Math clubs finish in top 40
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Artists explore the mysterious and soulful at new exhibit
Lakeside mixing youth, veterans for recipe to Legion success Sports,
A&E,
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THE ISSAQUAH PRESS
Forecast is green for rain garden Project gives water a place to go in school parking lot
By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter Squak Mountain State Park’s operating hours and maintenance could be reduced, but the latest proposal from the state allows for the park to remain open. Under a plan offered last year, Squak Mountain and other recreation sites faced a shutdown as early as July 2011. Instead, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is considering a service reduction in order to cut costs. Under the proposal, the 1,545-acre destination for hikers and equestrian trail riders could close on weekdays. “We know we have to make some service reductions, but we’re trying to figure out ways to have the parks not be to zero service,” commission spokeswoman Virginia Painter said. Still, reduced service could make for some notable changes on
What used to be a strip of gravel parking spots near Issaquah Valley Elementary School is now a paved parking lot and bus loop. The new impervious surface has led to another development: a student-dug rain garden filled with 500 plants of varying shades of green. The paved loop and rain garden were the brainchild of Rory Cameron, the city’s senior transportation engineer. He alleviated the traffic mess near Issaquah Valley by designing the long and skinny parking lot and bus loop — built in early 2011 — and he needed to find a place for the rain to go. His answer? A student-planted rain garden, placed at the edge of the bus loop along Northwest Holly Street. The garden would not only give students ownership of their school but also an expanded understanding of their environment, he reasoned. “It’s a legacy for all the students who can come back and see how they grow,” he said. Using money from the Complete Streets transportation fund, the city purchased 500 plants, a number matching Issaquah Valley’s student population. “The teachers were excited about the environmental stewardship,” city Resource Conservation Office Senior Program Manager Mary Joe de Beck said. From May 31 to June 3, students arrived at the rain garden
Squak Mountain park to remain open
Budget prompts reduced hours, service at state park
By Laura Geggel Issaquah Press reporter
Squak Mountain. “The intention for us is to have it open on weekends — Friday, Saturday, Sunday — and probably holidays with some limited services, meaning limited maintenance,” Lake Sammamish State Park Manager Rich Benson said. “We’re probably not going to do as much as we once did.” (Rangers manage Lake Sammamish, Squak Mountain, Bridle Trails and Olallie state parks from a lakeside office in Issaquah.) The state could also find a partner, such as a nonprofit group, to help maintain Squak Mountain, although no such agreement has been announced. State legislators sent a $32 billion budget to Gov. Chris Gregoire as a special session raced to a close May 25. The budget allocates $146.5 million to the state parks agency from July until 2013. The spending plan includes almost $8.9 million to operate 119 state parks as the agency refashions the parks system to become self-supporting. Earlier in the special session, See PARK, Page A6
Motorcyclist arrested after fleeing from police at more than 100 mph By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter
BY MARY JOE DE BECK
See GARDEN, Page A2
See Page B4
Wednesday, June 8, 2011 • Vol. 112, No. 23
Locally owned since 1900 • 75 Cents
Save time, have fun while mowing
A group of Issaquah Valley Elementary School students plant native species in the rain garden near a new cityowned parking lot and bus loop by their school.
Police descended on the Issaquah Highlands June 3 after a man driving a motorcycle at more than 100 mph led state troopers to a condominium near Grand Ridge Elementary School, prompting administrators to take precautions as the school day ended. The afternoon incident started after the crew in a Washington State Patrol airplane observed a motorcycle rider driving more than 100 mph on westbound Interstate
90 near Preston. The crew in the Cessna 206 had been monitoring King County traffic. After receiving notification from the aircraft crew, a trooper in a patrol car pulled behind the motorcycle and turned on its flashing lights to try to stop the vehicle, but the driver continued undeterred. “Because of the extreme speeds and the maneuvering that he was doing, the trooper did not pursue,” Trooper Julie Startup said. See ARREST, Page A6
1,127 students to King County proposes changes to outreach Plan calls for dividing unincorporated receive diplomas communities into service areas By Laura Geggel Issaquah Press reporter
PHOTO KEEPSAKE
After 13 years of schooling, 1,127 students from the class of 2011 will receive their high school diploma this month. Each of the district’s four high schools — Issaquah, Liberty, Skyline and Tiger Mountain Community high schools — as well as the district’s communitybased Academy for Community Transition for special-needs students will have commencement celebrations during the next week. Here’s what you need to know about the celebrations, in the order they happen. Academy for Community Transition Six graduates 7 p.m. June 13 Issaquah School District Administration Building, 565 N.W. Holly St. Issaquah High School 413 graduates 2 p.m. June 10 Safeco Field Valedictorians: Emily Cartmell,
Photo coverage of graduation day for Issaquah, Liberty, Skyline and Tiger Mountain Community high schools will be presented in keepsake sections in The Issaquah Press on June 15. A photo section in the June 22 edition will feature commencement activities for the Academy for Community Transition.
Isabelle Chu, Tyler Herrmann, Andrew Repp and Benjamin Rosellini Senior Matthew Sekijima and teacher Jonathan Ko will speak. School board member Suzanne Weaver will accept the class. Liberty High School 270 graduates 5 p.m. June 10 Safeco Field Valedictorian: Jay Chakravarty See GRADUATION, Page A3
By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter King County intends to overhaul outreach from county leaders to residents in rural and unincorporated areas, including more than 16,000 people near Issaquah. The proposal could reshape the relationship between county leaders and the Four Creeks Unincorporated Area Council, a liaison for unincorporated area residents near Issaquah to the county government based in Seattle. Similar groups exist in unincorporated areas across King County, from Vashon Island to urban Highline between Burien and Seattle. The unincorporated area councils do not represent all rural and unincorporated residents, however, prompting county leaders to consider other options for outreach. So, County Executive Dow Constantine offered a proposal to divide unincorporated communities into so-called community service areas. The plan calls for assigning county staffers and residents in a designated area to coordinate on issues, such as crime prevention or concerns about development. Unlike the existing arrangement,
Constantine proposed for the community service areas to include communities not represented by a local council, such as Klahanie and the Snoqualmie Valley. The proposal keeps the unincorporated area councils intact, but does not guarantee future funding for the organizations. Each council used to receive $10,000 per year in county funding. The plan also preserves existing community service centers and staff members. Officials crafted the plan after the council directed Constantine last year to consolidate the unincorporated area councils in order to cut costs. Lauren Smith, unincorporated areas adviser to Constantine, hosted community meetings — including a January meeting in Issaquah — in order to shape the proposal. “Our thinking is that this proposal will benefit everyone in the unincorporated area while allowing us to continue our relationship with the UACs,” she said. Change or status quo The community service areas proposal is meant to connect residents and a designated staff team,
BY DONA MOKIN
rather than leaving residents to navigate county bureaucracy. “One of the things that I heard universally from the UACs is, ‘We really need to have our single point of contact. It just makes life easier,’” Smith said. “They don’t have to figure out who to call. The staff knows and it’s just much easier to work with one person.” Peter Eberle, Four Creeks Unincorporated Area Council presi-
YOU SHOULD KNOW
A&E . . . . . . . B12
Opinion . . . . . . A4
Classifieds . . . B10
Police . . . . . . B11
Community . . . B1
Schools . . . . . . B9
Obituaries . . . . B3
Sports . . . . . . B6-8
Seattle Tilth held a plant sale at the Issaquah Farmers Market on May 14. In addition to offering plants, Tilth representatives shared knowledge about locally grown organic vegetables. Meanwhile, volunteers tended to Pickering Garden, and plant sale participants marveled at the bounty. The initial harvest of the season from the garden’s earliest crop resulted in 12 pounds of vegetables for the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank.
See UNINCORPORATED, Page A5
INSIDE THE PRESS
dent, and other council leaders across King County remain skeptical. “I have to agree with most of the rest of the UACs that we would just as soon leave things status quo,” he said. Census 2010 data shows 16,500 residents in the Four Creeks Unincorporated Area. The
QUOTABLE “When I was growing up, we didn’t have any professional sports in the city. During the summer, the big event was the hydroplane race.”
— Steve Compton Sammamish resident, about Tastin’ n Racin’ (Read story on Pages B1 and B6.)