BELLEVUE
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Fire department facilities seen as costly undertaking Priorities include repairs, replacement, new downtown station BY BRANDON MACZ BELLEVUE REPORTER
Flagging in the Fourth
Interim Bellevue Fire Chief Mark Risen is seeking a major investment in public safety from the City Council through a facilities master plan unveiled Monday, replacing a 1979 model as outdated as some of the fire stations around the city. The total program cost is estimated at $129.6 million in 2014, with cost escalation predictions as high as $151.8 million under a 12-year scheduling option and $139.5 million for six. Keith Schreiber, whose consulting firm worked with the department to draft the facilities plan, said the department has maximized space available at its nine Bellevue stations. Many are in need of replacement and provide little room for in-house training, the demand for which has grown greatly since the Sept. 11 attacks, he said. Response times are not a current cause for concern, Risen said, though the locations of the stations, mixed with a lack of road connectivity in the city, has prevented firefighters from meeting National Fire Protection Association standards. Substantial growth in downtown Bellevue, expected to remain constant in the future and not considered in the ‘79 facilities plan, has made construction of a new downtown station one of the department’s top three priorities. Land acquisition for such a station is estimated at $14.25 million. Shoring up response times downtown is also important,
Independence Day celebration takes long-time planning
SEE FACILITIES, 12
A crew with Avalanche Concert, Lighting & Stage erects the main stagewednesday for the Fourth of July celebration in Bellevue Downtown Park tonight. BRANDON MACZ, Bellevue Reporter
BY BRANDON MACZ BELLEVUE REPORTER
At 23 years and counting, Bellevue is host to the largest Fourth of July celebration on the Eastside – an undertaking organizers say they don't take lightly. Today's celebration marks the culmination of more than a year of planning, says Cherie Clayton, parks and community services program manager for the city of Bellevue, which partners with the Bellevue Downtown Association to offer up live music, games, food and a traditional fireworks finale. "We seriously do start talking about
INSIDE ■ Schedule of activities ■ What streets will be closed for festivities See Page 3
it the next day, as we're cleaning up the (Downtown) Park, because it's fresh in our minds," said Mike Ogliore, BDA vice president of events and operations. The Bellevue Collection again will be the main sponsor of the event, offering up free parking at its three
garages and providing rooftop space for staging the fireworks that make up an 18-minute display. PACCAR and Puget Sound Energy are presenting sponsors and Republic Services is sponsoring the stage. "We are so fortunate over the many years that we've co-produced this to have so much strong support from our businesses in the community," said BDA President Patrick Bannon. "Sponsorship creates awareness for the event, but also value." The fireworks show itself is a complicated process, made easier through SEE FOURTH, 3
On the Hyatt Courtyard
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Replacing Bellevue Fire Station No. 5 is a top priority identified in a facilities master plan presented to City Council on Monday. BRANDON MACZ, Bellevue Reporter
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