SPRING FEVER
PARTING SALUTATIONS
Football offseason starts with 7 on 7 — Page 9
Tiger Mountain class of 2015 says farewell — Page 6
The IssaquahPress
Issaquah’s only locally owned newspaper
www.issaquahpress.com
Thursday, June 18, 2015
AtWork! to phase out recycling center By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com Due to the arrival of improved curbside recycling and other recycling services, the need for a recycling drop-off center in Issaquah is much smaller than it used to be. With that and other factors in mind, such as the age of the equipment in the recycling center, AtWork!, the Bellevue based nonprofit, is starting to phase out its Issaquah recycling center at 970 Seventh Ave. N.W. AtWork! Chief Executive Officer Christina Brandt said she wasn’t sure when the recycling drop-off center first opened its doors. She did say it was one of the first At-Work! centers, and a press release noted the center has been around for decades. “AtWork! has been transforming its services for people with disabilities for the last eight years,” Brandt said in the release, “moving away from facility-based services to community services that are integrated and inclusive.” In short, Brandt said later,
AtWork! is beginning to concentrate on placing people with disabilities in jobs around the community, places where the workers earn at least minimum wage or better. In 2014, AtWork! placed 57 people in jobs around the area, Brandt said. The number should reach about 70 for the current year. All in all, Brandt said AtWork! has some 200 people working in jobs making an average wage of $11.75 per hour. “It’s supported employment really,” Brandt said. While the recycling center is being phased out, Brandt said a popular rumor about the city forcing the center to close their doors just isn’t true. The rumor says the city changed the zoning for the property, giving AtWork! no choice but to shutter the facility. The area was rezoned as part of the Central Issaquah Plan, Brandt said. The plan is the city’s attempt to bring uniform zoning to the central part of the See ATWORK!, Page 3
Car show, Make Music Day are both June 21 By David Hayes dhayes@isspress.com Sometimes, the stars align to bring together two things to make one memorable union, from lovestruck youths Romeo and Juliet to food pairings surf and turf. Issaquah residents will be the beneficiary of a quirk of the calendar, when two of the Downtown Issaquah Association’s biggest events of the year fall on the same day. The car show Fenders on Front Street is always on Father’s Day, which just so happens to fall on June 21, the same date for the annual Music Day. “So, they overlap this year and we thought this was a great way to incorporate the two,” said Karen Donovan, executive director of the DIA. “This will be an awesome event, with beautiful cars, lots of fun and tons of things to do.” But beware — Donovan added
IF YOU GO Fenders on Front Street/ Make Music Day 47 a.m. to noon — Eagles breakfast (cost $7) 411 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Judging 411 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Free trolley 41-5 p.m. — Live music 42 p.m. — Trophies presentation at historic Shell Station, 232 Front St. N. 43 p.m. — Cruise to Triple XXX Rootbeer Drive-in & Confluence Park 43-5 p.m. — Barbecue at Confluence Park that with these two events combined, be prepared to share the See EVENTS, Page 2
City may ask voters to help fund $308 million in traffic solutions
By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com
Issaquah voters could be asked to approve funding for transportation projects throughout the city as early as February 2016. During an eight-hour retreat held June 6, the Issaquah City Council came up with a final list of eight goals, including one dubbed, “Transportation Funding Strategy.” As the title implies, the idea is to come up with a way to fund the city’s roughly $96 million portion of the $308 million transportation concurrency plan adopted early this year. A local sales tax, a $50 car tab fee, a road levy or bonds, and
similar measures all have been mentioned at one time or another as possible funding sources. Some suggestions would require voter approval; some would not. City staff responded in April to early council discussions of their goals and the transportation funding question. “The time to act on transportation funding is now,” the response reads, noting a citizen survey named traffic as by far the No. 1 issue with residents. “That fact — coupled with what we have learned from our concurrency policy revamp — compels us to fund the needed improveSee TRAFFIC, Page 3
By Greg Farrar
The two new reindeer calves at the Cougar Mountain Zoo mingle with the adults in the herd. Sven (left), is younger by two weeks than the female, not named as yet.
BABY BOOM
Cougar Mountain Zoo unveils newest animals By Christina Corrales-Toy newcastle@isspress.com There are eight new reasons to visit the Cougar Mountain Zoo, and they are all irresistibly adorable. Cougar Mountain recently welcomed two emu chicks, two reindeer calves and four grey wolf pups to its zoo family. They don’t all have names yet, but the precious eight are already welcomed additions for zoo staff and fans, said Peter Rittler, president of the Zoological Society of Washington, which runs the Cougar Mountain Zoo. “Growth is the essence of life. If you don’t grow, you disappear,” Rittler said of the new additions. “We’re growing all the time.” The four wolf pups are the most newsworthy newcomers since their arrival adds a new species to the zoo’s repertoire, which already includes lemurs, tigers and, of course, cougars. Born in mid-April, the four male pups came from three different litters, said Cari McKinstry, promotions and public relations director for the zoo. After adopting them about a month ago, McKinstry said the pups are acclimating well with zoo staff. The public can see them in brief appearances every day during regular zoo hours at 11:15 a.m. and 3:15 p.m., weather permitting. “The important purpose of this right now isn’t so much that the visitors get to see the wolves, but that the wolves get used to the large crowds,” McKinstry said. “It’s an introduction on both halves.”
By Greg Farrar
Peter Rittler, president of the Zoological Society of Washington and founder of the Cougar Mountain Zoo, holds one of four grey wolf pups during a short, scheduled meet-and-greet with the public June 11.
The four currently unnamed pups are growing “a bit more confident” and a “little less wobbly on their legs” with each passing day, McKinstry said. Eventually, the four will grow to about 140-150 pounds and occupy an exhibit space near the tigers. The zoo’s other four newcomers all arrived by natural means, McKinstry said. “We just let them do their thing and then one morning we came out and we had a little addition,” McKinstry said of the zoo’s new reindeer calves. “Our reindeer went from nine to 10 and then two weeks later it went from 10 to 11.” It’s been a long time since the zoo welcomed a reindeer calf to its herd, but breeding season was obviously successful this year, McKinstry said. It’s not easy to tell when a
reindeer is pregnant, because of its winter coat, McKinstry said, but staff members hope for the best and know what to look for about springtime. The older of the two calves is a female, who has yet to be named, while the other calf is a male named Sven, a nod to the lovable reindeer in “Frozen.” “Our members who come all the time, they get to see a new animal, to kind of be part of its life, its growth, its introduction to the visitors and to the rest of the reindeer,” McKinstry said of the calves’ births. “So it’s really a whole zoo family event.” And last, but not least, the zoo improbably welcomed two baby emus a few months ago. It’s described as improbable, because it’s a rare occurrence. Emus are not often hatched naturally in zoos, but both Rittler and McKinstry said they think the recent mild winter might have something to do with the successful breeding. “There was no science involved. No equipment, no fertilization, hormones, anything like that. It was completely the emus,” McKinstry said. “We’ve tried for years and years and never succeeded,” Rittler added. The two little ones are currently separated from the adults for their own safety, Rittler said. Staff members don’t know the emus’ genders yet, as they await DNA tests; so, for now, they are affectionately referred to as “A” and “B.” The public can see the emu See ZOO, Page 3
Discover premier retirement living at University House Issaquah Call (425) 200-0331 to schedule a personal visit. 22975 SE Black Nugget Road, Issaquah, WA 98029
eraliving.com 75 cents