Kenmore Homes Swallowed Whole by Brightwater Sewage Tunnel!
Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Construction | 1 Comment
Okay that headline isn’t exactly true. But apparently there have been some pretty serious problems…
The Seattle Times had an interesting story a few days ago about the trouble brewing hundreds of feet under our fair city: Brightwater tunnel likely causing homes’ troubles
Neighbors of Brightwater have complained of construction noises late into the night, cracked floors and foundations, a sinkhole that swallowed a driveway, pollution of a creek, homes flooded with sewage and wells gone dry.
Most of the complaints have been filed by people who live along the tunnel route. The tunnel runs under Northeast 195th Street and other roads, and directly beneath 147 private properties, officials said.
Here are some of the things neighbors have endured:
- Marlene and Eldon Berg’s previously quiet Kenmore neighborhood became a noisy construction site, with truck engines revving, backup beepers sounding and metal banging on metal when contractors began digging a tunnel portal. Windows in their home rattled and floors shook when a boring machine chewed its way out of the portal. After the Bergs’ well ran dry, the county hooked them up to the city water system.
- Ray Ames was asleep when his wife, Mary, woke him up and showed him a brownish liquid flooding the kitchen and pouring out of the toilet. Raw sewage had backed up into the house because of pump problems on a Kenmore sewer line that was being redirected to the Brightwater plant. Two years later the county paid more than $70,000 for repairs and legal fees.
- Pauline Chihara stepped out of her Kenmore home early one morning and discovered her driveway had fallen into a 30-foot-wide, 15-foot-deep sinkhole.
Yikes!
Here’s a map of where the Brightwater tunnel passes through underneath Kenmore:
View the full system map at the project page on King County’s website.
Sounds like it’s a good idea to keep your eyes peeled for potential problems (cracked foundations and driveways, plumbing issues, etc.) if you live anywhere along the NE 195th St. route.
If a giant sinkhole swallows your house, call 9-1-1 from the neighbor’s place after you barely escape with your life. If you have other, less pressing problems thanks to Brightwater, call the County’s construction information line at 206-205-5989.
Tags: Brightwater, Construction, King County, sewage
What the What?!? Weird Cable Scarf at 61st & 522
Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Photo/Video | No Comments Yet!
Spotted this tonight on the northeast corner of 61st Ave NE and NE Bothell Way (SR 522) wrapped around a power pole support cable.
What the heck is it? Was somebody worried that the cable might get cold in the harsh Kenmore winter?
This looks fairly lovingly hand-crafted. I can’t help but feel like I’m missing out on some sort of joke here. And I hate missing out on a good joke. Anybody care to fill me in?
Tags: mystery, photo, west-kenmore
Best Friend Blinds Banish Free Peeks for Bothell Way Drivers
Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Business | 4 Comments
A couple weeks ago, the Bothell/Kenmore Reporter ran a story that briefly mentioned the coffee stand at 73rd & Bothell Way here in Kenmore…
In Kenmore, Mayor David Baker said City Hall staffers routinely receive complaints regarding Best Friends, many coming from parents who say young children easily can see into the roadside stand. Baker said officials have discussed the issue, but declined to go into details.
“We are aware of it, we do know of it,” he said.
To me that almost sounds like some sort of veiled threat from the Mayor there. Interestingly, as I drive by Best Friend, I have noticed a slight change in the weeks since that story ran.
Pretty much since the story ran, the blinds in the windows facing Bothell Way, which used to stay open, have been closed. Coincidence? Probably not.
Looks to me like Best Friend owner Wayne Hembree caught the hidden message in Mayor Baker’s remarks to the Reporter and decided to preemptively avoid a confrontation with City Hall. Probably a good move.
Tags: Best-Friends, bikini, Business, photo
Kenmore Apathy vs. Kenmore Pride
Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Photo/Video, Politics | 2 Comments
Well, the election is over. Congratulations to Laurie Sperry, Alan Van Ness, and Bob Hensel on their elections.
I have to say though, I am disappointed in the apathy of Kenmore voters. According to King County Elections, Kenmore had a voter turnout of 53.4%.
Not only is this a lower turnout than the most recent comparable election in 2005 (56.7% turnout), but it’s even a lower raw number of voters! In 2005 6,831 voted, but in 2009 just 6,823 people voted, despite the fact that every single registered voter was mailed a ballot that they just had to fill out and drop in the mail (or drive down to Lake Forest Park). Pitiful!
But enough about that. Let’s abruptly change the subject.
I spotted this home somewhere up on the hill between 61st and 68th. It intrigued me.
Yes, that’s a City of Kenmore flag flying in front of that home. Where can you even buy a City of Kenmore flag?
Clearly this is someone that has a lot more allegiance to Kenmore than the average bear. I bet they voted.
Don’t Forget to Vote!
Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Politics | 2 Comments
Don’t forget: Tuesday is “Election Day” (a.k.a. – mail your ballot day).
Here in Kenmore three of our seven city council positions are up for election this year. In the primary, only 29.4% of Kenmore’s registered voters bothered to return their ballots. Flip that around: that means that over 70% of voters in Kenmore did not vote in the primary. I have to say, that is pretty pitiful, especially considering how easy it is to vote now that we have been forcibly switched to an all-mail system.
I’m not interested in making “recommendations” that allow you to abdicate your civic responsibility to make your own informed decision, but I will do what I can to help you get to that point for yourself. In order to help you make an informed decision on the two contested races for Kenmore City Council, here is a collection of relevant links.
- Previous posts on Eyes on Kenmore:
- Diane Brennan Responds to Our Questions
- Allan Van Ness Responds to Our Questions
- Bob Hensel Responds to Our Questions
- Laurie Sperry Responds to Our Questions
- Reflections on the City Council Candidate Forum
- Voter’s Pamphlet:
- Position 2 (Sperry vs. Brennan)
- Position 4 (Hensel)
- Position 6 (O’Brien vs. Van Ness)
- Campaign Websites:
- Laurie Sperry
- Diane Brennan
- Allan Van Ness
- Other Links:
- KBIN Election Links
- Bothell Reporter July 28 Article
- Bothell Reporter August 10 Article
- Bothell Reporter October 19 Article
- Bothell Reporter October 26 Article
- Patrick O’Brien on Kenmore Undressed
- Candidate Forum impressions on Kenmore Undressed
- O’Brien RE: New City Hall on Kenmore Undressed
Don’t forget that there is also a convenient King County ballot drop box located outside the lower entrance to Third Place Books just down the street in Lake Forest Park.
You have no excuse not to vote other than sheer laziness.
Tags: Allan Van Ness, Bob Hensel, city council, Diane Brennan, election, Laurie Sperry, Patrick O'Brien
