Issaquahpress102915

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FLEETEST RUNNERS

ZOMBIES WALK AGAIN!

Boys capture KingCo cross country crown — Page 9

Hundreds participate in annual shamble — Page 6

The IssaquahPress

Issaquah’s only locally owned newspaper

www.issaquahpress.com

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Council balks at funding for Issaquah Senior Center By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com City Council members launched into some of the harshest criticism leveled by public officials at the Issaquah Valley Senior Center during their regular meeting Oct. 19. Council President Paul Winterstein said the center leadership “is not in line with the values of our citizens.” He claimed there is enough factual information to give him pause about the running of the center and he would not support funding it. Deputy Council President Stacy Goodman referred to a letter sent out to center members by the board dated June 30. She described it as full of anger and blame and disrespectful of community members and city officials. “Something is broken,” she said, “and I would like to figure out what that is and fix it.” Previously having backed giving the senior center at least half of its usual grant of $99,000, Councilman Tola Marts said he was bothered by the apparent clash between the center and the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank. He added he wanted to know more about that clash before giv-

ing the senior center “a dime.” Last week, the council’s Services and Safety Committee, chaired by Marts, voted to give the center at least a half-year’s funding. The rest of the money would follow if center officials met several conditions set by Mayor Fred Butler. At the Oct. 19 council meeting, Marts recommended the council move the entire issue of nonprofit funding to a budget work session. Winterstein said that would be the normal council process. Marts said during the center’s presentation to his committee that center Executive Director Courtney Jaren lamented the loss of a food program for seniors coming from the Food and Clothing Bank. She said the center had asked for the return of the program five times but gotten no response. “That just simply is not true and does not fit the culture of our organization,” Cori Walters, director of the Food and Clothing Bank, said in an email sent to media and, apparently, city officials. “The ISC board would not respond to my board president’s emails or phone call attempts,” See FUNDS, Page 3

City releases crosswalk safety study online By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com The city of Issaquah has released online the long-awaited results of a pedestrian crosswalk study launched over the summer. The study is posted on the city’s website at http://bit. ly/1PQAtUq. The city invites all residents to learn more about the crosswalk study at a community open house 6:30 p.m. Nov. 19 at Tibbetts Creek Manor, 750 17th Ave. N.W. The city promised it would provide an overview of the study’s findings and recommendations, as well as answer questions. Including both the consultant report and the study done by city staffers, the report runs to some 181 pages. The report covers the following general areas: Northern Issaquah, the Issaquah Highlands, South Cove, the Newport Way corridor, Talus, Squak Mountain and downtown. The Newport Way corridor will no doubt receive lots of attention from the public. Public outcry for some sort of traffic safety measures reached a

Tips appreciated Issaquah Police Cmdr. Bob Porter (left) and officer Robert Hendrickson deliver hamburgers and soft drinks to Dan and Charlene Grisim and their son Brady, 7, during the Tip-A-Cop Washington Special Olympics fundraiser Oct. 24 at the Pickering Place Red Robin restaurant. Others, including Chief Scott Behrbaum, dispatchers Tricia Belizzi, Teresa Davenport, Dominique Hill and Felicia Moore, Cmdr. Chris Wilson, Cpl. Christian Muñoz, Officer Ron Adams and Corrections Officer Amanda Cramer waited tables during lunch and dinner shifts, and raised $3,222 in donations. By Greg Farrar

crescendo following the death of 4-year-old Haochen Xu after an accident at the intersection of Newport Way Northwest and Northwest Oakcrest Drive in late June. According to the study, all the intersections examined meet national standards. However, consultants wrote that enhancements could be made to help both the visibility and usability of the crossings. Mayor Fred Butler promised the study’s completion by the end of September, a deadline that was met, though just barely, said Emily Moon, deputy city administrator. Any delays were due to some heath issues suffered by the consultant completing the study, Moon added. Butler announced at an open house in July that he would recommend lowering the speed limit on Newport Way. The City Council has since sliced the speed limit from 40 mph to 30 mph. City officials later announced the crosswalk study would encompass more than 20 intersections around Issaquah. City staffers were to look at numerous additional crossings in less detail.

By Greg Farrar

Irish President Michael Higgins (left, with wife Sabina Higgins) shakes hands with Skyline High School physical education teacher and Gaelic football coach Brendan Hyland Oct. 22.

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY Gaelic football connection sparks Irish president’s visit to Skyline By Neil Pierson npierson@sammamishreview.com There are only seven schools in the Seattle area that have integrated Gaelic football into their physical-education classes, said Terry Lynch, and that fact helped put many eyes on Skyline High School during Irish President Michael Higgins’ visit to the area last week. Lynch, who works with the North American County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association, has helped spread the world about sports like Gaelic football and hurling that aren’t commonly played in the United States. Lynch’s group has helped P.E. By Greg Farrar teachers learn the rules and Katelyn Peters (left), Skyline high school freshman, defends as sophoSee VISIT,

more Will O’Daffer advances the ball during a game of Gaelic football, put on by physical education students Oct. 22 for the benefit of Irish Page 3 President Michael Higgins.

Council barely approves county’s Best Start For Kids measure

By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com

Issaquah City Council narrowly voted to support King County’s Best Starts for Kids tax levy on the Nov. 3 ballot. Sammamish City Council did not vote on the issue because

they could not get someone to oppose the question before council. One of the “no” votes, Issaquah Councilman Joshua Schaer insisted he is not against every tax and assumed the Best Starts for Kids tax will pass because of its title. He said nobody

votes against kids. “I don’t think it would pass if it were called, ‘Taxation with Somewhat of a Plan,’” Schaer said. Best Starts for Kids is an See BEST

START, Page 3

Hometown Hero helps workers get jobs By Christina Corrales-Toy newcastle@isspress.com As CEO of Seattle-King County’s Workforce Development Council, Issaquah resident Marlena Sessions offers hope and an opportunity. Marlena Sessions Under her leadership, nearly 100,000 unemployed King County resi-

dents received guidance and the resources of career counselors as they navigated through the uncertainty of workforce gaps. “While not all of society’s ills can be corrected through employment, Ms. Sessions has dedicated her life’s work to helping the citizens of King County become skilled, gainfully employed and move up career ladders in local industries,” said Suzanne Ramage, a Workforce See HERO, Page 3

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