North Bend's Bond Rating Upgraded

City Receives “A” Bond Rating

North Bend, WA – The City of North Bend has received an updated Bond Rating evaluation and analysis from Standard & Poor’s, a nationally recognized rating organization. Bond ratings help determine the amount of interest municipalities will pay when they issue bonds to raise capital. North Bend’s previous bond rating was an “A-” and was elevated to “A” on April 2, 2009. North Bend remains in the “Upper Medium” investment grade but has been elevated within that grade.

“We expect that this will result in cost savings to the taxpayer’s in the future” said North Bend Finance Director Elena Montgomery. “This is especially beneficial on long-term bond issues of 20 years or more”. North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing welcomed the news. “I love it when we can find a way to reduce the obligation on the taxpayers. I appreciate the hard work of the Finance Department which provides the backbone for this rating”.

The City hopes that the new bond rating will positively impact the upcoming issuance of the sewer ULID bonds scheduled for 2011 and lower the interest rate paid by ULID participants.

Yardwaste Recycling program dates

2009 YARDWASTE RECYCLING PROGRAM DATES ANNOUNCED

Saturdays 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
North Bend Public Works, 1155 E. North Bend Way

The Yardwaste Program will be open on Saturdays beginning April 18th.
It will not be available every Saturday so please check the schedule which will be as follows:

April 18, 25
May 2, 9, 16, 30
June 6, 13, 20, 27
July 11, 18, 25

August 1, 15, 22, 29
September 12, 19, 26
October 3, 10, 17, 24

A copy of your North Bend Utility Bill is required.

ACCEPTED YARD WASTE: +Grass
+Leaves
+Weeds
+Branches and limbs up to 3 inches in diameter and 3 feet long

NOT ACCEPTED: - Large branches
-Sod or Dirt
-Rocks or Concrete or Asphalt
-Wood or Stumps
-Trash or Construction Debris
-Manure
-Plastic Bags

REQUIREMENTS: Resident of the City of North Bend
Show your North Bend Utility/Garbage Bill Stub
Bring Yardwaste in a Reusable container/Paper Bag or Cardboard Box that can be Recycled


There will be no Yardwaste Program on the following Saturdays: Memorial Weekend, 5/23, Fourth of July, 7/4, Festival at Mt Si, 8/8, Labor Day Weekend, 9/5. The 2009 program will end on 10/24.

For more information call: Public Works (425) 888-0486

TO SIGN UP FOR CURBSIDE COLLECTION CALL ALLIED WASTE 206-682-9730

Annexation Petitioners Reach Goal

On Thursday March 26th, North Bend Public Works Director Ron Garrow delivered petitions from property owners favoring the proposed Tanner Annexation area, to the King County Assessor's Office. Petition organizers collected more than the necessary 60% of the signatures of owners by assessed valuation, reaching 64% as of Thursday morning.

The Assessor will now verify the signatures on the petitions and will certify the petitions if all is in order. The City Council will consider a motion to set a public hearing this Tuesday at their regular meeting (April 7). If the Council acts, a public hearing will be held on April 21st to decide whether to issue a Declaration of Intent to Annex.

If the Council does issue the Declaration, the annexation issue will then be transfered to the King County Boundry Review Board. That Board must decide within 45 days whether they intend to exercize jurisdiction, a move which would be unusual.

Editors Note: Congratulations to the Annexation Petitioners who, in about 8 weeks, gathered signatures representing about $115 million dollars in assessed property valuation. A lot of hard work went into this drive.

Council Names Climbing Rock Contractor

The City Council authorized a contract for design and construction of the Centennial Climbing Rock at their meeting of March 17th. The contractor, Rockwerx, from Massachusetts will be working with city staff to finalize the design and start the construction process. The climbing rock is scheduled to be completed in time for a public dedication on August 8th during the Festival at Mt. Si just prior to the evening fireworks.

Become a Part of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

Would you like to be prepared to help your family, your neighbors, and your community during an emergency or disaster? You can learn hands-on skills by taking the FEMA Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) course and becoming certified to serve in times of need. Anyone of any physical ability can take the course and it is open to people from any city.

Through CERT training, you will learn techniques in fire suppression, search and rescue, disaster psychology, and disaster medical operations including triage techniques, patient assessment, and treating life-threatening injuries. The course concludes with a disaster simulation and drill. For a detailed schedule of session topics, please visit the City of Snoqualmie website at www.ci.snoqualmie.wa.us.

Session Dates and Location
Saturday, May 9, 9:00am-3:00pm
Saturday, May 16, 9:00am-3:00pm
Saturday, May 30, 9:00am-3:00pm
Saturday, June 6, 9:00am-3:00pm (drill)

All sessions are located at the Snoqualmie Fire Department, 37600 SE Snoqualmie Parkway in Snoqualmie.

Course FeeThis four-day course fee is $25 per person and includes all training, student materials and equipment including a student manual and CERT kit (Field Operation Guide, hardhat, safety vest, backpack, goggles, gloves, flashlight, whistle, triage tape, and hand-sanitizing gel). The course fee is fully refundable upon completion of all four classes and certification.

Tanner Annexation petition drive nears completion

North Bend Public Works Director Ron Garrow announced receipt of new petition packages for annexation of the area refered to as the Tanner Annexation, bringing the signature drive to over 80% of its intended goal. This annexation would expand the geographical boundaries of North Bend by approximately 33% and would bring the Urban Growth Area north of Interstate 90 into the corporate limits all the way to Truck Town. Signature gatherers continue their efforts and have set a goal of obtaining authorization from owners of 60% of the assessed valuation with the area before the end of April, 2009.

If the proponents are sucessful in obtaining the signatures, the City Council will then conduct a public hearing and make a determination as to whether to authorize the expansion of the City.

North Bend Publishes 2009 Centennial Budget

The City of North Bend is proud to announce the release of its 2009 “Centennial” Budget document. Mayor Hearing congratulated the finance staff on “the hard work that went into producing this exceptional budget document. The finance staff has won many awards for their budget documents over the years, and I believe this one will be a wonderful tribute to our 100 year anniversary”.

You may stop by City Hall to review the 2009 Budget or it may be accessed on the City’s Website at www.ci.north-bend.wa.us on the homepage, or under City Departments/Finance-Technology. In honor of the City’s Centennial year many historic photos have been included courtesy of the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum. We believe you will enjoy viewing this historic budget. Please allow several minutes for this very large .pdf document to download onto your computer.

Master Builders Creates Information Sheet for Homebuyer Tax Credit

Recent changes in the law create a tax credit for first time homebuyers in an attempt to stimulate housing sales. The Master Builders have created an information sheet which should be helpful for those that are eligible:

http://www.mba-ks.com/library/issues/20090220_TaxCreditCht.pdf

City Council Authorizes Petitions for Stilson Annexation

The North Bend City Council authorized the circulation of Annexation Petitions in that area known as Stilson at their meeting of February 17th. The Stilson Annexation area, which abuts Opsted Elementary on the east and south, is the second area authorized by the City Council to circulate annexation petitions in the last 2 months. Stilson is significantly smaller than the Tanner Annexation area which stretches from the existing eastern City limits all the way to Trucktown. The initial petition to the City Council from the Stilson property owners was signed by those with 62% of assessed valuation. This is in excess of the necessary 60% needed to move the annexation forward. If the same individuals sign again, the City Council could move forward to public hearings on the request upon submittal.

Si View MPD Family Night Event

The Si View Metropolitan Park District, in association with Encompass, will hold their monthly Family Night Event at the MPD (400 SE Orchard St., North Bend) on Friday, February 13th from 6:15 to 8:15. Dinner will be provided by the Mt. Si High School Culinary Program and entertainment is from the Gansango Dance Group. There will also be crafts for the little ones. Admission is FREE but a non-threatening donation jar by the door may always be fed.

DNR Blasting on Rattlesnake Mountain

The City of North Bend has been notified by the Washington State Department of Resources that there will be some blasting conducted on Rattlesnake Mountain, just east of the Forster Woods neighborhood, on Tuesday February 10th between the hours of noon and four p.m.

According to DNR, there is an accumulation of perched materials as a result of the January 7th flood event and this blasting is intended to safely eliminate the excess material.

Please expect 2 to 3 explosions during this time.

Open House to discuss Annexation

A number of citizens are currently in the process of circulating petitions that ask the City to annex a portion of the City's Urban Growth Area. This area is slightly larger than 1.25 square miles and is known as the Tanner Annexation. The geographical boundaries are quite similar to those of the recent Utility Local Improvement District (ULID). For those interested in this topic, there will be an open house on February 10th at 7 p.m. at the Council Chambers in the Senior Center. For more information before that meeting there is Frequently Asked Questions report available on the City's website at www.ci.north-bend.wa.us .

One more weekend for Flood Debris

The City of Snoqualmie will be conducting a storm debris disposal operation at their King St. lot on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
There is no charge but the collection bins are limited to storm debris only.

Boalch Avenue Bridge Closure

Repairs by King County and re-opening of the Boalch Ave NW Bridge at Gardiner Creek, just north of NW 14th Street has been delayed due to King County road crews being reassigned to respond to recent flood damage. The new anticipated completion date is mid-March.

The initial closure in November was a result of the King County Department of Transportation finding that the bridge at that location is in a failing condition.

The City recommends the use of SR 202 between Snoqualmie and North Bend as the alternate route. For more information contact the North Bend Public Works Department at 425-888-0486.

Flood Debris

While the City collection stations have closed, citizens can still get rid of their flood debris from the early January storm at no charge. Follow this link to the King County Solid Waste information site:

http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/garbage-recycling/flood-debris.asp

Welcome to the North Bend news

Greetings everyone within eyeshot. Our community of North Bend, Washington has shown itself to be an information hungry bunch. This blog seems to be the perfect vehicle to discuss issues and circulate inportant information about the community. This is not an offically sanctioned city website, but will allow informal discussion about things you may be interested in but are not seeing in other media outlets. If you find this, let me know you are out there!! Here we go!