Issaquah’s only locally owned newspaper
THE ISSAQUAH PRESS
117th Year, No. 8
Thursday, February 25, 2016
issaquahpress.com
City: Shutting down PFOS-contaminated well could place companion well in jeopardy By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com
INSIDE: Results of independent tap water test ordered by The Issaquah Press. Page 2
If the city’s Gilman Well No. 4 is contaminated with the potentially hazardous chemical perfluorooctane sulfonate, why, out of an abundance of caution, doesn’t the city just shut it down, City Councilman Paul Winterstein
asked during a meeting of the council’s Infrastructure Committee on Feb. 18. While closing the well might seem a logical step, the city might not have that option
because of Gilman Well No. 4’s proximity to Gilman Well No. 5, both of which feed into a single Issaquah pump house. And the city needs the water from Well No. 5 to blend with water from other wells to correct pH issues, said Bret Heath, public works operations director. There’s also the fact Well No.
5 provides Issaquah with about one-third of its water supply. According to city staffers, Well No. 4 draws water from about 200 feet below ground level. Adjacent Well No. 5 draws from about 400 feet down. While they each draw from a different level, they both draw from roughly the same area. Well No. 4 was shown
sitting essentially on top of Well No. 5 in a drawing done for the council committee members by Sheldon Lynne, city public works engineering director. “You have to understand what you’re getting into,” Lynne said, See WELL, Page 2
SHE’S A STATE CHAMPION
INSIDE TODAY: WINTER LIVING MAGAZINE
Our 32-page magazine, Issaquah Winter Living, is full of interesting stories about what makes our city unique. Find it inside today’s edition of The Issaquah Press.
Sutton resigns City Council seat; successor plan in works By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com After only three months on the job, City Councilwoman Jennifer Sutton will resign effective March 31 in order to take embark on a diplomatic assignment with the U.S. Foreign Service. Sutton made the announcement near the end of the Feb. 16 council meeting. Openly emotional, she started the announcement and stopped it a few times. Mayor Fred Jennifer Sutton Butler told her to take a deep breath and continue. “I have more eloquent things to say, but it’s definitely been a privilege to be here,” Sutton said. She added that while she regretted leaving the council so quickly, she was “super-excited” at the same time. Council President Stacy See SUTTON, Page 4
Issaquah’s Ben Richardson (center) and U.S. teammates Cora Farrell (left) and Cait Flannery in action Feb. 17 during the mixed team curling gold-medal game against Canada at the Lillehammer Curling Hall during the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Norway. Thomas Lovelock / Youth Information Service / International Olympic Committee
Greg Farrar / gfarrar@isspress.com
Issaquah senior Kacie Moorehouse (left) faces off against Quinn Lacy of Shelton during a 170-pound weight class match at the girls state wrestling championships Feb. 19 during Mat Classic XXVIII at the Tacoma Dome. Moorehouse pinned Lacy and won the state title the next evening with a pin against Abby Lees of Washougal. Story, Page 15 VIEW MORE PHOTOS AT ISSAQUAHPRESS.COM
Growth, traffic are keystones of mayor’s State of the City speech By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com “Serving this community as mayor is a great honor,” Mayor Fred Butler said as part of the introduction to his annual State of the City speech given at the Feb. 16 City Council meeting.
Butler said new businesses are having ribbon-cuttings, young families are creating lifelong memories and retirees are enjoying the next chapter of their lives. “As a community, we have carefully planned for the decades ahead. Now we will transform those plans into action,” he said, calling 2016 a
“pivotal year.” “It’s best described by a single word: opportunity,” Butler said. As he has in the past, Butler mentioned a city survey conducted last year that showed residents believe traffic to be Issaquah’s No. 1 problem. Butler said the city is taking several steps to deal with
traffic issues, including getting ready for the potential arrival of light rail and planning for more park-and-ride stalls. He talked about the grant money earmarked for improvements to Interstate 90, See MAYOR, Page 4
Local curler, U.S teammates soar to silver at Youth Olympic Games By Scott Stoddard sstoddard@isspress.com In his spartan Olympic Village room more than 4,000 miles from home, Issaquah’s Ben Richardson held the silver medal with the tips of his index fingers, making sure the interviewer could see as much of the surface area as possible. “It’s a legit medal,” Richardson said after giving a brief description of the design. “It’s really awesome.” The day before, the Skyline High junior and three American compa-
triots had finished second in mixed team curling at the Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. It was the highest-ever finish for a U.S. Olympic or Youth Olympic curling team, and only the second curling medal in Team USA history. The only other Olympic curling medal won by Americans was a bronze at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. The objective of curling is to slide your team’s stones closer to
ONLINE: Watch a Skype interview with curling silver medalist Ben Richardson from the Olympic Village in Lillehammer, Norway, at issaquahpress.com
See SILVER, Page 7 FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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