Welcome and Introductions. Attendees: Greg Helland, FOMP President; Norah Robinson, King County Parks; Amy Dunn, AEG; Shane Berry, Seattle Event Solutions; Michael Hobbs, FOMP Secretary, webmaster; Laura Hall, Marymoor Community Gardeners Association, FOMP Board; Glenn Eades, Eastside Audubon, neighbor; Steve Guty, MAR/C
 

CIP/Project/Facility Updates
 

• Birdloop – November, and especially December work parties will be planting something like 600 new plants, many to be planted in Snag Row.
   
• Community Garden – major close-the-garden work party coming, though some gardeners continue through the winter. Final numbers for HopeLink donations are not yet final. Laura hopes the apiary will return in 2019.
   
• Sound Transit
  • Wetland mitigation – probably will occur in the southern portion of Marymoor West.
     
  • Osprey relocation – removal of old and placement of new will be synchronized to prevent another pair of osprey from grabbing the new nest. Will happen in fall of 2019. ST will delineate wetlands there and in the triangle wetland, with the latter being a fall-back location if the spot north of Lot B (gravel lot) proves unworkable.
     
• Commuter parking – Began talking about how to preclude commuter parking within Marymoor.  As of now, with a $100 annual parking pass, someone could simply buy the pass and park in the Park every day. They could fill every parking spot at Marymoor. Norah suggested a time limit – say 3 hours max, at least in some lots. She also brought up the idea of certain lots being reserved for certain users – i.e. only model airplane people in the model airplane lot (or parts of that lot) - already being done with the Community Gardens.
  
  Norah also brought up the issue of parking revenue for events like Cirque du Soliel; presumably those parking revenues will drop as people take Light Rail to the Event Pad events.
   
• Cut-through traffic – Support seems to be growing within FOMP for closing Marymoor Way in the middle of the park.  Greg suggested that the closure only be a weekday closure; the park road could open weekends, when the park is busiest and commuter traffic at its lowest ebb.  
  
  The original gate in the middle of the park has been removed. Michael offered the idea of using a railroad crossing-type gate, with Public Safety vehicles triggering opening the same way they trigger green lights, and park maintenance could have some kind of push-button access (like a garage door opener). Norah suggested closing the East entrance to Marymoor; from the East entrance, visitors would still be able to park in the Bellevue lot right at the entrance.  There is also an easy turn-around there.
  
  Especially Greg and Laura are very eager to block the road very soon – Greg suggested March 1, or even January 1.  It was noted that political issues may argue for delaying closure for a year; Norah suggested going through a very open process to minimize the number of ruffled feathers. There would still be time to act prior to the Sound Transit Light Rail and most of the development in Marymoor Village. Norah also mentioned that there are increased enforcement efforts could be implemented; evening cars could be denied exit at the east end without a parking ticket already in hand. Police can occasionally do a few hours of random drive-through enforcement. Signage is part of this too. It has been done in the past, and it works for as long as the expensive enforcement actions continue.
   
• Dudley Carter Sculptures – "Thunderbirds" turns out to be rather one-sided, not suitable for 360 degree viewing. It will be installed near the Marymoor Connector Trail near the cricket field. The restoration work for all sculptures are complete, bases are being constructed and installed.
   
• Willowmoor Floodplain Restoration Project – A Shareholder Advisory Committee workshop was held 10/4. Project is continuing under the Flood Control program. After presentation to the Advisory Committee, there was an additional presentation to the public. The preferred alternative that they are pursuing further would be to carve a river channel between the current slough and West Lake Sammamish. The existing flood channel (“active transition zone”) might be expanded to the west, with riparian vegetation moved to the East edge, to allow a clear flood channel of sufficient size. There is still consideration of a seasonally adjustable weir to govern water levels entering the flood channel. Tribal input is going to be a bit of a wildcard, since they are not part of the Advisory Committee.
  
  During the public discussion portion of the 10/4 meeting, the focuses were on what people’s desires were for west of the slough, for the east side of the transition zone, and what desires were for motorcraft vis-à-vis the weir and transition zone. People on the west side requested much better pedestrian access; they aren’t all comfortable walking the path that is well below grade next to WLSP, but those that do walk that trail, they would like much better pedestrian access to Marymoor. People walking from the south get to Marymoor Way, and find no good way across the road entrance into the park, nor any sidewalks/paths once you cross the bridge. People don’t continue north to cross the pedestrian bridge north of Marymoor Way (which doesn’t get them to the parts of Marymoor they’d like to visit in any case.). A new pedestrian bridge across the river somewhere south of Marymoor Way was requested by some people.

  On the question of the east edge of the slough, there was disapproval of the appearance of the mowed Transition Zone. People would support moving the riparian vegetation to the east edge. One main justification for keeping willows along the main channel through the transition zone is to shade the water to keep it cooler. It’s possible that most/all of the summer water would go down the new channel
   

• Sewer upgrade – The Sammamish River Trail will have a 1 year closure during sewer construction.  Detours will be effect, but there is no good detour from Marymoor Way to Leary Way.
   

• Events Update The last Cirque show was scheduled for Sunday, November 4th, with a lengthy load-out period to follow.