Still Wasting Electricity at the “Green” City Hall
Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Photo/Video | 4 Comments
Lest you believe that the photos I posted here last week do not represent the regular goings-on at our nearly-open new City Hall, I present a brand new set of photos, taken last night (Tuesday) at 11:00 PM.
Zero cars in the parking lot, zero sign of anyone anywhere inside the building. Roughly 90% of the interior and exterior lights (including in the underground parking garage) were turned on.
Here’s a close-up of the front again:
And another one of the room that I thought was going to be a meeting room. Now that it’s full of desks, I’m thinking it’s probably just some sort of mass office? Either way, I don’t see why they need to leave all the lights on throughout the night.
Here’s the back door…
…and what’s this just across the driveway, in basically the only dark spot on the lot?
According to the sign on the right there, that would be the generator and fuel tank—totally unlocked and wide open to whoever wants to stroll on by. That seems safe.
I wonder how much electricity our new green city hall will have pointlessly wasted before it is even open for business?
Tags: city council, city hall, photo
Check out Kenmore’s New GREEN City Hall
Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Photo/Video | 6 Comments
The photos below were taken at 9:00 PM Sunday night. As far as this crow could tell the building was completely unoccupied.
That’s nearly every exterior and interior light turned on. For nobody.
All the inside lights on in the entry room. Those things at the top that look like ceiling tiles that are falling off are the “art.”
All the lights on in the rear first floor meeting room, too. No signs of anyone at all inside the building.
Don’t you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, knowing that our fancy new City Hall is so green? I know I do.
Tags: city council, city hall, photo
Ch-ch-ch-Changes Around Kenmore
Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Photo/Video | 2 Comments
All kinds of changes happening around Kenmore in the past week or so…
The new unnecessary traffic signals at both ends of NE 181st St behind Safeway have been activated.
Grocery Outlet has moved, opening in their new location in Kenmore Square yesterday.
The new store looks great, and has much better visibility than their old location in Kenmore Village. They were smart to jump on this space as soon as it became available, considering the public statements from Urban Partners, the supposed eventual developer of Kenmore Village, that they basically aren’t welcome to stay in the fancy-schmancy new upscale downtown when it finally gets built (whenever that will be).
Speaking of Kenmore Village, the grand future downtown of Kenmore is looking more and more like a ghost town with each passing month. Here’s an update of our map.
Meanwhile, across the street, new foliage is being planted at the new “green” city hall:
It’s spring time in the city of Kenmore, I suppose.
Tags: Business, central-kenmore, city hall, Grocery Outlet, photo, traffic
Council Candidate Forum Tonight
Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Politics | No Comments Yet!
Heads up, according to Laurie Sperry’s Kenmore Blog, there’s a Kenmore City Council Candidates Forum from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM tonight at the Aqua Club: 18512 58th Ave NE
Google Street View:
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Also of interest in the local election: Kenmore City Council/Van Ness, O’Brien spar over Kenmore Council seat
Kenmore’s new city hall was another target O’Brien mentioned early in his conversation. He said the issue should have been put to a public vote, and that at one point Van Ness promised it would go on the ballot.
“It (a new city hall) certainly isn’t the priority of the majority of the people I talk to,” O’Brien said.
Van Ness countered that he did not initially support the city hall project, calling for, as it did, a building five times the size of Kenmore’s current City Hall. He also railed against a $2 million underground parking garage, but said he was unable to convince the rest of council to abandon those plans.
In the end, Van Ness said he began to change his mind after the city hall project was essentially rebid.
Patrick O’Brien remains the only council candidate that has not responded to our questions. Here are Allan Van Ness’ responses.
Tags: Aqua Club, city council, city hall, Politics
Kenmore Public Buildings Play Musical Chairs
Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Construction | 4 Comments
Part of the whole master plan for Kenmore in the coming years involves moving the Kenmore branch of the King County Library from the trailer home it currently resides in on 73rd Ave into the building currently occupied by the Post Office on 181st. Under this plan, the Post Office would naturally have to move somewhere. The current concept is for the Post Office to move into the existing City Hall building once city government moves into the fancy new City Hall building on 68th St.
That’s quite a few different public organizations that all have to coordinate and work together to make everything work out as planned, and there has been some (justifiable) doubt as to whether everything will indeed come together in the end.
Here’s an update on the latest status of the Post Office’s part of this scheme, courtesy of KBIN:
The City and The USPS are now negotiating the fine print and details of an initial five year lease/rental agreement for space, 1985 sq. ft., in the current City Hall.
The agreement also acknowledges that at some point the Post Office could move into a space to be developed and owned by Urban Partners. The proposed lease terms, initiated by the Post Office, while still in review form, is now back in the hands of the Facility Division of the USPS Western States Office in Denver. The initial five year terms are potentially followed by five year increments up to 2041. We are anticipating final agreement by the end of October, if not sooner.
The main thing I’d personally like to see out of a new Kenmore Post Office would be the addition of an Automated Postal Center, so we can actually mail packages any time of day rather than only during business hours.
Tags: city hall, Construction, KCLS, library, Urban Partners, USPS
