The city of Newcastle honored a group Feb. 26 that far too often goes unnoticed — volunteers.

Each year, volunteers devote countless hours to city events. It is volunteers that help plan summer activities, care and advocate for the city’s vast trail network and protect Newcastle’s history.

About 50 volunteers and summer event sponsor representatives gathered at The Golf Club at Newcastle Feb. 26, where they were treated to snacks, an orchestra and a personal thank you from Newcastle Mayor Steve Buri and City Manager Rob Wyman.

Volunteerism is a big part of what makes Newcastle one of the best small cities in the country. So, here’s a special shout out to some of the groups and people that willingly offer their time to better the city:

• Community Activities Commission — Diane Lewis, Linda Newing, Zaquis Ross, Russ Segner, Jim Price and Victoria Sandoval, and past members Angela Ursino and Victoria Hupf
• Planning Commission — Karin Blakely, Elizabeth Thompson, Orville McDonald, Jon Simpson, Rob Lemmon, Allen Dauterman and Thomas Magers
• Boy Scout Troops 499, 577 and 626
• Student volunteers from Hazen High, Liberty High, Maywood Middle and McKnight Middle schools
• Newcastle Trails — Garry Kampen, Peggy Price
• Newcastle Weed Warriors — Grace Stiller
• Newcastle Historical Society
• Little Rhody Park neighborhood group
• Newcastle Days car show planning committee
• Earth Day planning committee
• Newcastle Chamber of Commerce Board

The event also honored the following sponsors that contributed to city events over the summer:

• AvalonBay — Brian Fritz
• Waste Management — David Della
• Regency Newcastle — John Kotalick
• The Golf Club at Newcastle — David Uchida
• Coal Creek Family YMCA — Sara Biancofiori
• Boeing Employees Credit Union — Molly Andrews
• AT&T — Carol Tagayun
• UW/Valley Medical Center — Liz Nolan
• Animal Hospital of Newport Hills — Kent Thomazin
• HomeStreet Bank – Travis Monen
• KeyBank — Jimmy Ng
• Apple Physical Therapy — Randy Johnson

Garry Kampen

This year is the 20th anniversary of Newcastle, a small city that ranks high in livability, and the 15th anniversary of Newcastle Trails, a nonprofit citizens group that has worked for parks, trails and open space, in close cooperation with the city, since 1999.

I’m writing to celebrate Newcastle’s amazing and still-growing trail system, and to encourage you to explore it and enjoy it. Check NT’s website, www.newcastletrails.org; download our latest map and trail guide; join NT by emailing info@newcastletrails.org (for trail news, no dues); attend our Oct. 6 board meeting (7 p.m. at Regency Newcastle); and consider volunteering for the board, or lending a hand with trail work, computer work (GIS, web, writing), lobbying, fundraising — whatever you’d like to do.

Newcastle’s trails are part of a regional network used by walkers, joggers, cyclists and equestrians. The city lies within a Grand Loop, a triangle of trail corridors with its base on the existing Lake Washington Trail (future Eastside Rail Trail) and its apex in Cougar Mountain.

The sides of the triangle are the May Creek Greenway (mostly in Newcastle) and the Coal Creek section of the Mountains to Sound Greenway (mostly in Bellevue). The triangle is crossed north-to-south by Coal Creek Parkway (continuous sidewalks) and the heavily used Waterline Trail (few sidewalks, many trees), with downtown Newcastle and Lake Boren Park sandwiched between.

You can walk the loop and its cross-trails now, with two exceptions: Renton’s May Creek Trail (partly complete, bridge needed), and the parkway underpass for the Coal Creek Trail (due soon). The Grand Loop is mostly wooded nature trails: The May Creek and Coal Creek trails include creeks, waterfalls, bridges, historic sites and sections of an old railroad; the Terrace Trail has switchbacks, lovely rock steps, views, fallen trees and giant moss-covered boulders. The Marshall’s Hill and Red Town trails (in Cougar Mountain Wilderness Park) link wilderness trails with the remains of Old Newcastle and its coal mines.

The west-to-east CrossTown Trail is Newcastle’s major urban trail (nature trails and sidewalks), a central connector linking schools, parks, neighborhoods and north-south trails. It starts near 116th Avenue Southeast and Newcastle Way, and winds past or through Hazelwood Elementary School, Hazelwood Park, Donegal Park, the historic Newcastle Cemetery and Lake Boren Park, continuing on sidewalks to Beit Tikvah and, after a gap, southeast along the DeLeo Wall (woods, views) from Newcastle Vista to Cougar Mountain.

Fall projects include new trail signs citywide, and changes to the CrossTown Trail: rerouting it at the new middle school and the planned Renton School District Newcastle development (between Olympus and Hazelwood), and rebuilding sections of trail between Newcastle Vista and Cougar Mountain.

Newcastle’s trail system has benefited from the cooperation of many groups, including Renton, Bellevue, King County and the Issaquah Alps Trails Club (check their websites for trail maps and guided walks). Volunteers were also essential. Much of the trail work was done by Boy Scouts, and parents, from Newcastle’s Hazelwood Troop, and other troops from Bellevue, Kirkland and Renton.

By Christina Corrales-Toy
Mark Rigos, outgoing Newcastle Public Works director, with his son Alexander, speaks at the May Creek Trail ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 15.

Newcastle Public Works Director Mark Rigos has only worked with the city for three years, but his impact on the community is so great that when he announced his resignation, at least one resident became emotional at the thought of losing him.

“Honestly, I teared up a little bit,” Newcastle Trails representative Peggy Price said. “He’s been absolutely fabulous to Newcastle Trails. He’s proactive and he backs us up.”

Rigos announced in May that he will leave to become the public works director for the city of North Bend. His last day in Newcastle is June 13.

It wasn’t an easy decision to leave, Rigos said, especially since he has certainly grown to love Newcastle and its residents, but North Bend offers some new opportunities that Newcastle didn’t.

In North Bend, Rigos will manage the city’s water and sewer district, something he couldn’t do in Newcastle, because that falls under the Coal Creek Utility District’s purview. He’ll also get the chance to manage North Bend’s wastewater treatment facility.

“In the private sector, I’ve designed miles and miles of water mains and sewer mains, but I’ve never managed a full facility, a district, a fund, so that will be a new challenge for me that I just haven’t been exposed to yet,” Rigos said.

Rigos wore many different hats during his time in Newcastle. Sometimes, he was a trails manager. Other times, he was like a parks manager. But whatever he did, his constant dedication to customer service touched everyone that came into contact with him.

“He is a very humble leader and I liken him to a modern day Nehemiah, doing his best for others and the city with a sincere purpose and calling,” Newcastle Weed Warriors President Grace Stiller said.

Along with his staff, Rigos managed several sidewalk projects, oversaw a tricky landslide-stabilization project along Newcastle Golf Club Road, worked with Newcastle Trails to develop and acquire new trails, and guided the city through some major pavement rehabilitation projects in his three years.

His proudest accomplishment was the huge strides the city’s stormwater division made under his watch, he said. He credited surface water engineer Laura Frolich and infrastructure manager Brian Smith for making sure the city was dialed in on capital and maintenance needs.

“I’ve had a wonderful staff. There’s certainly no I in team,” Rigos said. “My staff has just been incredible in getting these projects done.”

Rigos is known for going the extra mile, City Manager Rob Wyman said. Whether it was finding a way to give west end residents their Little Rhody Park, even after the grant they applied for was denied, or bringing his son along to an off-hours May Creek Trail ribbon-cutting ceremony, Rigos always put in the extra effort to make something special.

“He was a true member of the community here,” Wyman said. “I’m going to personally miss him quite a bit, and going to miss all he’s done.”

Rigos has a long list of things he will miss about Newcastle, he said, among them, the people, the City Council, his staff and his city manager.

He doesn’t expect to stay a stranger, though. Rigos, an Issaquah resident, already has plans to attend the city’s Fourth of July event and maybe make it out for one of the city’s Concerts in the Park series.

“I’ll especially miss folks like Peggy Price, Garry Kampen, Grace Stiller and Lee Strom,” he said. “There are so many people that contribute in so many different ways to Newcastle, and that makes it a neat small town.”

Rigos joined the Newcastle staff in 2011. Prior to that, he spent 12 years as a senior project manager at Concept Engineering. He holds bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering and biology from Washington State University, and a master’s in business administration from Seattle University.

Wyman now has the arduous task of finding Rigos’ replacement. Whoever it is, he or she will certainly have some big shoes to fill.

“He’s not been a typical public works director,” Wyman said. “That’s the big challenge I have in trying to replace him.”

Rigos, who will start his new North Bend job June 16, does have some advice for the person that follows him, though.

“Public safety is always No. 1 in my mind, and as a civil engineer, it has to be, but almost equally important is excellent customer service,” he said. “Customer service is often overlooked in a public servant and I think it’s especially important in a small town like Newcastle.”

Prior to the walk, sponsored by Newcastle Trails and Weed Warriors, a speaker will talk about native edible plants along the trail. Participants should wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Meet at the Lake Boren Park map kiosk near the restrooms, 13058 S.E. 84th Way.

Jim Price joined Garry Kampen, Giles Velte and other trail enthusiasts in 2002 to form Newcastle Trails, and his wife Peggy Price joined soon after. Since, Newcastle has become a “trail city” with a network of trails that provides access throughout the city and connects to trails in Bellevue, Renton and Issaquah.

The Newcastle City Council held its first meeting of the month May 6. Here is the Cliffs Notes version of what happened at City Hall. View the full meeting agenda online here.

Marijuana moratorium coming?

The Newcastle City Council directed city staff to prepare an ordinance placing a moratorium on marijuana-related business in the city. It represents one of the body’s first significant actions on the subject since the drug’s legalization.

Councilman Gordon Bisset made the motion, which passed 4-3.

It mirrors the actions of neighboring cities Issaquah and Renton, both of which have moratoriums on marijuana business practices.

The direction came after a failed attempt to pursue a ban on marijuana businesses in the city. Deputy Mayor John Drescher made a motion directing staff to prepare a banning ordinance.

Drescher said after an informal polling of neighbors, he felt the universal feeling was that people didn’t want that sort of thing in Newcastle.

The motion failed, 5-2, with Drescher and Councilman John Dulcich as the only ‘Yes’ votes.

Some Council members said they felt an action on marijuana was premature, especially since the state Liquor Control Board’s retail-license lottery came and went without any impacts on Newcastle.

City staff considers the potential for any marijuana-related business activity in Newcastle very low. Based on the Liquor Control Board’s rules calling for a 1,000-foot separation between marijuana facilities and places such as parks, libraries and schools, there are only three Newcastle properties that could house potential locations for marijuana businesses or growers.

The council last considered a moratorium at its Dec. 17 meeting, but that motion failed. Staff will now produce an ordinance for the council to review at an upcoming meeting.

Thanks for the easement

A Newcastle property owner will likely get a bit of a tax break, thanks to his willingness to grant the city a public-trail easement.

The council unanimously approved the owner’s application to King County’s Public Benefit Rating System (PBRS). The program offers an incentive to preserve open space on private property in the county by providing a tax reduction to the owner.

A local jurisdiction must approve a PBRS application, in addition to the King County Council, if the property falls in an incorporated area.

The owner will save approximately $175 a year thanks to the property-tax reduction.

Garry Kampen, of Newcastle Trails, and Newcastle resident Giles Velte spoke in favor of the application, saying the easement was beneficial because it preserves public access to the city’s Horse Trail.

Odds and ends

Mayor Steve Buri mentioned that the city has secured a Fourth of July sponsor. AvalonBay’s sponsorship means that the fireworks will continue (technical difficulties notwithstanding, for those who attended last year’s celebration).

The City Council continued to discuss its impact fee programs as it looks toward an update. Impact fees are a comprehensive grouping of charges based on new development within a local municipality. These fees are assessed to pay for capital facility improvement projects necessitated by new development.

City Manager Rob Wyman said that the Newcastle Police Department is now using TrackMole, a new online service to assist in recovering lost or stolen items. The program is not effective unless property owners input the serial numbers of valuable items. Learn more about the program at www.trackmole.com.

Councilwoman Carol Simpson noted that she recently celebrated her 15th anniversary as a Newcastle resident.

What’s next

The next Newcastle City Council meeting is May 20.

We’ll keep reminding you until it happens, but don’t forget that the city’s annual town hall meeting is June 3 this year, not in the fall as it’s been in the past.