VUECREST Newsletter November 2018 In This Issue: Neighborhood ALL CALL! Vuecrest Sewer Pipe and Water Main City Projects Lane Closure on 12th Street/Faulty Bridge Material Calendar Events: Vuecrest Board Meeting Thursday, November 1st 7:00P Vuecrest Book Club TBD Vuecrest Annual Meeting Tuesday, November 13th, 7:00P Calling all Vuecrest Neighbors to the Annual Meeting! Read “Calendar Events” below for the ANNUAL MEETING time, place and directions. It only happens once a year, so let your voice be heard! Elect your new directors and let them know what is important to you. What is your future vision for the Vuecrest neighborhood? Meet your new neighbors! Cookies will be served. Vuecrest Sewer Rehabilitation & Water Main Replacement Projects Update provided by Director Chris Bodiford I’m sure most of you remember the recent construction trucks and equipment tearing up our streets for the sewer and water systems rehabilitations. This month, Director Chris Bodiford, checked in with the city to confirm the status of that work and it seems that they’re not quite finished yet. Below is the reply from Reagan Sidie with Jacobs Engineering, the manager of the project, for the city of Bellevue: “The sanitary sewer and water main projects (you mentioned) are completed. The current project, the Vuecrest Sanitary Sewer Trenchless Rehabilitation project, will use internal pipe lining methods to restore aging pipelines in the Vuecrest neighborhood. We will be primarily relining pipelines in the right-of-way along with some located within easements. This project was bid back in 2017, however no bids were received and the City was not able to negotiate a contract to have the work completed”. “We are looking into modifications to the way the project is bid to obtain competitive bids for doing this work. We are wrapping up negotiation with an engineering firm to repackage this project. The goal is to perform most of the work using relining methods that involve minimal digging at one end of each pipe run to cut into the pipeline and insert the liner. There is a possibility that some of the pipelines are not suitable for this lining method and may need to be replaced with new pipe using traditional digging in the street. The initial engineering work is to determine how much of the pipe may need to be replaced vs. relined. We will be sending out information to the Vuecrest community once this is determined”. “The schedule is to bid the project in spring of next year with construction work starting in early summer”. Sidie also replied that we should expect to have periodic updates plus community fliers with clear information in the future. Traffic on 12th Street Report from Director David Pitkethly You have probably noticed, as have I, that there is a strange lane closure on westbound 12th Street across from the Library. The outside lane is closed, but nobody is ever working at the site. I called Bellevue City Hall, and this is the information that I received. The closure involves the elevated pedestrian foot bridge that crosses the street. The bridge was built in 1969 and the material was composed of wooden beams. Now those beams are rotting, and the bridge is unsafe. The rottenest beam of all is on the north side of the bridge, and a support was built to keep it from collapsing. Unfortunately, the support had to be built so that it ended right at the curb, and it was deemed a traffic hazard. The city is now deciding what to do with the bridge. The options are to tear it down or build a new one. While the city is sitting and waiting, so are we in our cars; there is no end in sight. I voiced a complaint that this lane blockage is a very dangerous situation for motor vehicles and bicycles. The city will forward my complaint. CALENDAR EVENTS: Monthly Board Meeting Thursday, November 1st The Monthly Board Meeting location will be at Lincoln Square South at WeWork on the fifth floor. The address is 10400 NE 4th Street, Bellevue WA 98004. To get to the location… park in the underground parking garage at Lincoln Square SOUTH. Then, take the elevator to the second floor. Walk South through the Food Hall to the bank of elevators that will take you to floor #5. The floor is locked, so Rebecca von der Burg (short lady, dark curly hair) will meet you at the elevators from 6:45P-7:10P to unlock access to the fifth floor. If you arrive later than 7:10P please call 425.785.7050. See you there! The usual monthly Board Meeting is held on the first Thursday of each month. Please contact directors@vuecrest.net <mailto:directors@vuecrest.net> with your questions. Vuecrest Book Club TBD Did you know that Vuecrest has its own Book Club and all residents are welcome to attend? We meet once a month at 7PM, usually on the first Monday at various members’ homes. It is a very relaxed atmosphere – and yes, wine is served! Feel free to join us to chat, laugh, nibble and meet new friends. Newcomers are always welcome! Email Mara Pitkethly dtpit@uw.edu <mailto:dtpit@uw.edu)> or Melissa Hambleton mhambleton@comcast.net <mailto:mhambleton@comcast.net> for details and location. In the meantime K.O.R.! (Keep on reading!) ***Vuecrest ANNUAL MEETING*** Tuesday, November 13th The VUECREST ANNUAL MEETING location will be at Lincoln Square South in the second-floor conference room. The address is 10400 NE 4th Street, Bellevue WA 98004. To get to the location… park in the underground parking garage at Lincoln Square SOUTH (The parking garage exit gates are open after 8P, so there will be no parking charge). Then, take the elevator to the second floor. Walk SOUTH through the Food Hall, then through the bank of elevators ON THE LEFT. Look for Vuecrest signs. Take a LEFT after you pass the elevators. The conference room is straight ahead.