Happy Thanksgiving! Issaquah’s only locally owned newspaper
THE ISSAQUAH PRESS
117th Year, No. 47
Senior center group settles lawsuit; no-trespassing notices lifted
Thursday, November 24, 2016
issaquahpress.com
HELPING HANDS OF ALL SIZES
Mark Mullet
5TH DISTRICT SENATE
Mark Mullet (D) 36,818 50.4% Chad Magendanz (R) 36,274 49.6% Results as reported by the Secretary of State through Nov. 20. Final election results will be certified Nov. 29.
By Lizz Giordano lgiordano@isspress.com Issaquah Valley Seniors, the organization currently operating the Issaquah Valley Senior Center, announced a settlement has been reached between the group and three individuals, according to a note posted inside IVSC. As part of a confidential settlement, the group’s board of directors lifted the no-trespassing notices that were served to Regina Poirier and David Waggoner in 2015. IVS had banned Poirier indefinitely from entering the center, while Waggoner was banned for three years. According to a letter from the board’s lawyer sent to the Issaquah Police Department, the board had voted Oct. 25 to lift the no-trespassing notices. According to the note posted in the senior center, “Neither party has admitted liability and, in fact, expressly denied it.” As part of the settlement, the board of directors — which
Six-year-old volunteer Emily Schmidt of Issaquah helps fill a grocery bag that would later be delivered to attendees of Eastridge Church’s turkey and groceries giveaway on the morning of Nov. 19. Lisette Murrell, the church’s community outreach director, said 900 turkeys and bagfuls of groceries were given away at the Issaquah campus, as were 480 coats, 180 scarves and 51 haircuts. “The need was pretty great,” Murrell said. “Overall, it was a really great day.”
By Stuart Miller smiller@isspress.com Both candidates in the seemingly interminable 5th District state Senate race have, since mid-November, been waging “ballot-chasing” campaigns to track down uncounted election ballots they hope will favor their numbers. Nearly 2,000 ballots were uncounted in the 5th District, mostly because of voters’ signatures not matching their signatures on file with the state. When the signatures don’t match, the ballot’s authenticity is challenged and left uncounted — unless the voter corrects the discrepancy by filling out a signature-challenge form. A brigade of volunteers for
Concert raises funds for Merry Christmas Issaquah Issaquah’s St. Michaels & All Angels Episcopal Church will welcome a special guest director as it prepares for its eighth annual Sing & Play Along Messiah Dec. 11. Mel Butler, a longtime music director at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, is coming out of retirement to lead community musicians through George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah.” The church’s holiday sing and play along raises money to aid families in need throughout the community. Last year, the concert See CONCERT, Page 11
Rivals in Senate race chase uncounted ballots
Photos by Scott Stoddard / sstoddard@isspress.com
See LAWSUIT, Page 2
By Christina Corrales-Toy ccorrales-toy@isspress.com
Chad Magendanz
Yulin Xu of Issaquah (right) receives a turkey from Eric Lemus of Eastridge Church during the church’s Nov. 19 giveaway.
Hundreds of turkeys awaited those who attended the giveaway even at Eastridge Church on Issaquah-Fall City Road.
See BALLOTS, Page 11
Another production well found to contain PFOS By Lizz Giordano lgiordano@isspress.com Trace amounts of perfluorooctane sulfonate, commonly known as PFOS, has been detected in a third Sammamish Plateau Water production well. All results were well below the Environmental Protection Agency’s lifetime advisory level of 70 parts per trillion combined for
PFOS and another perfluorinated chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid, known more commonly as PFOA. Sammamish Plateau’s Well No. 9, which previously tested negative for PFOS back in May, joins a growing list of production wells in the area, all drawing from the Lower Issaquah Valley Aquifer, that have been found to contain PFOS. “We found a minute amount
that it is barely above the detection level,” said Jay Krauss, general manager for Sammamish Plateau Water. “It is a finding, but it doesn’t pose any concern to us.” Well No. 9 is located near the corner of First Avenue Northeast and Northeast Juniper Street in Issaquah. Both Sammamish Plateau Water and the City of Issaquah
continue to test for perfluorinated chemicals, searching for the source of PFOS contamination in the aquifer. Officials from the City of Issaquah, Sammamish Plateau Water and Eastside Fire and Rescue held an initial PFOS collaboration meeting Nov. 14. See PFOS, Page 12
New parks director wants to improve comprehensive plan for open spaces By Lizz Giordano lgiordano@isspress.com After just three months on the job, new Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Watling is already taking on the daunting task of updating the city parks system’s overarching strategic plan. The 418-page planning document known as the Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Trails Plan must be updated every six years to qualify for state grants. “My job really is balancing the
important and diverse interests within a public park system,” Watling said. Even though an update to the plan approved earlier this year fulfills state requirements, there was a desire from the community, City Council and city administration to create a holistic, comprehensive plan looking at connecting the entire park system, Watling said. “Not just looking at a plan that addresses park by park, trail by trail, but more of a ‘How do all
these public spaces relate to one and other?’ ” Watling said. Watling is no rookie when it comes to creating strategic plans. He worked on the very first parks and recreation plan for Sammamish, helping lay out the vision for that city’s entire park system. Prior to coming to Issaquah, Watling worked on several updates to the City of Kent’s park plan. See PARKS, Page 12
Lizz Giordano / lgiordano@isspress.com
Jeff Watling, Issaquah’s new parks director, is focusing on improving the city’s Parks, Recreation, Open Spaces and Trails Plan. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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