JANICE M

JANICE M. KING
Demmery Manor Homeowners Association
August 28, 2000

Mr. Forrest Miller
Lake Washington School District
15212 NE 95^th St.
Redmond, WA 98052

Mr. Eric Shields, Planning Department
Mr. Barry Russell, Parks Department
City of Kirkland
123 Fifth Ave.
Kirkland, WA 98033

Gentlemen:

When I attended the neighborhood meeting at Lakeview elementary school on August 8, I was dismayed to learn that LWSD and Kirkland Parks had agreed to convert the school’s playfield to year-round surfacing and use ¾ without any notification to or involvement of neighboring residents. Certainly, this is poor community relations and a disregard of the rights, values, and concerns of residents.

This decision raises a number of questions and concerns, as follows:

1. Why was this decision made without involving neighboring residents? Was this decision permitted under the school’s renovation permit, or other zoning or planning regulations and if so, why did we not receive the appropriate documents? If not permitted, why was no additional notification, comments, or hearing process conducted before construction on the new playfield began?

2. Changing from a grass playfield (as shown on all LWSD documents that I saw at community meetings during the planning process) to a sand-covered playfield that is designated for year-round use is a major change. It has a significant impact on the security, safety, quiet, traffic and parking, privacy, health, and property values of the residents bordering the field to the north and west. Were these factors reviewed before the decision was made for year-round use, and if so, what where the considerations for and conditions of approval? If these factors were not reviewed, why not? What assurances can the school district and the city offer neighboring residents about these issues, in particular:

A. Security: How will access to the field be controlled, especially during non-school hours? Will the playfield be accessible to people who are not users authorized by the district or parks department?

B. Safety: What measures will the district and parks department take to protect the personal and property safety of neighboring residents? What are the district's plans for replacing the fence along the northern border of the school property? Clearly, the district has some concern about the possibility of security, fly balls, and other hazards since it has installed a higher fence around the other borders of the playfield.

C. Noise levels: What measures will the district and parks department take to minimize noise beyond the requirements of permit approval that no sound amplification be permitted? In which parts of the field will students and other users be allowed to gather and conduct their activities?

D. Traffic and parking: Where will playfield users be directed to park? What will the district or city do to post signs about parking and other rules of use, both on the field and on neighboring streets such as State Street and Third Place South?

E. Privacy: A condition of the permit approval was planting of a landscape buffer on the entire north property line. When will this buffer be planted, and what are the details of the landscaping plan? What other measures does the district plan to take to assure the privacy of the neighboring residents?

F. Health: Especially after forcing neighbors to breathe and clean up a very unhealthy amount of construction dust all summer, how will the district assure that dust from the new field does not blow onto neighboring properties? What measures have been taken to assure adequate drainage of water from the field, and to prevent sand erosion onto neighboring properties?

3. What are the district's and parks department’s plans, rules, and other factors for how, when, and by whom the playfield will be used? Does the district or parks department plan to install any permanent structures such as a backstop, and if so, where? Will the district or parks department use or allow the use of temporary or portable structures, and if so, where will these be allowed to be placed? I would like to receive copies of the agreements between the district and the city for playfield use, and the agreements with user groups.

4. What procedures have you established for monitoring playfield use and violations of the rules? Who will be the contact person at the district and the city for neighbors to call about problems and concerns?

While I realize that different items will need to be addressed by each of you, I would appreciate a prompt written response to those items which you can address.

Sincerely,

Janice M. King, President
Demmery Manor Homeowners Association

cc:        Karen Bates, Superintendent, LWSD
            Dave Ramsey, City Manager, City of Kirkland
            John Alberti, Chairman, State Street/Central Neighborhood Association
            President, Moss Bay Commons Homeowners Association
            President, Greens on State Homeowners Association