Newport Hills Community Club

Hello Neighbors,
Hopefully all of you enjoyed the Olympics that just occurred only a few hours north of here and the amazing human spirit and unity that was witnessed in 16 days of trials, endurance and celebration. I was able to attend some Olympic events and what a wonderful experience and how lucky we were to have had the world come so close to our doorstep!

For matters closer to our living rooms, I wanted to highlight on a few topics that were discussed at our last board meeting and that have been of interest the past few weeks.

The new park on SE 60th.
o The new park is near closing but has not formally closed yet and the current owner still has personal property on the site. Please be respectful of our neighbor until full transition has occurred.
o The city has proactively secured the existing foundation with metal fencing and removal of this foundation will be one of their first priorities. They are assessing the work and cost for this effort.
o Removal of the foundation and then any upgrades or changes to this park is being spoken of in terms of years at this point. The city was provided money via a levy to purchase the park; building it out and removal of the foundation is another piece based on findings and going through design and planning for what the future may look like.

 Therefore, there are no SHORT TERM plans to build or enhance this property at this time or what those plan may even be. The NHCC is staying in contact with the city and when information becomes available, especially around future planning we will relay that information as soon as we have it. So, stay tuned, but be prepared that an overhaul will be some time in coming.

The Newport Hills Park turf build out.
o The city still needs to conduct their SEPA review (Environmental Impacts) followed by a 2 week appeal process. Everyone who attended previous meetings and or sent an email to the permitting office on this topic will be notified with the results.
o There is still not a published schedule or firm answer in regards to our 4th of July picnic or when the build will start / end. I am awaiting information from the city as to when they will have this. They are aware of the urgency for us to conduct our planning steps for the 4th of July event.

$5,000 City of Bellevue grant proposals
o We have received several great ideas for areas in our neighborhood as candidates for the grant proposal request I blogged about on January 26th http://www.newporthillscommunityclub.org/blog/?p=1010
o The team has been doing work on solidifying information and gathering details to determine which of these are the best and most viable option to submit with the greatest chance of winning the grant money. The team is working hard and we will be providing our results for submission at the next NHCC meeting on Tuesday March 16th.
o I would like to say THANK YOU to the neighbors who took the time and are now spending additional time to provide us ideas and details and for your interest in making Newport Hills a nicer place to live in.

March newsletter

o We are currently awaiting our final review of the newsletter before it goes to print and this is going to be a full
and informative edition!! We have many topics and articles covered, and most of all, dates and information on our 2 next big events – our yearly March membership drive and our yearly Spring Egg Hunt scheduled for Saturday April 3rd.
o Our yearly membership drive is upon us, and with it…some exciting news to go along. We ask you to please read your newsletter when it arrives and make sure to check back to our website in late March. The yearly membership is critical as it is the beginning of our fiscal year and truly sets the stage for what remaining events and newsletters we will be able to provide to the community for the following 12 months. More to come….
o Spring Egg Hunt – our yearly and much anticipated event will once again be held at the Newport Heights Elementary school on Saturday April 3rd. We will have the traditional egg hunt, face painting and more! Come join the fun as we all welcome spring here in Newport Hills!

Thank you all for the comments, emails, ideas and support so many of you have been providing. I love the interaction and spirit we have here in our great community. I will say we can still use more helping hands for some of our positions whether in a lead or supporting role, so if you are able, we would love to have you join us. It is incredibly rewarding!

Sincerely,
Michelle Hilhorst
NHCC President