Below are a list of current activities, meeting and hearings as advertised on KSER 90.7 FM each Monday morning at 8:45 a.m.  This list is updated every week, so visit this site for the latest information.

Feast with Friends in Snohomish--Save the Date!

Futurewise and Pilchuck Audubon Society will be holding their annual fundraiser to help support the work of the Snohomish/Skagit Program Director for Futurewise and the Smart Growth Director for Pilchuck Audubon Society, Kristin Kelly.  The event will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 11 at the wonderful home and art gallery of City of Snohomish Councilmember Karen Guzak and artist Warner Blake, in the pink church at the corner of 3rd Street and Avenue B in Snohomish.  The Feast will feature contributions from local farmers and local chefs with local wines and a Top Chef competition.  Please Save the Date for a great fun time while supporting farmers, local business and the work of Futurewise and Pilchuck Audubon Society.

Green Drinks Third Event in Everett Everyone's Invited!

Tuesday, July 8th from 5:30-7:30 pm at 2511 Colby, across the street from Kate’s Restaurant, on ground floor of  the Colby Crest Apartment complex, north end.

Let’s raise a toast to the planet while we figure out ways to not toast the planet!
  
Jessica Pavish, a Snohomish County native, has had the good fortune to visit many places all over the world and really wants to make sure that our kids (hers and yours and all the people we'll never meet, because they haven't been born yet) will inherit a planet that is as beautiful and diverse as the one we've  enjoyed.  She's an avid recycler and is often found at our local Goodwill store. 
 
Jessica has been serving client's investment needs since 1984 - ask how she can "green-up your green".  You're sure to enjoy her extensive collection of work by local artists and refreshments provided by "The Savory Table".  She is excited to share her Edward Jones office located in Everett's first mixed-use/affordable housing development .

Never heard of Greendrinks? 
 
It began in Europe and now sustainability people in over 342 cities all over the globe meet monthly for libations.  It is a lively mixture of people from non-profits, academia, government and business and is a great way of catching up
with folks you know and for making new contacts. 
 
Greendrinks is simple, unstructured and rather organic.  People have found jobs, developed new ideas, done deals and had epiphanies at Greendrinks. Check out all the ways to have Greendrinks at www.greendrinks.org.

Rural Element Workshops

Snohomish County launched a project to update its policies and regulations for managing growth and development in rural areas.
The Rural Lands Planning Project will began with a series of four public meetings throughout the county to gather a variety of citizens’ views on how the county’s rural lands should look, feel and function.
During the past several years, the county has listened to various concerns regarding changes in the rural landscape brought about by growth. Longtime rural residents have pointed to negative impacts such as increased road traffic, obtrusive night-lighting glow, lower water quality and quantity and stormwater runoff problems.

This fall, the planning officials will return with a second series of meetings to present proposed revisions to the county’s rural-lands planning policies that better reflect citizens’ wishes for preserving the county’s rural character and way of life.
For more information on Snohomish County’s Rural Lands Planning Project, go to http://www.snoco.organd search “Rural Lands Project,” or contact Terri Strandberg at 425-388-3311 or terri.strandberg@snoco.org.

Green Ribbon Climate Task Force Monthly Meetings

The public is invited to attend all monthly meetings which are scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. on the 4th Monday of each month.  The meetings will be held in the First Floor Conference Room in the County's Administration Building East, 3000 Rockefeller Street, Everett.

The Green Ribbon Climate Task Force is a group of community members and leaders appointed by County Executive Aaron Reardon.  The purpose of the Task Force is to develop an action plan to adapt to climate change and to achieve a community-wide greenhouse gas reduction goal of 20 percent below 2000 levels by the year 2020.  For more information, please visit the county's website at http://www.snoco.org
and search on "Green Ribbon Climate Task Force".

Community Transit Board Meeting, Public Input Encouraged

Transit’s next Citizens’ Advisory Committee meetings are held every third Wednesday of the month in different locations in the Community Transit service areas.  These meetings provide information to the public about what is going on with Community Transit and for the public to talk about the issues as well. 
 

The Board is considering a Transit Center, complete with mixed use development, at Smokey Point, complete with park & ride and retail. Please let them know you support this plan.  City of Arlington and area businesses are not supportive of this plan, preferring to locate the transit center further from the I-5 interchange, which doesn't make sense.  You can contact me for more information on how to cntact the board members or visit their website athttp://http://www.commtrans.org/?mc=commtrans&subcat=3

Learn How to Ride the Bus

Community Transit offers classes and free ride tickets

Snohomish County, Wash. – With gas prices constantly reaching record highs and traffic a major concern in the region, now is a great time to begin exploring new ways to get around.

Community Transit recognizes that taking the first step isn’t always easy, so Snohomish County’s public transportation provider is offering a free Transit Talk workshop August 7 to introduce commuters to the many options the agency offers as an alternative to driving a car.

Community Transit staff will discuss how to use the agency’s 33 local and 31 commuter bus routes as well as introduce programs such as vanpool and rideshareonline.

All attendees will receive an informational welcome packet from Community Transit as well as a pair of free ride tickets to try the agency’s local bus service.

The workshop will be offered from 7-8:30 p.m. at Willis Tucker Community Park, 6705 Puget Park Drive, Snohomish. Those interested in attending are asked to register by calling (425) 388-6600.

Community Transit strives to help Puget Sound commuters think transit first. With 64 local and commuter bus routes and one of the nation’s largest vanpool programs, the agency is a leader in finding new ways to make alternative transportation an attractive option. Call Community Transit at (425) 353-RIDE or (800) 562-1375 for bus information, or (888) 814-1300 for carpool or vanpool information, or go to www.communitytransit.org.

Citizens for Responsible Growth Oppose the City of Lake Stevens and City of Snohomish Proposed Plan for UGA expansion along Highway 9

Citizens for Responsible Growth are opposed to both of the cities' UGA expansions plans .  For more information ad how to be involved in the process, please visit the groups website at http://www.crgsnoho.org 

Snohomish County Unified Development Code Workshops

Snohomish County Planning and Development Service staff will be conducting monthly workshops every first Thursday of the month on the first floor of the County Administration Building at 9 a.m. and then again at 6 p.m. for for presentations and public comments and questions on changes to the Unified Development Code. 

The next workshop will be held Thursday, July 10.  The workshops will focus on the county's Rural Planning Project.

Snohomish County Council Meetings and Hearings

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings on in the County Council chambers, on the 8th Floor of the County Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Street, Everett.

Tuesday, July 8 at 9 a.m. is the County Council Planning Committee Meeting.  The agenda will include:

Action Item: (Proposed Ordinance #08-087) Relating to Rural Cluster Subdivisions; repealing, amending and adding sections in Title 30 SCC. and Discussion Items:

1.    Permit Fee Work Plan Monthly Report
2.    UDC Work Plan
3.    Status Reports on Fully Contained Community ordinance that was heard by the Planning Commission on May 27th;    Urban Residential Design Standards ordinance heard by the Planning Commission on April 22nd and April 29th.
4.     Snohomish County Tomorrow (SCT ) 2007 Growth Monitoring Report


NEW!!!!  All County Council meetings and hearings are now available for viewing on the web.  To log on, visit http://www.snoco.org and search for "Council Webcasts."

All Wednesdays starting at 9 a.m. are the Council's General Legislative Session.  There is public comment time during this session.

Snohomish County Planning Commission Public Hearing

June 24 meeting has been cancelled.

Snohomish County Agricultural Board

All meetings are held on the First Floor of the County Administration Building East, 3000 Rockefeller Street, Everett, unless otherwise noted.

The next meeting is Tuesday, July 8 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in the Willis Tucker Conference Room, 3rd Floor of the County Administration Building West.  The agenda includes discussions of a strategy to achieve no net loss of farmland, an update on the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDEs) and as always public comment time.

For more information, contact Tom Niemann at 425-388-3311, ext. 2214.

Snohomish County Ag Sustainability Project Workshop

Does Snohomish County farming have a future?  The public is invited to envision the future of agriculture. The project is a community-based initiative created to enhance and strengthen the County's agricultural economy as well as preserve local farmlands.

For more information, contact Linda Neunzig, Agriculture Project Coordinator, Office of Economic Development, 425-388-7170 or by e-mail at linda.neunzig@co.snohomish.wa.us.

Cathcart Vision Open for Public Input

Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon has unveiled an exciting new vision for the publicly owned Cathcart property, which includes sustainable housing, an employment cluster and retail services on 20 percent of the property while protecting
80 percent for public space, parks and infrastructure.

The proposal will provide amenities for current residents
in the area by linking existing walking trails and parks with
new shops, public spaces, a transit hub and job center.

For more information, visit the county's website at http://http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/County_Services/Climate_Energy/

Snohomish Conservation Proposed Fee to Property Owners

For more information, call the SCD at 425-335-5634, ext. 4, or learn more online by clicking on “assessment information” at http://www.snohomishcd.org

Island County

WEAN (Whidbey Environmental Action Network) has filed an appeal on the Oak Harbor urban growth area expansion plan which includes farmland in the headwaters of Swantown Lake.  If you would like more information, call them at 360-579-4272.