Issaquahpress092414

Page 1

GRIPPING GOLF

ELEVATED MUSICAL

Eagles edge Patriots, 181-189 — Page 9

‘In The Heights’ kicks off new theater season — Page 6

The IssaquahPress

Issaquah’s only locally owned newspaper

www.issaquahpress.com

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Two charged in Sammamish homicide Pair needs to be extradited from Canada By Kathleen R. Merrill editor@isspress.com Two men have been charged with beating a Boeing manager to death with shovels and then stealing his credit cards and car before fleeing to Canada. Kevin David Patterson, 20, and Christopher Shade, 18, of Issaquah, are being held in British Columbia, Canada. King County prosecutors have charged them with first-degree murder, firstdegree robbery and theft of a motor vehicle. Bail has been set at $2 million for each man. Police said the killing was Sammamish’s first homicide.

Police found Richard Bergesen, 57, dead in his home at 23145 S.E. 26th Place after a friend of Patterson’s called 911 at 10:56 a.m. Sept. 17. Kevin Patterson The King County Medical Examiner’s Office said Bergesen died from multiple blows to the head. Bergesen had met Patterson through Overlake Christian Church in Redmond about a year ago and had allowed the thenhomeless Patterson to live in his home in Sammamish, according

Costco proposed expansion causes growing concerns By Peter Clark pclark@isspress.com

to charging papers detailing the crime. The two had even attended church together Sept. 14, just days before the killing, according to a statement from the church. “Rich had recently said that the nearly yearlong experience, though stretching, was positive and that he felt blessed to be able to help someone in this significant way,” the statement said. The crime According to charging papers from the King County Prosecutor’s Office: Patterson called a friend and See HOMICIDE,

By Greg Farrar

Sammamish police officer Kenny Williams adjusts crime barrier tape around two law enforcement vehicles on the curb in front of a home at the Page 5 corner of Audubon Park Drive Southeast and Southeast 26th Place.

HATCHERY TOURS RETURN

IF YOU GO

Who will pay for a Costco expansion? That question has nearby business and property owners concerned. Business and property owners have concerns about how proposed Costco growth might affect northern Issaquah, and about who pays for parts of the project. In its Sept. 15 regular meeting, the Issaquah City Council held a public hearing regarding the draft agreement that has made its way through the Development Services Department in the past several months. It would allow the retailer to expand its current 700,000 square feet of space on 47 acres in Pickering Place by an additional 1.5 million square feet. Of that additional space, up to 250,000 square feet could possibly be used for non-office use, such as a hotel or retail. If approved, the agreement would last 30 years and buildings up to 10 stories tall could be built. One of the most contentious parts of the agreement is $50 million in road improvements. “There’s actually three projects,” city Economic Development Director Keith Niven said at the public hearing. “There will be new improvements to East Lake Sammamish Parkway. There’s a new road we’re calling 62nd Street, it would go over Issaquah Creek and connect Pickering Place to East Lake Sammamish. And then, some improvements to 12th Avenue, which is currently a pretty significant bottleneck.” Based on the terms of the draft agreement, Costco would pay 48 percent of the improvements, leaving city residents with the $26 million remainder. Niven said grants could go quite a way to reducing the cost to citizens. Just last year, State Sen. Mark Mullet lobbied the state Legislature into providing $5 million toward the road improvements. “It gets them three new roads,” Niven said about Issaquah residents in a phone interview. “It gives them improved traffic flow, another road over the creek and expanded additional capacity. That’s what the community will get from these road improvements.” Some business and property owners in the vicinity have problems with incurring the costs and the changes such improvements would bring. Randy Bass, owner of storage

Costco development agreement public hearing 47 p.m. Oct. 6 4Council Chambers 4135 E. Sunset Way and rental establishment Truck Country, said one of the new roads would severely affect his business’ finances. “The new road goes right through my property and takes about a third of it,” he said at the public hearing. “Many years ago, I donated 62nd Street to the city and I knew then that it would eventually have to be widened, but I never dreamed they’d move the whole road through my property.” Bass has come to numerous City Council meetings and spoken about how he feels the traffic changes would hurt his business. During the public hearing, he made the point again. “I’m probably the one that’s impacted the most, right through my gut,” he said. “I’m going to be forced to redevelop since you’re taking so much of my property. I have no choice but to redevelop. You’re making me. That’s why this is so important to me.” A group of property owners sent a letter to the City Council the week of Sept. 8, protesting the percentage of improvement costs that the development agreement asks Costco to pick up. They said they had to completely pay for transportation improvements made in or around their properties and insist that Costco fully pay for its traffic projects. “What we expect is to pay on a level playing field,” Craig Johnson, a large stakeholder in the shopping center that contains Home Depot and Fred Meyer, said in a phone interview. “Costco has upped their proposed contribution by quite a bit, but it doesn’t match what we had to pay.” The letter, to which Johnson said he has not yet received a council reply, states that the property owners do not oppose the expansion. They say they merely want Costco to accept the same responsibility they had to accept. Niven said the city’s evolving See COSTCO, Page 5

SLIDESHOW See more photos from Issaquah Valley Elementary School’s tour of the salmon hatchery at www.issaquahpress.com.

By Greg Farrar

Chris Blau (left), with Aquarium Concepts, changes the water after cleaning a 175-gallon aquarium as Issaquah Valley Elementary School students look at fingerlings enjoying the gravel, driftwood and river rock habitat inside the main double doors of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. From Sept. 19 through the end of October, classroom tours are booked solid by Puget Sound-area schools as they learn about the salmon life cycle by exploring the fish ladders, rearing ponds, fish viewing windows and education displays at the hatchery.

Snoqualmie Tribe becomes Salmon Days Title Spawnsor

By Brian Twiggs Salmon Days staff

Earlier this year, the Salmon Days Festival was in need of a new Title Spawnsor. As one of the largest events in the state, we knew it wouldn’t be difficult to attract a large corporation that wanted the exposure, but our ideal partner was a local organization that shared our love and support of salmon.

The Snoqualmie Tribe seemed like a natural fit. It has most likely been celebrating the salmon with us for at least 45 years, and has been a longtime spawnsor of Salmon Days, supporting one of our stages. It seemed like it was a match that should have happened a long time ago. And so I wrote a letter to the tribe, explaining how our “long-standing” tradition of celebrating the salmon would best be carried

forward with their support. The next couple of months would prove to be a humbling lesson in history. The Snoqualmie jumped at the opportunity to be the Title Spawnsor of Salmon Days for all of the right reasons, but I had a lot to learn about what those reasons really are. I wish I could have been a fly See TRIBE, Page 5

Sammy the Salmon seeks festival volunteers The growth of the Issaquah Salmon Days Festival requires more people to help put on the award-winning community celebration Oct. 4-5. About 100 people are still needed to help the more than 150,000 people who typically come to the festival each year. Volunteer shifts are available in areas such as the children’s favorite Field of Fun, festival set up, retail support, transportation logistics and more. “This is truly a community-

run, community-led and community-supported festival,” said Robin Kelley, director of Community Engagement and Festivals. “Serving as an Ohfishal Volunteer is a great way for community members to support this celebration of all things Issaquah…and you get a cool tie-dyed Ohfishal Volunteer T-shirt.” The festival involves more than 60 local nonprofit/charitable organizations who utilize the event for fundraising and

community awareness. It brings approximately $7.5 million in economic impact to Issaquah, and serves as the city’s primary marketing, tourism generation and community pride program. The 2014 festival is celebrating its 45th year with the theme “Coho Mojo” — a nod to the event’s 1970’s founding. Learn more and sign up for a shift that fits your interests and schedule at www.salmondays. org/volunteers. You can sign up until Oct. 2.

EVENT WITH ISSAQUAH’S SISTER-CITY DELEGATES Join us! Monday, September 29 6:30 pm Moroccan Desserts & Wine • 7:00 pm Panel Discussion 22975 SE Black Nugget Road, Issaquah, WA 98029 RSVP at (425) 200-0331 by September 26.

eraliving.com

75 cents


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Issaquahpress092414 by The Issaquah Press - Issuu