Newcastle 411

Newcastle City Hall will be closed Friday (7/3) in observance of the Independence Day holiday. We hope to see all of you at Lake Boren Park on Saturday for Valley Medical Center’s 4th at the Lake. Here’s everything you need to know:

6pm: Festivities begin
8pm: Astro Cats take the concert stage
10pm: Fireworks show

A free shuttle will run in a loop between Newcastle Elementary School and Lake Boren Park. Newcastle Police remind everyone that fireworks are illegal in the city. Be safe, have fun, and happy 4th to all of you!

All four lanes of the new May Creek Bridge opened around 11am today.

Drivers heading south on Coal Creek Parkway can also drive straight through to Renton. The detour at SE 95th Way is gone, and the traffic lights at 95th are now up and running.

Renton opened its section of the road (Duvall Avenue) this morning. Newcastle will open the remaining lanes of Coal Creek Parkway by July 16.

A lot of progress has been made on Newcastle’s new YMCA. The exterior of the Coal Creek facility on Golf Club Road is nearly complete, and work is also wrapping up inside. These new photos show the pools, gym, and community kitchen.

The deadline to join as a Charter Member and to waive joining fees is July 31. Opening date for Charter Members is August 7. The facility will open to the rest of the public during Newcastle Days on September 12 and 13.

Due to budget restrictions this year, the City of Newcastle wasn’t able to put on the summer movies at Lake Boren Park. However, we’ve just gotten word that the Golf Club at Newcastle has decided to hold “Family Movie Nights at the Golf Club.” Here are the dates:

Friday, July 24 at 9:35pm
Friday, August 7 at 9:10pm

The movie nights are free to the public and will be held on the 18th Hole of the golf course. The movies are still being lined up, but you can expect both of them to be family friendly. We’ll keep you posted. Come for the films and the view!

The City’s Parks Commission is hoping to get the public’s input as they draft a plan for proposed trail uses in Newcastle. That plan will designate specific uses on each trail such as pedestrian, equestrian, bicycles, etc. Please take the following survey, and feel free to only mark the trails that you use or live nearby (we don’t expect you to know every trail in the city). Click here to take the survey. You can also find more information at the City’s table at the fireworks show at Lake Boren this Saturday.

6/24 - 6/25 (overnight hours): A vehicle was stolen from Newport Crossing in the 7300 block of Coal Creek Parkway. The vehicle had an alarm, but it wasn’t set. The car was recovered a few block away with all of the items inside stolen.

6/28: Two men stole beer and groceries from the Safeway on Coal Creek Parkway around 7:15pm and fled in a white minivan.

6/28 - 6/29 (overnight hours): Someone broke into a locked car at Walker’s Run on 7400 Golf Club Road and stole a stereo. Another car was broken into at nearby Regency Newcastle and a GPS unit was stolen.

What would Independence Day be without good food? If you come out to Valley Medical Center’s 4th at the Lake, you’ll find plenty of tasty treats. Big O’s Bar B Cue will be on hand to dish out smoked meats with a cross of Mississippi and Louisiana style seasonings. Half Pint Ice Cream will have homemade products to keep you cool and Jumping JoJo Concessions will have a variety of items. Bring the family and bring your appetite to Lake Boren Park on Saturday starting at 6pm. Reminder: Free shuttle available from Newcastle Elementary School.

I want to give everyone a status report as Newcastle applies for its own unique zip code with the United States Postal Service. Our official request will be submitted by July 8 to the Seattle District Manager, and we’re also asking for a chance to sit down with her to go over the key points. Our elected officials in Olympia and Washington, DC are also writing letters of support and talking to the USPS. Since 52% of the people who took the resident survey have experienced delayed or misrouted mail, we hope for a positive outcome. Once our application is submitted, a decision will be issued within 60 days.

Our state’s Office of Financial Management is out with its 2009 population estimates. The OFM puts Newcastle’s population at 9,925. That’s up from 9,720 in 2008. The numbers are based on actual change in things like school enrollment, housing, voters and driver’s licenses, and are used to distribute revenues to local governments for public services and transportation. To see Newcastle’s growth through the years and population estimates for other cities, click here.

The possibility of a temporary skate park in Newcastle has generated a lot of discussion. Now, you can learn more about it during an Open House set for Tuesday, July 14 from 6pm to 7:30pm at Renton Academy. The proposed location of the temporary park is the northwest corner of the parking lot at Renton Academy visible from the intersection of Newcastle Way and 116th Ave SE. Please keep in mind this is an informational meeting and no final decisions have been made. Skateboard enthusiasts, members of the community, and nearby residents are all invited to attend. Pictured above: skate park demonstration held in Newcastle in May.