Reject the proposed School Woods plan

I am writing this to express my opposition to the proposed plan for the School Woods.  Beyond the loss of trails, the increased residential and “cut-through” traffic through two established neighborhoods, and the violation of existing wetlands, it is a shame to have lost a potential open space and park area.

This is especially true in a city having the least park land of any in the area  (4.7 acres of park acreage per 1,000 residents in Newcastle, compared to Renton’s 12.7 acres and Bellevue’s 21.2).

Further, the proposed development shows a complete lack of imagination and respect for the land. The site plan as it stands is in the perfect image of California practice:  Flatten for building pad, drop, flatten for building pad, drop again, flatten for building pad, drop again, etc., extending over the entire site. This is a forced, high-density housing development that shows little or no sympathy and respect for existing neighborhood ambiance.

The only unbuilt land shown on the proposed plot plan is that which is considered unbuildable and is thus entitled variously “Open Space” and “Recreation.” One chain-link fenced “Water Retention” pond is actually located precisely where there now stands the largest Douglas fir timber on the site (or in the area), a stand that could be easily preserved. Further, it appears that both “Water Retention” ponds do no more than serve to collect drainage directly from the street system and disgorge it onto adjacent lands outside the limits of the development.

So much for the enhancement of Newcastle.

Please reject this plan.

Tom Liethen

Newcastle

Thanks, elected officials, for speed humps

I want to thank the mayor and City Council for the level of concern extended to the residents of Southeast 74th and Southeast 75th street corridors in relation to the installation of speed humps to slow traffic down for our safety.

Although I am disappointed at Carol Simpson’s response that she was “tired of paying for repair costs to her car due to the speed humps in her neighborhood currently,” I am very pleased the balance of the City Council members voted in favor of installing speed humps as a permanent solution to the high rate of speed exhibited on our streets and to bring us in line with what every other street has for safety in and out of our neighborhood.

We thank the City Council for working with us to find a solution.

Kelly Clark

Newcastle

As the U.S. Navy Blue Angels zoom above Lake Washington this week, drivers on Interstate 90 should prepare for traffic to slow to a crawl several times between Thursday and Sunday, and consider alternate routes.

The Washington State Department of Transportation is required by the Federal Aviation Administration to close the Interstate 90 floating bridge five times to drivers, cyclists and pedestrians while the Blue Angels practice for and perform at the Seafair Air Show. The closures are to keep the public and pilots safe, and to minimize distractions.

The closures will extend from Interstate 5 in Seattle to Island Crest Way on Mercer Island. Certain I-90 and I-5 ramps will also close 30 minutes to one hour before flight times. Drivers who need to cross Lake Washington should plan to do so at least one hour before the closures or use an alternate route, such as Interstate 405, state Route 520 or state Route 522.

I-90 floating bridge closures

• Thursday, July 30: 9:45 a.m. to noon and 1:15 to 2:40 p.m. (practice)
• Friday, July 31: 11:50 to 2:40 p.m. (practice)
• Saturday, Aug. 1: 11:50 to 2:40 p.m. (Seafair Air Show)
• Sunday, Aug. 2: 11:50 to 2:40 p.m. (Seafair Air Show)

Ramp closures

• Northbound I-5 to eastbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes prior)
• Southbound I-5 to eastbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes prior)
• Northbound Rainier Avenue South to eastbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes prior)
• Southbound Rainier Avenue South to eastbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes prior)
• Eastbound I-90 to West Mercer Way (up to 30 minutes prior)
• East Mercer Way to westbound I-90 (up to one hour prior)
• Island Crest Way to westbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes prior)
• 76th Avenue Southeast to westbound I-90 (up to 30 minutes prior)
• West Mercer Way to westbound I-90 (up to one hour prior)

SR 520 open during I-90 closures

During the I-90 closures, the SR 520 floating bridge will remain open to traffic and tolls will be collected according to the rate schedule. Infrequent users of the SR 520 bridge may want to consider setting up a short-term Good To Go! account for Seafair weekend.

In the Puget Sound area, drivers can get real-time traffic information on their phone with the WSDOT traffic app, by tracking the WSDOT traffic Twitter feed, and checking the What’s Happening Now page for detailed information.

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.

By Christina Corrales-Toy
Italene Gaddis, a 90-year-old poet, songwriter and musician, plays her autoharp in her Newcastle home in 2013.

Newcastle resident Italene Gaddis had a dream.

The 90-year-old musician, author extraordinaire wanted to join Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show” and sing her mother a song.

Almost 30 years after that dream was born, it’s still that, a dream. But if Gaddis and her supporters at KING-5 TV have their way, that fantasy will become reality sooner than later.

“You know, some things you try to do, they don’t happen right away,” Gaddis said from her Newcastle home April 23. “It don’t mean it’s not going to be, it just means it’s not time.”

KING 5 and reporter Lori Matsukawa started a campaign April 22 to try and get Gaddis an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

The local NBC affiliate, the same network that carries Fallon’s show, is asking everyone to use the hashtag #GetGrannyonFallon on social media to show their support for the singing granny.

Enhanced by her charming Southern drawl, the poet, musician and songwriter captivates with her quick wit and sunny disposition. She’s an endless source of encouraging words, uplifting songs and positive affirmations.

She currently shares her inspirational songs and poems at senior centers and retirement homes around the area. Still performing nearly every day, with autoharp in tow, the 90-year-old is hoping only to spread a message of peace, love and happiness.

“I try to encourage people. That’s really why I do what I do,” she said. “To encourage someone, well, that’s the greatest gift you can give next to love.”

Gaddis’ songs span a variety of topics, including more reflective pieces that delve into personal life experiences, as well as lighter pieces, such as one that tackles Puget Sound-area car traffic.

While Gaddis effortlessly inspires those around her, a symbol of the woman that motivates her — the one she wanted to sing to — sits delicately in her hair for all to see.

She credits much of her work to her mother, Sarah Elizabeth, who “raised her the right way.” Gaddis always dons a single flower in her hair as a tribute.

If all goes as planned, Gaddis said she would love the opportunity to share her music with Jimmy Fallon and his audience.

“My songs have something to say,” she told Newcastle News in 2013. “If I could teach the world to see with their heart and not their eyes through my music, what a better world we would have.”

Since KING 5 aired Gaddis’ interview, she’s received media requests from all over the region, she said. She recently joined an Oregon radio station to talk about the campaign and perform a song.

Gaddis said she’s optimistic that she will get her shot in front of a national audience, but until then, she is more than content with the local support she has already received through the #GetGrannyonFallon campaign.

“It’s like I’m living in heaven while I’m still on earth,” she said.

Learn more about Gaddis, and see video of her performances, at www.italene.com.

The state Department of Transportation is evaluating potential impacts of tolling Interstate 90, and the public can learn more about the proposal at a series of meetings on the Eastside and in Seattle.

The agency is considering a proposal to toll the highway on the seven-mile stretch between Interstate 5 in Seattle and Interstate 405 in Bellevue.

The state is at work on a $4.1 billion project to replace the 49-year-old floating state Route 520 bridge across Lake Washington and overhaul the 12.8-mile corridor between I-5 in Seattle and state Route 202 in Redmond.

The floating bridge is scheduled to open in traffic by early 2015.

Though the project is estimated to cost $522 million less than the initial $4.65 billion estimate, transportation officials still need to raise $1.4 billion in funding for the bridge replacement effort.

In 2008, state lawmakers asked the Department of Transportation to study tolling along the I-90 corridor as a way to generate revenue for the project.

The agency is conducting a broad environmental assessment to evaluate possible effects of tolling I-90. The study is required under the National Environmental Protection Act to determine any consequences, positive or negative.

The environmental assessment results in a report, including a technical evaluation and a social and economic review of tolling the stretch of interstate.