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NEWS | Researchers to test Sammamish River with non-toxic dye [2] CRIME ALERT | Redmond Police Blotter [3] FEATURE | Sardinia native chef Loi shares the food of his homeland at restaurant. [13]
FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2015
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Prop. 1 addresses public safety, infrastructure, walkability This week, the Redmond Reporter delves into Proposition 1, which will be on the Aug. 4 ballot. Next week, the Reporter will examine Proposition 2, which is also on the upcoming ballot. SAMANTHA PAK spak@redmond-reporter.com
On Aug. 4, the city will have two six-year levy mea-
sures on the ballot. If passed, Proposition 1 would cost about $18.13 million over the course of six years — just a bit more than $3 million per year. The levy addresses public safety, neighborhood infrastructure safety and walkability.
MAINTAINING SERVICES
Redmond Police Chief Ron Gibson said a large part of the public safety component is maintaining the services approved in the city’s 2007 ballot measure. These services included 17 new police personnel to support police operations
CITY NEWS
and programs, including school resource officers (SROs) in local schools. “It allowed us to provide funding for high school and middle school resource officers,” Gibson said. He added that Lake Washington School District (LWSD) also provides funding for the SROs, but that amount — $40,000 per year — is less than half
of one officer’s salary and benefits. Gibson said state law allows cities to increase levies by only 1 percent per year. This gives the money less buying power as inflation increases at a higher rate. Gibson said Proposition 1 will help the Redmond Police Department (RPD) maintain this level of service.
The 2007 levy also provided the Redmond Fire Department (RFD) with 18 new firefighters for Fire Station 12 in Overlake and Fire Station 17 in north Redmond. According to the city website, this led to an increase in call reliability of 23 percent for the area served by Station 12. This also reduced travel times [ more PROP. 1 page 7 ]
Wienke receives prestigious cadet award SAMANTHA PAK spak@redmond-reporter.com
Making music at Marymoor Two-and-a-half-year-old Jaedon Lewis (left) and 2-year-old Adaly Morris play the piano installed at Marymoor Park on July 17. This is part of Pianos in the Parks, a month-long program made possible by Laird Norton Wealth Management. The Marymoor piano is one of 22 featured in the program. The pianos were provided by Classic Pianos and Gage Academy of the Arts, two partners of Pianos in the Parks, which donated and decorated the piano, respectively. The piano was decorated by Gage Academy of the Arts artist Martijn Swart. SAMANTHA PAK, Redmond Reporter
As boys, Moritz Wienke and his brother used to play soccer at Marymoor Park in King County near Redmond. During this time, they discovered the model airfield where people flew their radio-controlled model airplanes. This sparked an interest in aviation and a few years later — when he turned 12 — Wienke joined the local branch of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the Overlake Composite Squadron (OCS) in Redmond. “I joined right on my 12th birthday since the require-
Moritz Wienke earned the Gen. Ira C. Eaker Award. Courtesy photo ment (to join) is 12 years old,” he said. Wienke, who was born in the Bay Area in California before his family moved up to Sammamish when he was about 7 years old and now lives in Renton, has been with OCS since, working his way up the ranks as a cadet. [ more WIENKE page 7 ]
Sixth annual Ananda Mela Joyful Festival of India is set for this weekend This year’s Ananda Mela Joyful Festival of India will take place tomorrow and Sunday at Redmond City Hall, 15670 N.E. 85th St. Now in its sixth year, the festival will be held from noon to 8:30 p.m. each day and is free and for all ages. Ananda Mela is one of the biggest festivals of Indian art and culture in the Pacific Northwest, and is the largest cultural festival in Redmond, with more than 20,000 attendees expected for this weekend.
While the event will be at City Hall, Ananda Mela is put on annually by the Vedic Cultural Center (VCC) in Sammamish, whose mission is to preserve and promote traditional Indian arts, culture, cuisine, languages and literature. “We have been forging a strong collaboration with the City of Redmond in presenting Ananda Mela,” said festival president Harry Terhanian. “This year we will have a special exhibit on Ramayana, one of two great timeless epics that have inspired India’s population for
millennia.” In addition to providing the venue, the city also provides staffing for the event for a fee (paid for by VCC), the city also assists with publicity and overall festival planning through collaborative work ahead of the festival. Ananda Mela is also supported by grants from 4Culture and Experience Redmond.com. This year’s festival attractions include [ more FESTIVAL page 3 ]
MC Yogi will be performing tomorrow evening at the Ananda Mela Joyful Festival at Redmond City Hall. Courtesy photo