Issaquah’s only locally owned newspaper
THE ISSAQUAH PRESS
117th Year, No. 17
Thursday, April 28, 2016
issaquahpress.com
District’s legislative plea goes unanswered; budget shortfall possible in 2017-18
LATEST SCHOOL BOND ELECTION RESULTS ON OUR WEBSITE The results of the April 26 special election were released after press time for this edition of The Issaquah Press. Our website will have up-to-the-minute results for both the Issaquah School District’s $533 million bond proposal and the proposed merger of King County Fire Districts 10 and 38 affecting May Valley and Mirrormont.
By David Hayes dhayes@isspress.com The supplemental budget Gov. Jay Inslee signed April 18 tops $38 billion, but it does not contain the top priority for the Issaquah School District and 294 other districts across the state. Unless the Legislature addresses an expiring temporary increase in the levy lid early in the next
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session, the Issaquah district looks to lose $7 million from its 2018 budget and $14 million by the end of 2019. That means cuts to programs or even teacher staffing levels. While Issaquah has its funds in place for the 2016-17 school year, it’s planning beyond that has district officials worried. “It really hurts us in financial planning,” said L. Michelle, district
IN-DEPTH EDUCATION COVERAGE ONLINE
communications director. “Its not clear what our revenue picture is going to be.” The school district had sent a letter March 24 to state Sen. Andy Hill, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, to support House Bill 2698, which proposed extending the levy lid through the See DISTRICT, Page 2
GETTING DIRTY TO CLEAN UP THE CITY
The Seattle Times Education Lab is dedicated to exploring solutions to the most urgent challenges facing public education. Read the Education Lab team’s stories at seattletimes.com/education-lab.
Second Issaquah retail marijuana store may have to find new location By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com
Greg Farrar / gfarrar@isspress.com
Grace Irwin checks to make sure she pulled the root out along with the weed while working with friends and other volunteers on the trolley tracks along Rainier Boulevard North. The Downtown Issaquah Association’s annual Keep Issaquah Beautiful spring cleanup day April 23 saw dozens of volunteers turn out to clean weeds, collect trash, add mulch to landscaping and place potted plants along Front Street, the trolley tracks at the Issaquah Depot Museum, the Issaquah Community Center, Gilman Boulevard and other locations around town. VIEW MORE PHOTOS AND VIDEO AT ISSAQUAHPRESS.COM
City Council hopefuls state their case By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com The City Council listened to 10-minute presentations April 18 from five residents who applied to fill the vacant Position No. 2 council seat. The seat became open when freshman Councilwoman Jennifer Sutton resigned March 31 just
months after being elected in order to take a position with the U.S. Foreign Service. Following city rules, the council will vote to decide which applicant will replace Sutton. The clerk picked the order of the applicant presentations at random, and the council went into executive session to discuss its pick immediately after the meeting.
The winning candidate should be announced at the May 2 council meeting, and if that person is present, he or she could be sworn in that evening. Here are highlights from each of the five presentations, in the order they were given. See COUNCIL, Page 3
ON THE WEB
The City Council is scheduled to select from the five applicants and name the next member of the council at its May 2 meeting. We’ll have the results on our website at issquahpress.com.
The holder of the license for Issaquah’s second recreational marijuana store will likely need to alter his company’s stated business plan. George Garrett told The Issaquah Press earlier this month that he hoped to open his Green Grotto recreational marijuana store on the ground floor of 230 NE Juniper St. That may not be possible. The existing Issaquah Cannabis Company already operates on the second floor of the same building. “The regulations speak for themselves,” said a source within the city administration who asked not to be identified. The source declined to confirm the second store would not be allowed to operate in the same building as the Issaquah Cannabis Company. “The code looks pretty clear to me,” the source said. The code in this case is Section 13 C of the portion of municipal code referring to the operation of marijuana stores in the city. Part 2 of Section C1 states no recreational marijuana facility “shall be permitted within one thousand (1,000) feet of any other recreational facility.” Garrett did not return a phone call requesting comment. His winning of the second of only two available Issaquah retail marijuana licenses became controversial when The Issaquah Press learned Garrett, in 1994, had been convicted of second-degree murder in the killing of his wife. The Green Grotto’s license is listed as “active” and “issued,” confirmed Mikhail Carpenter, a spokesman for the state Liquor and Cannabis Board. He said the information regarding George Garrett’s past was irrelevant as far as the license is concerned. State rules allow a convicted felon to hold a retail marijuana license as long as the conviction is at least 10 years old. The board lists several other potential Issaquah license holders on its website, but the status of all those would-be retailers is “pending/not issued.” With the city’s rules in mind, Garrett and Green Grotto would need a variance to open in the Juniper Street space. Asked if the City Council might be willing to pass such a variance, City Council President Stacy See MARIJUANA, Page 3
Prices unveiled for Gilman Boulevard development; first tenants due in June By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com Lennar Multifamily Communities has announced leasing plans for Atlas, its new 344-unit apartment home community on Northwest Gilman Boulevard. Janie Prill-Gonzalez, a regional property manager for Lennar Multifamily, said leasing prices start at $1,350 a month for a studio apartment; $1,500 a month for a one-bedroom; $1,775 a month for a one-bedroom with den; $2,189 for a two-bedroom; and $2,480 for
a two-bedroom with den. Pre-leasing for Atlas will begin this month, with the first move-ins slated for June. Currently nearing completion of its first phase, Atlas is Lennar’s first Issaquah development. The apartments all boast quartz countertops, stainless-steel appliances and hardwood-style floors. In a press release, the company said Atlas’ location at the corner of Gilman and Seventh Avenue Northwest will provide residents easy pedestrian, bike, transit and vehicular connections to various
well-known Issaquah locations, such as the Gilman retail corridor, Gilman Village, the Farmers Market and Front Street. Atlas amenities include a fitness center, a yoga lounge, a resident clubhouse and outdoor gathering areas. The Atlas development is a trio of five-story residential buildings above a concrete podium with covered parking spaces. All units will be elevator-served and will be accessed through secure internal corridors. For more information, visit rentatlasapts.com.
Tom Corrigan / tcorrigan@isspress.com
Construction continues at the 344-unit Atlas apartments development at Northwest Gilman Boulevard and Seventh Avenue Northwest . FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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