NEWS BRIEFS

Thinkspace breaks new ground

Thinkspace breaks new ground

Thinkspace broke new ground on Monday by being the first building in the Puget Sound Region to market pre-certified, “green” LEED-compliant executive office suites with a carbon neutral option.

The 25,000 square feet of executive office suites is located at 8201 164th Avenue in downtown Redmond. According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, Thinkspace is the 7th largest executive office suite in the Puget Sound Region and the largest in Redmond. Thinkspace provides private offices, coworking space, virtual offices, meeting rooms, and hosted software.

“We are looking to build a strong community inside Thinkspace and the City of Redmond,” said Thinkspace CEO Peter Chee. “We’re planning on holding an event to discuss social media and how businesses can use that to further their business. We are also looking to coordinate brown bag lunches where businesses can learn more about how to operate their business in a sustainable manner.”

Mayor John Marchione was on hand for the ribbon cutting.

“Building businesses in Redmond is about building connections and Thinkspace is another place of building connections and strengthening our business community and strengthening our community as a whole,” Marchione said.

Chamber, VFW to collect supplies

The Greater Redmond Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with VFW Post 2995, is collecting “Comfort Package Supplies” for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Chamber and the VFW will have a booth at Derby Days on July 12. They will be collecting the following: toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, razors, foot powder, deodorant, aspirin, Ibuprofen, canned ravioli, canned fruit cocktail, insect repellent, sunblock, writing materials, beanie babies or small stuffed toys.

All items must be new and sealed. Sample sizes are welcome.

The VFW and Auxiliary Volunteers are authorized by the IRS as a non-profit group.

Each package costs $9.80 to mail, and the VFW mails some 200 per month. The main concern is for the service personnel stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Parks and Trails meeting cancelled

The City of Redmond’s Parks and Trails Commission has cancelled its July 10 meeting. They will reconvene at their regularly scheduled meeting on at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 7 at Redmond City Hall Conference Room, 15670 NE 85th St.

Free outdoor movies

Redmond Youth Partnership Advisory Committee (RYPAC) is presenting free outdoor movies this summer, with sponsorship from Young Smiles Orthodontics.

All ages are welcome. Movies start at dusk, around 9:30 p.m. Bring a blanket or low-back chairs and your picnic basket.

The schedule and locations are as follows:

Friday, July 18, “Grease” at Redmond City Hall, 15670 NE 85th St.

Friday, July 25, “Ghost Busters” at Redmond City Hall.

Saturday, Aug. 2, “Back to the Future” at Idylwood Park Beach, 3650 W. Lake Sammamish Parkway.

Saturday, Aug. 9, “Surf’s Up” at Idylwood Park Beach.

Friday, Aug. 15, “Bee Movie” at Redmond City Hall.

For more information, contact Ken Wong, teen programs director for City of Redmond at kwong@redmond.gov or (425) 556-2320.

Gas cards up for grabs

Five $100 gas cards are up for grabs by students who register by July 11 for fall quarter at Bellevue Community College.

All students who register by the deadline — and who meet the standard Aug. 13 tuition payment date — are automatically entered in

the drawing for the five prizes. There are no special contest forms to fill out.

Winners will be selected randomly on Oct. 13. Names of the winners will be posted on the BCC Outreach Web site at www.bellevuecollege.edu/outreach.

To register for fall classes, students should go to www.bellevuecollege.edu and click on ‘Enrollment.”

The drawing is sponsored by the Bellevue Community College Foundation.

BCC also is helping students cope with the rising cost of gasoline by developing more online classes, including courses that are conducted totally over the Internet and ‘hybrid’ courses in which more than half of the learning is done online, but classes meet on campus one or two days a week for face-to-face discussions and interaction with the instructor and other students.