Wilderness Rim Association (WRA) is a homeowners’ association and water provider for people who own real property in Wilderness Rim.  These people are “Members” of the Association.  WRA is a non-profit corporation, and like all corporations, it has a Board of Directors which WRA calls a Board of Trustees.  The size and functions of the Board are defined in the WRA Bylaws.  The Board of Trustees manages the Association’s business for the benefit of the entire community as unpaid volunteers. These individuals are generally elected by the members but open positions may be filled by appointment of the Board to serve until the next election of trustees.

WRA MANAGEMENT TEAM (Volunteers from the community are listed below, and as of 2018, WRA hired Agynbyte, a management company to assist in the operations of the Association).

 – BOARD OF TRUSTEES  

WRA’s trustees work to ensure that our common resources are managed in compliance with all of the applicable laws, such as the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), and in the best interests of the membership. They also are simultaneously motivated to keep all dues as low as possible.

Considering the legal implications of each issue is important to the decision-making process. Should the Board run afoul of the RCW (or federal laws, like OSHA regulations), the Association may be sued.  Legal actions are very costly to the membership, who pays these legal bills.  A good Board is constantly vigilant.

– OFFICERS  

At the Board meeting immediately following the Annual Meeting of the Membership each year, the first duty of the trustees is to elect officers.

The Board has four officers, who have specific duties as described in the Bylaws:

• President

Runs the meetings and guides the Board

• Vice President

Fills in when the president is unavailable

• Secretary

Directs maintenance of business records

• Treasurer

Directs maintenance of financial records

The officers and trustees oversee the day-to-day operations of the Association’s business. They sign documents such as contracts and work with WRA’s attorney, accountant, and other professionals.

– COMMITTEES 

The WRA committees are where the action takes place.  In between Board meetings, the committees carry out their functional duties as described in the Bylaws. The newly-elected president appoints most committee chairs.

A Board meeting largely consists of committees’ status reports and voting on their proposals.  WRA has five standing committees, which are defined in the Bylaws:

• Architectural Review
  Approves member’s lot improvements

• Budget and Finance
  Accounting

• Communications
  Newsletters, bulletin boards, website

• Park
  Cascade Park and greenbelt management

• Water Utilities
  Water system management

The Board typically re-establishes several special committees each year:

• Annual Meeting
  Prepares and conducts annual membership meeting
• Firewise
  Coordinates activities with the national Firewise communities
• Neighborhood Safety
  Liaison with our contracted King County patrol officers
• Special Events
  Holiday parties, game nights, Rim Run, etc.

Any member in good standing can be a committee member, including being a committee chair.  Trustees are expected to be active on at least one committee.  The Budget and Finance Committee is always chaired by the Treasurer.  The Architectural Review Committee (ARC) members are elected directly by the membership and elect their own chair.

The Board is responsible to the membership for every decision it makes.  Every decision is discussed, voted on, and recorded. The Board meeting minutes are available upon request and in the members-only section of the WRA website.

– STAFF  

WRA has year-round staff.

• The Meter Reader, who regularly checks each water meter in Wilderness Rim, both for billing and to monitor equipment.

ASSET MANAGEMENT

The Board is responsible for protecting the assets of WRA, including, but not limited to:

• Bank accounts containing over $800,000 of the membership’s money
• Water system
• Cascade Park

These multi-million dollar assets improve your quality of life and increase the value of your home.

MEMBERSHIP PARTICIPATION IS CRUCIAL

Membership responsibilities and goals include the following:

• Reading the WRA governing documents (Articles, Bylaws, Covenants, Water Regs);
• Providing current contact information to the Agynbyte;
• Paying annual dues, including water fees and other charges on time;
• Voting at membership meetings;
• Participating in association functions; and
• Encouraging community.

Even though all WRA meetings and events are publicized on the WRA website calendar, many members have not attended any WRA meeting or event.

Many WRA members may not know what the Board really does.  In a way, that’s good as it implies that everything is running smoothly.  However, it could be bad if it means that a few people are working voluntarily for the benefit of the whole community with little support or encouragement. Also, it could mean that the Board is making decisions with very little community input.

Some members may assume incorrectly that the Board performs functions related to crime control, road maintenance, flooding mitigation, or even animal control. Those functions are King County government services.

Changes in the demographics of Wilderness Rim have caused a drop in volunteer participation, but the demands and expectations of the community have increased.  The community needs individuals to step forward to ensure that the water system and other assets are protected, maintained, and secured.  Only this will protect the value of YOUR HOME and keep business management costs controlled.

When the Board is filled with cooperative trustees who focus on their responsibilities to the membership, meetings run smoothly and produce excellent results.  Diversity of ideas and experience on the Board often lead to more carefully considered decisions. Working efficiently and making wise decisions with lasting benefits is very rewarding to those who serve as well as to the membership.

When the Board is understaffed, the trustees might not perform their duties effectively.  This could cause important obligations to be neglected and result in financial waste.  Without enough trustees, the Board was supplemented by a management company.

BENEFITS FOR YOU:
There are significant personal benefits to serving on the Board.

• You will have opportunities for personal and professional development by learning about business, accounting, law, water systems, park maintenance, leadership, and communications.
• You will have opportunities to learn how extraordinarily wonderful our little corner of the world is and how hard your neighbors have worked to ensure it stays that way.
• You will have opportunities to meet your neighbors and influence the community in constructive ways. Your ideas for the betterment of the community may be enacted.

If you’ve read this far, it may be time to stretch your comfort zone.  Work with your WRA team who takes pride in making a difference in your community.  Show your gratitude for the generous efforts others have made on your behalf by joining the ranks of your neighbors who have already said, “yes!”

To get started, just go to:

http://wildernessrim.org/calendar and see what’s going on, then, send an email to trustees@wildernessrim.org.

We have received the letter below from Wendy Kara, with King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks.  She has told us that this work may start within a few days.

Dear Wilderness Rim Association,

 This e-mail is to inform you of some maintenance actions that King County is planning for your neighborhood as soon as we can get the King County construction crew scheduled.  This is work that is being done under the FEMA and State grant to reduce flooding in your neighborhood.  Today the state gave us the okay to move ahead with this work and King County Roads let us know that they have an opening in their schedule starting this week and we are planning to get this work on their schedule while we have the opportunity.  Please let us know right away if you have any questions about this work.

Reconstruct roadside ditches and clean out driveway culverts along portions of SE 175^th Place and 424^th Ave SE

Raise infiltration pond maintenance access road and connect to existing berm to the northwest

 I’ve attached plans that show the location of work to reconstruct the roadside ditches as we proposed in our grant proposal.  Plans can be confusing to read, but if you look at the attached ditch work plan, sheet 2 shows with cross hatching the location of the ditch work.  The sheet 6 shows the ditch side slopes which will typically be approximately 1.5:1 or 2:1 and the depth will be approximately 1-1.5 feet deeper than current ditches.   [Wendy’s attachments are available from the WRA office by request.]

 I’ve also attached the plans for raising a portion of the pond maintenance access road and connecting to an existing berm next to the infiltration pond behind the house at 17316 424th Ave SE to provide flood protection to the three homes (lots 1010, 1020 and 1030) northwest of the pond access road.  The berm connection will involve about 3 feet of fill and the maintenance access road will be raised approximately 1-1.5 feet in the areas that need to be raised.  [Wendy’s attachments are available from the WRA office by request.]

 The more typical pond maintenance may also be done at this time, though that hasn’t been confirmed yet.  The larger excavation/maintenance project to be done under the grant will likely happen next year.

Let me and Tim Kelly, our project engineer, know if you have questions.

 Wendy Kara, P.E.

Engineer III, Capital Services Unit
Water and Land Resources Division
King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks
201 S. Jackson, Suite 600
Seattle, WA, 98104-8355

206-477-4723

Starting June 6 2016, Sallal Water Association will be replacing water pipelines on Cedar Falls Road from the Riverbend entrance up to 160^th Ave SE.  Traffic will be reduced to one lane for 30-40 days.  Residents are strongly encouraged to use alternate routes such as the Uplands to avoid the traffic jams on Cedar Falls during this time.

Please help our community and take our very quick, 6-question survey that should take no more than 60 seconds! Your feedback is extremely important to us.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CPDGWGZ

Snoqualmie Valley Transportation (SVT) now has regular bus service in Wilderness Rim for $1 per trip. The new Cedar Falls Loop Service will pick up residents along the main WR loop six times per weekday.  The bus also travels to Rattlesnake Lake during the summer. Please check out the newly updated www.svtbus.org website for more information and route timetables.  Morning routes arrive here at 7:14, 8:14 and 9:14 and in the afternoon at 1:14, 2:14 and 3:14 stopping first at the fire station and then at the Chalet five minutes later.

One of the best things about living in Wilderness Rim is enjoying the quiet.  One of the greatest frustrations is listening to barking dogs—especially now, as the weather warms and windows are open and people are out walking.

Sometimes Wilderness Rim residents come to the WRA Board of Trustees for help with getting relief from their neighbor’s barking dogs.  The Board does not have any power to intervene.  Dealing with barking dogs is a legal action that is handled by King County.

Your neighbors have a right to live in peace.  If a neighbor comes to you to complain, be considerate.  They, and probably many others, have probably put up with the problem a long time before working up the courage to say something.

If your dog barks at everyone who walks by, or for no reason at all, it is a “nuisance”.  Whether it is disturbing just one person or your entire neighborhood, you are responsible for solving that problem.  If you ignore your neighbor’s complaint, you are inviting legal action.

If you have a dog that barks, here are some ideas from the county about solving the problem:

http://kingcounty.gov/~/media/safety/regionalAnimalServices/documents/BrochureBarking.ashx?la=en

There are also various devices that can be used to train dogs not to bark.  For example:

http://www.ultimatebarkcontrol.com/a/ultrasonic-dog.htm

If you have a neighbor who has a dog that barks, first go to your neighbor and tell them.  Often dogs bark while their owners are at work and the owner may not be aware of the extent of the problem.  If, after making an effort to get relief by asking, you have the option of filing a complaint.

Here is how to file a complaint:

http://www.kingcounty.gov/safety/regionalAnimalServices/~/media/safety/AnimalServices/files/complaintform%20pdf.ashx

The applicable laws are clear and have significant penalties:

From: http://www.kingcounty.gov/council/legislation/kc_code/14_Title_11.aspx

11.08.160  Dog control zone – Wilderness Rim community.  Under the provisions of this chapter, there is created a dog control zone in the following described area:  Wilderness Rim Division No. 1 (Vol. 82, pages 48, 49 and 50); Wilderness Rim Division No. 2 (Vol. 84, pages 95, 96, 97 and 98); Wilderness Rim Division No. 3 (Vol. 90, pages 60, 61 and 62), all recorded in volumes of Plats, Records of King County, Washington.  (Ord. 4909 § 1, 1980: Ord. 4385 § 1, 1979).

11.04.230  Nuisances defined.  For purposes of this chapter, nuisances are violations of this chapter and shall be defined as follows:

…

1. Any animal that howls, yelps, whines, barks or makes other oral noises to an unreasonable degree, in such a manner as to disturb a person or neighborhood;

11.04.190  Violations – misdemeanor – penalty.  Any person who allows an animal to be maintained in violation of this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by fine of not more than two hundred fifty dollars and/or imprisonment for a term not to exceed ninety days.  (Ord. 1396 Art. III § 3, 1972).

11.04.200  Violations – civil penalty.  In addition to or as an alternative to any other penalty provided in this chapter or by law, any person whose animal is maintained in violation of this chapter shall incur a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed one thousand dollars per violation to be directly assessed by the manager of the animal care and control authority plus billable costs of the animal care and control authority.

We all have a right to a peaceful neighborhood.  Please help keep Wilderness Rim a wonderfully quiet place.

Thanks to the inspiration of one of our neighbors, two shining beacons of light greet residents of Wilderness Rim each day.  Art Farash, long-time Wilderness Rim Association member, had a revelation when driving by a home with a large flag waving in the Uplands.  “I saw their beautiful flag and thought, ‘why couldn’t I do something like that?”  He searched on Google and found deals for flags, flagpoles, and lights for under $100.

Farash served in the US Army for over a quarter-century and also flies the black US MIA-POW and Retired US Army flags.

Several years ago, Art noticed that the flag at the Wilderness Rim Fire Station 88 was not being lowered to half-mast during certain observances. “I called the station headquarters, and they said there wasn’t anyone there to lower it.”  Art volunteered to assist with that duty and now makes certain that proper flag lowering and raising occurs.  He also installed a flag pole at a neighbor’s home and offers flags to homes who have poles without the American Stars and Stripes.

Across the street from Farash is Fred Lang, another Rim resident inspired by Old Glory.  His son had given him a flagpole, and Art gave him the idea for the light on top.  The flags are parallel to each other and impossible to miss at night – all because of one man’s passion for our nation’s flag.

Do you have a compelling story about one of our neighbors?  Email communications@wildernessrim.org.