mm comfort

24 • December 9, 2009

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

Be green at home for the holidays King County has launched its Green Holidays campaign to educate consumers about how they can green up their holiday celebrations.

From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, household waste increases significantly.

“Going green for the holidays is easy, if you know where to start,” King County EcoConsumer Tom Watson said. “From using energy-efficient holiday lights, to giving experiences instead of stuff, to recycling food scraps, a few simple changes can make a big impact on the environment and even save you money.”

The King County Solid Waste Division has put together 12 tips to help consumers reduce waste this holiday season:

◆ Use eco-friendly lights.

Energy-efficient LED light strands use 90 percent less energy than traditional lights. LEDs come in a lot of different colors and shapes. And don’t throw out those old lights; recycle them through new light-recycling takeback programs. ◆ Recycle your food scraps.

Our holiday meals are filled with great food, but the scraps usually end up in the trash. Recycle your food scraps by placing them in your yard-waste cart. Instead of going to the landfill, food scraps are turned into nutrient-rich compost. ◆ Give experiences instead of stuff. Most of us have more stuff than we know what to do with.

Help reduce waste this holiday

by giving experiences, such as tickets to the ballet or a restaurant gift certificate.

Discounts are often available on holiday experience gifts. If they aren’t advertising a discount, it never hurts to ask! ◆ Shop local. Stay close to home this holiday season and shop locally for gifts, food or decorations. This helps cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, saves energy and supports our local economy. Take it one step further and look for gifts made from recycled or reused materials. ◆ Keep your tree green. The Christmas tree is a centuries-old tradition. Put a modern spin on that tradition by recycling your tree with your yard waste or through a tree recycling program

after the holiday. Extend the holiday cheer by using a live, potted tree that you keep in your garden and bring inside year after year. ◆ Get thrifty. One way to reduce the impact on your wallet and your garbage can is to shop at thrift/consignment stores. You can find a lot of great items you can reuse to make holiday decorations. You can even find distinctive gifts and get more for your money.

◆ Be creative with your wrapping to reduce waste.

Recycle old calendars, maps, posters or the Sunday comics, or wrap gifts in reusable items, such as kitchen towels, Christmas stockings, baskets or cake pans.

And when you unwrap gifts, save and reuse decorative gift bags, boxes and nice ribbons and bows.

A full list of tips and other ideas are available at www.KCgreenholidays.com.

Get your roof inspected before inclement weather hits – Installing roofs since the late 60’s!

– Giving you the best warranties in the business!

50% OFF LABOR with a new roof installation *with this coupon limited time offer

(425) 888-2343 www.centuryroofing.biz 1-800-943-8730

8 • August 5, 2009

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

Residents protect land and save money

By J.B. Wogan

Raymond Pedrizetti wasn’t in it for saving the environment, necessarily, but he considers it a plus.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a big advocate of that. But I do want to see the horse farms stay in the area.

They keep getting pushed farther and farther out,” he said.

Pedrizetti and his wife Louise were one of three Sammamish property owners in July who had private land reclassified as protected open space under a King County program called the Public Benefit Rating System.

Residents agree not to develop the land set aside as protected. They can have passive-use trails and, in special cases, farmrelated structures.

In all, 7.5 of the Pedrizetti’s 10.25 acres are now listed as protected.

The Pedrizettis have a large pasture and small forest in the protected area. In return for the reclassification, their annual

property tax in 2010 will be reduced by 50 percent.

Charles and Lucy Mullen had 1.66 of their 2.65 acres reclassified as protected open space, giving them a 60 percent reduction in their 2010 property tax. The Mullens own part of a wetland, plus some trees and native shrubs.

David Kampp had 21.93 of his family’s 23.20 acres reclassified, resulting in a 70 percent property tax reduction.

Like the Pedrizettis, Kampp’s property has a large pasture, a small forest and some native plants and shrubs.

Each time a Sammamish property owner seeks the reclassification, the Sammamish City Council and the King County Water and Land Resources Division must approve the application.

The City Council approved this latest slate of applications unanimously at the July 7 meeting.

The county has 872 property

owners participating in the program, constituting a combined 7,742 acres of protected open space, according to the county’s Public Benefit Rating System’s Coordinator Ted Sullivan.

The city has 15 property owners participating in the program, representing 52.29 acres.

Kampp’s 2009 contribution doubled the amount of protected acreage.

The program allows for property tax reductions of 50 percent to 90 percent. There is a caveat with the saved money though: If property owners decide they don’t want the protection anymore, they have to pay back the reduced portion of their property taxes, plus interest.

In the case of a developer buying the land, a similar penalty would apply.

Charles Mullen said he sought out the open space protection for the same financial boon that motivated the Pedrizettis.

“The major purpose was to get some tax relief. We’re going

to save a couple thousand dollars on our property tax,” he said.

But Mullen added that he and his wife are tree lovers, too, and they value the privacy their trees provide.

“We just like to be surrounded by trees and not have the neighbors too close,” he said.

While some property owners are seeking property tax relief through the open space program, there hasn’t been a big influx in applications this year, in spite of a reported recession, Sullivan said.

“I’m not receiving a noticeable change in calls,” he said. “I think certain things scare people away.”

Sullivan observed that the idea of a penalty for backing out of the program dissuaded many potential applicants.

Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com. To comment on this story, visit www.SammamishReview.com.

Business brief Klahanie Chiropractic Expands Klahanie Chiropractic Clinic has expanded to a new Snoqualmie Ridge location, which will have chiropractic care and massage therapy.

Ken Lichtenwalter, CEO of Your Neighborhood Healthcare Center and co-owner of the clinic said the new clinic will strive to offer a complete approach to healing. Ben Britton and Steve Gootkind, who join Lichtenwalter, together will strive to offer techniques and therapies that they say will meet the individual needs of patients.

Added to the staff of Snoqualmie Ridge Chiropractic is Julie Ann Johnsonn who offers massage therapy in the new, 1,400 square foot facility. The clinic is open Monday through Saturday at 8026 Douglas Ave., Suite 102 in Snoqualmie.

The good news is: There have been fewer bombings

By J.B. Wogan

Sammamish Police Sgt. Robert Baxter said he remembers a time three years ago when the month of July guaranteed a flurry of angry phone calls from residents about fireworks in the neighborhood again. Not so anymore, Baxter said.

The City Council adopted a ban on the sale, purchase and possession of fireworks in the city, which went into effect January 2006.

“Since we banned everything, it’s gone down significantly,” Baxter said.

Baxter’s observations were based on anecdotal evidence.

Incidents listed as bombings in the police reports were on the decline in July from 2006-2008, but actually returned to about 2007 levels in 2009. There were

nine bombings in 2006, six in 2007, two in 2008, but seven in 2009.

Police officers might file a fireworks bombing as a bombing, vandalism, or several other incident types, making it difficult to track, Baxter explained.

Eastside Fire & Rescue, the city’s fire protection provider, recorded a decline in fireworks incidents from the previous year.

In 2008, there were four incidents in Sammamish in July.

This year, there were none.

The city’s 2006 fireworks ordinance isn’t an outright ban, but it makes private fireworks displays expensive and more time intensive. Residents can still host a fireworks display if they have a state license, a city permit, a licensed pyrotechnician to set off the fireworks, an approved fire plan review from EFR, and a

minimum of three firefighters on site before and after the fireworks display.

Mayor Don Gerend was also the mayor in 2005 when the City Council adopted the ban.

“We got a lot of pressure from

“What we see is mailboxes, port-a-potties.

That’s kids.”

– Sgt. Robert Baxter, Sammamish Police – Eastside Fire & Rescue and a lot of citizens who felt that they were almost living in a war zone during the Fourth of July,” he said. “We felt for the safety of our citizens that it was the right thing to do.”

Gerend, a Pine Lake resident,

recalled his first July 4 in Sammamish in 1979 when he decided to venture out onto the lake to enjoy the fireworks. Soon he found himself in a crossfire from different neighbors around the lake.

“I retreated and chose not to do that again,” he said.

While some still set off private fireworks illegally, the number seems to be dwindling as Fourth on the Plateau — the city-sponsored fireworks display — grows in popularity, Gerend observed.

The July police reports reveal a handful of residents weren’t deterred by the city ban.

A man on 234th Avenue Southeast reported that someone lit off a sparkler bomb by his driveway; a woman on 238th Place Northeast reported that someone blew up her garbage can one evening — her neighbor

suspected three young men running away from the scene were the culprits; a man on 231st Place Northeast and a man on Southeast 27th Street reported mailbox bombings; and a construction company reported that their portable toilet on Southeast 30th Street exploded, leaving its roof about 20 feet from its original location and one wall was about 50 feet away.

Baxter said he thought the remaining fireworks incidents were probably the result of teenage boredom.

“What we see is mailboxes, port-a-potties. That’s kids,” Baxter said.

Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com. To comment on this story, visit www.SammamishReview.com.

THOMAS R. QUICKSTAD, DDS FAMILY DENTISTRY ON THE PLATEAU SINCE 1989

SERVICES AVAILABLE: Preventive Cleanings Digital X-ray (75% less radiation) Cosmetic Veneers Dentures Crowns Sealants Extractions Bridges Teeth Bleaching Implants Fillings

NEW PATIENTS WELCOME

425-391-1331 3707 Providence Point. Dr. SE Issaquah, WA 98029

The Issaquah Press

A&E

B10 • Wednesday, February 24, 2010

FEBRUARY

26 27 5 6 7 12 13

Fridays in the Living Room with Greta: A Tribute to Jim Wilke, 7:45-10 p.m. Bake’s Place, 4135 Providence Point Dr. S.E., $15, 391-3335 Paul Green & Straight Shot, 7:45-10 p.m., Bake’s Place, $15 Ricky Venture Review, 8-11 p.m., Pogacha, 120 N.W. Gilman Blvd., 392-5550

MARCH

March Collective Works’ exhibition features works from local artists, through March 27, with opening reception from 6-8 p.m. at 48 Front St. N. Fridays in the Living Room with Greta, 7:45-10 p.m. Bake’s Place, $15 Trainwreck, 8-11 p.m. Pogacha

Kelly Harland: One Girl, Two Worlds, 7:45-10 p.m. Bake’s Place, $15 Kaleidoscope School of Music’s preview concert of their 2010 material, 45:30 p.m., Hammond Ashley Violins, 320 Third Ave. N.E.

Mark DuFresne: Sunday Blues, BBQ & Beer, 7 p.m. Bake’s Place, $10 Uncle Bonsai, 7:45-10 p.m. Bake’s Place, $20

Ventura Highway Revisited, 811 p.m. Pogacha

Issaquah grad reprises ‘Falstaff’ role

ARTS

CALENDAR

TO SUBMIT AN ARTS CALENDAR ITEM: Call 392-6434, ext. 237, or newsclerk@isspress.com. Submit A&E story ideas to isspress@isspress.com.

By Chantelle Lusebrink Issaquah Press reporter eprising a role from her first years as an opera singer, Issaquah native Anya Matanovic will grace Seattle with her voice again in Seattle Opera’s comedy “Falstaff” Feb. 27 March 13.

“Working with Anya is always a treat. Her intelligence and charm shine through in this role, which also showcases her beautiful voice,” Director Peter Kazaras wrote in an e-mail. “It has been inspiring to watch Anya mature and master the technical difficulties of this intricate score. I think she is a perfect Nannetta.”

While she lives in Manhattan, Issaquah is the city Matanovic said she calls home.

“Issaquah holds many memories for me,” she wrote in an email interview. “I have family, friends and a unique community who supported me in my journey as a musician.”

The Matanovics moved to Issaquah in 1984 and became woven into the city’s fabric by starting The Pomegranate Center, a design and community building nonprofit organization, where she spent many years volunteering through her 1999 graduation from Issaquah High School and undergraduate studies at University of Southern California.

It was at home and in Issaquah schools where she said she found a love of singing.

R

Q: How long have you been singing?

A: I began singing at age 5 with my family. My father Milenko wrote music for classical children’s poetry and together with my older sister Katya and my father and mother Kathi we recorded several albums. We sang as a family until I was 14. I was also very lucky to be a part of the music program during my time at Issaquah High School, under the direction of Lavonne Watson, singing in musicals and the Vocal Jazz and Hi-tones ensembles.

Q: What styles most appeal to you?

A: I enjoy listening to many styles of music, but there is something in the operatic human voice that stirs me in a way nothing else has matched.

Q: When did you develop an interest in the opera?

A: My mother gave me a CD for my 16th birthday of Maria Callas. Up to this point I had not been interested in opera, though my voice teacher at the time insisted I had a voice for it. I was painting my bedroom and I decided to put the Callas album on. I didn’t turn it off for three days — it was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard, and though I had no clue what she was singing about, I had tears in my eyes. I knew from that moment if there was a chance I could make even one person feel that same way, this was the work I wanted to do.

Q: What is it about opera singing that appeals most to you?

A: That I might be able to lift people out of their everyday lives. That the power of the human voice in combination with glorious music can transport people to an elevated emotional state. It is thrilling to be a part of that.

BY BILL MOHN

Issaquah native Anya Matanovic stars as Nannetta in the Seattle Opera’s production of ‘Falstaff.’

Q: What does it mean to you to reprise your role in “Falstaff” as an adult with the Seattle Opera?

A: It is very significant for me. I consider Seattle Opera my hometown opera. When I was in high school, I told myself that I was going to be in the young artist program at Seattle Opera.

Six years later, I was in it! This company has nurtured me and believed in me, and I feel honored that they have asked me to make my debut in this opera, with such a terrific cast. And it is very special to have so many friends and my family close by to share it with me!

Q: What would you like audiences to take away from your performance in “Falstaff?”

A: It’s a comedy and it moves at breakneck speed, so I hope that we give the audience an evening where they can laugh and enjoy themselves while listening to delicious music. And I hope that we create a few new opera fans in the process.

Billy Bob’s gives diners burger, barbecue alternative

By Chantelle Lusebrink Issaquah Press reporter What you’ll find at Billy Bob’s Burgers & BBQ is a great lunch hour or afternoon escape from the workday grind or a place on the weekend for sports action in the bar.

The service was friendly and patient with a large group, with the server refilling water and sodas frequently throughout our meal.

Though we weren’t asked how we would like our burgers cooked, they came perfectly done across the board, all four of them. They were thoroughly cooked with a slight pink to the meat on the inside, which made them moist.

The burgers are made from hand-mixed beef chuck and top sirloin, are about onethird of a pound and come served atop a fresh Kaiser bun.

The blue cheese burger, $8.95, was piled

high with fresh romaine lettuce, tomato, pickles, and sauce intermingled among plenty of creamy melted cheese. Order it with mushrooms for 75 cents extra, and it’s even better. You could also order the mushroom burger with mild cheddar, $8.95.

The teriyaki burger, $11.95, had a surprise spin, served with coleslaw on the bun. The flavor of the burger was good and the coleslaw was a welcome addition, but it did make it messy to eat.

Feel free to substitute salad for your fries, since they don’t charge extra. The best part is you can have any of the entrée salad options, including the mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette, which included dried cranberries and almonds.

If the side salads were any indication of how well prepared their entrée salads were, it’s worth a second trip.

Billy Bob’s barbecue is tasty, although mild. The sauce lacks a kick of heat, but

Free Classified Ads

on personal items $250 or less Private parties only. One item per week. No Business ads.

Ads will run 2 weeks.

Limit 15 words, including phone #.

Send FREE AD to: The Issaquah Press 45 Front Street South / P.O. Box 1328 Issaquah, WA 98027 Name

Phone

AD COPY (up to 15 words)

The Issaquah Press reserves the right to edit ads.

BILLY BOB’S BURGERS & BBQ 317 Gilman Blvd. No. 31-A 427-1600 www.billybobsburgers.com 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. every day $6 - $13 for salads and small plates; entrées $7 - $20

it’s sweet and tangy. The pulled pork, $7.59, is its signature sandwich and was piled high with pork in a mild sauce.

The restaurant has a lot of space in both the bar — which will come in handy during the upcoming March Madness tournament — and on the restaurant side, which is very kid-friendly and has plenty of space between tables.

Personally, a return trip will be neces-

sary in late spring or summer, when the restaurant’s garage door walls open to bring the outdoors in.

Billy Bob’s serves a wide variety of beer, wine and liquor. Of course, you can always opt for a nonalcoholic option, like soda or lemonade, for $2.50.

Happy hour is every day from 2-9 p.m. with two daily rotating cheeseburger specials for $5.95, and a rotating specialty burger option for about $9.95. At happy hour, they also have two daily entrée specials, which range in price from $7.95 $19.95. The top end of the price range is for specials like filet mignon.

All and all, it’s a great place for a “goto” burger that’s good and can please a wide-variety of tastes.

Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Avoid the misery this summer!

Sleep well & SAVE energy with a heat pump / air conditioner

TRIPLE CASH BACK!! $ Carrier Cool Cash $ PSE Rebate $ Federal Tax Credit Limited time offer Call now for details 425.881.7920 www.mmcomfortsystems.com

Bake’s Place pays tribute to radio icon Jim Wilke Bake’s Place at Providence Point pays a special tribute to Seattle radio icon Jim Wilke Feb. 26 on Northwest vocalist Greta Matassa’s weekly show, “Fridays in the Living Room with Greta.”

For this special event, Matassa will ask Wilke about his career and perform some of Wilke’s favorite jazz songs. Also on the bandstand will be Darin Clendenin on piano and Clipper Anderson on bass.

Dinner for this performance will be served at 6 p.m.; the tribute will begin at 7:45 p.m. Tickets are $15.

Wilke’s radio program, “Jazz After Hours,” has been running on Friday and Saturday nights for the past 25 years.

The show, broadcast nationally on NPR and PRI, features an array of jazz from new releases by contemporary artists to classic recordings from jazz greats.

Throughout the years, Wilke’s guest list has included luminaries such as Ray Brown, Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Henderson, Milt Jackson, Diana Krall, Benny Green and Maria Schneider.

In addition to “Jazz After Hours,” Wilke also produces the weekly program “Jazz Northwest,” broadcast on KPLU. “Jazz Northwest” features live jazz recordings of regional artists on location at festivals, concert venues, nightspots and other locales.

Wilke has won numerous awards for broadcasting excellence and was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 1993. He was the first nonmusician to receive the prestigious recognition.

Learn more at www.bakesplace.org.

Go shopping .........

Mow yard ..........

Go to Web site of the week ......

www.themanwifechronicles.com

Need a laugh today? Or just something to think about?

This guy is hilarious. Learn how he balances not having a job with taking care of his wife and children. “Maybe a good Lifetime movie will help me relax and clear my mind. I'll post later, but tomorrow is Thursday Have a recand that is laundry day. So I ommendamay not get around to tion for Web site another post until of the week? Send it Monday. Oh, right, I need to editor@isspress.com. to mop the floors at some point.”