission in a letter to the King County Council dated November 30. The council received a letter in response supporting the current system of local area councils from King County Executive Dow Constantine dated Dec. 3. The council considers the executive’s support hopeful and will continue to monitor the situation.
The council was a local council before gaining any formal recognition from the county. It formed at the behest of, and continues to serve, the local citizens as a means of communication with their local government, King County. As is true for all the area councils. This vision of local citizenry communicating directly with their local government, not only is deeply embedded in the fabric of American democracy, but is a vision the council has lived by for over 20 years. The council does not believe a countywide commission, possibly not even locally elected, can properly serve, or even be recognized by, the local citizens in the various and diverse unincorporated areas.
On another 2011 budget note, the council considers police protection a top priority of King County government. Consequently, the Area Council voted to send a letter to the King County Council requesting restoration of the King County Sheriff’s Office deputy positions eliminated in the 2011 budget.
- The next regular monthly meeting is at 7-9:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 3, 2011 at Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety fire station No. 81, 22225 SE 231. The speakers will be Paul Reitenbach and Harry Reinert both of King County Department of Development and Environmental Services speaking about the King County 2012 comprehensive plan major update in 2011 and King County code changes.
Peter Rimbos,
Corresponding Secretary Greater Maple Valley Unincorporated Area Council
