PINEWOOD DERBY Lake Stevens Cub Scout Pack 42 held their annual Pinewood Derby. See how the Scouts did. READ MORE ON Page 12 March 29, 2017 Edition 2 Issue 20 PO Box 349 Lake Stevens, WA 98258 LakeStevensLedger.com LOCAL COLUMNS The Ledger’s columns bring informa- tion for readers from gardening, organization and more. Read more pages 9-11 Healthy kids Students around Snohomish County are making smarter choices when it comes to their health. Read more on page 7 BUSINESS NEWS Business in Lake Stevens is growing. Find out what is going on around town. Read more on page 5 Part of the Lake Stevens Police Department’s plan to cut down on speeding are the new speed signs found all over the city. Photo by Pam Stevens Runners at this year’s C-Trail and Chase the Leprechaun at CentennialTrail head on 20th St. NE. Right: Dr. Jason Bourne with the Leprechaun they chased during the annual run. Contributed Photo s Contributed Sports Galore Sports in Lake Stevens is in full swing. Check out track, wrestling, baseball, basketball and more. Read more pages 6, 8 SEE Speeding ON page 2 One of the most frequent complaints I get from citizens of Lake Stevens is that of ve- hicles speeding in the city. This is a legitimate com- plaint, as higher driving speeds lead to a higher crash rate, as well as a greater likelihood of a severe outcome. It can also have a negative effect on qual- ity of life in a neighborhood, both from a safety concern, as well as in reduced efficient flow of traffic. In working on this issue, the city has worked with many op- tions: One is the evaluation of the complaint. A tool which the city can use is to do a traffic study in the area of the com- plaint. This study can do sev- eral things: Evaluate the level of the problem in the area. Evaluate if the speed limit of the road is consistent with its use Indicate specific times when Police working to reduce speeding in city Chief John Dyer Lake Stevens Police Chief The fifth annual Lake Ste- vens Chamber of Commerce C Trail 5K/10K/Kids 1K Run & Chase the Leprechaun was on Saturday, March 11 this year.   The weather held out until the very end, so it was an en- C-Trail Run, Chase the Leprechaun has another successful year joyable morning for over 200 runners.   With over 20 kids running the 1K and chasing the Lepre- chaun, there were some really fast kids!   There were over 24 spon- sors, and five vendors for this locally known and highly supported community event.   Kelly DuByne and her list of volunteers has made the run an important event within the community. This event helps increase the Chamber’s visibility in the community as well as support the operation of the chamber office.   A portion of the proceeds go towards the Leader in Me Program that is at some of the Lake Stevens School District schools. Contributed Lake Stevens Fire will con- sider asking voters to approve a levy lid lift for emergency medical service (EMS). At a re- cent meeting, the Board of Fire Commissioners discussed the public process they will hold before making a final decision. Two public meetings in early summer will be scheduled to take input from community members about the idea. “We want to make sure the community is aware of the challenges we are facing,” said Commissioner Paul Gagnon. “Call volumes for EMS alone have increased 35 percent in six years. Revenue isn’t keep- ing up with the demand for service.” The fire district is limited to a one percent revenue increase per year. However, the demand for and cost to provide service is higher than that. “Costs for medical supplies, equipment, maintenance, per- sonnel, utilities – you name it – increase by more than that one percent cap,” said Chief Kevin O’Brien. “We want to get ahead of this issue before it becomes a problem.” In addition, the levy fund- ing the EMS program that voters approved in 2000 has fallen from 50 cents to 32 cents per $1,000 of assessed prop- erty value. An 18-cent “lid lift” would restore funding to 50 cents per $1,000 and cost the owner of a $300,000 home an additional $54 per year ($4.50 per month). In 2016, Lake Stevens Fire responded to 5,655 calls, and 76 percent were EMS-related. The EMS lid lift would contin- ue to fund Basic and Advanced Life Support with 14 full-time and part-time firefighters and paramedics responding 24 hours a day. In addition to emergency personnel, funding is used to replace ambulances, maintain existing apparatus, training and certifications, medical equipment, and first aid supplies. Lake Stevens Fire provides fire suppression and emergen- cy medical service to 44,000 people over 42 square miles. During 2016 our highly-skilled firefighters and paramedics re- sponded to more than 5,600 calls, 76 percent of which were for emergency medical ser- vice (EMS). Lake Stevens Fire is proud to be debt free, oper- ate under a balanced budget and has a long history of pass- ing independent audits by the state. More information about the fire district can be found at www.lsfire.org. Board of Fire Commissioners will consider EMS levy lid lift Call volumes up 35 percent in six years , OCR Text: PINEWOOD DERBY Lake Stevens Cub Scout Pack 42 held their annual Pinewood Derby. See how the Scouts did. READ MORE ON Page 12 March 29, 2017 Edition 2 Issue 20 PO Box 349 Lake Stevens, WA 98258 LakeStevensLedger.com LOCAL COLUMNS The Ledger’s columns bring informa- tion for readers from gardening, organization and more. Read more pages 9-11 Healthy kids Students around Snohomish County are making smarter choices when it comes to their health. Read more on page 7 BUSINESS NEWS Business in Lake Stevens is growing. Find out what is going on around town. Read more on page 5 Part of the Lake Stevens Police Department’s plan to cut down on speeding are the new speed signs found all over the city. Photo by Pam Stevens Runners at this year’s C-Trail and Chase the Leprechaun at CentennialTrail head on 20th St. NE. Right: Dr. Jason Bourne with the Leprechaun they chased during the annual run. Contributed Photo s Contributed Sports Galore Sports in Lake Stevens is in full swing. Check out track, wrestling, baseball, basketball and more. Read more pages 6, 8 SEE Speeding ON page 2 One of the most frequent complaints I get from citizens of Lake Stevens is that of ve- hicles speeding in the city. This is a legitimate com- plaint, as higher driving speeds lead to a higher crash rate, as well as a greater likelihood of a severe outcome. It can also have a negative effect on qual- ity of life in a neighborhood, both from a safety concern, as well as in reduced efficient flow of traffic. In working on this issue, the city has worked with many op- tions: One is the evaluation of the complaint. A tool which the city can use is to do a traffic study in the area of the com- plaint. This study can do sev- eral things: Evaluate the level of the problem in the area. Evaluate if the speed limit of the road is consistent with its use Indicate specific times when Police working to reduce speeding in city Chief John Dyer Lake Stevens Police Chief The fifth annual Lake Ste- vens Chamber of Commerce C Trail 5K/10K/Kids 1K Run & Chase the Leprechaun was on Saturday, March 11 this year.   The weather held out until the very end, so it was an en- C-Trail Run, Chase the Leprechaun has another successful year joyable morning for over 200 runners.   With over 20 kids running the 1K and chasing the Lepre- chaun, there were some really fast kids!   There were over 24 spon- sors, and five vendors for this locally known and highly supported community event.   Kelly DuByne and her list of volunteers has made the run an important event within the community. This event helps increase the Chamber’s visibility in the community as well as support the operation of the chamber office.   A portion of the proceeds go towards the Leader in Me Program that is at some of the Lake Stevens School District schools. Contributed Lake Stevens Fire will con- sider asking voters to approve a levy lid lift for emergency medical service (EMS). At a re- cent meeting, the Board of Fire Commissioners discussed the public process they will hold before making a final decision. Two public meetings in early summer will be scheduled to take input from community members about the idea. “We want to make sure the community is aware of the challenges we are facing,” said Commissioner Paul Gagnon. “Call volumes for EMS alone have increased 35 percent in six years. Revenue isn’t keep- ing up with the demand for service.” The fire district is limited to a one percent revenue increase per year. However, the demand for and cost to provide service is higher than that. “Costs for medical supplies, equipment, maintenance, per- sonnel, utilities – you name it – increase by more than that one percent cap,” said Chief Kevin O’Brien. “We want to get ahead of this issue before it becomes a problem.” In addition, the levy fund- ing the EMS program that voters approved in 2000 has fallen from 50 cents to 32 cents per $1,000 of assessed prop- erty value. An 18-cent “lid lift” would restore funding to 50 cents per $1,000 and cost the owner of a $300,000 home an additional $54 per year ($4.50 per month). In 2016, Lake Stevens Fire responded to 5,655 calls, and 76 percent were EMS-related. The EMS lid lift would contin- ue to fund Basic and Advanced Life Support with 14 full-time and part-time firefighters and paramedics responding 24 hours a day. In addition to emergency personnel, funding is used to replace ambulances, maintain existing apparatus, training and certifications, medical equipment, and first aid supplies. Lake Stevens Fire provides fire suppression and emergen- cy medical service to 44,000 people over 42 square miles. During 2016 our highly-skilled firefighters and paramedics re- sponded to more than 5,600 calls, 76 percent of which were for emergency medical ser- vice (EMS). Lake Stevens Fire is proud to be debt free, oper- ate under a balanced budget and has a long history of pass- ing independent audits by the state. More information about the fire district can be found at www.lsfire.org. Board of Fire Commissioners will consider EMS levy lid lift Call volumes up 35 percent in six years , Lake Stevens Historical Society,Newspapers,Lake Stevens Ledger,2017,March+29.+2017.pdf,March+29.+2017.pdf Page 1, March+29.+2017.pdf Page 1