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OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR THE CITY OF ISSAQUAH

Postmaster:Send address changes to:Issaquah Press, PO Box 1328Issaquah, WA 98027

Congratulations to the Greater Issaquah Chamber ofCommerce on its 63 new members last month, abouta 14 percent gain, edging the total membership to-ward the 500 mark.

Yes, it’s a big deal. As a community, Issaquah needs a chamber that is strong

in members and leadership. Strong enough that city, countyand state officials listen when chamber officials speak on be-half of businesses. Strong enough to bring lobbies for lowerbusiness taxes, road improvements and regulations that en-hance an economically sound community. Strong enough totap the skills of its members to benefit local education andcharitable causes. And strong enough to bring its memberstogether to support each other in business, in friendships, inshared resources.

Together, Issaquah businesses have a greater opportunityto survive and thrive. That’s good for all citizens who live,work or play here.

It’s a bit sad that there are still at least 500 or more localbusinesses that have not joined the chamber. Certainly, thereare those who truly can’t squeak out the $200-$400 mem-bership fee, but most just don’t see what’s in it for them.

The chamber has a slew of benefits — including access tohealth care plans for individuals or small businesses — anda host of networking and marketing opportunities. And it’sthe chamber that manages the Visitor Information Centerand stages the Salmon Days Festival and last weekend’sDownhome Fourth of July.

But ultimately, a chamber membership is the right thing todo. It says the business owners care about being here, aboutbeing part of something greater than themselves.

The membership drive was a huge success, but it won’tstop there. New leadership and new direction, fueled by aneconomy that can’t wait for action, has reinvigorated thechamber. The timing couldn’t be better.

Businesses appreciatework of the chamber

Polystyrene ban

Ban would help clear up Styrofoamcontainers cluttering up Issaquah Creek

I support a citywide ban on polystyrenefood containers as described in the June 17Press.

There have been news stories over the pastfew years about the island of discarded plasticfloating in the mid-Pacific. However, we haveone such monstrosity here in Issaquah. Oneonly has to paddle a canoe up Issaquah Creekfrom Lake Sammamish to find the creek’s sur-face covered from bank to bank with floatingplastic.

As bad as all of the other floating plastic(pop bottles, etc), the worst is the Styrofoamfood and drink containers that have been jetti-soned somewhere upstream on the streets ofIssaquah. The Styrofoam is breaking up intosmaller beads that fish and birds eat, andchoke on.

A raft of plastic can be found along the creekwhenever a log falls across the creek and trapsthe plastic floating on the surface. The last timeI saw such a raft, it was about 100 feet south ofthe footbridge over Issaquah Creek, near thebeaches and picnic area.

Bob WhitbeckIssaquah

Issaquah Highlands

Majority of residents want a gas stationcloser to where they live and work

Contrary to Jerry Burns’ assertions, a gasstation in the Issaquah Highlands would beperfectly consistent with the urban village de-sign concept. The goal is to live close to work,stores and, yes, services, such as a gas station.The whole point is to reduce travel and thus re-duce gas consumption, pollution and wasted

time.Currently, highlands residents must drive out

of their way (consuming more gas and creatingmore pollution) to Front Street, East Lake Sam-mamish Parkway, Gilman Boulevard and otherlocations to get gas. That makes traffic worseon all of those streets, which in turn forcespeople stuck in that traffic to consume moregas and create more pollution.

Burns’ concerns about gas station leaks,while well-intentioned, are out of date. Ex-perts from the state Department of Ecologyhave noted that regulations have been muchmore strict for years. All new gas stations aredouble-walled. Besides, engineers learnedthat the geology of the area in question wouldprevent any seepage from reaching theaquifer.

Finally, according to a recent survey, 70 per-cent of highlands residents want a gas station.Those seeking election or re-election shouldkeep that in mind.

Matthew J. BarryIssaquah

Schools

With a declining emphasis on learning,classrooms are just daycare centers

Our schools are becoming daycares for ado-lescents. They are becoming less and less aneducation facility and more a place for ouryouth to scrap and make our society a place ofstupidity.

Students are graduating with inadequateknowledge about the world and their sur-roundings. Just when colleges are becomingmore competitive, we are cutting educationshort.

In theory, the No Child Left Behind Act holdseveryone accountable — teachers and students— for education.

In reality, schools are funding in the wrong

places, making moving on a nightmare for thegraduates of years to come. I was lucky enough to get out of the system justin time and entered a university of higher stan-dards. Still, I am left with skills that lack whatis necessary and have to work that muchharder to achieve my goals in college. Notevery student will go to college; many gradu-ates will immediately join the work force. Manyof those who do want to attend college lack theskills needed to succeed.

I wish I could say one school system was theproblem, but these skills are acquired from dayone of schooling. In my district, it is said thatstudents won’t graduate if they don’t pass theWASL in their sophomore year.

In addition to assessing a student’sprogress, now tested in third, fourth, fifth,seventh and 10th grades, it also assesses howwell teachers are doing. Many students didnot pass, yet they still graduated. Fundingwas moved from needed programs to makeup for the learning the students did not obtainprior to the test.

Where did we go wrong? Placing a harshconsequence on the failure of teachers and di-rection of funding are where students all toooften slip through cracks in the system. Fromkindergarten, resources and programs need tobe in place so that we do not have to take awayfrom the preparation of the students to enterthe real world. Teaching middle school-leveleducation in high school should be a thing ofthe past.

We should prepare our students to head outinto the world and to become productive mem-bers of society, not scramble to see where wewent wrong. Schools are too focused on look-ing good than the actual education of the stu-dent. Let’s refocus on lower education, so weare not sending our students into the world un-prepared.

Katie AbercombieBellingham

OPINION� �

The Issaquah Press

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PRESS EDITORIAL�

TO THE EDITOR�

LETTERS WELCOME

The Issaquah Press welcomes letters to theeditor on any subject, although we reserve theright to edit for space, potential libel and/orpolitical relevance. Letters addressing local newswill receive priority.

Please limit letters to 350 words and typethem, if possible. E-mail is preferred. Letters mustbe signed and have a daytime phone number toverify authorship.

Deadline for letters is noon Friday for the fol-lowing week’s paper.

Address: P.O. Box 1328Issaquah, WA 98027

Fax: 391-1541

E-mail: [email protected]

A4 • Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Pizzeria gets Italianseal of approval

City leaders, so fond of thesister city relationshipsIssaquah forged withcities in Morocco and

Norway, might want to considerextending the olive branch to amunicipality in Italy.

Though city officials might betoo late. Ambassadors fromNaples, birthplace of pizza, havealready forged ties to Issaquah.

How? With pizza, of course. Issaquah staked claim to spe-

cialty pies last month when TuttaBella Neapolitan Pizzeria andZeeks Pizza opened within a dayof each other.

Customers clamored to bothoutlets, eager for slices from theSeattle chains. But Tutta Bellaemployees readied the ovens toimpress more important guests.

For pizzerias to be labeled au-thentic, they must be certified bythe Associazione Verace PizzaNapoletana or, loosely translated,the pizza patrol.

When Tutta Bella opened in aspace left vacant by the defunctChili’s Grill & Bar, the clock be-gan ticking for the pizza patrol todescend upon Issaquah. Therestaurant welcomed customersJune 15; Italian inspectors ar-rived a few days later.

The team from Naples wouldevaluate several Puget Soundpizzerias to make sure chefsused the right tomato sauce andallowed the thin crusts to blisterjust enough. At stake was thecoveted Neapolitan certification.

Members of the pizza patroland other dignitaries were fetedat celebrations across the Seattlearea. As part of the welcome, the

VIPs were in-vited to theSpace Needleroof — notjust the ob-servationdeck, mindyou — for abrief cere-mony. Jour-nalists wereencouraged todocument themoment in din-ner table diplo-macy.

Despite the association withpizza, the word “Neapolitan” stillinvoked images of tricolor icecream. The proceedings at theSpace Needle, I reasoned, wouldbe educational. After all, I wantedto learn the difference betweenauthentic pie and the cardboarddelivery box variety from count-less childhood birthday parties.

When I received my invitation, Iwondered just what might be upthere, on the roof of the SpaceNeedle. Would the spindly towersway with the breeze? Would Ispot signs of the Wheedle — as in“on the Needle” — title characterof the 1974 children’s book andinspiration for the long gone Son-ics mascot? Would I be able to seeflecks of the original color scheme— Astronaut White, Orbital Olive,Re-entry Red and Galaxy Gold?

First, before I set foot in the el-evator, I needed to sign a liabilitywaiver warning of the risk ofdeath. Twice.

OFF THE PRESS�

warrenKagarise

Press Reporter

See PIZZERIA, Page A5

GUEST COLUMN�

BY AVA FRISINGER

This spring — as the focus on the new in-fluenza virus (H1N1 or the “swine flu”) intensi-fied throughout Issaquah and King County —the messages were clear: Wash your hands andcover your coughs and sneezes.

Thanks to the Department of Public Health –Seattle & King County and our local partners,these messages were spread quickly, as offi-cials prepared for a large-scale response to this

new virus. As a member of King County’sBoard of Health, which oversees that depart-ment, I knew our response was critical to thesafety of our community.

However, protecting you from new and existingdiseases is just one of the things we do. Despiteall you’ve heard about “swine flu,” the work ofthe health department often goes unnoticed.

It’s the same department that ensures that thewater from our faucets is safe to drink, the foodat the grocery store is safe to eat and that the airin our community is safe to breathe. The depart-ment also provides health care through commu-nity clinics, which serve as an important “safetynet” for many of our community members.

However, there’s also another service we nowprovide: promoting your health through ourboard’s new health reform project. Now, more

Healthcare reform plan:The time is now

See HEALTH CARE, Page A5

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than ever, we need our commu-nity’s help as we embark on thisinitiative.

To get started, the board firstidentified certain health princi-ples we believe should be at thefoundation of any state or na-tional healthcare reform plan.

Under our principles, a planshould provide: �Affordable, conveniently lo-cated services, which are notlimited by the ability to pay, pre-existing conditions, gender orother factors. �A lessening of disparities, sothat every person has access toappropriate care in a timelymanner. �High-quality care that is safeand doctors who are rewardedfor better health outcomes forpatients, not for the number oftests they conduct or deny. �An emphasis on preventivecare and the promotion ofhealthy habits.�Sufficient funding to coverhealth services for everyone overthe long term. �Effective cost controls and theincorporation of efficient pay-ment and billing systems.

For more details on these princi-ples, click on “Resolution #08-10”at www.kingcounty.gov/healthser-vices/health/BOH/resolutions.aspx.

What’s next? We are now con-ducting outreach with commu-nity groups and professional or-ganizations about these princi-

ples. Armed with this informa-tion, citizens can better deter-mine whether current systems orproposed changes provide themwith the care they need.

We are also advocating for re-form at the state and federal lev-els. The Obama Administrationwants reform legislation on thepresident’s desk before the endof the year. Here in Washingtonstate, legislators are consideringfive different health plans —ranging from a completely un-regulated option to a single-payer plan.

The federal plan will likely al-low for some local flexibility. Inturn, what happens in Washing-ton state matters, and KingCounty can have a substantial in-fluence on what takes place atthe state level.

We have analyzed the ObamaAdministration’s health reformprinciples and the state plans.Based upon our principles, thereis room for improvement in boththe federal and state options. Wewill launch a Web site soon withmore details.

The time is now: Please be-come familiar with our board’sprinciples, and support ourhealth reform project by promot-ing it with your state and federallegislators. In the long run, wehope that healthcare becomeslike the air we breathe, the waterwe drink and the food we eat —something that is always therewhen we need it.

Ava Frisinger is mayor of Issaquah anda member of the King County Board ofHealth. Comment on this article atwww.issaquahpress.com.

Needle employees assured methe risk was minimal. Besides,they pointed out how I had wornsturdy shoes, a safety must.

The group piled into the eleva-tor for the first 520 feet of the as-cent. We clambered single file onladders through interwoven ductsand pipes to reach the roof, al-most 600 feet above the groundsof Seattle Center.

At the top, dignitaries heraldedthe similarities between Naplesand Seattle: Cities built in the shad-ows of volcanoes (Mount Vesuvius,Mount Rainier) with residents whonurse serious coffee habits.

The visit was reminiscent of theefforts Issaquah residents take tofoster international cooperationwith Chefchaouen, Morocco, andSunndal, Norway — albeit slickedwith olive oil and embellishedwith buffalo mozzarella.

I snapped some photos and shota few moments of video before Iclimbed into the hatch for the de-scent. The structure held still inthe wind, and I saw no signs ofthe Wheedle or the old World’sFair color scheme. As for thebowl-shaped roof, it was white —plain, simple white.

Astronaut White? Maybe. Or, inthe spirit of international coopera-tion, Mozzarella White.

Reach Reporter Warren Kagarise at 392-6434, ext. 234, or [email protected] on this column at www.issaquah-press.com.

PizzeriaFROM PAGE A4

Health careFROM PAGE A4

introduced to Lake Sammamishsince the 1980s — but the intro-duced fish did not survive. Taylorsaid scientists are unsure why,though speculation ranges fromspecific water conditions to a viruspresent in the lake to which LakeSammamish kokanee are immune.

“Only natives will live in the lakeas far as we know,” Taylor said.

Friends of the Issaquah SalmonHatchery Executive Director GestinSuttle said it was important forcounty leaders to add their voices

to the issue.“I think the council’s position

will help build a chorus in favor ofaction for this vulnerable species,”Suttle wrote in an e-mail.

Lake Sammamish kokanee wereonce a staple for the SnoqualmieTribe. Kokanee once numbered inthe thousands and the species sup-ported a subsistence fishery for theSnoqualmie.

County officials noted the impor-tance of the kokanee to the lakeecosystem.

“With the kokanee populationhovering at the brink of extinction,this is a matter for urgent andimmediate action,” CouncilmanLarry Phillips said in a newsrelease. “The kokanee play a his-

toric role in the Lake Sammamishecosystem, and we must protectthe small number that remain andtake actions that will allow thespecies to survive.”

Officials attribute the decline ofkokanee in the lake to habitat loss.The study recommends a hatcheryprogram be implemented as soonas possible in order to protect theremaining fish.

“Proper protection of the LakeSammamish kokanee salmonneeds to begin immediately,”Council Vice Chairwoman JaneHague said in the release. “It iscritical that the federal and stategovernments recognize theirimportance to our region and actnow to prevent their extinction.”

History Museums’ new exhibitdetailing the Alaska-Yukon-PacificExposition in Seattle. It was thefinal destination for the Model Trally on the University ofWashington campus.

The Model T drivers will visit theexhibit at the Train Depot MuseumJuly 11, an event that hasSpranger quite excited.

“We get them in town for thewhole day,” he said. “For this big amonumental, historical event,that’s just mind-boggling.”

The depot parking lot will beroped off for just the Model Ts.There will be a barbecue, live

BY MICHAEL BAYLESS ROWE

About 100 Eastside voters hadtheir first glimpse of King Countyexecutive candidates at a forumJune 25 at Twin Falls MiddleSchool in North Bend.

Questions ranged from trans-portation and land-use issues toconcerns about a recent stateaudit of the county’s constructionproject management.

All six major candidates partic-ipated in the event: King CountyCouncilmen Dow Constantine andLarry Phillips, former TV newsanchor Susan Hutchison, StateSen. Fred Jarrett, State Rep. RossHunter, and engineer and busi-nessman Alan Lobdell.

Constantine and Phillips tried todistance themselves from formerKing County Executive Ron Sims.Hunter and Jarrett said that theywould bring their combination ofbusiness and political experienceto county government. Hutchisonand Lobdell touted their outsiderstatus, each saying they were run-ning because residents outsideSeattle are frustrated with countygovernment.

Hutchison, a Seattle resident,said that many landowners chafeunder the county’s land-use regu-lations and it is time to go back tothe drawing board.

Lobdell, who lives in Covington,agreed.

“You deserve the right to makea profit with the property youbought,” Lobdell said.

Phillips, of Seattle, said that thecounty has an obligation to changethe way it handles land-use issues.He said the state needs to clarifyhow counties should use the bestavailable science to make land-usedecisions. He also pledged that thecounty would work better withrural landowners.

Constantine, of Seattle, said

that he would streamline someenvironmental regulations ratherthan forcing landowners to payfor expensive and time-consum-ing environmental impact studies.

Hunter, of Medina, also said thecounty’s inflexibility in the way itregulates land uses should bechanged. He said he would look atchanging some systems to reducethe expense and time required forgetting land-use permits.

On transportation, Jarrett, ofMercer Island, said there needs tobe a holistic approach to trans-portation. He said he would focuson improving the transportationsystem, not individual modes oftransport.

Lobdell said transportationissues are daunting, and can’t befixed quickly. He said emphasisshould be placed on roads,because many commuters have torely on their own vehicles to get toand from work. He said he wouldpush for a new north-southbypass on the Eastside.

Constantine said he would usetransportation to bring newinvestments to the community.

Hunter said that he would try tomake the various transportationagencies in the county coordinatetheir activities better. He also saidhe would consider offering moretransit to cities as an incentive forthem to increase the density ofresidential developments.

Hutchison said transportationwas the No. 1 issue facing thecounty.

On the issue of governmentaccountability, Jarrett said thecurrent system of measuring per-formance by the efforts of countyemployees should be changed tomeasure the results.

Hunter said the current counciland administration “owned” thenegative audit that the countyrecently received from the state.He criticized the county for giving

4-percent raises during the worstrecession in 80 years.

Hutchison said it was time forthe county to tighten its belt.

Jarrett faulted the executive’soffice for fostering an environ-ment of unaccountability by filter-ing information the county execu-tive receives.

“We need to hold the counciland the executive accountable forwhat we deliver and what it coststo deliver,” Jarrett said.

Lobdell said that he wouldreduce salaries from the top down,to have the credibility to approachlabor unions and ask for a 2.5-per-cent cut for union employees.

As a final question, the candi-dates were asked to respond tothe recent state audit of the coun-ty’s construction project manage-ment.

Almost all of the candidatesvoiced their frustration with thelack of accountability indicated bythe audit. However, Lobdell took adifferent tack on the issue, sayingthat overall, the problems weren’tthat bad and that fixing construc-tion management would be easyfor him, given his own projectmanagement experience.

Another candidate for the race,Goodspaceguy came to the forumbut was not allowed to answer ques-tions with the other candidates.

“I think that it’s wrong to giveunequal treatment to candidates,”Goodspaceguy said.

Another candidate, StanLippman, also did not participatein the forum.

Forum organizer Gary Fancher,of North Bend, developed the ques-tions, in cooperation with 5thDistrict Democratic andRepublican representatives andthe King County Municipal League.

Reach Reporter Michael Bayless Rowe at392-6434, ext. 248. Comment on thisstory at www.issaquahpress.com.

County executive candidates sharetop concerns at public forum

KokaneeFROM PAGE 2

July 9Council Transportation CommitteeAgenda: Transportation 2040, U.S.Postal Service right-of-way agreement,Intelligent Transportation System fund-ing, Southeast 56th Street and 221stPlace Southeast intersection modifica-tions5-6 p.m., Pickering Room, City HallNorthwest, 1775 12th Ave. N.W.

July 13Council Utilities Committee5-6 p.m., Pickering Room, City HallNorthwest, 1775 12th Ave. N.W.

Arts Commission6:30-8 p.m., Coho Room, City Hall130 E. Sunset Way

July 14Council Land Use Committee5-8 p.m., Baxter Room, City HallNorthwest, 1775 12th Ave. N.W.

Sister Cities Commission6:30 p.m., Eagle Room, City Hall130 E. Sunset Way

July 15Development Commission7-9 p.m., Council Chambers, City HallSouth, 135 E. Sunset Way

Virginia Mason clinic hostsfree prostate screenings

Virginia Mason’s Issaquah clinic,100 N.E. Gilman Blvd., is hostingfree prostate cancer screeningsfrom 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. July 10.

More than 55 million Americanmen are at risk for prostate cancer,but early detection is key to treat-ment.

A free mobile prostate cancer-screening center is part of VirginiaMason’s answer. The mobile screen-ing is free, confidential and doesn’trequire an appointment or insur-ance. Virginia Mason healthproviders will conduct all screenings.

The screening consists of a sim-ple blood test, known as aprostate-specific antigen bloodtest, and an optional physical

exam. Patients will be seen on afirst-come, first-served basis.Results from the exam are confi-dential and are sent to patients inthree to four weeks. Patients with ahigh score on their blood test willreceive a follow up call fromVirginia Mason officials.

Volunteers will be on location toexplain the screening, process andto answer any questions.

The Issaquah Press Wednesday, July 8, 2009 • A5

�

music and a couple of presenta-tions about the AYP Exposition at11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The cars and their drivers willthen spend an hour at the XXXRootbeer Drive-In, before movingon to a private party at EvergreenFord. Spranger said part of theEvergreen lot will be cleared tomake room for the Model Ts linedup around the front of the dealer-ship.

“That will create an amazingview for drivers on I-90,” he said.

The truly amazing part of theoriginal journey was the racerswho were literally traveling outinto the unknown.

The route of the 2009 rallymostly follows the original race,with cars stopping in the sametowns along the way that they dida century before. In some places,the old roads have disappeared,and participants in the modernrally will use interstate highways.For the most part, though, theoriginal route is the same.

Spranger said he is excited tolead the procession down I-90out of the pass into Issaquah,himself behind the wheel of the1927 Bugatti, which usually sitsidle in the Hailstone Feed Store.He also gets to escort them to thefinish line in Seattle on July 12.

Model TsFROM PAGE A1

PUBLIC MEETINGS�

Issaquah and the surrounding area make for a stun-ningly beautiful place to live. Leafy hillsides risearound a veritable Garden of Eden. But beauty bringsresponsibility. Residents must co-exist with nature’sother tenants: wildlife.

Bears are a matter of life in many parts of Issaquah. Theycome with the real estate, as do bald eagles, salmon, deerand falcons.

Residents can co-exist with these wild creatures and enjoythe lifestyle that comes with living in such a lush area. Com-muters can work in Seattle, Bellevue and other more urbansettings, but leave the skyscrapers, concrete and congestionbehind when they come home to enjoy Issaquah’s naturalbeauty.

Beauty is a valuable thing, and if they want to preserve it,residents need to be good stewards of that beauty.

Humans can co-exist with wildlife, but they must do sowith both eyes open and take simple but necessary steps tokeep wildlife and people separate. Don’t leave food outside.Take pets in at night. Know how to handle an encounter witha wild animal. Adequately safeguard livestock.

Residents can become active with local groups and stateagencies involved in managing wildlife. The state Depart-ment of Fish and Wildlife is seeking public input in a wolfmanagement plan. It isn’t an intellectual exercise, now thatwolves have been reported from Enumclaw to North Bend.

Wildlife in its natural habitat can be awe-inspiring to be-hold — a bald eagle taking flight or a black bear loping downa hillside. These sights can leave a lifelong impression on aperson. Local residents can enjoy them without leaving theirhomes, but only if they consciously decide to live as responsi-ble stewards of the beauty in their backyard.

Living amid natural beautybrings responsibility

Decision 2009

Don’t stop lending your support to cityleaders now that the election’s over

The election is over and it is time to get backto the work of governing this great city. I wouldlike to congratulate all of the newly elected offi-cials and wish them well. They all have difficultwork ahead of them, and they need our sup-port and ideas.

I have been honored to have been supportedby many in this community and also outsidethe city in my quest for City Council. I wouldlike to thank all of them for the work they didand the tremendous love they showed to meboth before and after the election.

All of them, many who appeared at my after-election party, will always be in my heart. It ishard to express the feeling one experienceswhen so many show their appreciation of thework you have done and express their confi-dence in you to make the right decisions.Thank you, thank you, thank you!

For those of you who think I may go away,fear not! I have no intention of changing mydesire to make Issaquah all it can be. I amproud of my accomplishments in the city andlook forward to working with the administra-tion and the council in the future.

Joan ProbalaIssaquah

Thanks to voters, Press that helpedmake this a successful campaign season

Thank you to all of the Issaquah citizens whoparticipated in the recent election. Your contri-bution, whether it was on a campaign or byvoting, makes our government successful andresponsive.

I want to thank the Press too, with its in-depth reporting and grueling 15-questionRapid Response (25 words or less), all of whichhelped its readers make an informed decision.

Maureen McCarryIssaquah

Thank you

Organizers, sponsors and participantshelped make fundraiser a success

Jimmy Fund Golf extends a heartfelt thankyou to the organizers and sponsors of the an-nual Christopher S. Elliot Memorial Golf Tour-nament held Oct. 2 at The Golf Club at Newcas-tle. A special thanks goes to Dellann Elliot, ofRedmond, who organized the eighth annualevent.

The many participants and sponsors helpedraise critical funds in memory of Christopher S.Elliot to support lifesaving cancer research andcare at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

This year marks the 27th year of JimmyFund Golf, one of the largest organized golf

programs for charity in the country. Tourna-ments are established and organized by volun-teers who create these events to combine theirlove for golf with their desire to support thefight against cancer.

The annual Christopher S. Elliot MemorialGolf Tournament was one of the many golftournaments that will be held in 2009 to raisefunds for the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber.Nearly $70 million has been raised by thesededicated volunteers since 1983.

Nancy RoweDirector, Jimmy Fund Golf

Salmon Daze?

Returning fish are destined to be cat foodOur family has lived since 1909 on our farm

where Carey and Holder creeks form IssaquahCreek.

I recently visited the fish exhibit at the Is-saquah Salmon Hatchery. There was a fishand wildlife spokesman telling everyoneabout the fish. He neglected to mention thatall the salmon were to be processed into catfood! Trapped like rats, the fish instead ofspawning naturally upstream like God in-tended, are killed, canned and sold for yourcat food.

Upstream eight miles, you may see a fewdead fish that make it over their dam at thehatchery, but there are no fry or fish left inthese watersheds.

Nature selects the best of each species andnatural healthy fry create future runs to come.Thanks to logging for killing off the entirekokanee 15-inch fish run. They were fined$800 — the kokanee does not run any longerin Issaquah Creek! Stream currents run 18mph to 20 mph, while before the clear-cuttingat the headwaters, the creek ran 3 mph to 5mph.

No more fishing holes, but tons of gravel inthe stream.

The officials are only interested in seeingyour license. So, ciao, salmon!

Remember, every time you feed your cat, thatthe future of the salmon in Issaquah Creek arein your hands and cat’s stomach.

John BonomiIssaquah

Protestors

Where did the anti-war sentiment go?Just over a year ago, you would not be able

to drive through Issaquah’s “4 corner’s” (the li-brary and Front Street Market) without seeinga number of citizens exercising their FirstAmendment rights, protesting our country’spresence in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Many of these protesters claimed to supportour troops and demanded they be broughthome immediately. There were a number ofpure anti-war protests also. There was not a

featured political candidate. Participants wereprotesting then-current American anti-terror-ism policy, American involvement in foreign af-fairs, etc.

As the wars continue, troop commitmentsare higher, and another year has gone by; Iwonder where all those protesters havegone. Could it be that motivations for theseprotests were in fact veiled political cam-paigning?

Maybe it wasn’t about the troops after all.Maybe it was just political campaigning forsomeone who said he would end our in-volvement in both Iraq and Afghanistanquickly.

Funny, promises are easy to make, but hardto keep. I look forward to a serious war proteston the anniversary of the current administra-tion’s election.

Bill FowlerIssaquah

Trees

Oldest South Cove residents removedby city without any resident input

South Cove lost two of its oldest residentsOct. 30. They lived on the corner of 188th Av-enue Southeast and 43rd Street for most of acentury. The neighborhood changed aroundthem from timber mill to farm and orchardsto suburban subdivisions, but they stoodfirm.

They were fine, upstanding, generous neigh-bors who freely gave much to our community.Birds, including hawks and bald eagles, bene-fited from their hospitality, receiving food andshelter.

This couple also stored thousands of gallonsof dirty storm water from the roads andcleansed it of pollutants, protecting Lake Sam-

OPINION� �

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editor on any subject, although we reserve theright to edit for space, potential libel and/orpolitical relevance. Letters addressing local newswill receive priority.

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A4 • Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Take in campaign seasonfrom a journalist’s eye

Election Day endedearly, with a slow coastto prime time. Resultswere delivered in asingle, anticlimactic

burst at 8:15 p.m. with no nail-biting suspense. The frontrun-ners opened up big leads early,snuffing the chance to tracktrends or offer last-minute prog-nostications. Issaquah votersknew the make-up of the nextCity Council and school boardwell before “NCIS” was over.

Despite the quiet coda, cam-paign season was chockablockwith memorable moments, atleast for someone outfitted with anotebook and a digital voicerecorder. Throughout the cam-paign, I jotted down observationsand asides about the candidatesand the race to public office.

What I observed — among theIssaquah candidates, anyway —were amicable, issue-orientedcampaigns accessorized with theusual yard signs, candidate fliersand e-mail blasts. But the best— and cheapest — campaigntool I saw was the laminatedplacard Nathan Perea placed be-side him at coffeehouses: “I’mrunning for Issaquah City Coun-cil. Please stop and chat!” thesign read. And it worked: Votersstopped to talk with the first-time candidate.

As the clock ticked towardElection Day, addenda sproutedatop campaign signs as en-dorsements rolled in. Endorse-ments from The Seattle Times,Washington Conservation Votersand other boldfaced backerswere touted in simple notestaped to signs — “bling” in thewords of Councilman-elect TolaMarts.

The occasional grumble aboutyet another campaign question-

naire reachedme, too. In adecision mo-tivated byspace limita-tions — andmaybe a littlesadism —The Presslimited thecandidates to25-word re-sponses. Martslikened thequestionnaireprocess to speed dating.

Candidates also reached out tovoters in subtle, sartorial ways.Perea donned a snappy, color-co-ordinated sweater-and-tie comboin the same colors as his green-and-orange campaign signs at atelevised campaign forum.

The biggest campaign mishapwas the result of a technicalglitch: Audio problems scuttled atelevised school board forum, butthe good-natured candidatesagreed to endure the forum asecond time.

Back when the King Countyexecutive race was too close tocall, I wrangled interviews withthe candidates at Seattle coffeeshops — where else? — to talkabout how the Seattleite candi-dates planned to attract Eastsidevoters.

Dow Constantine, joined by acampaign aide, barreled througha stack of questions about East-side-centric issues related togrowth and transit. He and I metin a Seattle’s Best near ColumbiaCenter, where Constantine hadbeen making fundraising calls.The interview was wedgedagainst another campaign event;

OFF THE PRESS�

WarrenKagarise

Press reporter

See CAMPAIGN, Page A5

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CITY OF ISSAQUAH

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Neal Wolf, a Chicago attorneyrepresenting Wellington, said hewas hopeful the company and thebank could reach a deal on debtreorganization and restructuring,and then proceed with construc-tion. Wolf said the company is“very, very anxious to continuewith the development of that prop-erty.”

Wellington is a subsidiary ofTriple Five Worldwide, a multina-tional real-estate development out-fit with Las Vegas and Edmonton,Alberta, offices.

Chuck Foise, a Regal FinancialBank vice president, said issuesrelated to the Park Pointe loanwould be resolved in bankruptcycourt.

City officials — by now accus-tomed to Park Pointe delays — saidthe bankruptcy filing nonethelesscame as a surprise.

Major Development ReviewTeam Manager Keith Niven saidcity officials remain interested in adevelopment-rights swap to pre-serve Park Pointe. Despite thebankruptcy filing, Niven continuedto work alongside King Countyplanners to accommodate a devel-opment-rights swap, because “it’sso easy to get distracted by all ofthe drama associated with ParkPointe.”

Officials also entered discus-sions with developers to gaugeinterest in the Park Pointe landand a transfer of the developmentrights, known as a TDR. Theswap between the Park Pointeowner and Issaquah Highlandsdeveloper Port BlakelyCommunities would leave theTiger Mountain property undevel-oped. Under the deal, additionalhouses would be built in the high-lands instead.

Niven still planned to meet withKing County planners to discusswhether the Urban GrowthBoundary could be nudged out-ward to allow more houses to bebuilt in the highlands.

Mayor Ava Frisinger said theeffort to transfer developmentrights between Park Pointe and thehighlands is the No. 1 priority forcity officials.

“The issue is whether people willbe able to buy it and make the TDRprocess work,” Frisinger said.

With the property mired inbankruptcy court, Frisinger saidshe hoped the developer or anew owner would consider theswap.

“We would be very happy ifsomebody were to buy that proper-ty and transfer the developmentrights,” she said.

Conservation groups alsoexpressed interest in buying ParkPointe or a portion of the site inthe past, but the cost was prohibi-tive.

While the developer and credi-tors wrangle in bankruptcy court,city officials will build the frame-work to transfer developmentrights if a new Park Pointe owneremerges.

“What it does, it definitely buys alot more time to go through thatprocess,” City Administrator LeonKos said.

Kos said negotiators mentionedChapter 11 as a possibility for thePark Pointe developer, but theoption was considered so remote“that it dropped off the table.” Kossaid predicting the future for thePark Pointe development would bedifficult.

Even as the developer spiraledtoward bankruptcy, consultantshired by the developer proceededwith the definitive environmentalreport about Park Pointe. The doc-ument was released Oct. 30, aweek ahead of the scheduled fore-closure auction.

The environmental impact state-ment addressed concerns aboutstorm water runoff from ParkPointe, as well as questions aboutwhether vehicles would clog roadsnear the development.

Plans presented by the developershow Park Pointe with 251 units or344 units. Under the first option,251 residential units — 121 single-family attached units and 130 mul-tifamily units — would be built on14 acres of the lower slope. Thelarger option would include 59 sin-gle-family detached, 145 single-family attached and 140 multifam-ily units spread across the lowerslope and a higher bench on themountainside.

The developer had indicated apreference for the smaller option.But if city officials and the develop-er were unable to agree to pre-serve the upper portion of theproperty, the developer wouldrequest the ability to develop theentire site. Conditions attached todevelopment include the preserva-tion of open space and efforts toencourage public transportationfor residents.

But the project has beenstalled for more than a decade,as citizens assailed the ParkPointe proposal, and city officialsplaced the land under morerestrictive zoning and workedtoward a development-rightstransfer. A City Council decisionlast year to cancel the plannedSoutheast Bypass across TigerMountain dealt Park Pointeanother blow. The long-plannedroadway would have served thedevelopment.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, [email protected]. Comment atwww.issaquahpress.com.

Park Pointe:Issues to beresolved inbankruptcy

FROM PAGE A1

mamish. Neighboring yardswill be wetter this winter thanpreviously.

They took in carbon dioxideand gave us oxygen and shadein return. Once a year, theywould get a little wild, cover-ing the neighborhood in a bliz-zard of cotton, but chickadeesand other small birds wouldeat the seeds and gather thefluff.

These significant, huge blackcottonwood trees were in goodhealth and should have hadmany more years of service tothe neighborhood. Occasion-ally, in high winds, limbswould fall, but that is the na-ture of trees — statisticallymuch less dangerous thandriving cars around the neigh-borhood! However, in just afew hours they were whacked,gone.

The city’s Public Works De-partment deemed them dan-gerous and took them out. Noconsultations, hearings or con-sideration of alternatives. Whynot selectively remove any un-sound limbs?

It smacks of bureaucratic ar-rogance just as did the suddenbanishment of all dogs fromTimberlake Park, rather thanenforce the existing leash laws.It would have been polite totalk first to those affected bythese decisions.

Joanna Buehler Issaquah

LettersFROM PAGE A4

Constantine was a man in mo-tion.

Susan Hutchison and I met aweek later at a Tully’s near theLaurelhurst neighborhoodwhere the former KIRO news-caster lives. She — unaccom-panied, chatty and relaxed —offered me part of her crois-sant as she sipped a gargan-tuan mug of tea. Turns out weboth graduated from the Uni-versity of Florida journalismschool.

When I asked the executivecandidates for final remarks di-rected toward Issaquah voters,Hutchison recounted how Is-saquah was a tiny town whenshe arrived in King County al-most three decades ago. Con-stantine, ever businesslike,produced a lengthy list of theEastside elected officials back-ing his campaign.

On Nov. 4, with the Issaquahraces settled, I asked Marts toreflect on the campaign. Hesaid the campaign highlight forhis preteen children camewhen I interviewed him andhis wife, Tracy, at the joint vic-tory party thrown by Marts andCouncil President Maureen Mc-Carry.

Lucky for the Marts kids, theelection was decided long be-fore bedtime.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234,or [email protected]. Commentat www.issaquahpress.com.

CampaignFROM PAGE A4

Commission approves hospitaldevelopment permit

The planned Issaquah Highlandshospital will move ahead, after acity development commissionapproved the site development per-mit for the project last week.

Crews began excavation workat the site of a planned SwedishMedical Center campus in August.The permit approved last weekwill allow hospital developers tomove forward with the ambitiousproject. The campus, scheduled toopen in phases in 2011 and 2012,will become the first new hospitalin King County to open in morethan two decades.

The permit application reachedthe Urban Village DevelopmentCommission in late October.Commissioners held a Nov. 3public hearing about the project,and then approved the permitafter hospital planners addresseda handful of issues from city resi-dents. Commissioners raisedquestions about the accessibilityof the building from NortheastBlakely Drive, as well as the

design of the public parking lot.Planners attached 81 conditions

to the permit, related to everythingfrom what type of plants should beused for landscaping to how to mon-itor underground fuel storage tanksbeneath the site. Commissionersalso asked hospital architects andofficials to make the public parkinglot easier for pedestrians to navigate,city Major Development ReviewTeam Manager Keith Niven said.

Seattle architecture firmCollinsWoerman designed thehospital with a pair of wingsextending south from a medicaloffice building. The office complexwill face Northeast Blakely Drive;the wings will contain patientbeds. The office building will openin 2011; the patient wings willopen the next year and eventuallyexpand to 175 beds. When com-pleted, the hospital will total582,000 square feet. The build-ings will be between 80 and 85feet tall at the highest points.

Hospital executives said thecampus would create more than1,000 jobs by the time construc-tion wraps in 2012.

PUBLIC MEETINGSNov. 12Council Utilities Committee5-6 p.m.Pickering Room, City Hall N.W.1775 12th Ave. N.W.

Planning Policy CommissionCancelled

Open HouseNewport Way Northwest Design Options

7 p.m., Issaquah Valley Elementary555 N.W. Holly St.

Nov. 16City Council regular meeting7:30 p.m., Council chambers, CityHall South, 130 E. Sunset Way

Nov. 17River and Streams Board7-9 p.m.Pickering Room, City Hall N.W.1775 12th Ave. N.W.

The Issaquah Press Wednesday, November 11, 2009 • A5

�

Look in your mailbox this week for your household’s cen-sus count.

Oh, that’s right, you already know about that, thanks tolast week’s letter notifying you that another letter is coming.That first letter cost $57 million to send, in hopes that fewerin-person census takers will be needed.

The Census Bureau is employing other marketing tools topump up awareness, including a televised Super Bowl adlast month, printed ads in 28 languages and subtle referralsto www.census.gov printed inside fortune cookies — includ-ing some found here in Issaquah.

As one commenter on a Web site posting said, “Leave it tothe government to trip over a dollar to pick up a dime.” Butthose dimes do matter, especially to local governments tryingto provide your basic water, sewer, roads and public safetyservices.

Consider what it means to the city of Issaquah. Every resi-dent who is not counted will be about $1,400 less for the city.If 25 households of three people each did not respond, thatcould be more than $100,000 the city would not get from theestimated $400 billion in federal allocations.

Is the census an invasion of privacy? We don’t think so.This year’s census is one of the shortest in history, only 10quick questions that should take less than 10 minutes to an-swer.

It asks households to provide the names of residents andtheir sex, age, date of birth, race, whether they’re of His-panic origin, their relationship to the householder, whetherthe home is owned or rented, and a telephone number. Theform does not ask about citizenship or legal status, or yourSocial Security number. And the information is confidential.

In addition to money for our cities and county, the censusis used to determine the number of seats our state will havein the U.S. House of Representatives. States with shrinkingpopulations could lose a seat, whereas Washington could beentitled to an additional seat.

Give up 10 minutes of your time and complete the censusform when it arrives this week. Do your part to stop govern-ment waste by turning it in without a second request.

The census countshould matter to you

Stream teams

Volunteers help make city’s programof monitoring waterways successful

Early Saturday morning several weeksago, I happened upon three of our citizenscollecting samples from the ditch on theeastside of Seventh Avenue Northwest be-tween Northwest Locust Street and GilmanBoulevard.

Bill Nilsson, David Nelson and Gina Yitaloare one of a number of volunteer StreamMonitoring Teams keeping an eye on thehealth of our streams and ditches in Is-saquah. They have been working togethersince 2001. They are enthusiastic and takepride in their work. They call themselves theDitch Rats.

Issaquah has six monitoring teams. I recentlylearned that four of these teams have beensampling for as long or longer than the DitchRats. For example, Norb Zeigler has been sam-pling since 1998.

Issaquah is certainly fortunate to have suchdedicated volunteers.

Fred Butler Issaquah city councilman

Speeding tickets

A street with a high density of schoolchildren, traffic needs tougher rules

In response to the complaint about unfairtickets last week: Within the four-tenths of amile along Second Avenue Southeast in Is-saquah, more than 1,400 high school students,356 elementary school students and approxi-mately 300 staff people arrive and depart fromschool each weekday.

The posted speed zone times only beginsto cover the vastly differing schedules in-cluding Running Start classes, early-releaseand late-start days, courses at other schools,lunch time trips off-campus, work schedules,sport activities, parent pick-up and drop-off,etc.

Scores of students walk, ride bikes, skip andskateboard along this four-tenths of a mile; 428student drivers fill 158 carpool spaces and 271individual spots while transporting well over619 students to school each day.

From the district bus barn located in thesame section of road, school buses arriveand depart throughout the day. It would be achallenge to find a two-lane street in the Is-saquah area that has a higher density of chil-dren. Imagine if your neighborhood blockhoused 1,756 people under the age of 18! Itmakes perfect sense that, for their safety,everyone can take notice of the flashingspeed indicator signs at the beginning of thezone and slow down to 20 mph for four-tenths of a mile.

Claudia CoteIssaquah High School career specialist

Central Park

While installing new lights, city shouldlook to improve parking lot, too

I read the front-page article last week in TheIssaquah Press titled, “Crews will install lightsin Central Park lot.” As a parent with childrenwho are regularly using this park, lot, etc., Ithink it is great that the City Council hasagreed to spend $63,741 to install lights, forsafety purposes, in the parking lot of this $2.4million artificial turf field. It’s a beautiful field!

This amounts to 2.66 percent of the cost ofthe field and will do a great job of showing allof us drivers and pedestrians where all the pot-holes and mud puddles are in this disaster of aparking lot that is overcongested at peak times.

I am wondering if the council has looked intothe cost of paving, expanding the size of thisparking lot and creating a loop or turn-aroundfor pick up and drop off before spendingmoney to install lights. Perhaps they could doboth at the same time?

The mud from this parking lot is being spreaddaily onto this new, $2.4 million turf! Not tomention the mess it’s making of everyone’s carsafter they drive and trudge through this mudbog of a parking lot. Some of the potholes arethe size of Lake Sammamish! Leaving it this wayis a bit like building a brand new mansion anddeciding you can’t afford to pave the driveway!

Brian P. SullivanIssaquah

Church and state

Founding Fathers established a Christiannation, honored by Pledge of Allegiance

Michael Barr claims he isn’t an atheist andDarryl Hamilton claims that in order not to “of-fend” people of other religions, we shouldchuck the Pledge of Allegiance. So, in otherwords, it’s OK to offend Christians, just don’toffend humanists, New Agers, Islam (fill in theblank with religion of choice).

Our money is printed with “in God we trust,”our Declaration of Independence makes it clearthat our “unalienable rights” are bestowed byour creator. Following the flawed logic of Barrand Hamilton, we should remove those, too,along with our unalienable rights for fear wemight “offend” another religion.

The First Amendment does not separatechurch and state. The First Amendment pro-hibits a state-established religion. Saying thePledge of Allegiance does not fall under a stateestablished religion any more than “in God wetrust” or the mention of God our creator in theDeclaration of Independence.

Our founding fathers did not want a state es-tablished religion; they did, however, stronglyadvocate that people should conduct themselvesas Christians in the halls of government. JohnAdams made it very clear that “our Constitutionwas made for a moral and religious people; itbeing wholly inadequate for any other.”

There is not one person on the face of thisearth that does not have a worldview — howwe perceive the world and the purpose of it,our religion. For Barr and Hamilton to attackthe Pledge of Allegiance shows great intoler-ance for Christianity, the religion that broughtabout the freedom to write letters blasting ourChristian heritage.

Lynn M. StuterNine Mile Falls

Recent court rulings uphold use of‘under God’ and ‘In God we trust’

Last Thursday, a federal appeals court upheldthe use of the words “under God” in the Pledgeof Allegiance and “in God we trust” on U.S. cur-rency, rejecting arguments that the phrases vio-late the separation of church and state.

The San Francisco-based Ninth U.S. CircuitCourt of Appeals panel rejected two legal chal-lenges by Sacramento atheist Michael Newdow,who said the references to God are unconstitu-tional and infringe on his religious beliefs.

I hope this will put to bed the endless chal-lenges to the phrase “under God” that so offendMichael Barr, our local “under God” critic.

Bette FilleyIssaquah

OPINION� �

The Issaquah Press

�

THE ISSAQUAHPRESSPUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY

SINCE 1900

45 FRONT ST. S. • P.O. BOX 1328 • ISSAQUAH, KING COUNTY, WA 98027

$30 PER YEAR / $55 TWO YEARS / $20 PER YEAR FOR SENIORSADD $15 OUTSIDE KING COUNTY / $20 OUTSIDE STATE

PRESS EDITORIAL�

LETTERS WELCOMEThe Issaquah Press welcomes letters to the

editor on any subject, although we reserve theright to edit for space, potential libel and/orpolitical relevance. Letters addressing local newswill receive priority. Please limit letters to 350words and type them, if possible. E-mail is pre-ferred. Letters must be signed and have a day-time phone number to verify authorship.

Deadline for letters is noon Friday for the fol-lowing week’s paper.

Address: P.O. Box 1328Issaquah, WA 98027

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E-mail: [email protected]

A4 • Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Help make the sausage:Get involved in government

Cynics — or, perhaps,realists — equate thepolitical process withsausage making.Although in Issaquah,

the sausage would be the lean,chicken variety — organic, ofcourse, and maybe a touch dry.

Like governments everywhere,Issaquah functions with endlessdeal making, proposals andcounterproposals, revamps andrewrites as officials make policy. Isuspect the long gestationprocess keeps citizens from fol-lowing issues from bill to ordi-nance.

Officials seldom solve issues inepisodic fashion, through no faultof their own. Municipal govern-ment plods, in part to solicit inputfrom residents.

But the deliberate pace canturn, well, boring. So, residentssteer clear of the CouncilChambers during most months —a shame, too, because the CityCouncil makes decisions everyother week with impacts acrossIssaquah.

If city government had dialoguewritten by Aaron Sorkin andaired in hourlong blocks on NBC,people would watch for the char-acters alone.

The cast includes: a pizza-slinging former banking execu-tive, a motorcycle-riding rocketengineer, a retired Army Corps ofEngineers colonel, a psycholo-gist-turned-hospital-executive-turned-local-pol and a fresh-

faced, idealis-tic attorney.

Add dozensof supportingroles in theform ofm u n i c i p a le m p l o y e e sand the mem-bers of cityboards andcommissions,and theprocess turnslivelier still.

And yet, nothing. The samehandful of residents turns out forCity Council meetings. The groupat council committee and cityboard meetings feels even moreelite.

Yes, people lead busy lives withlittle time for civic engagement.But the political process merits atleast a quick check from time totime, at least to see how officialsdecide to spend hard-earned taxdollars.

Sure, many indicators point tothe contrary, but residents tunein when something will carrywidespread impact, or, at least,affect them.

Take, for instance, the ongoingeffort by the city to overhaulNewport Way Northwest — atraffic nightmare every weekdaymorning and afternoon for mostof the year. When the city

OFF THE PRESS�

WARRENKAGARISE

Press reporter

See GOVERNMENT, Page A5

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR THE

CITY OF ISSAQUAH

Postmaster:Send address changes to:

Issaquah Press, PO Box 1328Issaquah, WA 98027

Advertising: [email protected]

Classifieds: [email protected]

ADVERTISING MANAGER JILL GREEN

AD REPRESENTATIVE VICKIE SINGSAAS

AD REPRESENTATIVE NEIL BUCHSBAUM

AD REPRESENTATIVE JODY TURNER

CLASSIFIEDS MARIANA SKAKIE

Newsroom: [email protected]

EDITOR KATHLEEN R. MERRILL

REPORTER CHANTELLE LUSEBRINK

REPORTER DAVID HAYES

REPORTER WARREN KAGARISE

REPORTER CHRISTOPHER HUBER

REPORTER TIM PFARR

PHOTOGRAPHER GREG FARRAR

Circulation: [email protected] BEZDZIETNY

Accounting: [email protected] SPUNG

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Y = Yes, N = No,E = Excused, X = Not Voting

Senate Bill 6381 passed the House78-19. Reflects an increase inspending from $7.5 billion to $8.5billion and includes $590 million innew federal funding for high-speedrail infrastructure and $35 million forthe North Spokane Corridor. TheSenate concurred with House amend-ments 37-11.�5th Sen. Cheryl Pflug,(R-Maple Valley) — N�5th Rep. Glenn Anderson,(R-Fall City) — Y�5th Rep. Jay Rodne,(R-North Bend) — Y�41st Sen. Randy Gordon,(D-Bellevue) — Y�41st Rep. Judy Clibborn,(D-Mercer Island) — Y�41st Rep. Marcie Maxwell,(D-Renton) — Y�45th Rep. Roger Goodman,(D-Kirkland) — N�45th Rep. Larry Springer,(D-Kirkland) — Y

Senate Bill 6444 passed the Senate25-19. It proposed closing the state’s$2.8 billion budget gap by reducingspending by more than $800 million,incorporating the use of about $582million of approved or anticipatedadditional federal relief to the stateand transfers $501 million from otherfunds to the state general fund. Itwould assume collections in new rev-enues of nearly $900 million fromincreased taxes.The House amended it to close thebudget gap by reducing state spend-ing by about $600 million, using morethan $640 million in one-time federalfunds and $500 million in cash trans-fers. The House budget also assumesapproximately $800 million in newrevenues through tax increases. TheHouse passed by a vote of 55- 43.House and Senate were unable toagree on a budget compromise andwill continue to negotiate during aspecial session that began March 15.�5th Rep. Glenn Anderson,(R-Fall City) — N�5th Rep. Jay Rodne,(R-North Bend) — N�41st Rep. Judy Clibborn,(D-Mercer Island) — Y�41st Rep. Marcie Maxwell,(D-Renton) — Y�Rep. Roger Goodman,(D-Kirkland) — Y�45th Rep. Larry Springer,(D-Kirkland) — Y

Senate Bill 6143 passed the Senate

25-23. It imposes an additional .03percent state sales tax and use tax. Itwas amended by the House toremove the sales and use taxincrease. In addition, the House taxpackage eliminates additional B&Oexemptions and increasing taxes oncandy, bottled water, cigarettes andowners of airplanes. The House andSenate were unable to agree on acompromise and will continue tonegotiate.�5th Sen. Cheryl Pflug,(R-Maple Valley) — N�5th Rep. Glenn Anderson,(R-Fall City) — N�5th Rep. Jay Rodne,(R-North Bend) — N�41st Sen. Randy Gordon,(D-Bellevue) — Y�41st Rep. Judy Clibborn,(D-Mercer Island) — Y�41st Rep. Marcie Maxwell,(D-Renton) — Y�45th Rep. Roger Goodman,(D-Kirkland) — N�45th Rep. Larry Springer,(D-Kirkland) — Y

Senate Bill 6345 passed the House60- 37. It makes it a primary offenseto use a hand-held cell phone whiledriving. It’s now before the governorfor signature.�5th Rep. Glenn Anderson,(R-Fall City) — N�5th Rep. Jay Rodne,(R-North Bend) — N�41st Rep. Judy Clibborn,

(D-Mercer Island) — Y�41st Rep. Marcie Maxwell,(D-Renton) — Y�Rep. Roger Goodman,(D-Kirkland) — N�45th Rep. Larry Springer,(D-Kirkland) — Y

Senate Bill 6604 passed the House by97-0. It removes requirements thatschool districts prepare student learningplans for students in grades five, andnine through 12, who are not successfulon state assessments or not on track tograduate. Retains the requirement forstudents in grade eight to receive stu-dent-learning plans. Previously passedthe Senate, now before the governor forsignature.�5th Sen. Cheryl Pflug,(R-Maple Valley) — Y�5th Rep. Glenn Anderson,(R-Fall City) — Y�5th Rep. Jay Rodne,(R-North Bend) — Y�41st Sen. Randy Gordon,(D-Bellevue) — Y�41st Rep. Judy Clibborn,(D-Mercer Island) — Y�41st Rep. Marcie Maxwell,(D-Renton) — Y�45th Rep. Roger Goodman,(D-Kirkland) — Y�45th Rep. Larry Springer,(D-Kirkland) — Y

SOURCE: WashingtonVotes.org, a free,nonpartisan Web site to find plain-English explanations of bills and arecord of each legislator’s votes.

Roll CallRoll Call

The Issaquah Press Wednesday, March 17, 2010 • A5

�

announced plans to unplug theclogged arterial street, dozens ofresidents turned out for openhouses. The involvement contin-ued through subsequent counciland committee meetings, too.

Controversial issues — like thedecision last year to revamp food-packaging rules for restaurantsand groceries — always attract the

most attention, but officials wel-come input on uncontroversial top-ics, too.

Big decisions await the councilon environmental, growth andtransportation issues. Attend acouncil meeting sometime andspeak up. Although some meetingscan stretch for hours, the councilwrapped up a recent meeting in 10minutes — a rarity, to be sure, buta hopeful sign.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, [email protected]. Comment atwww.issaquahpress.com.

GovernmentFROM PAGE A4

Issaquah School District officialsare waiting to develop their 2010-11 school budget, while legislatorswork to resolve the state’s budgetissues.

Gov. Chris Gregoire announcedshe would call the Legislature backfor a special session March 11when representatives couldn’treach consensus on new tax initia-tives. The special session convenedMarch 15.

With forecasted revenue lossesbetween $2.7 million and $6.4 mil-lion, based on supplemental budg-ets from the Legislature, districtofficials are bracing for impact andwaiting to develop the comingschool year budget.

Under the Senate’s proposal, thedistrict would lose about $4.8 mil-lion in direct funding and $1.6 mil-

lion in levy authority; under theHouse’s proposal, the districtwould lose about $2.7 million indirect funding; and underGregoire’s most recent proposal inJanuary, the district would loseabout $4.8 million in direct fund-ing and $1 million in levy authori-ty, according to a press releasefrom the district.

The majority of cuts in theLegislature’s and Gregoire’s pro-posed budgets are to resourcesallocated for class size reduction.

“These are deep cuts, com-pounding cuts that were just asdeep last year,” SuperintendentSteve Rasmussen said. “We hopethat the governor and Legislaturewill be able to find some way —through an increase in levy author-ity or otherwise — to protect edu-

cation. It’s an unfortunate daywhen the best you can hope for isthat the Legislature does the leastamount of damage to our publicschools.”

Last year, district officials hadto present layoff notices to severalhundred employees as a means tomanage their own budget. Nearlyall the teachers given layoffnotices were recalled when feder-al stimulus money and cuts inother areas, like custodial andmaintenance, allowed them tohire them back.

In the special session, legislatorswill look at what tax package,including a three-tenths of a centincrease to the state’s sales tax oradditional taxes on bottled water,soda and candy, will be consideredas ways to solve the budget gap.

Governor calls special sessionSchool district officials wait for outcome before delving into budget

improvements, but said the citylacks money to complete the proj-ect.

“We know it needs a makeover,”she said.

Should the city move forwardwith plans to remake the park,McGill said, the effort will proceedwith input from the municipal ParkBoard, downtown businesses andproperty owners, residents, cityofficials and other stakeholders.

McGill included a PedestrianPark proposal in the CapitalImprovement Plan last year. Theplan outlines city projects relatedto — among others — city facili-ties, parks, transportation and util-ities. The sweeping document pri-oritizes projects and determinesthe order in which city staffers willtackle efforts.

The plan called for $100,000 tobe spent on design work next year,but McGill said she expects anotherlean city budget to delay the project.

The document notes how thepark “needs improvement forpedestrian movement, space forgathering during events and reno-vation to improve visibility forsafety.” But the Pedestrian Parkplan ranked near the bottom onthe list of parks and recreationprojects.

Johnson, organizer of the annu-al Music on the Streets perform-ances, uses the space as a venue.He said he envisions a mixture ofpublic and private dollars used torevamp the space, possibly with asmall stage for musical acts.

Webb, president of DarwinWebb Landscape Architects, saidhe hopes the proposal will initiatea conversation about the high-pro-file public plaza.

“We want the space to be com-fortable with three people in it or200 people in it,” he said.

DesignFROM PAGE A1

cials cited prohibitive mainte-nance costs and said KlahaniePark should remain attached tothe annexation area.

Members of the Issaquah andSammamish city councils dis-cussed the county proposal at aMarch 9 joint meeting.

Officials said the park issuecould not be detached from theoverarching question about

annexation. A vote by Klahanieresidents to be annexed intoIssaquah faltered in 2005.

“We feel that, in terms of theKlahanie annexation, that it’sreally up to Issaquah to let usknow what they’re going to do,”Sammamish Deputy Mayor NancyWhitten said.

Officials noted how neighbor-hood residents protested last sum-mer after Sammamish officialsoffered to take on the park.Klahanie residents worriedSammamish could upgrade thefacility, change the character of thepark and attract more outsidersand traffic to the quiet neighbor-hood. Residents also raised con-cerns about ceding the park toSammamish, where they lack theability to vote in local elections.

“I would just like to perhapsacknowledge the fact that the cityof Sammamish did step forward inan effort to solve a problem and tokeep a park open,” Issaquah

Councilman Fred Butler said. “Youshould be commended for that, butit sort of fell into the category of ‘nogood deed goes unpunished.’”

Although officials from bothcities expressed support for thecounty proposal, Sammamishcouncil members questionedwhether the city could recoupmoney spent to upgrade the parkif Issaquah annexes Klahanie andreceives the facility.

But council members said theannexation issue must beaddressed in concert with theKlahanie Park discussion.

“We’d love to have Klahanie ifthey wanted us,” Whitten said.“But if they don’t want us, we don’twant to force ourselves on them.We don’t want to do somethingthat they regard as hostile to thebest interests to their community.”

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, [email protected]. Comment atwww.issaquahpress.com.

Plans for Park Pointe evolvedthroughout the decade, from a high-density urban village in the mold of

the highlands and Talus to low-den-sity residential, the latest zoning forthe land. The most recent plan pre-sented by the developer called forup to 344 residences on 67 acres.

City and county officialsannounced a watershed plan inSeptember 2008 to preserve theland through a transfer of develop-

ment rights, also known as a TDR.But the process slowed asWellington Park entered Chapter11, after it defaulted on a loanfrom Regal Financial Bank.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, [email protected]. Comment atwww.issaquahpress.com.

Park PointeFROM PAGE A1

Park:‘We’d loveto have

Klahanie FROM PAGE A1

Grand Opening

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Friday & Saturday: March 19th & 20th

Ribbon cutting by King & Queen of IssaquahFriday March 19th, 12-2 PM

M-Athlete Events for the Kids Come to participate or watch!Friday March 19th, 2-4 PM

Ribbon Cutting by Mayor Of Sammamish,Don GerendSaturday March 20th, 12-2 PM

Math Games/Competition for Kids & ParentsSaturday March 20th, 2-4 PM

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