Published February 28 2018
During its extended study session on Monday, the City Council reviewed progress on the Neighborhood Safety, Connectivity and Congestion Levy, approved by Bellevue voters in November 2016.
While 2017 was mostly spent in design mode, 2018 will bring a flurry of construction with approximately 24 projects from the 2017-2018 levy list slated for completion. Work on the 2019-2020 project list has already begun. The city’s Transportation Commission is expected to affirm the list this summer and the council will provide approval after that. Projects are selected based on public input, geographical distribution, speed of implementation and other factors.
Levy funding supplements existing transportation programs with an annual allocation in six categories: Neighborhood Safety ($2.25 million); Neighborhood Congestion Reduction ($2 million); New Sidewalks, Trails and Paths ($1.12 million); Bicycle Facilities ($900,000); Safety and Traffic Management Technology ($500,000); and Sidewalk and Trail Maintenance ($500,000).
Except for the Congestion Reduction program, levy projects originate from established programs and address a backlog of work that would take significantly longer to complete without the additional funding.
The Congestion Reduction program was created by the council and is the one project category with dedicated levy funding. It uses special criteria to prioritize projects based on the need for and benefits derived from the improvements. Currently, nine congestion reduction projects are being analyzed, three are being designed and two could begin construction later this year.
Information about the levy, including a project list, descriptions and a map, is available with the council agenda materials. More background is on the levy webpage.
Fire Station 10 property acquisition authority
Earlier, the council voted unanimously in favor of an ordinance to authorize use of the city’s powers of condemnation in obtaining nine properties for the planned Fire Station 10. Over the last several months, city staff has been negotiating with the six property owners and agreements have been made with two of them.
The city is building Fire Station 10 on the northwest corner of 112th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 12th Street, immediately north of McCormick Park. The 2.82-acre site includes nine parcels with six property owners.
The new station is being funded by the Fire Facilities levy passed by Bellevue voters in 2016. The design work for Fire Station 10 is scheduled for the spring of 2018 through 2019, followed by construction to begin in 2020.The station opening date is projected to be the first quarter of 2022.
Additional information can be found in the council’s agenda materials.
Police chief update on gun violence, mental health and school safety
In response to recent events involving gun violence, Mayor John Chelminiak requested a briefing on the city’s policies supporting school safety and mental health. Police Chief Steve Mylett discussed the department’s placement of school resource officers on school campuses and how the city partners with local human service organizations to find help for people who may be experiencing a crisis. All department officers are trained annually in active shooter scenarios. The city has also adopted the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s position, which supports the banning of assault weapons and other weapons that enable criminals to outgun law enforcement.
The entire briefing is available to view online via Bellevue Television, starting at 24:00 time mark.