Vuecrest View June 2020
The Vuecrest View June 2020
In This Issue:
The Vuecrest Community COMES TOGETHER to be Watchful
Grinding and Paving Begins This Month
City of Bellevue Reaches Out to Neighborhoods
Vuecrest 100th Street (East Entrance)
Next Door APP
MORE Great Neighbors!
Bellevue City Service App
Keep Your Contact Information Current
Calendar Items:
Vuecrest Book Club Meetings (Now Meeting Remotely)
Vuecrest Monthly Board Meeting REMOTE ACCESS INFO BELOW Thursday, June 4th at 7:00P
Save the Date: Vuecrest Annual Picnic Sunday, August, 30th (Still hoping!)
Save the Date: Vuecrest Annual Meeting Tuesday, November 10th
The Vuecrest Community COMES TOGETHER!
When the news on social media was expecting looting to come into the Bellevue neighborhoods your HOA President took immediate action. On Sunday, May 31st when there was unfettered lawlessness at Bellevue Square, and the surrounding areas, Our President and his family quickly gathered a small group of neighbors to barricade our entrances and keep watch. So, when groups walked up to our entrances after vandalizing QFC and Bartells, they were aware that our neighborhood was a stopping point. Personally, I think our brave neighbors should get combat pay, but for now let’s offer them our sincere gratitude and appreciation. Last night, Monday, June 1st, Chris reached out to the neighborhood to again gather at the entrances for an additional night of watchfulness in coordination with police patrols. It was so encouraging to see each entrance covered by 8-10 neighbors far into the evening while police patrols stopped by numerous times to exchange reports. We are so thankful to all of the community members who took their time to be watchful. It’s apparent that heroes come in all shapes, sizes, ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, and some of them live in Vuecrest. Thank you.
Grinding and Repaving Begins on June 8th
The repaving start date for Vuecrest has been pushed back a week to allow time for utility repairs to finish. The paving work is now scheduled to begin on Monday, June 8th. Their contractors have placed some signs at each of the entrances to the neighborhood to notify residents of the start date. If you have any questions or concerns the Pavement Program Manager at the City of Bellevue is Kyle Potuzak, kpotuzak@bellevuewa.gov mailto:kpotuzak@bellevuewa.gov, 425.452.2027 or general email contact is pavement@bellevuewa.gov.
Here are some answers to your questions...
Q: What will the process look like?
A: For the first couple days crews will be grinding off the top 2” of existing asphalt. It will probably be a bit messy and the roads will be rough. When that is complete, they will begin the repaving process which will add a new layer of smooth asphalt. (You might take this time to review the animated Disney movie “Cars”).
Q: When do I need to move my cars off the street?
A: The crews will be working from 7A-6P. So, we need to have ALL CARS OFF THE STREET before June 8th. Resurfacing cannot begin until ALL cars are removed from the construction site.
Q: How long will our roads be torn up?
A: The whole process will take one week to complete, but it is weather dependent, so let’s plan on two weeks and be pleasantly surprised.
Q: Will I be able to get back to my driveway during the paving process?
A: Although the crews will try to minimize impacts, there may be times when construction equipment blocks your driveway. There will be flaggers to direct us.
City of Bellevue Reaches Out to Neighborhoods
Contributed by Brooke Brod, Community Engagement Lead, Community Development Dept, at the City of Bellevue
Now, more than ever, we need strong, resilient neighborhoods. And COVID-19 has taught us that community connection, access to resources like green space, mobility options, and more are keys to strong and resilient neighborhoods.
But creating neighborhoods where people feel at home, feel connected, and where they can thrive in the midst of change doesn’t just happen. It takes a plan. That’s why the City of Bellevue is moving forward with this important work. This June we are launching Great Neighborhoods https://www.engagingbellevue.com/. Through this program city staff will work with residents to create neighborhood plans that serve as a roadmap to the future. And we would like you to be a part of it!
Please join us at one of our Great Neighborhoods Virtual Launch events. At these events you’ll get to meet the team, learn more about the planning process, and find out how you can be involved in shaping your neighborhood’s future.
Tuesday, June 16th at 11:30 a.m.
Register at: https://great-neighborhoods-daytime-launch.eventbrite.com https://great-neighborhoods-daytime-launch.eventbrite.com/
Wednesday, June 17th at 5:30 p.m.
Register at: https://great-neighborhoods-evening-launch.eventbrite.com https://great-neighborhoods-evening-launch.eventbrite.com/
We are excited to work with residents and stakeholders to develop plans that secure our neighborhoods’ future as livable, inspiring, vibrant, and equitable communities. If you have any questions, please reach out to Brooke Brod at bbrod@bellevuewa.gov mailto:bbrod@bellevuewa.gov. 425.452.6930.
Great Neighborhoods – Many Voices. One Vision. Our Future
Vuecrest 100th Street (East Entrance)
The City of Bellevue is still monitoring this site in their attempt to mitigate the speed of traffic going through the roundabout at the 100th Street (East Entrance). Please be sure to call the city if you have any problems exiting or entering our neighborhood. The project manager for the roundabout was Jun An, jan@bellevuewa.gov mailto:jan@bellevuewa.gov 425.452.4230. The inspector for the project was Isack Habte, ihabte@bellevuewa.gov mailto:ihabte@bellevuewa.gov 425.452.4612.
Nextdoor APP
Recently, I received a letter from Nextdoor. It’s an APP for neighborhood sharing. The letter makes it sound like it is endorsed by Vuecrest, or part of our HOA. This company has no affiliation to our community or HOA. So, we just wanted you to know that it is a completely independent and separate entity.
More Great Neighbors!
Go Vuecrest! Our friendly neighbors at 9650 Vineyard Crest have done some yard clean up, trimming, and weeding in their front yard. We really appreciate the improved view. Thanks neighbor!
My Bellevue City Service App
MyBellevue is a mobile app that makes it possible for people to request services and access city news, jobs and social media easily with their smart phones and other portable devices. Here’s a link to get you there… https://bellevuewa.gov/city-government/departments/finance/mybellevue https://bellevuewa.gov/city-government/departments/finance/mybellevue
Keep your Vuecrest Contact Information UP TO DATE
Please make sure that your homeowner contact information, tenant information, and/or property management information is always up to date. Your information is not shared or distributed to any third party and is only used for your informational and safety benefit. Here’s how to update your information…Go to http://www.vuecrest.net/communicate/update-us http://www.vuecrest.net/communicate/update-us, Input your information, and click Submit.
CALENDAR ITEMS:
Vuecrest Book Club (Now Meeting Remotely)
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 with light refreshments served. Feel free to join us to chat, laugh, nibble and meet new friends. Newcomers are always welcome whether or not you’ve had a chance to read the book! Email Mara Pitkethly dtpit@UW.edu mailto:dtpit@UW.edu or Melissa Hambleton mhambleton@comcast.net mailto:mhambleton@comcast.net for details.
Monthly REMOTE Board Meeting Thurs, June 4th at 7:00P
This board meeting will be held remotely. To join the meeting use the link or dial-in information below. Everyone is welcome to join. Please let the Directors know at least three days in advance if you will be bringing any items for discussion and they will be included in the agenda.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87571290202?pwd=VnY4ZVIzQW1RUm9zN21GcWhTWERLUT09 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87571290202?pwd=VnY4ZVIzQW1RUm9zN21GcWhTWERLUT09
Meeting ID: 875 7129 0202
Password: 821761
One Tap Mobile:
+12532158782,,87571290202#,,1#,821761# US (Tacoma)
Dial by your Location
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 875 7129 0202
Password: 821761
The usual monthly Board Meeting is held on the first Thursday of each month, but may be changed for holidays or Director’s schedules. Please check www.vuecrest.net http://www.vuecrest.net/ for updates and contact directors@vuecrest.net mailto:directors@vuecrest.net with your questions.
We are a community, and like any community, there are diverse views on the issues of the day. And we think open sharing of views is important.
For us, the most important issue is the racial justice issue in our society. We were heartened by the conversations we watched between the peaceful protestors and the Bellevue Chief of Police. Peaceful protests and communication are a very good thing. We are heading down to join the Seattle peaceful marches tomorrow, and we welcome anyone else who wants to go down. We would encourage our community to come together and express our sadness about the murder of George Floyd, and our commitment to supporting changes in our society to address racism. Perhaps we could as a neighborhood join in future peaceful protests in Bellevue?
The criminals that use the cover of peaceful protests to loot our stores and damage our community — we are all against that, no one wants to let people get away with that behavior. We saw the police at our neighborhood entrances during the weekend protest, and that was great. We also really appreciate the neighbors who spent time at the entrances, watching for concerns, and being our early warning system. That is much appreciated.
We also fully support everyone protecting their own property of course — everyone has the right to defend their home, using whatever legal measures they are comfortable with.
However, we don’t support the presence of armed private citizens at our neighborhood entrances and on our streets. This does not make us feel safe; this has a great chance of ending in unanticipated tragedy. We don’t think threatening someone with deadly force for breaking a store window or stealing some shoes is a reasonable response. And when guns are on the street and tempers flare, many bad outcomes are possible. If police did show up in response to a concern, the presence of more weapons on the street seems like it will just create issues.
The presence of armed private citizens was noted and shared on social media, and was not well received by many people in the larger community.
We understand not everyone will agree with us, and we don’t expect people to. We do think the community should understand though that there are a range of views, and that no one should assume that they represent the voice of the community, at least not without explicit community-wide discussion.
Cristi and John Ludwig
On Jun 2, 2020, at 5:12 PM, 'Rebecca von der Burg' via Everyone everyone@vuecrest.net wrote:
The Vuecrest Community COMES TOGETHER!
When the news on social media was expecting looting to come into the Bellevue neighborhoods your HOA President took immediate action. On Sunday, May 31st when there was unfettered lawlessness at Bellevue Square, and the surrounding areas, Our President and his family quickly gathered a small group of neighbors to barricade our entrances and keep watch. So, when groups walked up to our entrances after vandalizing QFC and Bartells, they were aware that our neighborhood was a stopping point. Personally, I think our brave neighbors should get combat pay, but for now let’s offer them our sincere gratitude and appreciation. Last night, Monday, June 1st, Chris reached out to the neighborhood to again gather at the entrances for an additional night of watchfulness in coordination with police patrols. It was so encouraging to see each entrance covered by 8-10 neighbors far into the evening while police patrols stopped by numerous times to exchange reports. We are so thankful to all of the community members who took their time to be watchful. It’s apparent that heroes come in all shapes, sizes, ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, and some of them live in Vuecrest. Thank you.