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520 Bridge workers seen drinking on job
Annexation bumps city’s population by 5,000
KOMO TV hidden-camera shows beer daily activity Officials for the Washington State Department of Transportation and KGM, a joint venture group that is designing and building the new State Route 520 bridge, are investigating employees drinking alcohol in the Bellevue office they share, following a hidden camera investigation by KOMO 4 News. A source, who worked in the office for two months, told KOMO that workers routinely drank beer throughout the day. “People drink pretty heavily, I mean, it’s all over the place,” the source said. “On Monday through Thursday, some people have one, two, three. On Friday, it’s a six-pack.” KOMO came to the office on a Friday afternoon in an attempt to get comment. While waiting they witnessed two employees each entering with 12-packs of beer. As the KOMO reporter was leaving, she looked in the refrigerator in a break room and found the two packs of beer.
BY NAT LEVY Bellevue Reporter
district. A first generation Greek-American, Apostle also addressed his appreciation for the diversity in Bellevue, and his vision to build upon the resources already available to students and parents facing language barriers. “Diversity is strength and power,” Apostle said. “And having people feel they are a part of the community will really help us.”
Bellevue gained more than 5,000 new residents Monday night, in a unanimous vote nearly 25 years in the making. A gleeful City Council voted to make the areas of Eastgate, Tamara Hills and Horizon View a part of Bellevue. Starting June 1, the new areas will receive Bellevue city services and pay taxes to the city. “Your taxes are going to go down,” Councilmember John Chelminiak told a small crowd of new Bellevue residents at the Monday meeting. “How often do we get to say that and have it actually be true?” According to city figures, the average Eastgate home value of $382,000 will see nearly $1,000 less in annual property taxes. In addition, the new residents will pay $467 less in taxes and fees ($978 less property tax, $189 more storm water fees and $322 more utility taxes). The city is finishing up the annexation process for the final area, Hilltop, with a scheduled vote on July 16. Eastgate was originally slated to become part of Bellevue in 1989 following an election on the issue, but residents did not want to take on their share of the city’s bond debt, said Senior Planner Nicholas Matz, so the council decided against the annexation. Other attempts to restart the process
SEE SCHOOLS, 19
SEE EASTGATE, 6
An employee in an office shared by the Washington State Department of Transportation and KGM, a joint venture group that is designing and building the new State Route 520 bridge, is shown in a May 22 report on KOMO TV. COURTESY PHOTO, KOMO TV
A WSDOT official said he had never seen alcohol in the workplace before. State regulations prohibit government employees from drinking on the job. Representatives of KGM told KOMO the company takes the allegations very seriously, and it is beginning an investiga-
tion into the matter. Normally WSDOT and private contractors don’t share office space, but because the bridge design is a complex and complicated project, employees work there in what’s called a “colocated” office.
3 in running for Bellevue school superintendent new superintendent next week.
BY KEEGAN PROSSER Bellevue Reporter
The Bellevue School District moved closer to naming a new schools superintendent this week as three finalists visited here to meet with the School Board and the community. Finalists, Dr. Alex P. Apostle, Dr. Mark Mitrovich and Dr. Justin (Tim) Mills participated in a series of community forums, where they answered questions submitted to the board both online and
The candidates Dr. Alex P. Apostle Alex P. Apostle
Tim Mills
from the live audience. The forums took place Tuesday through Thursday at the International School and Interlake High School. The board could name a
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Speaking Tuesday, Apostle noted Mark Mitrovich the many achievements already made by the district, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between parents and staff as a means to improve the already “gold standard”
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