On Monday, February 3, the Area Council held its regular monthly meeting. Guest speakers were: (1) Maple Valley Mayor Sean Kelly who updated everyone on city priorities; (2) The WA State Department of Ecology’s (DOE’s) Tim O’Connor and Alan Noell who provided an update on the Reserve Silica Mine Site Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) Cleanup project; and (3) Officer John D. Pugh from the King County Sheriff’s Office who discussed local policing of residential burglaries.
City of Maple Valley
Mayor Sean Kelly provided his annual State of the City address to the Area Council. The city now has ~26,800 residents and is the 43rd largest municipality in the state.
The City along with several southeast King County cities have formed the South East Area Legislative Transportation Coalition (SEAL TC). It is looking at one project at a time with its top priority being the SR-18/I-90 intersection—now it is fully funded. SEAL-TC’s next priority is widening SR-18 from Issaquah-Hobart Rd to the Raging River with ~$9M in design funding secured. SR-169 will be considered later in at least 8 or more years due to many competing state transportation priorities. The city is working on the Legacy Site a 50-ac parcel of undeveloped land located on the west side of SR 169 across from Rock Creek Elementary School with Lake Wilderness frontage. Plans for the site include: open space, trails, relocated Farmers Market, etc. The city also mis working on plans for on the Donut Hole with King County.
The city has several recreational events throughout the years including the all-day Iron Man Triathlon (swim, bike, and run) coming on September 20.
Reserve Silica Mine Site Cleanup
WA DOE’s Tim O’Connor and Alan Noell provided a periodic update on the site’s MTCA cleanup. Reserve Silica and previous owners and operators used the site (generally located at 28130 Black Diamond–Ravensdale Rd near Ravensdale) for coal through 1956 and sandstone mining until 2007. As part of site reclamation, the mine pits are being backfilled with materials from construction sites. Through the 1980’s a corrosive material called Cement Kiln Dust (CKD)—a fine-grained, solid, highly alkaline waste removed from kiln exhaust gas by air pollution control devices during the production of cement—was disposed of in two of the open mine pits since filled and closed. A concern with CKD is that when it comes in contact with water, it releases toxic metals. Groundwater moving through the CKD has seeped to the surface spreading contaminants which include high pH (corrosive) water and toxic metals—including arsenic and lead. A leachate treatment system, which lowers the pH and attempts to filter out metals, was put in place with treated water then sent to infiltration ponds.
There are two MTCA areas: Reclamation Site and Plant Site (NW corner). Agreed Order under the State’s Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) negotiations were completed on December 16, 2019, with Potentially Liable Parties (PLPs) for the Reclamation Site. It requires the PLPs to complete a Remedial Investigation (RI) Report, Feasibility Study (FS) Report, and Draft Cleanup Action Plan–all open to Public Comments. There is a RI Work Plan due next month. The RI Report is expected by the end of 2021. FS Report is expected by the end of 2022. Finally, the Draft Cleanup Plan is expected in 2023. It should be noted the Plant Site is part of an Independent Cleanup Process, which abides by the MTCA requirements.
The DOE webpage for Reserve Silica Reclamation is: https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/gsp/Cleanup- SiteDocuments.aspx?csid=4728
More information can be found on the Area Council’s web site: www.gmvuac.org, simply click on “Reserve Silica” in the “Current Issues” box on the Home page.
King County Sheriff’s Office
Maple Valley Precinct #3 (https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/sheriff/police-precincts/
precinct3.aspx) Officer John D. Pugh answered questions about local burglaries and what residents can do. In almost all cases he asked residents to call 911 when concerned about a stranger on their property. After a warning is issued by the Sheriff any additional infractions will cause a citation for trespassing. Officer Pugh emphasized to do call 911 at the first sight of a problem, because, if someone sets up living on an abandoned property, after a certain amount of time he or she gain “residency rights” to be there, and the owners would have to go through an eviction process (https://www.king- county.gov/depts/sheriff/services/evictions.aspx).
Members of the Public informed Officer Pugh that recent local crimes have included: mail theft, breaking into sheds, siphoning gas from cars, possession of illegal drugs, etc. Officer Pugh stated that residents should collect as much information as possible and make it available to the Police–this will help them take some action.
See the following for the Sheriff’s tips on Home Security Safety: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/ sheriff/police-precincts/safety/home.aspx
State Legislative Bills
The Area Council discussed the merits of two proposed bills in State Legislature. HB 2206 which would allow Urban services outside of UGA making urbanization of the Rural Area easier and, possibly, more likely—something the Area Council has been against for many years and HB 2536 which would amend the State’s Growth Management Act (GMA) to promote urban growth in the Rural Area —something the Area Council also has been against for many years. The Area Council, in coordination of all the other King County Rural Area UACs and UAAs, plans to request both proposed bills be rejected by the State Legislature.
Upcoming Area Council Meetings
The next Area Council regular monthly meeting will be held on Monday, March 2.
All regular monthly meetings are held on the first Monday of the month, from 7 – 9:30 PM, at the Maple Valley Fire Station (SE corner of SE 231st St & SR-169 intersection directly across from the Police Precinct). All are welcome with each meeting beginning with an open Public Comment period.
Area Council Membership
Your Area Council serves as an all-volunteer, locally recognized advisory body to King County on behalf of all rural unincorporated area residents living in the Tahoma School District. The Area Council’s Vision Statement is:
“Our community’s Rural Character will be supported by facilitating strong local ties and communication between the public, organizations, and government; promoting locally owned businesses and supporting quality education; protecting the environment, and maintaining landowners’ rights and responsibilities; promoting controlled and well-planned growth with appropriate infrastructure; ensuring proper representation for rural interests and needs; and supporting the health and safety and the privacy of our vibrant community.”
The twelve-seat Area Council currently has open seats. If you have an interest in joining please send an e-mail to: info@gmvuac.org or attend a monthly meeting and express your interest.
Citizens who are not members of the Area Council or do not live within the Tahoma School District are eligible to join and serve on any of the Area Council’s three major subject-matter Committees: Environment, Growth Management, or Transportation to the Ad Hoc Economic Committee. For information on each of these committees please see the Area Council’s web site: www.gmvuac.org and use the drop-down menu under Committees.
