Issaquahpress031115

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CONSOLATION PRIZE

PIONEER ON THE GRILL

Ty Gibson fuels Issaquah boys’ trophy run — Page 8

Talus resident honored with BBQ award — Page 5

The IssaquahPress

Issaquah’s only locally owned newspaper

Resource officer change creates friction at Issaquah High School By Neil Pierson npierson@sammamishreview.com Issaquah police officer Karin Weihe has worked with Issaquah High School students for the better part of a decade, and her pending departure Karin Weihe is a source of concern for some people at the school. For Jody Mull, who had two daughters graduate from Issaquah and a third who is currently enrolled, the decision to replace Weihe isn’t right. “It’s about what’s best for the adults and not about what’s best for the kids,” Mull said. Weihe began working as the school’s resource officer in 2004, and minus an extended leave of

www.issaquahpress.com

ART IN THE PARK

absence for personal reasons, has been there ever since. But Issaquah Police Chief Scott Behrbaum has chosen to have Det. Diego Zanetti take over the job at the start of the 2015-16 school year. Behrbaum, who became the school’s first resource officer in 2000, said the position was originally intended to be filled on a rotational basis, with a new person stepping in every three or four years. He said a couple of officers auditioned for the job about four years ago, but were deemed to not be the right fit, so Weihe stayed on board. Now he thinks he’s found the right replacement in Zanetti, who has seven years of experience in Issaquah, and currently works in the department’s investigative division.

PHOTOS By GREG FARRAR

Above, when Mountains to Sound Greenway volunteers leave the nursery after a day of helping, wildlife on a sign painted by Jacqueline Davidson, a Lake Sammamish State Park volunteer, give a heartfelt Thank You, signed by their paw prints. At left, Davidson paints onto an outdoor bulletin board an 1890’s photograph of the John and Addie Anderson farm.

See SRO, Page 2

State transportation package could ease local highway woes By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com A transportation package passed by the state Senate would allocate $15.1 billion for road projects statewide, including three major projects directly affecting Issaquah and Sammamish. The area could see roadwork totaling $126 million on portions of Interstate 90. The package passed the Senate on Feb. 27, but still must clear the state House of Representatives. The biggest local project would essentially add a lane to westbound I-90 between Bellevue and Issaquah, hardening the roadway’s shoulder for use by drivers during peak traffic hours. The project was priced at $72 million. Largely the same step would be taken on eastbound I-90 between Eastgate and West Lake Sammamish Parkway at a cost of $52 million. Opening the shoulder of I-90 to traffic is not a new idea. Several local officials have mentioned it as a possible solution to the traffic jams that form on the highway

every workday. Though he did not refer directly to the shoulder idea, Mayor Fred Butler said he had testified to state officials in favor of several local transportation plans. Butler made his comments at a recent Issaquah City Council meeting, where he announced the senate work package. From among the proposed local projects, the third and by far the least costly could end up having the biggest effect on Issaquah and, by extension, Sammamish. The senate allocated $2.3 million to complete an interchange justification report that could lead to major improvements to the I-90/Front Street interchange. The study could determine whether improvements should be made to the highway on- and off-ramps leading to and from Front Street. Local officials also have previously mentioned the need for this study. Besides the I-90 projects, the See TRAFFIC, Page 3

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

SLIDESHOW Find more photos from Jacqueline Davidson’s project at www.issaquahpress.com.

Donations fuel unique, powerful options for Issaquah students By Neil Pierson npierson@sammamishreview.com At Maywood Middle School, a robotics club allows students to build motorized submarines that are tested in an above-ground pool before they enter a competition this spring. Up the road at Liberty High School, technical education teacher Gary McIntosh has a room filled with students learning to make guitars. They’ll not only shape, paint and polish the guitars before the end of the semester, they’ll also make them fully functioning electric instruments. And just a few blocks away at Briarwood Elementary School, teacher Alicia Pusey is conducting a writers workshop with her

fifth-grade students in which they’re vigorously discussing the merits and drawbacks of having chocolate milk for lunch. All of the activities have something in common: They’re being made possible by donations to the Issaquah Schools Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to supplement public education costs that state allocations don’t cover. Issaquah School District and foundation officials, along with some donors, toured the three Renton Highlands schools on Feb. 24, where they directly witnessed the impact of donorsupported programs. Three sixth-grade girls at Maywood demonstrated the remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, they built for this year’s regional

competition. Like a submarine, the ROV can go underwater to accomplish various tasks. In this case, it ventures beneath an ice layer (represented by a plastic sheet) to recover algae and sea urchins (represented by ping pong balls and larger spheres, respectively). Each of the district’s three comprehensive high schools receives $6,000 per year, and all five middle schools get $1,500 per year to cover the costs of building robots and entering competitions. About 50 students are in Maywood’s club this year, including about 15 girls, club adviser Marla Crouch said. She also said See TOUR, Page 2

Council salary commission attracts Traffic only knock on little interest; volunteers still needed city in resident survey By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com

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In December, at one of its last meetings of 2014, the Issaquah City Council voted unanimously to create an independent, fivemember salary commission to study council compensation. Last month, the city clerk’s office began asking for volunteers to serve on the commission. For whatever reason, the February application deadline came and went with only one person applying, City Clerk Tina Eggers said. With that in mind, the

city has extended the application deadline, basically indefinitely. Selected commissioners would begin serving April 1 with some recommendation on council pay due to the clerk’s office by June 30. Mayor Fred Butler will appoint the commissioners, subject to confirmation by the City Council. Commission members must be registered King County voters and have lived in Issaquah for at least one year prior to their appointment. No city officials, city employees or their immediate family mem-

bers may serve. Current board or commission members are also barred from the salary commission. Meetings will be open to the public and must include opportunities for public comment. Commission members will not be compensated. City Council members currently earn $700 a month or $8,400 a year. The deputy council president takes home $750 a month or $9,000 a year; the council president earns $800 a month, See COMMISSION, Page 2

By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com Completed in December, a city-sponsored survey of local inhabitants showed 91 percent of Issaquah residents believe their town is a great spot to call home. That positive rating included 41 percent who rated Issaquah as an “excellent” place to be, along with 50 percent who said it is a “good” place to live, Emily Moon, deputy city administrator, said in a report to the City Council on March 2.

Further, approximately nine out of 10 residents gave positive ratings to their neighborhoods, to the city as a worthy place to raise children and to the overall reputation or image of the city. For all three of those areas, the city scored above the national benchmark arrived at by the private National Research Center in Oregon that completed the Issaquah study. Moon said the city was able to compare its results with roughly 500 other cities surveyed by the See SURVEY, Page 3

CAPTURE THE MOMENT ART EXHIBITION AND GALA FRIDAY | MARCH 13 | 5:00-7:00 PM

22975 SE Black Nugget Rd, Issaquah, WA 98029 RSVP at (425) 200-0331 by March 11.

eraliving.com

75 cents


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