G.R.I.T. UPDATE – November 17, 2006

Good Friday afternoon!

We're forwarding the Monroe Chamber's weekly  update (below).  We find much of this information interesting, and, thus -- perhaps mistakenly -- feel it will be of interest to others, as well.

AND IN SULTAN.....

There will be a JOINT PLANNING BOARD/CITY COUNCIL HEARING on TUESDAY, NOV. 21ST - 6:00 PM, the subject of which is the City's CAPITAL FACILITIES PLAN. There will also be a "special" council meeting following, at 7:00 PM.  (This is a "special" council meeting only due to the fact that their regular Thursday meeting on 11/23 had to be moved up because of Thanksgiving.) 

WHAT IS A CAPITAL FACILITIES PLAN? Here's an excerpt from page 1 of this plan, which answers that question, nutshell-style: "Under the Growth Management Act (GMA), a Capital Facilities Plan is required to assess the needs of a community and determine how to provide appropriate facilities for current and future residents."

WHY DOES THE CAPITAL FACILITIES PLAN NEED TO BE REDONE? As it states on page 1 of the draft CFP:...."Based on an appeal of the City's recently-adopted Comprehensive Plan, the Plan is being revised to ensure consistency of Sultan's capital improvements program with its future population forecasts and its proposed Urban Growth Area boundary.  This CFP will become a part of the City's Plan and, as a free-standing document, will serve as the principal services and infrastructure strategy of the City."  In layman's language, that means that new or improved infrastructure (or services) needed for new development should pay for itself.  And if a city annually reviews and correctly adjusts its impact fees (for parks and roads) and service fees (water and sewer) and other fees -- in concert with commercial and retail development tax revenue -- then it will not be so dependent on grant funding, or have to run a special levy to hire uniformed police officers during periods of rapid growth, when such services are needed the most: as the population swells.

EXAMPLE: The City has not increased its traffic mitigation fees -- which pays for improvements to Sultan's roadway system -- in over seven years.  It is currently $1,837 for each new Single Family home built, a fee almost always passed along from the developer to the new homeowner.  Imagine how much costs have risen within those seven years for materials, labor, etc., and you'll have some idea how much additional must be "made up" by you, the taxpayers, or -- again, through you, the taxpayers -- in funds received from grant dollars.  (I will say, however, that, with very few exceptions, this council has gone a long way towards "making up" for past omissions in duty by previous councils in this regard.  And even though there's a long road and a lotta pavement still to lay, they definitely deserve kudos for some serious bullet-biting!

CITY HALL WILL BE CLOSED both Thursday and Friday, 11/23 and 11/24.

SPECIAL NOTICE: Due to a computer crash/catastrophe, the email list of addresses that Sultan Clerk Laura Koenig used to distribute agenda packets was lost. She has requested that people email her, asking to be included once again (new people are also welcome to request this service). Please send your email address to Laura Koenig if you wish to receive future agenda packets(laura,koenig@ci.sultan.wa.us).

JOHN GALT HEARING:  6:30 PM, Thursday, Nov. 30th - DAN RAMIREZ'S TWIN RIVERS ESTATES

BUMPER STICKERS for U. S. 2:  The U. S. 2 Safety Coalition will have available bumper stickers near the end of this month.  They will read:  'U. S. 2 -- FIX IT NOW!" with our website address underneath.  (See photo below.)  They are 12x4-inch vinyl with easy-remove adhesive which can be attached to a bumper or window.  If you would like to order some of these, please send your emailed request (along with a mailing address and the number of stickers you want) to the Coalition: safetycoalition@seanet.com.  Donations will be gratefully accepted, if you care to share, but are not mandatory.  Please make checks payable to the U. S. 2 Safety Coalition and send to P. O. Box 1829 , Sultan, WA 98294.

 




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FREE THANKSGIVING DINNER (sponsored by Sultan Harvest)- Thursday, Nov. 23rd at Sultan's City Hall at 319 Main Street.


MONROE CHAMBER'S WEEKLY REPORT:

Reply-To: <neil@chamber-monroe.org>
From: "Neil Watkins" <neil@chamber-monroe.org>
To: <neil@chamber-monroe.org>
Subject: Weekly Update- November 17, 2006
Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2006 09:21:15 -0800
 
November 17, 2006
 
There will be no Weekly Update next week due to the Thanksgiving Break. The next Weekly Update will be Friday, December 1st.
 
Light Up Monroe (sponsored by your Chamber of Commerce) will be held on Saturday, November 25th at the corner of Main St. & Lewis in Downtown Monroe (Fiddlers Bluff Coffee Company). This traditional event features the lighting of the tree, hayrides, music, pictures with Santa, and refreshments. The festivities begin at 2:00PM (hayrides-weather permitting) with Santa arriving at 4:45 and the tree lighting at 5:30. Well see you there!
P.S. The following businesses will be holding an open house during "Light Up
Monroe" on Saturday, November 25th.
 
The Country Cupboard
Main Street Books
Steel Magnolias
Antiques & Company
Main Clothing Company
M&M Antiques
Come on down and get some Christmas shopping done, enjoy cider and hot
chocolate, and take in the holiday decorations!
 
REMINDER- The Washington Department of Transportation will be holding an Open House at the Chamber office (111 West Main St.) next Tuesday, November 21 from Noon- 3PM. They will share with the business community progress on Highway 2 (capacity and safety) and are looking for some specific input from business and the community in general. Please stop by and participate!
 
November After Hours that was scheduled for Thursday evening, November 29 at Haight Carpet, has been postponed due to a Chamber scheduling conflict. Pam Crist and her staff will host our After Hours early next year. Our thanks to Haight Carpet for their understanding and flexibility.
 
Monroe Police & Fire Appreciation Week The week of November 13-19 is Monroe's annual Police and Fire Appreciation Week. This is a week sponsored by the City of Monroe, schools, church congregations as well as the Monroe Chamber of Commerce. This week gives all of us the opportunity to express our THANKS for the men and women of the Police & Fire who put themselves into harms way for us.
We would ask you, as businesses of Monroe, to participate in the following ways:
1.       Display the Appreciation Poster prominently during the Week of November 13.
2.     Write letters of appreciation (on your letterhead) to the Monroe Police and Fire   Departments
3.    Express appreciation through gifts (cookies, etc.)
4.  Fly the blue police ribbon and red Fire ribbon from your car antenna Ribbons can be picked up at Christ Church Monroe or the Chamber office.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please call Pastor Michael Hanford at 794-8835.
Thank you for helping us honor our Police and Fire Departments!
 
There are no networking events in December. We will start Before & After Hours again in January.
 
 
Welcome New Members

 
Thank You Renewing Members

 
 
Bulletin Board Topics
               UPS Store- Toys for Tots
                Monroe Public Schools Citizen Review Committee
        Avon Fundraiser
        2007 Citizens Academy
             Sky Valley Food Bank
        Monroe Arts Council Monthly Meeting
 
 
THE UPS STORE IN MONROE TEAMS WITH TOYS FOR TOTS TO DELIVER SOME LOVE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
 
The UPS Store located at 19030 Lenton Pl SE (between Blockbuster and Taco Bell), in conjunction with The UPS Store locations across the country, has teamed up with the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation to bring smiles to the faces of children nationwide.
 
Now through December 23, The UPS Store will offer customers the opportunity to purchase Toys for Tots donation cards for $1 each, with all proceeds benefiting Toys for Tots campaigns in communities where the funds are raised. They will also be collecting unwrapped toys. All of the cash and toy donations will benefit local children.
 
This is the second year that The UPS Store locations have been a national Toys for Tots sponsor. Last year, the national retail chain raised nearly $600,000 through its Deliver Some Love campaign, making it the second-most successful campaign in Toys for Tots history. This years campaign goal is $1 million.  Last year the Monroe UPS Store raised over $650.00.
 
The UPS Store locations hours of operation are 8:00 - 6:00 M-F, and 9:00 5:00 Sat.
 
 
Citizens Review Committee Invitation from Monroe Public Schools  
 
School Board members believe strongly that we need to offer meaningful opportunities for citizens and community leaders to be involved in the work of the district.  We are working on next years budget and citizens helped district staff review 100% of our budget.  These groups put together 79 recommendations that total more than $2 million in savings or increased revenues.  We believe we will need to trim our budget by approximately $1 million in order to have a balanced budget for next year. 
 
The next step in our process is to have citizens review and prioritize the 79 recommendations from the Budget Workgroups.  This process will take approximately 3-4 hours working in small groups.  We are scheduling two sessions on December 6th to do this work and would like to invite you to participate in this important step. One session begins at 8 AM and would be finished no later than noon.  The second session begins at 4 PM and ends at 8PM. 
 
Your perspective needs to be represented.  All advice goes to the school board so your work will help guide them as they deliberate over the various choices we face.  Please respond to the Superintendents Office (swanburgp@monroe.wednet.edu or (360) 794-3000) if you can attend either the AM or PM session on December 6.  If you have questions, please give us a call or send an email.  Thanks in advance for your help and support.
 
 
There will be an Avon fundraiser Saturday Nov 25th at the Bank of America in Sultan. The feature is Jiggles the clown bear at $14.99. the Bears will  be given to Children's Hospital for Christmas. Please support this worthwhile effort
 
 
 

Monroe Police Department Offers
2007 Citizens Academy
 

In keeping with Monroe Police Departments desire for partnership with citizens, the Department is once again offering a Citizens Academy. This philosophy encourages citizens to develop a sense of understanding with police to help reach our common goal of providing a safe and secure community for all citizens. We encourage you to explore this program and become a partner with us. 
The Citizens Academy is an eight-week course to provide Monroe community members an academy setting with firsthand information about how their Police Department works.
The Academy is designed to increase understanding between citizens and the Police through education. This course will acquaint citizens with the role of law enforcement within the criminal justice system, and to increase understanding of the tasks police officers face in their daily work.
Academy participation requires a commitment of one night a week for the eight-week period, plus three Saturday sessions. Regular classes are held on Wednesday evenings for approximately three-hours. The instructors are officers and staff from the Monroe Police Department as well as personnel from other agencies who teach in their own areas of expertise.
The sessions include demonstrations by the Special Emergency Response Team (SERT), Apprehension and Narcotics K9 teams. Classes include information on identity theft, Internet safety, domestic violence, child abuse, use of force, major crimes and investigations, narcotics and many others. Students will tour local prison facilities and have the opportunity to drive a police car on an Emergency Vehicle Operation Course (EVOC). You wont want to miss the firearms section where you will have the opportunity to fire simulated police rounds in a mock training scenario.
In addition, you will ride with an officer a few hours to experience first-hand what officers see, hear, and do. You will gain insight on how officers handle a variety of emergency situations.
The Academy will begin January 10, 2007.  A completed application will secure your spot so get your application in early, as there is limited space available.  Applications may be picked up at the front counter of the Monroe Police Department, 818 W Main Street, Monroe or you may contact CSO Whalen at (360) 794-6300 or lwhalen@ci.monroe.wa.us
 
The Sky Valley Food Bank in Monroe is collecting turkeys and holiday foods or funds to cover the cost of turkeys and holiday foods to ensure all needy families, senior citizens, children, and individuals have plentiful food over the holidays.   The food bank gives food out approximately 3,000 times per month at ten meals each time and the number of people in need has gone up since last year.   Their goal is to make sure every person in need can partake in Americas Thanksgiving Holiday by having a full traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings! Donations can be made to the SVFB at PO Box 724, Monroe, WA 98272 or on site at 784 Village Way, Monroe.  Call 360-794-7959 for more information
 
 
MONROE--   The Monroe Arts Council will hold its monthly meeting on Monday, Nov 20, at 7 pm The Art Merchant International at 17161 Beaton Rd, in the Fryeland industrial park area of Monroe.  If you are an artist and/or would like to support local art and cultural activities, please join us. Go to www.monroeartscouncil.org or call 360-794-7844 for driving directions.
 
Until Next Week,
Neil