On December 4, 2013, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) announced its Energize Eastside Project which is being undertaken in order to “upgrade its system so that Eastside communities will continue to receive safe and dependable power in the future”. In their announcement, PSE noted that the Eastside is growing faster than any other region in Washington, and that consumer demand will exceed PSE’s ability to deliver reliable power as early as the winter of 2017-18. Without an upgrade, PSE predicts that its Eastside electric transmission system will lose redundancy, thus increasing the possibility of outages for as many as 60,000 homes and businesses.

The most visible feature of this project will be new transmission lines that will run 18 miles, between PSE’s existing Talbot Hill substation in Renton, and their Sammamish substation in Redmond. In their Project Overview, PSE advises that their engineers and planners hundreds of possible route corridors, and have narrowed the possibilities to 16 route segments (identified as routes A – N) which will be discussed at community meetings in January, 2014… including the KNA Neighborhood Meeting on January 28th.

With respect to the two possible routes that run north-south through Renton, the “M” route is located several blocks to the east of Edmonds Ave. NE, and thus would not be visible to Kennydale residents. Of greater interest to our community is the “L” route, which appears to run (according to the maps on PSE’s website) along or close to Lake Washington Blvd. North.

Other Eastside communities will likewise be impacted by the other possible routes (A-L). PSE notes that they will not know the exact route until a thorough process has been completed to hear from the public. Specifically, starting in January their approach will be to “ask the public to provide input on which combination of route segments will best serve the Eastside’s needs” and to “work with property owners, residents, businesses, hospitals and elected officials to reduce the impacts wherever possible”. A variety of public meetings are planned to facilitate this process.

As a Kennydale resident, what can you do?

• Go to the project website at www.pse.com/energizeeastside and study the maps and other information that is provided; also plan to attend their public meetings
  
• Attend the KNA neighborhood meeting on January 28th to see PSE’s presentation
  
• When you are ready with comments or questions, email PSE at energizeeastside@pse.com 
  

The KNA Board extends our sincere thanks to the following Board members who retired in 2013:

Sarah Ennis – Sarah served from 2008 to 2010 and again for part of 2013. Her ability to quickly assess situations and recommend meaningful solutions has been of great value to the Board. She and her husband Joel and their two sons have relocated to Issaquah. 

Kyle Grubbs – Kyle joined the Board in 2010, and became our treasurer in 2011-2013. In this role, he had the very detail-oriented job of maintaining KNA’s financial affairs. Kyle also did a major update of our website in 2011, and in 2012 became the administrator of KNA’s Facebook page. Kyle and his wife Bre and their son have relocated to Newcastle.

Marcie Maxwell – Marcie was a charter member of the KNA Board, starting in 1999. She served as our President in 2006 -2008, and throughout her thirteen year Board service, shared her expertise in neighborhood affairs, charitable volunteerism, and how to get things done properly. With her help, KNA has grown into a successful and meaningful neighborhood organization. Marcie is currently working in Olympia for Governor Inslee as his Senior Policy Advisor on Education.

Mark Sanchez – Mark served on the Board in 2012-2013, and was particularly helpful in a variety of projects where he shared his expertise in carpentry and mechanics. We look forward to utilizing Mark’s assistance on such projects in the future.

Kailey Wallace – Kailey joined the KNA Board in 2011 and served for 3 years as one of our two youth board members. In that role, she provided a valuable link between the Board and the students of Hazen High School. This fall, Kailey entered college in Southern California.

January 28th
KNA Neighborhood Meeting
6:45 – 8:30 pm, Kennydale Elementary School Cafeteria

April 26th
Neighborhood Earth Day and Arbor Day Celebration

April 29th
KNA Neighborhood Meeting
6:45 – 8:30 pm, Kennydale Elementary School Cafeteria

June 21st
Annual KNA Garage Sale

July 29th
KNA Ice Cream Social
6:30pm, Lions Park

August 9th
KNA Ice Cream Social
6:30 pm, Lions Park

September 4th
KNA Annual Neighborhood Picnic
5:30 – 7:30 pm, Lion’s Park

October 28th
KNA Neighborhood Meeting
6:45 – 8:30 pm, Kennydale Elementary School Cafeteria

December 9th
KNA Bonfire & Marshmallow Roast
6:30 pm, Gene Coulon Park, North Shelter