January 2009 Meeting Minutes

7:00 PM

Call to Order

Pledge of Allegiance

Roll call

Review and approve agenda and minutes

Public comment on topics which are not listed on the agenda

Patty Davis from the Farmers Market

There are grants available for the market, and she is here tonight to ask for our support. She and her group are in the process of applying for a block grant, and obtaining letters of support from the community is part of the application process. Her group has received many in-kind donations such as assistance with website design. The Farmers Market needs $8,800 to get going, and they would like us to write a letter endorsing their group; this letter must be submitted by Tuesday in order to meet the grant deadline. The grant they are applying for is through the USDA, but they are going through the State of WA as this is a federal non-construction block grant. Their group will meet the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month at 5:30 in the Cedar Room at Lake Wilderness Loge, and our council or any other members of the community are invited to attend. The meetings will last until about 7 pm. They are hoping that June 2009 will be the Farmers Market grand opening, and they are looking for people to help. Rock Creek Elementary is still the location they are looking at because it is a high traffic area, and they are looking to do some advertising on the highway with banners. There is easy access to the location and the City of Maple Valley has plans for a Farmers Market that will eventually be across the street from Rock Creek. The group is committed to our rural character and wants to help local producers sell their goods. They are hoping that the Farmers Market will encourage others to becom einvolved with farming. Currently, they have vendor guidelines and vendor applications and are looking for help in identifying farmers. Happy Valley Farms is involved; they are based in Kent. Shawn Foley is also involved. Currently they have six people on their committee and are looking for others.

Karen Adams

Karen Adams of Seattle/King County Public Health is now regularly attending our monthly meetings to act as liaison on public health issues. She works on healthier communities and is very excited about our Farmers Market.   

7:10 PM - Cedar River Baseball Group 

Rob Nist and Mike Anderson

The group was organized to get better sports facilities and are now called Rock Creek Sports. They are a nonprofit and have been operating the Gracie Hanson Park building since last November. They have agreed to do all the interior maintenance at Gracie Hanson. All excess revenues are accounted for and a percentage goes to projects. They have pledged their profits to Ravensdale Park, and are currently putting together a program for 2 and 3 yr olds on agility.They are also working with the Maple Valley Community Center and are looking at doing some women's boot camps. They have opened the conference area for the community and it is free to the public. Dave Smart is also involved in their poject and he is in charge of baseball operations. They have put some turf down and some nets. They just signed a five-year contract with King County and currently the building is paying for itself. Gordon mentioned that they now have girl's fast pitch and programs for the little kids, and it's a win/win for all. A comment was made about how nice the building looked for the train show. Many of the kids are from urban areas, but that's fine. King County does pay for th elights and they are looking for a PSE energy grant. There seems to be a lot more intreest in what's going on in the community and the park. Some citizens were concerned at first, but they had meetings with the community. They charge about 40% less than other facilities and this helps out the local families. They have applied for a 501(3)(c) so they can get invovled with company match. Their website is www.rockcreeksports.org.

9:00 PM - Ravensdale Park

Gordon Moorman updated us on this. Phase 1 involves the soccer fields, and the full design of the park is moving forward. There is only enough money for Phase 1. Phase 2 involves the baseball fields and the lighting will not be replaced in Phase 1 or 2.

9:10 PM -  Council Business and Committee Reports

Steve asked if we would discuss whether or not we want committee reports on the website. We decided to post items on the website that the council approves.

Rob's new email address is Robart77@hotmail.com.

The council discussed the letter for the Farmers Market. Peter wrote a draft at the meeting, and the letter was approved.

Adjourn