The Woodinville Wire │February 2022

New City Leadership, Strategic & Economic Development Plan Engagement Opportunities, Submit Your Ideas for the CIP, NE 145th St Pedestrian Project, and more.

City Leadership Changes: New Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Councilmembers

At their January 4 meeting, the Woodinville City Council elected Mike Millman as Mayor and James Randolph as Deputy Mayor.

Mayor Millman was appointed to council in February 2021, and was elected to continue in that role this past November. His current term on council goes through 2023. A former firefighter and small business owner, Millman has also served the community as a City Planning Commissioner and Fire District Commissioner. Millman has lived in Woodinville with his family for 20 years.

Deputy Mayor Randolph is new to city council, having been elected this past November to serve a 4-year term. Prior to his election, he served on King County's Northeast Recycling and Transfer Station Site Advisory Group representing the interests of Woodinville residents. Randolph relocated to the Woodinville area eight years ago from California.

In addition to Randolph, two new city council members have recently been sworn in to serve 4-year terms since being elected in November.

Michelle Evans joined the council in late 2021, immediately filling the seat held by appointed Councilmember Phil Mark. Councilmember Evans is a Marketing Consultant and has served her community on the board of the Whatcom County Boys & Girls Club, as a softball coach, and a Girl Scout leader. She has lived in Woodinville since 2007.

Sarah Arndt began her service on city council in early January 2022. Councilmember Arndt's professional background includes roles as a teacher, historian, and non-profit administrator. She has served the community as a Chair of the City's Public Spaces Commission and as a board member for the Woodinville Toddler Group and CommonHouse Vineyard Church. Sarah has been a Woodinville resident since 2014.

Woodinville city council members serve staggard four-year terms, and the council selects one of its members to serve as mayor and a second as deputy mayor for two-year terms.

Reflect and Refresh: City Seeking Input on Key Priorities

The City of Woodinville has partnered with BERK Consulting to gather community input to determine key priorities for the future.

The City is offering two opportunities for community members to share their thoughts on a refreshed set of priorities that will help to inform future changes in city services and investments and ensure that future decisions are aligned with community desires.

Share your ideas through the Community Priorities Survey, which will remain open through February 14, 2022.
Watch and respond to the online workshop, Reflect and Refresh: Setting Woodinville’s Key Priorities held on January 20, 2022, where community members were invited to share ideas and interact with City staff through Q&A. After watching you're invited to add your comments.

Your input will help inform the development of a Strategic Plan and Economic Development Plan. The Strategic Plan guides City investments and actions over the next five years (2022-2026), whereas the Economic Development Plan guides near-term actions and develops long-term goals for a vibrant economy. Examples of these actions and goals are strategies for economic recovery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and long-term strengthening and diversification of Woodinville’s economic base.

More information on how to participate can be found at the City’s Strategic and Economic Development Plans project webpage.

Submit Ideas for Woodinville City Improvements

The City of Woodinville is working to identify and prioritize infrastructure investments as part of the City’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The CIP is a multi-year planning document that helps guide local communities in coordinating the financing and timing of large infrastructure improvements.

Woodinville’s six-year CIP is updated every two years and includes projects that cost over $50,000 and have a life span of at least five years. CIP projects typically involve constructing, renovating, or rehabilitating roads, parks, city-owned public facilities, and surface water infrastructure.

Public engagement and participation are critical to a successful planning process. Community members are encouraged to submit suggestions for future projects by providing information about the proposed project location and description. CIP requests can be submitted on City's Capital Improvement Plan web page. The CIP project submission period will open beginning January 25, 2022, and close February 13, 2022. Submissions will be evaluated according to project cost, feasibility, and public benefit criteria.

Community members are also welcomed to participate in the CIP planning process by attending a series of public meetings held at City Hall for the Woodinville Planning Commission, Public Spaces Commission, and City Council to discuss the draft CIP.

Past Woodinville CIP projects have included repaving neighborhood streets, replacing the sports field turf, several street repaving projects, sidewalk improvements, and adding crosswalk signals at locations with high pedestrian use. Current projects planned for 2022 include additional road repaving projects and improvements to City facilities. View the current Capital Improvement Plan (PDF).

Submit CIP Idea

City Constructing Pedestrian Path and Trail at NE 145th St

The City has broken ground on our newest pedestrian oriented project, a walking path and trail at NE 145th St near Chateau Ste. Michelle. Look out for occasional travel lane closures now through June during construction hours of 7am- 5pm.

In partnership with King County, this project aims to enhance pedestrian safety and provide connections to existing and future trails running through the tourist district.

More about the NE 145th Street Pedestrian Path and Trail: Located at the railroad crossing at Northeast 145th Street, this project will provide a raised 14-foot wide crosswalk, pedestrian activated signal, new sidewalk, and traffic-calming landscaping. These improvements are intended to facilitate pedestrian access between the north side of NE 145th Street (including nearby trails and points of interest such as the Tolt-Pipeline Trail, future Eastrail, and nearby wineries) and the south side of NE 145th Street (including the continuation of the Eastrail and Chateau Ste. Michelle).

Apply Now for a Community Grant

The City of Woodinville is pleased to offer grant funding for eligible community organizations sponsoring activities and events open to the local Woodinville community.

The City has allocated $15,000 in funding for the year 2022. Funding priority will be given to activities and events that promote the local economy and are of general interest to the Woodinville community. Virtual, drive-up, and outdoor events and activities are especially encouraged for the 2022 grant year.

The City will accept completed community grant applications until Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 5:00 PM. Grant applications will be reviewed by staff to ensure they meet eligibility criteria and then presented to the City Council for funding consideration.

If selected for funding by the Woodinville City Council, grant money will be provided on a reimbursement basis following the event or activity. Please mail or email completed applications to Woodinville City Hall or maiak@ci.woodinville.wa.us.

More information about Community Grants, including eligibility guidelines and application materials, can be found on the City’s Grant Opportunities webpage.

Apply Now

Woodinville Recognizes February as Black History Month

At their February 1st Meeting, the Mayor and City Council proclaimed February as Black History Month in the City of Woodinville.

The proclamation touches on the origins of Black History Month and the importance of its observation to gain a deeper understanding of African American history and struggles for equality and freedom. It also discusses the importance of celebrating the achievements and contributions of Black Americans and shares the theme for this year's celebration: "Black Health and Wellness".

By signing the proclamation, City leaders encourage the Woodinville community to observe Black History Month, acknowledge the history and challenges faced by African Americans, and pay tribute to the Black community for its strength, contributions, and more.

The full text of the Black History Month proclamation can be viewed on the City's website.

City Welcomes New Director of Public Works

The City is pleased to announce the promotion of Asha D'Souza to Director of Public Works as of January this year.

For the past five years, Asha has served as the City's Assistant Public Works Director, managing capital projects and the department budget, leading development permitting review, and overseeing surface water management.

Asha earned her Master of Science degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Arizona State University and a Master of Business Administration from the W.P. Carey School of Business. She holds a PE license and is a member of the American Public Works Association.

Before coming to the City of Woodinville, Asha worked as a consultant for a civil and environmental engineering firm specializing in land development and planning, regulatory compliance and permitting.

"I have had the distinct honor to serve the City of Woodinville for the last five years." stated Asha D'Souza. "As I extend my service, now as the Director of Public Works, my team and I are looking forward to driving projects and services that maximizes public safety, protects the environment and enhances quality of life for the community."

Community Survey: Coming to a Mailbox near You

This January and February, the City will be conducting its biennial Community Survey. The first survey phase includes mailed surveys to a sample of Woodinville residents selected at random by neighborhood. If you receive a survey in the mail, please take a few minutes to complete and mail it back to the address provided-- it's very important we hear from you!

The survey covers a ride range of topics and asks residents to provide feedback on municipal services and general quality of life. Information collected from the survey will be used to assist the Woodinville City Council in identifying strategic priorities and making financial investments in 2020 and beyond. Because the City is conducting this survey for the third time, we will be able compare this year's responses to ones received in the past, in addition to benchmarking our results to similarly sized communities in the Pacific Northwest.

If your household does not receive a mailed survey, please know that we still want to hear from you! An online version of the survey will be made available to all residents in late February on our website at www.ci.woodinville.wa.us.

MyShake App

You now have a new way to get earthquake alerts on your phone through the new MyShake App, now available for FREE to download to IOS users through the Apple App Store and through GooglePlay for Android phones. Search for MyShake where you find apps on your phone or find the links at mil.wa.gov/alerts.

GET THE APP