Newcastle drivers should be aware of a few upcoming traffic impacts connected to various construction projects.

First, Lakemont Boulevard Southeast will be closed between Forest Drive Southeast and 155th Avenue Southeast starting at 5 a.m. June 20. It will reopen at 5 a.m. June 22 with alternating one-way traffic.

Drivers will be detoured onto Forest Drive Southeast, Coal Creek Parkway or Newcastle Golf Club Road, depending on where they are coming from. View the full detour map here.

While Lakemont Boulevard is not in Newcastle, many residents use it as an alternate way into the city, especially those coming from Issaquah. The closure is necessary to complete a city of Bellevue roadway improvement project.

The other traffic impact is connected to construction of the new Renton School District middle school at the corner of Newcastle Way and 116th Avenue Southeast.

Expect delays as street improvements take place in conjunction with the school’s construction. Lane closures aren’t expected, but lanes will be shifted and flaggers will be on site to direct traffic.

Work is expected to begin on Newcastle Way as early as the third week of June and expected to be completed by Aug. 31.

A founder of the Newcastle Historical Society, Swanson knew more about Newcastle’s history than anyone, because he actually lived it. Swanson died at the age of 95 in January 2014. In this month’s history feature, Newcastle City Councilman, and history buff, Rich Crispo recalls his favorite Swanson stories.

I had the good fortune to know Milt and spend almost every Wednesday afternoon with him during the two years prior to his death. I was thirsting for information about our city and Milt was always willing to share his personal experiences.

By Greg Farrar
Milt Swanson, recalling the happiness and the hardship of a lifetime lived in Newcastle, poses in a 2012 photo, sitting among the artifacts of local history that he had collected and stored in a makeshift museum building on his property.

Milt was born in a house near the current Coal Creek Family YMCA and lived in the house at the corner of Newcastle Golf Club Road and Lakemont Boulevard since 1922, when his father rented the property from the Pacific Coast Coal Co. Milt told me many stories. Here are two of them:

1.) Did you ever wonder about the slight dips in Newcastle Golf Club Road as you drive over them? The topography along Coal Creek was very different in 1863, when coal production started, than it is today.

South of the creek was a flood plain, and a series of small ravines fed ground water and rain water from the hills to the south into the creek. The first dirt road above the flood plain and along the ravines included a series of bridges made from cedar logs.

Over time, mine waste was dumped along the road, and the ravines and the flood plain were filled in. When it came time to pave the road, the path went right over the existing bridges. Eventually the logs rotted out and the road surface dipped a bit.

The next time you drive along the road, count the dips. Some are obvious while others are subtler.

2.) All of the mine tunnels had air shafts reaching to the surface. One such shaft is located where Newcastle Golf Club Road meets Lakemont Boulevard.

During a heavy rainstorm in the 1960s, a stream of water came down from Cougar Mountain and crossed the covered shaft. The top covering collapsed and dammed up the hole well below the surface. As a result, the hole filled up with water.

A Boeing employee driving his station wagon on the way to work tried to drive across the “puddle.” His car started falling down into the hole, but luckily hung up on the edge.

He called for a wrecker and one came from Renton and stopped on the other side of the puddle. The driver walked around, attached a pull chain, and proceeded to pull the wagon completely into the hole and beneath the water.  The car was removed with the help of another truck.

Shortly after the car was removed, the dam in the hole broke and fell into the abandoned mine far below. The hole was eventually closed using concrete, cedar logs, mine rock and asphalt. That fix has lasted for 50 years and the next time you drive that route look for the circular indentations in the road surface near the curve.

Want to hear more about Milt’s stories and the history of your city? Email me at crispo@comcast.net.

In a 4-2 vote, with Deputy Mayor John Drescher absent, the council elected to take an annually allowable 1 percent increase in property tax and a 3 percent banked property tax increase.

The move will bring the city more than $150,000 in revenue, with an eye toward using it to pay for an additional police officer, said Councilman John Dulcich, who made the motion proposing the increase.

“It fixes a lot of problems and it funds a police officer,” Dulcich said.

Residents can expect the city’s portion of their property taxes to increase an additional $44 next year for a $500,000 home, according to Finance Director Chris Olson.

Cities are allowed to annually impose a 1 percent property tax increase. For the past two years, the council has decided against it.

As for the banked capacity, the state Legislature allows local governments to levy less than the maximum increase in property taxes without losing the ability to levy higher taxes later, if necessary, according to the Washington State Department of Revenue’s website.

The 1986 provision encouraged districts to levy only what they needed, rather than the maximum. Prior to that, governments that took less than the maximum would permanently use some of their levying capacity — essentially using it or losing it.

“The banked capacity concept allowed districts to be more fiscally conservative without being penalized,” the website said.

Earlier in the meeting, Councilman Rich Crispo expressed concerns about how the city would pay for a new officer in 2016. He applauded Dulcich’s problem solving in suggesting the tax solution.

“I think this is the way you have to start dealing with the long term,” Crispo said.

Mayor Steve Buri and Councilman Gordon Bisset did not agree with the tax raise, especially since the city has a surplus.

“I think it’s too much money to take at this time,” Bisset said.

The council spent most of the Nov. 4 and 18 meetings making changes to City Manager Rob Wyman’s preliminary 2015 budget.

They removed funds for a $10,000 customer service survey, took out a proposed parks manager position and nixed Southeast 73rd Place pedestrian improvements in favor of traffic calming measures, just to name a few.

They also added a $25,000 contribution to A Regional Coalition for Housing. ARCH is a partnership of the East King County cities that have joined together to assist with preserving and increasing the supply of housing for low– and moderate-income households in the region.

The 2015 budget includes investment in several transportation capital projects, including a $1 million, grant-dependent plan for Newcastle Golf Club Road improvements and installation of flashing left-turn signals along Coal Creek Parkway.

The City Council approved the 2015 operating and capital budget by a 5-1 vote, with Drescher absent, Nov. 18.

Bisset was the lone dissent, voting against the budget because of the tax increase.

“As always, it sometimes seems like a messy, prolonged process,” Councilwoman Lisa Jensen said, “but I think we come out with a good result as far as the budget.”

The proposed budget places emphasis on public safety, setting the groundwork for an additional police officer in 2016, and outlines a robust capital investment program.

“I truly feel that the budget presented here provides a great value for the residents of Newcastle while reflecting the appropriate priorities, such as public safety,” Wyman wrote in the budget’s introduction.

The city could spend upward of $2.5 million on transportation projects if the budget is approved as is. In addition to the $550,000 the council commits annually to a pavement overlay program, residents could see projects such as pedestrian improvements to Southeast 73rd Place and the installation of flashing left-turn signals along Coal Creek Parkway in 2015.

There are also initial plans to pursue a $750,000 grant for improvements on Newcastle Golf Club Road. The project would widen and add bike lanes to the road, which would offer continuity after a 2015 city of Bellevue project makes improvements on the roadway just east of Newcastle city limits.

The Newcastle Golf Club Road project would cost about $1 million, and would only move forward if the city gets the grant.

The budget also includes $305,000 for a rock-fall stabilization project. To address concerns that rocks could fall on the roadway along Coal Creek Parkway, the project would stabilize the slope along the east side of Coal Creek Parkway between Newcastle Golf Club Road and Southeast 79th Place.

After funding a full-time detective for the Newcastle police force last year, the 2015 budget sets the stage for adding another patrol officer to the department in 2016.

“Hiring an officer requires paying salary for nine months to the King County Sheriff’s Office in advance of the officer being available for duty,” Wyman explained in the budget document. “This delay is because the county has to send a recruit through the police academy and train them for duty.”

The preliminary 2015 budget doesn’t have any funds for the new officer; instead, the cost — about $138,000 for nine months of pay — is being set aside out of the 2014 surplus.

“The benefit of this approach is twofold,” Wyman said. “First, it allows us to meet our financial policy of not allowing expenditures to exceed revenues. Secondly, it gives us the rest of 2014 to figure out the appropriate revenue source to pay for the ongoing costs of this additional officer.”

The city, which contracts with the King County Sheriff’s Office, currently has an eight-member police department, and that includes Police Chief Melinda Irvine and the full-time detective. The number of Newcastle patrol officers has not increased since 1999, Wyman said.

The preliminary budget also has line items for a city website redesign, a new snow removal truck, a resident customer-service survey and an Energize Eastside consultant.

The proposed 2015 budget does currently include an allowable 1 percent property tax increase, though the council has elected not to take the increase for the past two years.

The Newcastle City Council will continue to discuss and make changes to the budget at its November meetings, including a final public hearing to be held 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at City Hall. Final budget adoption is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 18.

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.”

The motorcycle involved in Friday’s accident along Newcastle Golf Club Road rests near a guardrail. By Christina Corrales-Toy

NEW — 2:27 p.m. Aug. 10, 2012

A motorcyclist died after colliding with a guardrail on Newcastle Golf Club Road on Friday morning, according to King County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Sgt. Cindi West.

The motorcyclist was traveling eastbound on Newcastle Golf Club Road when the driver came upon a left-hand curve in the road, failed to navigate it and struck the guardrail, West said.

The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at Harborview Medical Center, according to West.

West said there were no witnesses and no identification on the motorcyclist. Alcohol does not appear to be involved in the accident, but West said the incident is still under investigation.

The identity of the victim was not available, pending notification of next of kin.

The incident occurred near the Red Town Trailhead of Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park.

Police closed Newcastle Golf Club Road just east of the 155th Avenue intersection for nearly four hours while investigators processed the scene.

Residents have an opportunity to provide feedback on a project that aims to stabilize Newcastle Golf Club Road after a December 2010 landslide caused significant damage to the major arterial that connects Newcastle, Bellevue and Issaquah.

The city of Newcastle is seeking to convert Bellevue Parks property to a Newcastle right-of-way to facilitate the repairs required after the landslide.

The project requires improvements and maintenance of a slope north of the roadway which is located in the city of Bellevue’s Coal Creek Natural Area.

To discuss the possible acquisition, the Federal Highway Administration will make a determination on the possible impacts. To aid FHWA in the determination, the city is requesting a “de minimis exemption,” which provides an explanation and justification of how the city has determined land conversion does not have an adverse impact to open spaces or recreational benefits associated with the land.

The document outlines seven permanent repair alternatives, ranging from maintaining existing conditions to shifting the road’s alignment south and regarding the slope. The city prefers constructing a permanent rock buttress that would replace the existing temporary rock buttress, deemed unsuitable for the long-term.

In that alternative, the rock buttress would support the roadway and the slope while replacing the existing plastic and quarry spalls. The slope would be replanted with native species and maintained. The majority of the structure, however, would be located on the city of Bellevue’s parks property. The city of Newcastle is working with Bellevue staff to gain a permanent slope and drainage easement needed complete the project.

View Newcastle’s de minimis request here.

Send comments about the request to Laura Frolich at lauraf@ci.newcastle.wa.us. Residents may also comment at the July 17 City Council meeting starting at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

In an effort to support parents and caregivers to make sure a child fits securely in a car seat, Public Health – Seattle & King County is hosting free child car seat check-up events — including one in Newcastle— in east and south King County.

The Newcastle event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 29 at the Coal Creek Family YMCA, 13750 Newcastle Golf Road.

Attendees should bring their car, car seat and child/infant to learn how to properly install the car seat. The event will be an opportunity for parents or soon-to-be parents to have their child safety seat checked by a certified child safety seat technician for safe installation.

Educational materials will be available as well.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping children up to 2 years old in rear facing seats or until they have reached the maximum height and weight limits of the car seat as allowed by the manufacturer. They advise that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet, 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.

Among children under age 5 in passenger vehicles, an estimated 244 lives were saved in 2008 by restraint use. National research on the effectiveness of child safety seats has found them to reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants younger than one year old and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars.

The house was occupied during the incident, Police Chief Melinda Irvine said in a statement.

Two male suspects fled into the heavily wooded area toward Newcastle-Golf Club Road. Due to the proximity of the incident to Newcastle, police are looking into possible connections to burglaries in the city.

Newcastle officers, King County Sheriff’s Office deputies and detectives, and K-9 units from Kirkland and Federal Way assisted Bellevue police.

The suspects were hiding under a foot of leaves in a ravine and were located by the K-9 units.

“We will continue a thorough investigation of the burglaries that have occurred in the city to determine if these men are responsible, and work to locate any stolen property,” Irvine said.

The suspects may be responsible for several burglaries in Newcastle over the past few months.

Irvine gave an update on the investigations at a Newcastle City Council meeting and the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce luncheon in March.

“One of the reasons we’re seeing a lot of burglaries now is because of the economy,” she said. “The price of gold is very high, and it’s one of the primary items these people are looking for.”

There were nine home burglaries in January and 10 in February in Newcastle. There were also four commercial burglaries during the same time period, and the suspects reportedly responsible for three of those have been identified and the associated investigation is nearly complete, according to the city.

Irvine said there had been six burglaries in the city by mid-March.

“This has been all over King County,” she said. “Luckily, we have not been hit as seriously as some of the other … areas in Seattle, but we are very aware and very concerned about the burglary problem. We have a very large, very active investigation going on.”

A Newcastle detective is working with a Bellevue detective on suspect interviews.

Irvine said the ultimate goal of the long-term investigation is to curb the problem, not just solve one burglary.

“I would like to thank all of the residents who have called in suspicious activity, vehicles, provided license plate numbers, descriptions, and even photos and video at times,” she said. “These are helpful in our investigation and in deterring criminal activity in the community.”

As investigations continue, Irvine encourages residents to continue to be aware of their surroundings.

If residents observe suspicious activity, they are encouraged to call 911 or the nonemergency dispatch number, 206-296-3311, to have an officer respond.

Police encourage residents to put the nonemergency dispatch number into their cellphones so it is easily available in case a suspicious incident arises.