Noticing Nature

This post has nothing to do with the Park issue, I just wanted to share a small thing.

The photos were taken along side the rail tracks where 240th Street ends at Route 9 (Woodinville Washington).

The 240th & Route 9 intersection, as we know, can be a tense driving experience.

There are many dump trucks going to and from the concrete recycling plant ... there's ebb and flow of Aboda and Primus ...and traffic launches w/ velocity in and out of Costco ... and there's almost perpetual bumper to bumper traffic on Route 9.

I doubt most drivers have the time to glance at roadside vegetation.

Late May I did a walk along Route 9 and the railroad track area, looking for photographic possibilities. I noticed one plant which seemed tenacious in a particular location (photo 1).

 I suppose it could be called a weed ... to me, the plant was visually interesting; I decided to revisit the plant after a few weeks passed.

Yesterday morning (Father's Day) the sky was clear and sunny so I revisited the edge of the rail tracks, looking for that "interesting" plant. It was easy to find.

Here are a few locations photos... and then a closer look at the plant.

Nature always provides something worthwhile. In this case, well, you can see for yourself.

The vew from 240th Street SE - Wellington Hills Park to Route 9

This past Thursday I walked westward from the blocked Wellington Hills Park entrance to Route 9, it's less than 1/2 mile.  I did this around 2 PM.

The first photos are what you see as you drive through the park

Once you leave the Park boundary, 240th Street steepens and then goes through several businesses until the street ends at Route 9. On the opposite side of 240th St. is Costco.

Quite a difference - Wellington Hills Park and the commerce and traffic of Route 9.

Why the difference? The Urban Growth Boundary is a big, big reason.

Just as oil spreads on water, there are special interests wanting to spread eastward up 240th St.

Guess what they see as the prize?

Benevolent or Vindictive?

Forget bureaucracy for a moment and pretend we do things because we're humans and we live with other humans.  Let's also skip the part of people doing monstrous things and concentrate only on co-existence. Neighborly things - sharing, caring... watching out for one another ... a wave, a smile...a helping hand when necessary.  You know what I'm talking about.

Keeping those thoughts, there sits Wellington Hills Park, a nice and beautiful place and, at one time, accessible to People.

I've talked with hundreds of people at the Park and witnessed the good vibes and pleasures People have had there.

There are no "No Trespassing" signs at the Park. You and I can go there, walk or stroll around, take pictures, play with our children and dogs, picnic or sit and soak in the natural calm that permeates the place.

BTW, nothing bad has ever happened at the Park (except for Snohomish County Rangers getting stuck in the soggy ground).

But now, because the County realized Wellington Hills Park was a terrible place for a sports complex, they moved their sports complex plans elsewhere. With that move, they've made it near impossible for People to enjoy Wellington Hills Park.

First the used a lockable gate and permanently locked it ... then they placed "ecology blocks" across the Park's driveway - but there was still a  bit of space for cars to park ... not ideal.

None the less, People carefully parked their cars and the Park remained a favorite place.

More recently, County people came and moved the "ecology blocks" closer to the road, as a sort of "take that" gesture.

Benevolent or Vindictive?

In the past, I would've suggested you write the Snohomish County Council about something such as this.

I've come to understand, they're not interested in what we the People of the Greater Wellington Area need or want.  They have their own plans for us.

So letter writing is optional.

But please remember those "ecology blocks" come election time.

Here are the names to remember: Somers, Ryan, Sullivan, Wright, Klein, Dunshee

A quiet thought for the victims in Orlando

Peace for the 49 lost today.
And full recovery for the other 53.

~ Angels will find you ~

Wellington Hills Park, Woodinville Washington - What is it that everyone wants?

As I see it, there are three players in the Wellington Hills Sweepstakes.

1. Snohomish County Government & assorted special interests & lobbyists

2. Northshore School District

3. People
 

What is it they want?

Group No. 1 wants the money associated with development.

Group No. 2 wants more land for more schools.

Group No. 3 wants a park.


How does each group view the greater Wellington Hills area - including the park?

Group No. 1: Development

Here is what happens when there's fast-paced development and not much else.

 Group No. 2: Land

Northshore School District sees Wellington Hills Park as a site for two new schools.

The next photo is from the Everett Herald. Imagine the pickup truck is driving on 240th Street with the proposed high school located on the south side of street. (another school would be on the north side of 240th)

Group No. 3: Park

Everyone who's stopped at Wellington Hills Park understands its value as a natural green space - an open space.  There is no other natural park like it within the swirl of this region's expanding development.

WARNING !!! ALL RESIDENTS & VISITORS TO WOODINVILLE WASHINGTON !!!

To All: Please read and study the following photographs - Your Safety is at Stake

There is proof and real EVIDENCE, Woodinville has experienced something most dark and foul, something that’s only seen in the CREEPIEST and STOMACH TURNING of HORROR films.

Yes, I’m talking about POLTERGEIST and the PRACTICE of BLACK MAGIC … perhaps even DEMONS and assorted other CREATURES of the SHADOWS.

How else to explain these mysterious and bizarre happenings? How else to explain how heavy concrete blocks moved, seemingly by FORCES unseen and unheard! 

People of Faith, People of Good Conscious and People of Science know that ... Giant, heavy Concrete Blocks and Giant Rocks DO NOT rotate and move FIVE FEET (152.5 cm) towards a busy road on their own.

It goes without saying, vandals don’t have the patience nor devices to do such a thing … and, sane men or women would never do such a thing.

There are many natural creatures in Wellington Hills Park – deer, owl, squirrel – But I’ve never seen evidence of Drunk Viking Games or Big Foot slinking about … nor have I seen giant disgusting cockroaches or dung beetles hiding in the dark shadows. 

 PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM WOODINVILLE WASHINGTON until further notice.  

                                                  In the mean time, please contact the authorities –

                                   the owners and managers of the CONCRETE ECOLOGY BLOCKS !

Tom Teigen, Director of Parks, Snohomish County
Tom.Teigen@co.snohomish.wa.us

Dave Somers, Tom’s Boss and Snohomish County Executive
Dave.Somers@co.snohomish.wa.us

Hans Dunshee, County Council Representative of this particular region (District 5).
Hans.Dunshee@co.snohomish.wa.us


Hans.Dunshee@co.snohomish.wa.us

Politics

I want to connect the presidential race with that of our neighborhood's local politics.

It appears we know the names of the two remaining candidates and one will definitely be our next president ... Not surprisingly, there's a wide chasm of differences between the two ... passions are running hot, their supporters are filled with assertiveness, animosity, anger and rancor. 

Despite the negatives and because of the passion, I'd say there's legitimate belief in the "system"... People want visions, tangibles and actions ... they want - we want - normalcy, fairness and justice.

Comparing the national state to our local government - there doesn't seem to be any connection.

Locally, voter turnout is consistently low (around 25%), few people have actually seen or heard the candidates (or the elected) and few can name the members of local city and county councils.  Other than yard signs, can you recall any political candidate visiting this area and engaging us in a town hall type of meeting?  And I don't mean the sham kind of meetings as was dished to us during the sports complex sales job. All of which adds up to a degree of pessimism. Many people have said to me, "You can't fight city hall, they're going to do whatever they want". Or, "That's how it is in Snohomish County".

I ask, "Do you think we have a fair and square representational county government?"  "Do you think those five Snohomish Council people actually represent us and they're doing whatever it is they're doing with our best interest as their guiding light?"

I've been closely following the County's focus on our local community beginning with the initial plans for the Brightwater sewage plant ... that was in the late 1990's.

Our conflict with the County over Wellington Hills Park just passed the four year mark ... Not once in those many years have I sensed any sort of warm-fuzzy-real or honest connections between the County council or the county's bureaucracy with the people of this area.  Despite their glittering generalities and sales pitches for "done deals", we are anonymous to them.

A while ago I attended a public meeting concerning the 2015 Comprehensive Plan... once their slide show was finished I asked one of the County planners a question relative to Wellington Hills... the response... "the County sees things more from 60,000 feet than ground level".  I think that that encapsulates their general view of us.

It's easy to rant about how things are ... what's more important, and very difficult, is for citizens to step-up, with voices raised, and tell - not ask - but tell our representatives what's important to this community.

There should be no assumptions that things will be OK, that they have our best interests in mind when they do what they do because that isn't the way it works.  There's a reason lobbyists and special interests people attend County Council meetings... they want their projects and their version of progress and because the lobbyists are always in front of local gov people - as opposed to us - they usually get whatever it is they want.

Save some of that passion you have concerning the presidential race and use it locally.

(I don't know who the few in attendance are ... the photo is meant simply to show a sparsely attended session.  
If the Council is ruling on "newsworthy" items, the room can be filled, along with TV cameras too.)

Mother's Day and the four year anniversary of "It's A Done Deal"

Today is of course Mother's Day - but it is also a very significant Anniversary date for those living in Woodinville and surrounding communities.

It was May 8, 2012 when those "lucky" enough to receive the following mailed card from Snohomish County, sat in the Brightwater conference room - not certain about what we would be hearing - then with various degrees of being stunned - we heard the now infamous words:

"We (Snohomish County, Dept. of Parks) are building a sports complex on the Wellington Hills Golf Course ... "It's a 'done deal' and you're 'going to love it."'

And so began a citizen's effort to save a local park in order to keep a community rural and consistent with all the Quality of Life reasons that make this a wonderful place to live.

Lots of heavy reading ... here's 4 years worth of the accumulated documents relating to the Wellington Hills Park fiasco ... from various gov bureaucracies, attorney documents, petitions and, piles of CDs acquired via the Freedom of Information Act. (And this represents just one person's "collection"... other concerned citizens have their own document piles.

Happy Mother's Day and if you want to save our community from urbanization, sprawl, unwanted development and traffic snarl (among other things) while also saving the very unique Wellington Hills Park...

Please donate by check, payable to “NSWP” and mail to: 

                                                     

                                                     NSWP 

                                                     PO Box 1805 

                                                    Woodinville, WA 98072 

 NSWP is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation

Challenging Snohomish County

Today's Woodinville Weekly did a good job with this article  .... 

Of course there's more to the story, there's always more to political (County) intrigues. 

From our vantage point, the task remains - save the park to save the community ... because if the park is developed, so goes the rural nature of Woodinville.
 

Thank you Dave Somers for this perceptive quote

"“Most people don’t have a clue what we do or why we do it,” Somers told a roomful of elected officials in February."  

~ Dave Somers, County Executive, Snohomish County, Washington State

from the Everett Herald newspaper, April 3, 2016
photo by ian terry / The Herald