Clyde Hill News: Medina considers ban on gas-powered leaf blowers
Also: King County offers online workshop about running for public office, and residents react to Clyde Hill park spending plans
The City of Medina is considering a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers in order to reduce noise and air pollution. Medina’s administration will seek feedback in May, ahead of any action, from both the community as well as “businesses that provide landscaping services in Medina.”
More information about this effort, below, along with some early resident feedback about Clyde Hill’s plans to spend its share of the King County parks levy as well as King County’s “online workshop to demystify the process for what it takes to run for local office.”
Disclaimer: while I am a councilmember on the Clyde Hill City Council, I write this newsletter in my capacity as an individual resident. Any opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily the position of the City. The information and references here are from public sources. I welcome email responses — and if the topic is about City business I will respond from my City email account.
Possible ban on gas-powered leaf blowers in Medina
Medina is taking the lead among the Points Communities in considering a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers.
There has been a broad and “decentralized nationwide movement that has seen more than 100 local governments… enact at least partial bans on gas-powered leaf blower use in recent years,” according to this article (link).
Medina’s write up of its thinking to date — available here, link — is thoughtful and provides very helpful background information for residents. From the email the City of Medina sent:
The Medina City Council is considering actions to reduce air emissions and noise pollution by banning gas-powered leaf blowers through a phased approach. City staff will be hosting this open house to hear from the community and businesses that provide landscaping services in Medina. To learn more or stay informed, you can register at our project page.
Transitioning away from gas-powered leaf blowers isn’t simple. From talking with one person involved in Medina’s process, the costs to providers of buying new equipment is a big problem to overcome, along with the subsequent increase in costs to consumers of landscaping services.
The hardware is not cheap, whether it’s for commercial landscape services, the public sector (e.g. a city’s parks or public works department), or individual residents who take care of their own yard. Small, family landscaping businesses are at a particular disadvantage.
Resident feedback on $230K of park spending
Initial feedback from some residents about Clyde Hill’s plans to spend its share of the King County parks levy has started to come in. Clyde Hill expects to have ~$230K available to spend on parks over the next few years. (More background and details about that are available here: link).
Some suggestions include:
A working group/task force of residents. There are “some strong opinions about the lack of public gathering place in the city and the very little we have being dedicated to only those who play tennis.”
A “pop-up” dog park (possibly near the tennis courts). One approach that a reader sent in comes from the City of Issaquah. More information about what they did is available here, link.
Pickleball in addition to tennis on the existing courts. Issaquah again provides a good example of what’s possible (link).
More trees. Some residents have noted that the pursuit of improving views in Clyde Hill has resulted in the removal of many trees. The decrease in trees in our region is a problem considering “pollution, flooding, and other extreme weather events” of late, according to this Seattle Times article (link). The article also discusses what’s going on at the state level as well as Seattle on this topic.
Rain gardens. Given the local stormwater problems (see video, below), another resident asked about rain gardens (link). Rain gardens use plants and soil to retain rain and other stormwater runoff from roofs, driveways, and roads, and also help decrease ambient air temperature in summer.
My hope is that Clyde Hill residents speak up about their preferences and thoughts about park spending. Please email feedback to council@clydehill.org and / or cityhall@clydehill.org.
Online workshop about running for local office
This November, Clyde Hill residents will elect a mayor and two city council members.
For anyone curious about running for office this fall, King County Elections will host “an online workshop to demystify the process for what it takes to run for local office” tomorrow April 24th. (It’s not clear from the site if the session will be recorded and available for people who cannot attend.)
Details about the workshop are available here (link), and additional information from King County Elections about running for office is available here (link).
Credit to King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci’s awesome newsletter for this information. You can sign up for her newsletter here (link). Councilmember Balducci represents Clyde Hill as part of the 6th District in King County:
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Dean Hachamovitch