newsWriterYearKagarise

Orthodontics have come a long way

Tigers get new habitat at Cougar Mountain Zoo

Skyline runs away with girls state swimming title Sports,

See Page B4

Community,

Page C1

THE ISSAQUAH PRESS

See Page B6

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 • Vol. 110, No. 46

Locally owned since 1900 • 75 Cents

Page B1

‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ a bold, fresh production

Election elevates younger members to City Council

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter The makeup of the City Council will undergo a demographic shift when the next council meets for the first time in early January: Members will be younger, newer to Issaquah and include more parents of school-aged and young children.

The addition of newcomers Tola Marts and Mark Mullet will lower the average age of council members by about a decade, from 50something to early 40s. For the

first time in several years, the council will include two members under 40: Mullet, 37, and incumbent Councilman Joshua Schaer, 31. Marts, 40, will succeed longtime Councilman David Kappler, a man two decades his senior.

Council President Maureen McCarry said the shift would make for a council more representative of a broader swath of Issaquah residents. The newcomers will help the council reach new populations, such as school groups, and neighborhoods. Mullet is the first

Issaquah Highlands resident elected to the council.

“I think it’s really, really smart to bring young people in,” McCarry said.

McCarry also Tola Marts lauded established council members for forging bonds with regional groups and local service

organizations.

She said the existing council made for a good balance of community interests, and she said she imagined the next council would do the Mark Mullet same.

Marts said new Issaquah residents take a different view on the longstanding

dispute about economic development versus environmental protection. Because new residents do not recall the “B.C.” — “before Costco” — era, they are Joshua Schaer more willing to accept growth and do not yearn for the way Issaquah used to be, Marts said.

Park bond stretched to preserve open space, upgrade parks

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter City parks officials used grants to stretch a $6.25 million park bond into almost $9.6 million — money then used to buy land for new parks, preserve open space and improve sports fields.

Issaquah voters approved the bond in November 2006 with a resounding margin: 76 percent.

The dollars were split among open space acquisitions and improvements to existing parks. The park bond came almost 20 years after city officials last asked Issaquah voters for money to add recreation and open space.

Proponents pitched the bond to voters as a way to protect water quality in Issaquah waterways, add and enhance sports fields and open new areas to recreation and wildlife. Officials earmarked the

biggest piece of the bond — $3.5 million — to buy creekside and hillside land.

Officials bought Squak Mountain upland and sensitive land around Issaquah Creek with the latest bond. State and King County agencies kicked in dollars for several projects. City Parks & Recreation Director Anne McGill said the bond generates discussion from landowners with property in which the city wants to buy for parks or open space. Moreover, the bond provides leverage when parks officials asked for grant money.

“You don’t have to go find a pot of money,” McGill said. “It’s sitting there gaining interest.”

Bond dollars, supplemented with grant money, were funneled to bigticket purchases. Officials used: See PARK

BOND, Page A2

The next No. 2 man in King County government will be Fred Jarrett, the Mercer Island Democrat who represents southwest Issaquah in the state Senate.

County Executive-elect Dow Constantine tapped Jarrett for the deputy executive position last week. Jarrett already served as co-

chairman of a 30-person transition team Constantine formed after he won the Nov. 3 election.

Issaquah Councilman Fred Butler also serves on the transition team. Besides Butler and Jarrett, the lineup includes elected officials, labor leaders and businesspeople.

Both Constantine and opponent Susan Hutchison, a former KIRO newscaster, indicated during the

See COUNCIL, Page A3

Budget crisis slows plans for state park upgrade

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter

Jarrett challenged Constantine and Hutchison in the crowded field for the nonpartisan executive post. Voters knocked Jarrett out of the race in the Aug. 18 primary, though Jarrett and Hutchison took Issaquah precincts.

Because the Nov. 3 vote was a special election to replace former

Ambitious plans to update Lake Sammamish State Park are on hold due to the state budget crisis, although design and permits for the project are almost complete.

Plans call for upgrades to a boardwalk, wetland improvements and construction of a new, eco-friendly bathhouse at the 512acre state park, nestled against the southern shore of Lake Sammamish. Peter Herzog, a parks planner with the State Parks and Recreation Commission, said the design and permit work were necessary in case state lawmakers steer money to the project.

“We want to be ready to act immediately on any sort of funds that become available,” he said.

Lawmakers allocated about $565,000 for design and permits in the 2007-09 state budget.

Officials hoped to set aside money to complete the initial phase of the project in the 2009-11 state budget, but the economic downturn forced legislators to make deep cuts.

A lifeguard program at Lake Sammamish State Park was eliminated last year during a round of cuts and pared services at state parks.

King County planners took steps last month to approve a permit to construct a new restroom building at the park.

Plans from the State Parks and Recreation Commission call for the construction of a 7,667-squarefoot bathhouse and restroom facil-

See JARRETT, Page A5

See BUDGET, Page A3

BY GREG FARRAR

Honoring the fallen Veterans salute the flag as they in turn are honored Nov. 11 by an audience in attendance during the Veterans Day ceremony held in the Eagle Room at Issaquah City Hall.

VFW Issaquah Post No. 3436 members (from left) Don Parker, Mike Atkins (hidden), Ron Howatson, Del Fleming and Norman Peery served in World War II, Korea and/or Vietnam. Other audience members served in the two wars in Iraq. Peery was voted by post members as their Veteran of the Year. The ceremony concluded outside with a 21-gun salute fired by the Issaquah Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Honor Guard.

Sen. Fred Jarrett tapped for No. 2 county job

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter

He moved to Squak Mountain about three years ago, and the Marts family lived in Klahanie for three years before the move into Issaquah.

Marts said the perspective enabled him to see the need for greater density in parts of Issaquah, and how increased density could lure residents and help create jobs. He said the process should be handled to protect the

campaign that Jarrett would have a role in the next county administration.

The deputy will handle some duties once assigned to the chief of staff, and Jarrett will be responsible for how county government operates. Constantine praised Jarrett — a former Boeing executive and past Mercer Island mayor — when he announced the appointment Nov. 10.

“Fred’s willingness to assume this leadership role will assure that the ideas he and I shared on the campaign trail, and those generated by our large, diverse transition team, will be carried forward at the county,” Constantine said in a statement. “I cannot think of a more perfect fit to address the challenges and opportunities that we face while we remain true to our core values.”

Helpful Harvest

BY GREG FARRAR

INSIDE THE PRESS A&E . . . . . . . . B6

Opinion . . . . . . A4

Classifieds . . .C4-5

Police & Fire . . C5

Community . . . B1

Schools . . . . . . C6

Obituaries . . . . B3

Sports . . . . . C1-3

At left, volunteers Vicki Huang (left) and Joyce Zhan hand out cookies to guests lined up for food, clothes, books and toys Nov. 14 during the annual Harvest Festival organized by the ARAS Foundation (Acceptance, Respect, Affection and Support). More than 200 volunteers helped at Issaquah Valley Elementary School, serving more than 2,000 of the less fortunate.

At right, Monica Sampson, of Klahanie, holds up a jacket for size on son Daniel, 12, who has two brothers and two sisters. Sampson had to quit her job as an assembler when the only shift that fit the family’s schedule was shut down.

Learn how to help ARAS by e-mailing mary@arasfoundation.org.

YOU SHOULD KNOW Consider tree planting, especially if you own working forestland — or even a few acres — where you could plant seedlings. Owners of small working forests also can find affordable seedlings of firs, pines and other species. The state Department of Natural Resources sells seedlings from September to May. Trees start at $1 each for the minimum order of 100; discounts exist for buying in volume. Call 877-890-2626 toll-free to find out what varieties are available.

RAIN GAIN Last Week’s Rainfall: (through Monday) 1.07 inches Total for 2009: 49.63 inches Total last year: (through Nov. 18) 49.45 inches

BY GREG FARRAR

GAS GAUGE BEST LOCAL PRICES *

$2.77 — Arco, 1403 N.W. Sammamish $2.77 — Costco

2. 7 7 Best local prices Costco Arco

HIGHEST LOCAL PRICE * None listed

A2 • Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The Issaquah Press

Planners envision downtown park as ‘crown jewel’ Court OKs state’s unequal school funding formula

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter

Almost 16 acres in downtown Issaquah will be transformed into walking paths and picnic areas, near where Issaquah Creek and the East Fork meet. The area encompasses three contiguous parks: Cybil-Madeline Park, Tollë Anderson Park and Issaquah Creek Park. City officials dubbed the area near the confluence of the creeks as the “crown jewel” of the municipal park system.

When work on the park complex is completed early in the next decade, officials envision a place for respite and recreation at the wooded site.

“You feel like you’re so close to nature and then you realize how

close you are to downtown,” city Parks & Recreation Director Anne McGill said.

Money from a park bond approved by Issaquah voters in November 2006 will be used to complete the initial phase of the project. The first step will occur in January, when city officials send out a request to landscape architecture firms interested in the project. City Parks Planner Margaret Macleod said parks staffers, a city Park Board member and a city Public Works Engineering staffer would be part of the evaluation team that chooses the architect.

Officials will then make a master site plan for the park complex.

Throughout the yearlong planning process, parks planners will seek public input about the features

residents want. But geography and preservation requirements will limit the park to passive recreation, such as walking trails.

Macleod said planning for the park complex would be a methodical process.

“We hope for it to be like our crown jewel of our parks system,” Macleod said. “So, there’s a lot of importance to it.”

McGill said she envisions the Issaquah Creek complex as a small-scale version of sweeping Forest Park in Portland or Stanley Park in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia.

What elements the park complex will include will be decided during the planning process.

Picking a name for the park complex will be the final piece.

The mayor will form a committee — made up of residents and representatives from civic groups — to suggest official names for the park.

Members will submit name possibilities to the mayor, who will then whittle the suggestions and send the City Council a final list for approval.

The names of Cybil-Madeline Park and Tollë Anderson Park must be kept under the agreements by which the city acquired the properties.

McGill said a possible moniker could be taken out of contention now: Confluence Park. The name is already used by other Evergreen State parks.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Park bond FROM PAGE A1

$2.5 million toward Anderson Farm, $2.4 million toward Corra Park, $1.7 million toward Ingi Johnson Park and Squak Mountain open space — 40 acres for $1.8 million. The bond was used to buy land near Issaquah Creek, a parcel known as the Stieglitz property, for $100,405.

As part of the confluence area where Issaquah Creek and the East Fork meet, the four-acre Anderson parcel is part of a planned downtown park complex. Corra Park is 2.5 acres near Third and Dogwood streets. Ingi Johnson Park consists of about eight acres along Issaquah Creek near the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery dam.

Another project included a public-private partnership. Crews are almost done with artificial turf and lights at Central Park fields in the Issaquah Highlands. Besides county and state grants, the Issaquah Soccer Club donated $100,000 toward the $2.4 million project.

Another $1 million came from the park bond, King County kicked in $500,00 and a Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program grant provided $500,000. City dollars covered the remainder.

Bond dollars were also used for drainage improvements at Central Park, a project with a $114,312 price tag.

Almost half of the $964,000 price tag for Harvey Manning Park at Talus — named for the late conservationist — was paid for with bond money. The bond also paid for $67,000 worth of playground improvements, part of a $137,000 upgrade to Veterans’ Memorial Park.

The project updated play equipment for children ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12.

McGill lauded city Parks Planner Margaret Macleod, who leveraged the bond to secure

COURTESY OF ISSAQUAH PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT

Crews work to install artificial turf and lights at a Central Park sports field. county and state dollars for Issaquah projects.

McGill described Macleod as “a real dynamo” for her efforts to secure $3.3 million in grant money to augment the bond.

When officials began discussions about a park bond, Macleod said the team identified open space and wildlife habitat city officials would like to acquire. Ways to expand and improve the existing parks and recreation system were also discussed.

Macleod said bond money also provides Issaquah with the matching funds most grants require — further increasing the odds for grant dollars.

Macleod said the overwhelming support for the park bond reassures agencies in charge of grant money. The vote shows officials how valuable parks and open space are to area residents, she said. In turn, the support boosts an applicant’s chances for success.

Oh Christmas

Tree

Macleod, whose position is funded by the city, county and state Department of Natural Resources and State Parks and Recreation Commission, said the patchwork arrangement has enabled her to build connections with officials in various agencies. The relationships then prove useful when she applies for grant dollars for the city, because other officials know the quality of the work.

Macleod credited city residents for supporting efforts to preserve open space, as well as elected city leaders for the political will to conserve land and back up such decisions.

The ample open space and emphasis on recreation help attract new residents to Issaquah and the emphasis “provides a quality of life for people living here,” Macleod said.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

By Chantelle Lusebrink Issaquah Press reporter The state Supreme Court unanimously decided Nov. 12 that inequities resulting from state funding formulas don’t violate the state’s constitution.

In the Federal Way School District No. 210 v. State decision, Justice Jim Johnson said, “The Legislature's use of the staff unit allocation system to fund education with differing salary allocations to school districts with historically disparate average salaries does not violate article IX, section 2, although there remains a slight gap between the highest and lowest salary funding statewide.”

Because the decision deals specifically with the state constitution, there is no other appeal option.

“The court's decision is extremely disappointing after we have worked intensively for six years in the Legislature to build a bipartisan coalition to support reasonable alternative school-funding formulas,” said State Rep. Glenn Anderson, R-Fall City, in a press release. “Our goal has always been, and will continue to be, ensuring a uniform education funding structure for programs, services and staffing.”

The decision overturned Judge Michael J. Heavey’s decision in King County Superior Court filed in 2007, which determined the state’s school funding formula violated the state’s constitution and that the disparate funding violates constitutional equal protection rights of Federal Way’s teachers, students and taxpayers.

The case was originally filed in 2006.

At that time, Federal Way was the seventh largest school district in the state, yet ranked 263rd of 296 districts in dollars-per-student funding from the state, according to the district’s Web site. District officials maintained that if the district had been funded at the same rate as the most well-funded district in the 2006-07 school year, the district would have received approximately $11.5 million more in state funding than it did.

To date, 30 other school districts have signed on in support of the case, but not the Issaquah School District. Issaquah is involved in another lawsuit against the state, regarding special-education funding. However, it did stand to gain from it, had it not been reversed.

“Basically, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of every district in the state to receive equitable rate compensation for its employees, and that includes Issaquah,” said Sara Niegowski, district director of communications.

“Not that we lost anything, but we aren’t going to gain anything either, because there was no court decision and now there is no pressure on the Legislature to make these employee salaries equal.”

Had the decision been in Federal Way’s favor, it would have forced the Legislature to change its methodology and pay school districts equally for their employees, Niegowski said. Right now, the system is arbitrary in determining who

Correction A Nov. 4 article about Ismael Ramirez misstated the charges against the former Medina police officer. Ramirez was charged only with official misconduct. He was not charged with second-degree extortion.

Crafters wanted The Issaquah History Museums

READ THE DECISION Go to www.courts.wa.gov/opinions, and then click on “List of Opinions Filed Within the Last 14 Days” and “80943-7 Fed. Way Sch. Dist. No. 210 v. State”

gets more for their employees.

At the top of the system is Everett, but for no apparent reason other than being grandfathered in long ago, Niegowski said.

To compete, all other districts are forced to take local levy money to pay comparable salaries.

Again, “it’s our levy money, that is supposed to be used to supplement and enhance basic education, being used to pay for basic education,” Niegowski said.

Had the decision been upheld, Issaquah would have likely seen an additional $4.1 million.

The decision leaves little room for second-guessing as all nine justices signed the opinion.

Specifically, the justices said that disparate funding doesn’t constitute a violation of the state’s “ample provision for the education of all children” protections as required under the fourth article in section 1.

“The Legislature has acted well within its constitutional authority and its duty to make ample provision for the education of children, and to provide for a general and uniform system of education under article IX,” Johnson wrote.

Anderson contends that the court’s ruling stalls the momentum to reform basic education funding models within the state in the past few years and still didn’t address the big question: Are school funding formulas rational, so they ensure every school district receives adequate funding to pay for uniform services, programs and staff?

“Allowing the state to be arbitrary is the worst thing the court could have allowed through its ruling,” Anderson said in the release.

As evidence, he cited remediation rates of high school students in math and science in the state’s colleges.

“One would think,” he said, that “would be a signal that irrational funding of the education system has harmed students.”

However, the justices said that the district couldn’t adequately prove that the lack in funding they received compared to other betterfunded districts actually showed a lack in students’ achievement as a result. As evidence, Johnson stated the Federal Way students continually score above average on their Washington Assessment of Student Learning scores and continue to improve over time.

In their decision, the justices also said that taxpayer rights to additional taxation had not been violated as citizens in Federal Way had additional recourse. Those wishing to contribute more to the school system could donate their money outside the taxpayer system to the schools without taxing all residents in the district.

hosts its Holiday Open House from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Train Depot Freight Room.

There are 10 spaces set aside for local crafters to show their items at the event. Each crafter has a sixfoot space; tables are provided and no commissions are charged.

The fee is $35. All proceeds benefit the continued success of the museums.

Call 392-3500 to reserve your table.

We’re taking roofing to a higher level!

– Locally owned for 39 years!

– Giving you the best warranties in the business!

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

Sports stories of the year

r a e Y w Ne

Happy

See Page C4

THE ISSAQUAH PRESS

See Page B1

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 • Vol. 110, No. 52

Locally owned since 1900 • 75 Cents

Best photos you didn’t see

Detectives re-examine ’68 cold case with few clues

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter

INNOCENCE

LOST Part 3: Clues

A three-part series about the 1968 disappearance of David Adams.

Investigators scoured Tiger Mountain for almost a week.

Volunteers searched for days more.

Still, the mountain yielded no secrets in the search for David Adams, the 8-year-old boy last seen near 15 Mile Creek in May 1968.

The disappearance baffled investigators. Left to work with few leads and scant evidence, the case faded into memory for more than four decades — until now.

In the spring, King County Sheriff’s Office investigators received a $500,000 grant to reexamine cold cases. The agency established a cold case unit; detec-

tives treated the Tiger Mountain disappearance as a priority.

When David vanished May 3, 1968, authorities handled the case as a search-and-rescue effort.

Perhaps the boy fell down a defunct coalmine shaft or suffered a wild animal attack. After exhaustive searches for David turned up no traces, people suspected something more sinister.

David played with a friend after school, and then left for the short trek home at about 5 p.m. Ann Adams, now 76, asked her son to return home for dinner just before he vanished.

“I have the firm, firm feeling that this was not an accident, that somebody was involved,” she said.

“Now, whether it was an accident

on their part, I don’t know if they deliberately set out to do harm to him. But somehow along in the association that they had, harm was done to him.”

The lead detective, Scott Tompkins, believes someone else caused the disappearance, too.

Everything Tompkins knows about the case is contained in a binder labeled “homicide” — 41 years condensed into three inches.

Detectives collected little evidence from the area where 6-yearold Kevin Bryce last saw David.

Nobody knows if searchers damaged other evidence during the hunt for the lost boy.

Tompkins said he was amazed by how little detective work was conducted in 1968, because

authorities managed the disappearance as a search-and-rescue effort instead of a child abduction.

“If the community felt that he was attacked by a cougar or fell down a well, then it wasn’t on people’s minds,” he said.

‘Time is the enemy’ Robert Lowery, executive director of the missing children division for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said highprofile abductions and technological advances since 1968 reshaped the way investigators and people approach missing child cases.

“We’re more sensitive now about See LOST, Page A6

Top 10 news stories of 2009

Highlands gas station decision is delayed

Economy, weather and more Growth slowed and the economy cooled throughout 2009. The watershed moments in Issaquah hinged on expansion and recession. Leaders broke ground for a major new employer, even while other businesses left town for good.

Issaquah began the first decade of a new century as a fast-growing city, a title the city held for years. As 2009 reached a close, however, officials pared the size of government to face the new economic reality.

From January floods to record July heat and brutal December cold, 2009 was jam-packed, but the year was never dull

Living ‘green’ continues in Issaquah A new community garden sprouted, threatened salmon received another chance and city officials worked to make dining out more eco-friendly.

Volunteers harvested more than 300 pounds of organic peppers, squash and tomatoes for the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank.

The effort brought together a community group, Sustainable Issaquah, and nonprofit AtWork! to feed the hungry.

Salmon benefited from good works, too. Throughout fall, Issaquah Salmon Hatchery workers and volunteers collected almost 35,000 eggs to restore vulnerable kokanee salmon.

King County Council members and local environmentalists also prodded the federal government to list Lake Sammamish kokanee as endangered, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ended 2009 without a decision about the salmon’s status.

Officials further burnished the city’s green credentials when the City Council banned polystyrene food containers, like Styrofoam takeout boxes.

Issaquah will become the first Eastside city to require businesses to switch from eco-unfriendly polystyrene to compostable or recyclable — and pricier — containers and utensils. The council voted Nov. 16 to follow bans in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco.

What’s next: A voluntary adoption period will begin Jan. 1, and the ban will become mandatory Oct. 1.

See TOP

10, Page A3

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter

PHOTOS BY KATHLEEN R. MERRILL

Happy birthday Above, Vitez rolls around with some bamboo, about the only Christmas present he enjoyed Dec. 23. At right, Bagheera eyes a box, one of his presents, suspiciously. Maybe he knew it contained nothing but small tufts of reindeer fur. The newest Cougar Mountain Zoo cubs were given Christmas trees, plenty of bamboo and boxes that had meat, fur and various smells in them. See video of the cubs enjoying their first Christmas at www.issaquahpress.com.

Questions about commercial development in the Issaquah Highlands prompted developer Port Blakely Communities to ask city officials to postpone a decision on a highlands gas station.

Port Blakely President Alan Boeker asked city officials to postpone the key vote less than a week after a city commission postponed a residential project in the highlands until Port Blakely answers questions about commercial development plans.

City Council members were set to consider a change to the agreement between the city and Port Blakely to allow a highlands gas station, banned when the agreement was drafted due to concerns about ground water contamination. Officials scheduled the measure for a Dec. 21 vote.

City officials and highlands residents subjected Port Blakely to criticism in recent months because additional commercial development has failed to materialize in the highlands. The gas station amendment also received a lukewarm reception from the Council See GAS

STATION, Page A5

Christmas fund is still 30 percent under goal

ONCE AROUND THE LAKE Two Santa Clauses enjoy the cold, clear sunshine on Lake Sammamish Christmas Day, as Douglas Bubbletrousers, of Los Angeles, wakeboards behind the personal watercraft of Issaquah resident Jason "The Pirate" Gilluly. Bubbletrousers substituted for Issaquah resident Blake Thomson, who could not ski this year, in the fifth year of continuing a longtime holiday tradition started years ago by Barry Nyman.

Sounds of cheers could be heard coming from surprised lakeshore residents.

BY COLIN THOMSON

INSIDE THE PRESS A&E . . . . . . . . . B8

BY GREG FARRAR

The binder for King County Sheriff’s Case No. 68-008320, in the disappearance of David Adams, is labeled ‘homicide,’ and ‘open,’ with a blank after ‘S’ for suspect.

Opinion . . . . . . A4

Classifieds . . . B6-7

Police & Fire . . B7

Community . . . B1

Sports . . . . . . B4-5

YOU SHOULD KNOW City offices will close Thursday, Dec. 31. City, county, state and federal offices and banks will close Friday, Jan. 1. Post offices will close and mail will not be delivered. State driver’s license offices also will be closed. Metro Transit will operate on a Sunday schedule. On weekdays with reduced schedules, some commuter and school-oriented routes do not operate, and other routes will have trips canceled. Call 206-553-3000 or go to http://metro.kingcounty.gov.

It is very likely the Merry Christmas Issaquah emergency aid fund will set a new record for the number of donors this year. But the fund is still more than $16,000 away from its goal of $50,000.

It usually takes about 200 individual donors for the fund to reach its goal, but this year 157 donations have already arrived and the fund is still more than 30 percent shy.

Merry Christmas Issaquah has become known as the fund that helps people help themselves. Not having enough funds to help those who need help with a new pair of glasses, a prescription for a sick child, work boots to start a new job, a car repair, rent or an overdue power bill is something the

RAIN GAIN Rainfall unavailable at press time.

TO DATE: $33,822 2009 GOAL: $50,000 volunteers at Issaquah Church and Community Services cannot fathom. ICCS is the nonprofit agency that distributes the Christmas funds.

“We don’t ever have as much as we’d like, but you’d be surprised how much a little bit can help,” said Marilyn Taylor, president of ICCS. “But the need is so great.

This may be the year that funds run dry. We pray it won’t be so.”

See FUND, Page A5

GAS GAUGE BEST LOCAL PRICES *

$2.75 — Costco 1801 10th Ave. N.W.

2. 7 5 Best local prices

HIGHEST LOCAL PRICE * $2.85 — Chevron 5040 148th Ave. N.E.

Costco

To report gas prices in your area, go to www.seattlegasprices.com.

A6

The Issaquah Press

• Wednesday, December 30, 2009

key in cold cases. If another law enforcement agency had recovered unidentified human remains, DNA from them could be matched against genetic profiles in the database.

Searchers recovered no traces of David. The first search teams scanned the forest near the Adams house in the hours after David failed to return home. King County investigators arrived the next morning, and volunteers came to Issaquah by the hundreds to search.

Military helicopters equipped with then-secret infrared sensors buzzed the area. Volunteers traveled south toward Mount Rainier to investigate reported sightings.

Searchers used fabric strips torn from bed sheets on which David slept to help dogs pick up the scent.

Lost FROM PAGE A1

what happens in these cases,” he said.

Although people opened newspapers, listened to radios or watched television broadcasts filled with information about the case, many reports contained incorrect information.

The Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer misidentified the lost boy as “David Adam.” Articles in the days after the disappearance carry reports about bogus sightings. Tompkins said a few reports turned out to be cruel hoaxes.

David disappeared almost a full day before the case received widespread attention. The disappearance received unprecedented coverage, but a key tool investigators use today to locate missing children — the AMBER Alert — was nonexistent in 1968.

Nowadays, information about a missing child can be beamed across TV news tickers, electronic highway signs and mobile phones minutes after authorities determine a child is lost.

But 41 years ago, authorities were unable to saturate the airwaves with the description for a slender boy, 4 feet tall, with dark brown hair and intense blue eyes, dressed in green-and-brown plaid shirt, jeans and high tops.

BY GREG FARRAR

Scott Tompkins (left) and Jake Pavlovich, King County Sheriff’s detectives, working out of their office at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, have a three-inch binder compiling the available information on the unsolved disappearance case of David Adams.

“Time is the enemy when it comes to finding a child,” Lowery said.

DNA technology, another crimesolving tool, was unimaginable 41 years ago. Detectives now collect a comb, toothbrush or another item chockablock with DNA traces from missing people to aid investigations.

Not long after the King County Sheriff’s Office revived the Adams

investigation, agents collected DNA samples from Ann and Don Adams and uploaded the information in a national database. The agency also collected DNA — through a quick, oral swab — from the oldest Adams child, Steven, who lives in Alaska.

Known as the Combined DNA Index System, the database helps investigators compare forensic DNA evidence nationwide.

Tompkins said DNA samples are

Unanswered questions Don Adams, then a captain in the Air Force Reserve, remembers the search dog teams well. He returned from Air Force training in Oklahoma days after his secondoldest son vanished.

But the dogs, like the searchers and the helicopters, found nothing.

Don Adams, now 77, recalled a follow-up visit from searchers after organizers called off the hunt for David.

“A few weeks later, they came back, and they said the dogs had never failed to find who they were looking for if who they were looking for was there,” he said. “Based on that, I just assumed that some-

On TV, when things go wrong in the ER, they win an Emmy.

In real life, when things go right in the ER, they win one of these.

You’re looking at the 2009 Press Ganey Summit Award. And, while you’ve probably never heard of it, if you ran a hospital you certainly would.

That’s because the Press Ganey organization studies more than 10,000 healthcare facilities in the U.S. The 74 that delivered exceptional patient satisfaction scores three years in a row won this award — and that’s exactly what the Swedish/Issaquah ER just did.

body had taken him from the area.”

Detectives eyed a 20-year-old man early in the investigation, a U.S. Navy corpsman whose family lived near the Adamses. Police reports from the days after David disappeared show the man piqued detectives’ interest.

A search volunteer and Tiger Mountain residents said the man behaved in a strange way when asked about the disappearance.

Neighbors told police they saw a man walking along Tiger Mountain Road the day David vanished.

A detective interviewed the man May 6, 1968 — three days after a schoolmate last saw David near 15 Mile Creek. The man told the detective he had been taking tranquilizers because, he said, he was “a very nervous person,” court documents state.

Tompkins requested a warrant in October to search mobile phone records because he felt the man, now a Lewis County resident, steered potential witnesses away from investigators. Tompkins described the man as a “person of interest” in the case.

The man agreed to a polygraph test, administered in April at the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The man told Tompkins he assisted with the search. The man failed the test, court documents state. A technician recorded the strongest deception reading when the man was asked, “Do you know where the body is?”

The man also told Tompkins he passed a polygraph test in May 1968, court documents show.

However, the test is not included in the modern-day Adams case file.

No conclusive evidence links the man to the disappearance. The Issaquah Press typically does not name people until they are charged with a crime.

Patrick Tiekamp, 64, is the older brother of the man interviewed by investigators.

Tiekamp said Tompkins targeted his brother because the former neighbor happens to be “the last man standing.”

Tiekamp said the investigation aggravated the post-traumatic stress disorder his brother developed in Vietnam.

“If my brother had done anything like that, he would have confided in me,” Tiekamp said.

Tiekamp said his brother served in Vietnam soon after David disappeared. In Vietnam, the man worked in a military morgue, and the word body still provokes strong

reactions, Tiekamp said.

“Corpsman don’t kill people,” he added. “They save lives.”

‘All is well with David’ Ann and Don Adams never left Tiger Mountain where the family settled with David in 1968.

“There for a long time, we kept thinking maybe one day there would be a knock on the door and there he would be,” Ann Adams said. “We wanted to be there.”

They raised a close-knit family — six children in the house. A daughter was born a few years after David disappeared. Despite the disappearance and unsolved mystery, the Adamses said tragedy never forced them to become overprotective with the other children.

“We’ve had a happy, good life,” Ann Adams said. “Whoever was involved with this, I think I feel sorrier for them than I do for us.

My life is just overflowing with good memories and happy days, but they must be carrying a terrible burden.”

The children biked, swam, hiked and picked berries in the thick forest nearby. Still, questions about David remained. Jill Stephenson, the Adamses’ oldest daughter, recalled how she walked through the woods as a child and wondered, “What if I came across him or his bones?”

When detectives renewed the investigation in April, the new attention the case received forced the Adamses to relive the pain from 41 years earlier.

Eileen Erickson, a longtime family friend, described Ann and Don Adams as hospitable, open people unlikely to become distracted by self-pity.

“I don’t think they’re the kind of people who would sit there and say, ‘Why me?’” Erickson said.

Searchers left the Adamses’ house about a week after David vanished. Grief lingered long after a family friend hoisted a bullhorn and ended the search.

“You just deal with grief as anyone deals with grief,” Ann Adams said. “Actually, when they contacted us last spring that they were going to open the case again, now and at this point, I can’t say that I hope they find out what happened.

We’re at peace. I know all is well with David, whatever the circumstances are or were.”

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Let there be hope.

Merry Christmas Issaquah Fund

Helping neighbors help themselves

Total: $33,822 from 157 donors

2009 Fund Goal: $50,000 Thank You! to this week’s donors:

What makes Swedish patients happy? For starters, instead of making you wait in the lobby, you’re almost always ushered right into a treatment room. There are no long delays to see a doctor either — Swedish guarantees the doctor will be with you in 30 minutes or less.

Truth be told, Swedish didn’t win this trophy. The men and women who work at this remarkable, efficient, patient-friendly place did.

They’re the real stars of the show. And, while they may never win an Emmy, they definitely deserve a standing ovation.

2005 N.W. Sammamish Rd. – www.swedish.org/issaquahER

David & Pauline Harris Bruce Miller James & Lorraine Cooper John & Celese Spencer Thomas & Jean Aguirre Jane Stevenson Debra McElroy Bob & Mary Hildie Thomas & Christina Anderson Barbara & Bill Galler Chris & Shelly Hawkins Michael & Maureen Bondor Alan Silverman Larry Norton Robert & Nina Milligan Wanda Taylor & Kelly Bezdzietny James & Leslie Young Richard & Margaret Jacobs Richard & Karen Johnson David & Penny Short Richard & Dorothy Amidei Ralph & Ann Moore K.L. & Marian Hampton Kathleen & Michael Richardson Joan Smithers Betsy & Keith Seiler Joanne Engle, in memory of Frank G. Engle Craig Nelsen & Margaret Hall William & Yoko Smiley Lisa Lloyd, in memory of Elise and Robert Perry Valborg Borman John McConnell Charles & Jolene deKeyser Judi Schrager Peter & Karen Norby 6 anonymous

To donate, send to: EMMY® and the EMMY statuette are the trademark property of ATAS/NATAS.

Merry Christmas Issaquah c/o The Issaquah Press PO Box 1328, Issaquah, WA 98027 Name will be published unless anonymity is requested.

Car show schedule bigger than ever

See Page B10

Fischer Meats celebrates 100 years of service to community

Athletes sign letters of intent to play college ball Sports,

Community,

Page B4

Page B1

THE ISSAQUAH PRESS

See Page B9

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 • Vol. 111, No. 6

Locally owned since 1900 • 75 Cents

Develop a vision for a kitchen remodel

Teachers prefer controversial math textbooks

By Chantelle Lusebrink Issaquah Press reporter

PHOTOS BY GREG FARRAR

Above, about 120 Issaquah Highlands residents attend a town hall meeting Feb. 3 at Blakely Hall to hear and discuss the state of continuing retail development plans by Port Blakely Communities for the planned neighborhood. Lower left, Genni Reilly and Chris Hysom, Port Blakely Communities executives, share information with the residents.

Highlands developer lowers expectations for retail Port Blakely outlines plan for stores, holds back on timeline

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter The sales pitch sounded almost too good to be true.

People migrated to the Issaquah Highlands in droves, many enticed by plans for restaurants, a grocery store, a cinema, a health club — enough amenities and stores to allow them to forgo trips to Bellevue and Seattle.

The leasing brochure for The High Streets — a chic retail center planned for the highlands — promised “a highly desirable mix of internationally recognized retailers as well as distinct local favorites and neighborhood retail services.”

The sales pitch lured residents with three small words: live, work, play.

Nowadays, the pitch resembles a relic from another era, the prerecession boom.

The development deal to build The High Streets unraveled years

ago. The blocks eyed for development wait, fallow. Highlands residents grumble about the slowdown in conversations with neighbors, city meetings and blog posts.

Planners envisioned the highlands as a shining city on a hill, but the recession and other factors sidelined elaborate plans to bring offices, stores and restaurants to the community. Officials from the development, Port Blakely Communities, re-engaged residents last week in a discussion about the future of the highlands, and how the economy upended plans for additional stores and restaurants.

Although more than 7,000 people live in the highlands, the community hosts only a handful of businesses after about a dozen years of development. Rooted in the tenets of New Urbanism — with tree-lined streets and a See HIGHLANDS, Page A6

Meet a handful of families who call the Issaquah Highlands home, and learn how they want their community to evolve.

THE ZIMMERMANS When Erick and Renée Zimmerman moved to the highlands a decade ago, a neighbor greeted them with warm chocolate chip cookies — the sort of neighborly, “Leave It to Beaver” touch highlands residents swear by.

The gestures turn out to be essential in a place with small lots and close quarters. The highlands’ design encourages residents to gather at parks and community spaces, like Blakely Hall.

“Even though we don’t have big backyards, we have places where we can congregate,” Erick Zimmerman said.

The Zimmermans characterize themselves as strong supporters of Port Blakely Communities, who nonetheless understand why other residents feel frustrated.

They remain upbeat about the future of the community. If more retail options develop in the neighborhood, the Zimmermans said they want the area to become a destination, with local merchants and hard-to-find items.

“I think residents are willing to wait, although we are frustrated,” Renée Zimmerman said. “We want it done right.”

INSIDE THE PRESS A&E . . . . . . . B10

Opinion . . . . . . A4

Classifieds . . . . B8

Police & Fire . . A8

Community . . . B1 H&G . . . . . . . . B9 Obituaries . . . . B3

Schools . . . . . . B7 Sports . . . . . . B4-6

YOU SHOULD KNOW City, county, state and federal offices and banks will close Feb. 15 in observance of Presidents Day. Post offices will close and mail will not be delivered. State driver’s license offices and state-run liquor stores will also close.

Metro Transit will operate on a reduced weekday schedule, and some routes will be canceled. Learn more at metro.kingcounty.gov or by calling Metro Customer Information at 206-553-3000 for route and schedule information.

The Issaquah School District is one step closer to having a new high school math curriculum after the decision was delayed by a year.

District teachers and math specialists from the Teacher Adoption Committee presented their recommendation of Discovering Mathematics, by Key Curriculum Press, to the Instructional Materials Committee Jan. 28.

Members of the Instructional Materials Committee will review the textbook recommendation process to ensure it adhered to the district’s goals and philosophy, and will evaluate the textbooks for bias and discrimination. The committee is a requirement under state law.

Committee members are expected to make their recommendation in a meeting before the public Feb 11. The board is not scheduled to take action before the end of March.

The decision comes after a group of Seattle parents and math experts won a ruling Feb. 4 from King County Superior Court against Seattle Public Schools for adopting Discovering Mathematics.

“The Seattle case is nonbinding on any other jurisdiction, and any similar case would be evaluated by a judge on a new and specific fact pattern,” Sara Niegowski, district communications director wrote in an e-mail. “However, we are certainly aware of the Seattle case and want to make sure we proceed with as much information as possible. Our legal counsel is currently evaluating the case and will report back with more information this week.”

A group called Save the Math In

NEXT STEPS Feb. 11: Committee discussion

and vote at 4 p.m. at the administration building, 565 N.W. Holly St. If materials are recommended, they will go on display for at least two weeks.

March 6: Save the Math In Issaquah organizational meeting from 3:15-4:45 p.m. at the Issaquah Library, 10 E. Sunset Way. Late March: If Discovering Mathematics is recommended, school board members will vote to adopt or reject.

Issaquah has formed and scheduled a meeting at the Issaquah Library to rally against the potential adoption of Discovering Mathematics here.

“We believe that inquiry-based instructional materials are inferior to mastery-based materials and there is pretty compelling data to support that,” said Mark Van Horne, founder of Save Math In Issaquah. “In addition, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction only recommends the mastery-based Holt series and third, the decision from King County Superior Court said ‘there is insufficient evidence for any reasonable board member to approve the selection of the Discovering Series.’

“A court of law has now said that no reasonable board member could approve it, so we wonder See TEXTBOOKS, Page A3

FBI investigates robbery at Mall Street bank A man robbed The Bank of Washington branch along Northwest Mall Street on Feb. 4.

Issaquah Police Cmdr. Scott Behrbaum said a man dressed in dark clothing entered the building at about 2:15 p.m., brandished a handgun as he demanded money from a teller, and then fled. Police did not disclose the amount of money stolen by the man.

No employees were injured

during the incident. Behrbaum said he did not know if any customers were in the bank, 1250 N.W. Mall St., when the robbery occurred.

Officers responded to the scene and launched the initial investigation. Issaquah Police then contacted the FBI to handle the case, because bank robbery is a federal crime. Federal agents continue the investigation.

Rep. Jay Rodne will host call-in ‘town hall’ meeting Issaquah and other 5th Legislative District residents can join a call-in “town hall” meeting Feb. 10 with State Rep. Jay Rodne.

Callers will be able to listen to the lawmaker, a North Bend Republican, ask questions and participate in polls. The hourlong meeting begins at 7 p.m. Call 877229-8493 toll free and enter the code 15549 to participate.

Rodne and other lawmakers continue work on the state budget shortfall; the 60-day legislative

session wraps in March.

“I’m really excited about hearing from so many constituents at once,” Rodne said in a news release. “The midway point of the legislative session is a great time to share what is happening in the Legislature and get people’s feedback.”

Besides Issaquah and North Bend, the 5th District includes Sammamish, Fall City, Snoqualmie, Maple Valley and parts of unincorporated King County.

GAS GAUGE

RAIN GAIN Last Week’s Rainfall: (through Monday) .64 inches Total for 2010: 8.33 inches Total last year: (through Feb. 8) 8.75 inches

BEST LOCAL PRICES *

$2.65 — Arco 1403 N.W. Sammamish $2.65 — Costco

2. 6 5 Best local prices Costco Arco

HIGHEST LOCAL PRICE * $2.89 — Shell 15 East Sunset Way

To report gas prices in your area, go to www.seattlegasprices.com.

Chastened Port Blakely promises better communication A6

The Issaquah Press

• Wednesday, February 10, 2010

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter Port Blakely Communities executives admitted missteps and pledged last week to communicate better and more often with Issaquah Highlands residents.

The highlands developer called a town hall meeting Feb. 3. Longtime highlands residents said developers offered little new information about plans.

“They owned up to the things they could have done better in the past and made pledges to open up the dialogue in the future,” highlands resi-

Highlands FROM PAGE A1

strong focus on pedestrians — the highlands presents a challenge to retailers accustomed to strip mall suburbia.

Forget acre upon acre of asphalt for parking. Forget traditional store designs and layouts. Instead, planners designed the urban village with compact blocks to encourage residents and visitors to walk or use mass transit.

The urban village framework for the highlands will influence how Port Blakely proceeds in a tough economy for developers and retailers alike.

Back to basics Judd Kirk — a Port Blakely senior vice president and the company’s chief real estate strategist — shaped the vision for the highlands in the early 1990s. Although the recession ended plans for The High Streets, billed as a lifestyle center, the developer still aims to build a retail complex.

“The difference now is we’ll probably tweak it a bit, which ironically will probably make it better than it was and we’ll probably phase it — with the lifestyle center you have to build it all at one time,” Kirk said.

The developer plans instead to focus only on essentials, at least during the early phase. Port Blakely seeks a new development partner to complete the task.

“We’ll probably start with the grocer, a bank, a drugstore, and do it in phases, hopefully faster,” Kirk continued. “But it’s not going to happen all at once.”

dent and former City Council candidate Nathan Perea said. “I think we are lucky to have a developer who cares enough to take these steps.”

Neighborhood residents quizzed executives at the meeting about still-unrealized plans to bring more retail options to the neighborhood.

About 120 people filled Blakely Hall for the event.

Residents asked for more updates about efforts by Port Blakely to attract businesses to the highlands. The company now plans to engage residents through social media Web sites, like Facebook and Twitter, and more frequent commu-

nitywide meetings.

Port Blakely officials also plan efforts to tamp down rumors and update residents about proposals — even when the developer has little progress to report.

“It’s frustrating to see it the way it is now, because it appears to be stalled,” René Ancinas, president and chief operating officer of Port Blakely Communities parent Port Blakely Companies, said during the meeting.

“We have some news to report, and we have some updates, but the bottom line is: In the current economy, with everything going the way it’s going, everybody has suffered.”

THE JEDDAS Jen and Dan Jedda migrated to Issaquah from a master-planned community in Orange County, Calif., where they could walk from their home to movies, groceries and meals out. The experience influenced their decision to live in the highlands.

“Although the retail has taken longer to complete than originally planned, we still love our choice for a community,” Jen Jedda said. “We are super hopeful that particularly the movie theater will be breaking ground soon and that a milk run will just mean going to the bottom of the hill.”

Like many other highlands residents, she chided developer Port Blakely Communities for slow growth, but credited the company for starting a frank discussion about challenges.

“However, the most important thing to us is that Port Blakely continues to work very hard to get leases signed and construction started on the grocery store, theater and other retail,” she said. “There simply has not been enough progress in this area.”

Experts question whether the development can happen at all, and if the population in the highlands and on the Sammamish Plateau can sustain the type of retail Port Blakely hopes to attract.

Economist Joseph Phillips, the dean of the Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle University, said the economic downturn hobbled developers across the Puget Sound region. But the highlands presents a challenge unrelated to the health of the economy.

“I think the problem that the highlands have is that there aren’t enough households there to sustain that scale of development,” Phillips said.

“The problem is the density,” he added. “It’s just not there to make it work, unfortunately for the people in the highlands.”

Uncertain future Meanwhile, other circumstances complicate the effort to attract new businesses to the hillside neighbor-

hood. Retailers over-expanded nationwide and in the region during the pre-recession boom, Phillips said, and opened too many stores. In the aftermath, chains downscaled as a way to save money and executives remain wary of renewed expansion.

“I think it’s pretty widely agreed that we had a lot more than we needed, and there has to be some kind of shakeout,” he said.

Another variable makes the future more difficult to forecast: Economists remain uncertain about how people will spend after the recession ends, and whether consumers will return to old habits or stick with frugality.

Mary Ann Odegaard, director of the retail management program at the University of Washington Foster School of Business, said geography could make the highlands a tough sell to tenants.

“It’s great for the people who live in the Issaquah Highlands, but is that area accessible enough for major retailers?” she said.

Judd Kirk — a member of the original Port Blakely team behind the highlands — said the company lost close contact with homeowners as the neighborhood ballooned from a few hundred residents in the late 1990s to more than 7,000 today.

“In retrospect, we were so busy and had our heads down trying to figure out how in the world do we stabilize and get this going, I don’t think we did as good as we should have on engaging, because it takes time and money,” he said in a premeeting interview.

Despite sharp words from residents in the weeks leading up to

Kirk said the developer often faces issues related to the perceived distance of the highlands from retailers. Port Blakely executives often talk up the location of the proposed retail — about a mile north of the Interstate 90 Sunset Interchange.

The developer said the initial businesses in the highlands retail core will attract consumers and, in turn, additional businesses.

Port Blakely Vice President for Marketing & Leasing Genni Reilly said retailers seek critical mass — or the momentum to fuel growth.

“The theater brings critical mass, the grocery store helps bring that critical mass,” Reilly said. “It brings people to the site on a daily or a weekly basis.”

Mixed blessing Empty blocks, divided into a waffle pattern by streets, also work against the developer.

“One of the biggest push-backs we get is, people drive up and say, ‘Hey, there’s nothing here. I don’t want to be up here by myself. It’s just all dirt,’” Kirk said. “That’s why anything we can do to get sticks in the air, to get development here, to give people a sense that this really is going to be an urban center, is important.”

Plans for the re-envisioned retail complex will be shaped by what highlands residents want, but also, more importantly, by what the market will support in the community.

“My gut feeling is that putting more residential and/or office in there is going to be important, to really mix it,” Kirk said.

Port Blakely partnered with developer Opus Northwest to build The High Streets. The deal collapsed as the economy soured.

the meeting, participants kept the tone cordial at Blakely Hall.

Resident Jeremy Kuno said Port Blakely executives “got lobbed a lot of softball questions.

“People don’t want to be one Negative Nelly or the one person who stands out in the crowd and says, ‘I don’t like what you’ve done,’” Kuno said.

Residents also raised questions about a gas station — billed by Port Blakely as a high-tech energy station — and a storage facility near the Issaquah Highlands Park & Ride.

The projects raised ire among residents who said a gas station and

storage units will be a poor fit for the community. Executives defended the projects, and said residents want fuel and storage in the neighborhood.

Teresa and Tony Cowan credited the developer for hosting the meeting, but called on Port Blakely to focus on other community-building projects — like a farmers market — until the economy stabilizes.

“I don’t want to see Port Blakely go under trying to keep this afloat,” Teresa Cowan said.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

THE MILLIGANS After Nina and Rob Milligan decamped from Vashon Island, they lived for a time on Mercer Island. They wanted a tight-knit, eco-conscious community similar to Vashon Island; they moved to the highlands in October 2004.

“Out of the sea of suburbia, this place stood out like a shining hilltop,” Nina Milligan said.

Practical considerations attracted many of their neighbors to the community: Abundant housing and easy access to Interstate 90.

“Not everyone wanted to move here because they wanted to live in New Urbanism or an urban village,” Nina Milligan said.

Both Milligans stay active in community affairs. Nina serves as a member of the city Urban Village Development Commission. Rob leads the effort to bring a skate park to the neighborhood.

“We’ve got the live part of the urban village, we’ve got the play part of the urban village, but we don’t have the work part of the urban village,” Nina said.

“Opus was so close to starting,” Kirk said. “In retrospect, I’m glad they didn’t, because we’d have a lot of empty buildings there.”

Dan Foster — a commercial real estate broker at Pacific Cascade Real Estate Partners in Bellevue — said the failed bid to build The High Streets could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

“From my perspective, doing this for 15 years, I think we are all so lucky this thing didn’t get off the ground for many reasons,” he said last week at a town hall meeting hosted by Port Blakely.

Set the standard The urban village concept also requires developers to build unique — and pricier — stores to fit into the community. Standards require buildings with several sides visible to patrons and multiple entrances. Kirk said the touches dissuade some potential tenants.

“Don’t get me wrong, I still believe strongly in the vision,” he said. “But I think it needs to be realistic and flexible enough, because, you know, you can have a wonderful plan and never be able to build it.”

City Major Development Review Team Program Manager Keith Niven likens the proposed retail area to a fishbowl.

“Whoever ends up building in the fishbowl, you have to deal with the public seeing all sides of the building,” he said.

In some ways, however, city rules work against the standards.

The city code, for instance, could be tweaked to allow more signs on commercial buildings in the highlands.

Beyond code changes, the city holds little power to influence development in the highlands and elsewhere in the community.

Officials make zoning and code decisions, and planners review building and development permits.

“I think the path is pretty easy from a permitting standpoint and a governance standpoint,” city Economic Development Manager Dan Trimble said.

Residents also questioned whether Port Blakely slowed retail development by asking too much for rent.

“Some people think, ‘Gosh, Port Blakely, if you just lower your rents or make your prices lower, you’ll get ’em.’ That has never been the problem with retailers, because their occupancy cost is less than 10 percent of their total costs,” Kirk said. “It’s not the rent.”

Rental roulette The effort to open a single business — like, say, a movie theater — can be complicated further, because agreements between prospective tenants and Port Blakely include a co-tenancy clause, a standard part of development deals. The rider allows a tenant to delay development until a high-traffic business commits to a site.

Reilly reaffirmed a plan by Port Blakely to announce a grocery store deal next month. The planned movie theater, she added, requires a grocery store as a main co-tenant. The co-tenancy deal also includes restaurants.

“The cinema, they don’t want to be the lone ranger on the hill, so

they do have some co-tenancy requirements,” she continued.

Nobody wants to gamble on a new development — especially in a weak economy.

“You don’t want to be alone in a new shopping center,” Odegaard said. “The first tenants pay the marketing costs to attract new tenants to that space.”

Preparations for the highlands began in the early 1990s, after the landmark Growth Management Act altered the way cities planned for the future.

Early opponents to the project focused on deforestation atop Grand Ridge, as well concerns about ground water contamination and spoiled views. Plans called for dense development — residences, offices, stores and restaurants — buffeted by open space and connected to the regional trails network.

“The environmental pieces of it seemed to be the pendulum that swung the community,” city Senior Planner Trish Heinonen said.

New priorities The initial, ambitious plan for the community included a 150acre Microsoft campus.

Port Blakely scrambled after Microsoft scuttled plans to build the campus in 2004. The tech giant had announced a deal to build the campus with fanfare in 1997, and unveiled detailed plans for the campus a decade ago.

Microsoft retains some land in the highlands, enough to build about 1 million square feet of office space.

“If they announce tomorrow that they’re going to build here, we would have retailers banging on our door,” Kirk said “They’d be willing to pay a lot more to be here, because they would see they could get a lot more sales, which means we could afford more structured parking.”

City Councilman Mark Mullet built a house on Harrison Street and moved to the highlands in 2006.

“All of us, myself included, bought the sales pitch,” he said while eating a slice at the Zeeks Pizza outlet he opened in the highlands last June.

Mullet plans to open a Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop near the theater, but the plans hinge on mercurial factors, like co-tenancy clauses and economic recovery. He understands the frustration highlands residents feel about the undeveloped commercial land.

The recession also reprioritized what residents want in the neighborhood. Nowadays, the councilman said, people seem less concerned with a specialty grocer, like Whole Foods.

“Maybe five years ago they wanted that, but now they’re looking at the economic reality and they’d be thrilled with any good grocery,” he said.

Mullet called on highlands residents to remain patient — for awhile longer, at least.

“If we’re sitting here in 2012 and nothing has happened,” he said, “all of that positive energy will go away.”

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Summer 2009 Living magazine

See insert

Fancy fenders fill Front Street for annual classic car show

Issaquah Silver crew wins the Battle of Bothell lacrosse title Sports,

Community,

Page C1

Page B1

THE ISSAQUAH PRESS

See Page B6

Wednesday, June 24, 2009 • Vol. 110, No. 25

Locally owned since 1900 • 75 Cents

Music on the Streets returns

City considers ban on Styrofoam

Class of 2009:

93 percent pass WASL, graduate on time State average is 72 percent

BY WARREN KAGARISE Stop by XXX Rootbeer Drive-in for a to-go root beer, and the signature drink will be served in a plastic foam cup — for now.

Employees at the drive-in and many other Issaquah restaurants could be forced to swap Styrofoam and other polystyrene containers for eco-friendly materials.

Drive-in owner Jose Enciso said his restaurant uses polystyrene products because they cost less than alternatives. As the City Council considers a ban on Styrofoam to-go boxes and other food containers made from ecounfriendly polystyrene, Enciso and other business leaders said the ban could mean higher prices on the menu.

But Enciso said he was comfortable with the switch for environmental reasons.

“Whatever it takes to help out the environment,” he said. “We’re ready.”

BY CHANTELLE LUSEBRINK This year’s Issaquah School District graduates are ahead of their statewide peers when it comes to graduating on time and meeting state requirements.

State Superintendent Randy Dorn announced some preliminary graduation information regarding students in the class of 2009. It is the second year students have been required to pass the reading and writing Washington Assessment of Student Learning exams. They are also required to pass the mathematics WASL exam and/or take the exam and additional math courses or another exam to fulfill the requirement.

In addition to passing the WASL, students are also required to complete a high school and beyond plan, a culminating high school project and meet their district’s credit requirements.

This year, 93 percent of students from the class of 2009 passed the

See STYROFOAM, Page A6

reading and writing requirements of the WASL, according to the state superintendent’s office. Other information about WASL math scores wasn’t available and won’t be until the fall or winter.

However, the state’s on time graduation rate in 2008 was 72 percent. Students who graduate on time are those that do so in four years, ninth through 12th-grade.

The state’s dropout rate is nearly 6 percent.

In Issaquah, district officials handed 1,104 students in the class of 2009 their diplomas. Issaquah’s on-time graduation rate has been 92.6 percent and its dropout rate has been 1.6 percent in recent years.

Only three students districtwide didn’t receive their diplomas.

Those three students would have graduated if they had been able to meet state standards for the WASL. However, two of the students are See WASL, Page A3

YWCA project gets $2 million state loan

Issaquah woman dies in head-on I-90 crash

A planned YWCA housing development in the Issaquah Highlands has received a $2 million state loan, Gov. Chris Gregoire announced June 17.

YWCA Family Village at Issaquah would include 146 rental apartments for tenants earning 50 percent or less of King County’s median income. The state loan is earmarked for the 48-unit second phase of the project.

YWCA of Seattle, King & Snohomish County was among the recipients of 35 state grants or loans for affordable housing projects. Five other projects in King County received grants or loans.

Plans call for the YWCA complex to be built on about two acres at the corner of Highlands Drive Northeast and Northeast High Street. YWCA officials hope to begin construction in April 2010 and open the complex the following year. Most residents will earn 50 percent or less of King County’s median income — $40,700 for a family of four.

The complex will house about 400 residents when construction is completed.

About one-third of the tenants will be classified as very lowincome earners, or a family of four that earns $24,400 annually. Other units will be available for tenants who earn up to $48,840 for a family of four. Five units will be set aside for people making the transition from homelessness into permanent housing.

Plans call for a mixture of studio apartments and one-, two- and three-bedroom units divided among three buildings. The design includes a childcare facility, a community center and offices for YWCA employees.

A 39-year-old Issaquah woman was killed June 12 in a head-on collision on Interstate 90 east of North Bend. Five men in another vehicle sustained life-threatening injuries in the crash.

Issaquah resident J. Heather Jeanblanc, 39, died at the scene, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office and Washington State Patrol.

At about 2:40 a.m. June 12, WSP received reports of a silver Volvo heading westbound in the I-90 eastbound lanes. Jeanblanc was the driver of the Volvo, according to the state patrol.

BY WARREN KAGARISE

PHOTOS BY ADAM ESCHBACH

Workin’ on the Railroad At top, Windermere employee Alan Berkwitt drills a set of holes to secure a new walking plank on top of a vintage caboose at the Issaquah Train Depot Museum. At left, Cheryl Muromoto, a Windermere employee since 1994, pulls out weeds along the railroad tracks contributing to the day of community service at the museum.

At right, Jeff Kissick dusts the inside of the museum. He wears a pink cast due to a dare he lost to his wife.

When troopers were responding to the call, the Volvo collided headon with a Toyota pickup carrying five men. The men were transported to local hospitals.

Officials are investigating whether alcohol or drugs were a factor in the accident.

The eastbound lanes of I-90 were closed for about three hours near Exit 42 as troopers investigated the accident. Eastbound I-90 was detoured to the Tinkham Road exit and back onto eastbound lanes.

Reach Reporter Warren Kagarise at 3926434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.issaquahpress.com.

Today’s PTSAs fund more than playgrounds Math, science and reading are all part of the equation

BY CHANTELLE LUSEBRINK In a time when education funding is uncertain, parent teacher associations do more than provide an extra set of swings on school playgrounds.

In fact, local PTSAs have provided $592,542 to the Issaquah School District between March 2008 and April 2009.

“Basically, it expands the reach of what happens day to day, but also supplements the instruction in the classroom,” said Nancy Campi, co-council president of the districtwide PTSA. “Unfortunately, now what we are doing is filling in the huge funding gap of money that isn’t being paid by the state for basics, like expanded hours,

INSIDE THE PRESS A&E . . . . . . . . B6

Opinion . . . . . . A4

Classifieds . . . C4-5

Police & Fire . . C5

Community . . . B1

Schools . . . . . . C6

Obituaries . . . . B3

Sports . . . . . C1-3

“It used to be that the state and our taxes got the cake baked and the PTSA would fund the icing.”

— Renee Wiess Maple Hills Elementary School teacher

basic supplies and professional development.”

In the face of a $5.4 million budget gap, district officials have already had to increase class sizes by one child in each classroom in kindergarten through 12th grades.

They’ve also reduced other operational costs by about $2.2 million.

The cuts are making district officials realize PTSA funding is more

crucial than ever and they are beginning to collect data on it.

PTSA funding for the district has grown in the past decade, said Jacob Kuper, district chief officer of finance and operations.

“There was an initial push to buy stuff, or hard assets, like playground equipment or climbing walls, then to buy curriculum and enrichment things,” Kuper said.

“Now, some buildings are getting educational assistants’ or paraeducators’ hours funded through PTSA programs. It is crucial for some of the enrichment programs we have.”

At Maple Hills Elementary School, that couldn’t be clearer.

See PTSA, Page A5

YOU SHOULD KNOW The county Department of Development and Environmental Services has cut the cost of preparing residential permit applications with an eReview process — acceptance, review and approval of plan submittals electronically. Electronic plan submittal for residential projects can now replace the requirement for submitting two paper copies of building plans, saving customers hundreds of dollars in printing and storage costs, and results in faster permit processing. Learn more at www.kingcounty.gov/property/permits.

BY CHANTELLE LUSEBRINK

Books are set out for students at Maple Hills Elementary School in April that were purchased by the PTSA for the Eager Reader program, an incentive reading program that students do at home.

RAIN GAIN Last Week’s Rainfall: (through Monday) 1.08 inches Total for 2009: 30.4 inches Total last year: (through June 22) 31.03 inches

GAS GAUGE BEST LOCAL PRICES *

$2.79 — Arco 1403 N.W. Sammamish Rd. $2.79 — Costco

2. 7 9 Best local prices Costco Arco

HIGHEST LOCAL PRICE * $2.91 — Shell 825 Front St.

To report gas prices in your area, go to www.seattlegasprices.com.

A6

• Wednesday, June 24, 2009

EFR needs a boat

BY J.B. WOGAN At the start of a recent Eastside Fire & Rescue presentation, Fire Chief Lee Soptich put out a disclaimer: “We are not here tonight to sell you on a boat.”

Yet, in a way, that’s exactly what the fire organization did.

Firefighter Dana Shutter said he acknowledged that resources were becoming more finite and there might not be room in the budget for buying a boat. Nonetheless, there are some good arguments for having one, he said.

Every winter there is at least one storm that causes severe flooding.

“Our only capabilities at this time is for techs to wade, swim or use a boogie board,” Shutter said.

In other words, EFR rescue teams have to enter the water, raising the level of risk, he explained.

And when it comes to rescuing victims, “The best that we can give them at this point is a helmet and a life vest and move them as fast as we can,” he said, adding that both rescuer and victim are vulnerable to hypothermia under those circumstances.

In January, when the last slate of flooding hit, EFR borrowed a boat from a community member, Shutter said.

A boat would allow for EFR’s special swift water team to remove victims from the water and get them to a hospital quickly, he said.

“The need for a real high dollar, fancy boat is not there,” he said.

“We don’t need that.”

Ultimately, the boat Shutter has in mind is a 20-foot Alumaweld flat bottom, costing $23,500. The true cost would be higher, though, because technicians’ training would cost $52,300, plus an additional annual training cost of $10,000-$12,000, he said.

In a later interview, Soptich elaborated that the EFR staff had more

realistic goals for now: It hoped to find the funding for a 14-foot raft, costing $3,500. Rafts would work for river rescue situations.

“Particularly, it’s a timing issue.

We are getting into the types of rescues where the raft would work and those hard-sided boats would not,” Soptich said. “The other issue, the raft requires the least amount of training to get people up to speed. It doesn’t approach the kind of overtime and the costs that are associated to get people to be trained to be boat operators.”

Nonetheless, the EFR board discussed the larger costs of a hardsided boat, one that could be of use in winter floods.

Ron Pedee, chairman of EFR’s Board of Directors, asked if there wasn’t a way to rent or borrow a boat from a community member.

“It seems like there might be some short-term efficiencies that we might employ,” he said.

“I think the idea has merit, especially if you can borrow it,” Lee Fellinge, a Sammamish representative on the board, said in an interview. “Maybe there’s some other way to get a boat, other than buying one. The frequency for needing it is very, very small.”

While board members hash out details of getting a boat, Soptich said his staff would put together a proposal for buying a raft. Board approval might not be necessary for the raft, though, he said.

Soptich said he had preliminary discussions with the local Rescue Volunteer Association about it providing funding for a raft. In that case, EFR wouldn’t have to spend a dime on it.

“If we can move on it quickly, I think we can see the benefit of having it this year,” he said.

Reach Reporter J.B. Wogan at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.

Comment on this story at www.issaquahpress.com.

The Issaquah Press

Styrofoam: Measure would ban packaging FROM PAGE A1

A proposed ban would outlaw polystyrene food packaging — a measure that would impact restaurants like XXX, grocers and other food sellers. Critics said the material lingers in landfills long after Styrofoam trays and cups are tossed into the trash.

Polystyrene is expensive to recycle, too.

Councilman Joshua Schaer modeled the legislation on polystyrene bans in Seattle, Portland and several California cities.

“There may be a little resistance now, but I’m sure — given the success of this in much, much larger cities than Issaquah — it seems to me that we can move in the right direction,” he said.

Schaer and other Council Sustainability Committee members met June 16 to discuss the proposed ban.

Officials have questions about safe alternatives to polystyrene and how the ban would impact restaurants already grappling with consumers dining out less in the down economy.

“You know, these packages are used to serve takeout or in restaurants, and they typically last for a few minutes in terms of any use,” Schaer said. “The reality is, while we may only see them for a few minutes, the landfill and the environment sees them for tens of thousands of years.”

Even Schaer acknowledged not all compostable and recyclable alternatives are as durable as polystyrene. Schaer, a lawyer,

BY ADAM ESCHBACH

Jose Enciso Jr. fills Styrofoam cups at XXX Rootbeer in Issaquah. works at a firm in downtown Seattle. He recalled buying lunch at a Pakistani restaurant near his office soon after the Seattle ban went into effect.

“They were using a corn-based container that was extremely hot and the curry was starting to melt through the bottom of it,” Schaer said. “That went on for a few weeks and I think people started complaining to the owner, because he’s at the counter all the time. You know, they made a switch.”

Schaer said the new container type survived the several-block walk to his office.

Though the draft ordinance declared the ban would be effective Jan. 1, officials said a ban — if approved — would go into effect much later.

Sustainability Committee members will review the measure again next month.

Josh McDonald, government affairs coordinator for the Washington Restaurant Association, said restaurateurs would need time to prepare. He said they are also reluctant to use compostable and recyclable alternatives, because polystyrene is

cheaper. In turn, restaurateurs would pass the cost along to diners.

“Anytime you take steps to increase costs, it has a negative effect on us,” McDonald said.

“That said, a lot of our restaurants, a lot of our folks, are voluntarily moving in this direction and doing what they can and doing their part to move toward more sustainable [practices].”

City Resource Conservation Office Manager David Fujimoto said his staff planned for education and outreach efforts if the City Council bans polystyrene packaging. Fujimoto said 131 of the 800 or so businesses in Issaquah serve or sell food — 42 fast food outlets, 61 full-service restaurants and 28 stores.

Holly Chisa, Washington lobbyist for the Northwest Grocery Association, said her organization was working with more than 100 stores impacted by the Seattle ban to find products to meet the criteria outlined in the city’s ordinance.

Seattle officials outlawed polystyrene food containers last year.

The ban took effect in January;

next year, it will expand to include plastic containers and utensils.

Chisa said her No. 1 concern was the polystyrene trays used to package raw meat. Trays made from cardboard, and sugar and corn derivatives pose challenges.

For instance, blood and other liquids seep through cardboard, while sugar and corn products could provide food sources for harmful bacteria.

“For a grocery store, the single most paramount concern we have is food safety,” Chisa said.

Products like prepackaged soups would already be exempt from the proposed ban. Schaer and other committee members did not rule out additional exemptions to the ordinance.

“For instance, if you said, ‘Hey, we own this business in Issaquah and there are simply no compostable or recyclable lids that we can use that are safe for our customers,’ then the city would take a look at that,” Schaer said.

Greater Issaquah Chamber of Commerce CEO Matt Bott talked with Issaquah restaurateurs before the meeting. Bott said reactions to the proposed ban were mixed. He said officials should seek input from business and restaurant owners as they rework the ordinance.

“We would just ask for some time to get the word out, to get input and then come back with something that would hopefully be of value to this community,” Bott said.

Besides food safety, industry lobbyists raised concerns about whether alternative materials could hold up to hot food. Chisa echoed Schaer when she said some compostable and recyclable containers are not as tough as the real deal.

“Soup will break down that container faster than anything I’ve ever seen,” she said.

Reach Reporter Warren Kagarise at 3926434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.issaquahpress.com.

W H AT ’ S FO R AUTHENTIC THAI CUISINE ISSAQUAH-KLAHANIE 425-369-8233

BELLEVUE FACTORIA

SEATTLE DNTN PACIFIC PLACE

REDMOND TOWN CENTER

SEATTLE MADISON PARK

425-641-4008

DINNER? Support Local Businesses!

Issaquah has been our home for over 20 years!

Now Taking Reservations for Lunch & Dinner Dine In or Take Out

425-558-4044

206-749-9100

206-324-6467

SAFECO FIELD WWW.THAIGINGER.COM 2003 BITE OF SEATTLE • BEST TASTE

Bring the entire

Buy 1 dinner get 2nd dinner

50% OFF

CASCADE GARDEN

One Coupon Per Table Exp. 7/31/09

Northern Chinese Cuisine & Lounge

NE

Late W!!

Appe Night Sp tizer 10:0 ecials

Karaokeat

on Wed & S Nights!

0pm-M

idnigh

t

FRE WiFiE

1025 NW Gilman Blvd.

Meadows Shopping Center • 1580 NW Gilman Blvd., Issaquah Hours: M-Th 11-9:30pm • Fri 11-10pm • Sat 11:30-10pm • Sun 11:30-9:30pm

N ow featuring Fresh Beer Battered Halibut Fish & Chips

Lunch & Dinner

Families Welcome

www.cascadegarden.com

Sports Headquarters

MEXICAN RESTAURANT

Sun-Thurs 11am-10:30pm, • Fri-Sat 11am-11:30pm

240 NW Gilman Blvd. In Gilman Station (425) 392-8980

Watch your favorite sports on one of our 8 new plasma TV’s TACO TUESDAY 5-10pm 2 for $3.25 PRIME RIB DINNER Wed. & Sat. $14.95 4 PC. CHICKEN DINNER Thurs. $7.25

Watch the game at YOUR MARINER HEADQUARTERS Nightly specials Tues, Wed, Th & Sat

425.392.4547

425-392-6356 Serving breakfast Saturdays & Sundays 11:00am we’re full of it...good spor ts • good food • good people

Quality, freshness & most reasonable prices!

Rent Cloud 9 for your private party!

We’ll beat the rest by 10%!

Join us for lunch!

Offering lunch specials M-F, 11am - 3pm

Elegant, comfortable, cozy • Great Place to enjoy visiting with friends

Cloud 9 Lounge 40 E. Sunset Way, Issaquah • 425.392.5678 Established in 1982 • The Original “Andy’s”

Salmonella outbreak causes nut recall

See Page B4

Issaquah residents show even pets need good foster parents

Josh Twaddle’s hat trick leads Skyline to win over Bellevue Sports,

Community,

Page C1

THE ISSAQUAH PRESS

Gun sales rise, stay steady following election

See GUNS, Page A3

Crews to survey CybilMadeline Park Crews will begin the process to transform a stretch of downtown parkland and former homesteads into a full-fledged city park.

The first step includes a review of Cybil-Madeline Park’s boundaries and a topographical survey of the land. Officials hired Eastside Consultants, an Issaquah engineering and surveying outfit, for about $47,000.

Cybil-Madeline Park consists of 12 acres at the confluence of Issaquah Creek and the east fork of Issaquah Creek.

City Parks & Recreation Director Anne McGill said the park would host activities, such as walking and picnicking, when work is completed. Following initial surveys, officials will hire a landscape architect and host a series of public meetings to learn which features residents want the park to have.

Officials hope to unveil concept designs for the park in the fall.

Work at the park is slated to begin next year. McGill suggested the houses on the parkland could one day be used as an “interpretation center” to educate visitors and school groups about the park.

Sheriff’s office revives investigation of 1968 disappearance

New cold case squad sets sights on missing Tiger Mountain child

BY WARREN KAGARISE Customers pack West Coast Armory every day for new handguns and rifles, and to stock up on ammunition. Forget the down economy and sluggish consumer spending: Gun sales nationwide are booming.

Sales at the Northwest Gilman Boulevard store are three and four times higher than they were in the months before the presidential election.

“Ever since the election, my store is like this every time you walk in,” store manager Steve Roberts said.

The store even hired more employees to handle the upswing in customers. If West Coast Armory could sell every item on its lengthy waiting list in a single day, Roberts said the haul would be equivalent to an entire month.

Sales spiked after the Nov. 4 election of President Obama.

Democrats also strengthened their majorities in both houses of Congress last November.

“We literally started doing a week’s business — or more — every day starting then,” Roberts said.

His definition of a good day changed, too. A busy day before the election is less so nowadays.

“Now, that’s a slow day,” Roberts said. “That’s a real slow day.”

Licenses for concealed pistols are also up, though Roberts attributes that to the increased traffic at the store.

The election stoked fears among

See Page C3

Wednesday, April 8, 2009 • Vol. 110, No. 14

Locally owned since 1900 • 75 Cents

Page B1

Rock icon still going after 50 years

BY WARREN KAGARISE

BY GREG FARRAR

Baskets for the bunny Thao VoBa (left), a parishioner at Mary, Queen of Peace Catholic Church, and Issaquah Community Services food bank volunteer Don Stenberg roll a cart full of Easter egg baskets into the facility April 6. Church members brought 250 filled baskets to Palm Sunday services, for an annual donation going back 'many, many years,' according to this year's organizer, Caryn Matusiefsky.

The detective who arrested the Green River killer will work to solve nearly 200 cold cases, including the disappearance of an 8year-old Issaquah boy who vanished four decades ago.

Retired King County Sheriff’s Office Detective Tom Jensen — who arrested serial killer Gary Ridgway in November 2001 — is part of a new, three-member Cold Case Squad formed by the sheriff’s office and backed by a federal grant. Jensen serves as a civilian

analyst.

Investigators will examine 193 homicides and missingpersons cases dating back to 1942.

The squad will review the unsolved disDavid Adams appearance of 8-year-old David Adams, who went missing May 3, 1968, while hiking on Tiger Mountain with his brothers and sisters. More than 1,000 searchers combed the mountainside in the days following his disappearance, but David was never found.

Residents speculated whether David had fallen down an old coalmine shaft, or if an animal had attacked the boy and dragged him off. Others wondered if David ran See COLD

CASE, Page A3

Plant trees to mark Arbor Day

BY WARREN KAGARISE A majestic Burr oak will be added to the Gibson Park landscape April 8, when city officials and volunteers gather to mark Arbor Day. Though the national holiday will be observed April 24, locals and Washingtonians will get a jumpstart on Arbor Day because early April is more conducive to planting in the Evergreen State.

City Arborist Alan Haywood said crews cleared blackberry and other invasive plants to ready Gibson Park for the ceremony. The oak sapling, the ceremonial tree for the occasion, will be planted on the northern side of the park. In addition to the oak, volunteers will plant several other trees donated by residents, and salvaged from yards and construction sites.

Haywood said some of the salvaged trees have been “hanging in there for years and looking for a good home.”

The ceremony will bring together officials, residents and

IF YOU GO Arbor Day Ceremony 12:30 p.m. April 8 Gibson Hall 105 Newport Way S.W.

members of the Kiwanis Club of Issaquah, which meets at Gibson Hall.

“I think everyone understands that trees have a lot of value,” Haywood said.

In 2008, the city’s official Arbor Day tree was a crabapple planted at Grand Ridge Elementary School as part of the school’s teaching garden.

Haywood said city officials have taken steps over the years to preserve and plant trees within the city’s boundaries. Before Issaquah was settled and developed, the area was dominated by coniferous forest.

To recognize the city’s forestry

efforts, the Arbor Day Foundation first named Issaquah a Tree City USA community 16 years ago. The city has maintained the designation ever since.

Haywood said the designation is based on four criteria, one of which is an annual Arbor Day ceremony or proclamation. To earn the distinction, a city must also spend $2 per capita on tree care, have an advisory board for tree issues and enact a tree-care ordinance. The city Park Board handles tree issues, and city officials recently updated the city’s tree ordinance.

“The environmental benefits and aesthetic appeal of trees truly enhance our quality of life,” Mayor Ava Frisinger said in a news release. “I encourage everyone to stop by, grab a shovel and help us plant one more tree near Gibson Hall.”

Reach Reporter Warren Kagarise at 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.issaquahpress.com.

FILE

An Issaquah Press article from May 8, 1968, recounts the search effort to find 8-year-old David Adams on Tiger Mountain.

ESL classes cut at Issaquah church

BY WARREN KAGARISE

Salmon Days celebrates 40th anniversary The Salmon Days Festivals Office recently announced its theme for the 40th anniversary of the Issaquah festival — “Celebrating 40 Years of Great

Returns – Still fresh. Still fun.

Still free.”

This year’s theme is once again designed by Robin Spicer.

The Issaquah Salmon Days

CONTRIBUTED

Robin Kelley (left), Salmon Days festival director, and Pauline Middlehurst, festival promotions manager, unveil the 2009 40th anniversary logo.

INSIDE THE PRESS A&E . . . . . . . . . C3

Opinion . . . . . . A4

Classifieds . . . C4-5

Police & Fire . . C5

Community . . . B1

Schools . . . . . . C6

Obituaries . . . . B3

Sports . . . . . C1-2

Festival, sponsored by the Greater Issaquah Chamber of Commerce, is from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Oct. 3-4 in historic Downtown Issaquah.

The festival kicks off with the Grande Parade. The festivities continue with 270 arts-andcrafts booths mixed with 40 food vendors from around the world. This year, there will be five stages of diverse live entertainment. Memorial Park will be transformed into the Field of Fun, where children can climb, ride, bounce and make crafts.

The festival is the major fundraiser for the chamber of commerce as well as more than 60 other local nonprofit service groups and organizations who serve the Issaquah community.

Learn more about Salmon Days by going to www.salmondays.org, e-mailing info@salmondays.org or calling 392-0661.

YOU SHOULD KNOW A company claiming to sell magazines door-to-door could be shilling subscriptions to trouble. Fresh Start Opportunities claims money from the subscriptions will be used to help young people get a “fresh start on life.” But the company isn’t a registered charity, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.

Ask solicitors questions about the charity and the name of their employers. Go to www.secstate.wa.gov/charities or call 1-800-332-4483 toll-free.

Renton Technical College administrators ended English as a second language classes taught at the Community Church of Issaquah as the college trims costs. The classes ended March 26 with the last day of the winter quarter.

Administrators cut $884,000 to close a widening budget gap. They laid off 13 part-time ESL instructors, closed the college’s swimming pool and pared operating expenses.

Elizabeth Falconer, an ESL instructor who taught a class in Issaquah, lost her job at the end of the winter quarter. Falconer and a co-instructor taught 22 students in a morning class offered at the church.

“ESL is really a basic need for living in this country,” Falconer said.

Her former students hailed from Brazil, China, Korea, Mexico, Russia and Ukraine.

Associate Dean of Basic Studies Jodi Novotny said the college now offers about half of the ESL, adult

RAIN GAIN Last Week’s Rainfall: (through Monday) 2.96 inches Total for 2009: 22.44 inches Total last year: (through April 6) 22.1 inches

basic education and GED classes than it did during the fall quarter.

ESL instructors are contracted to work per quarter.

“Unfortunately, they’re very vulnerable in these situations,” Novotny said.

If the financial situation improves, college officials would like to increase the number of ESL classes, she added.

Elizabeth Maupin, coordinator of the Issaquah Sammamish Interfaith Coalition, suggested hosting classes at Community Church and helped recruit students. Maupin posted fliers written in nine languages around Issaquah to advertise the classes. She said many of her respondents were parents of children attending schools in the Issaquah School District.

“They were very enthusiastic and that in part fueled the enthusiasm of the volunteers who worked with them,” she said.

Before the cutbacks, Maupin said officials discussed adding a See ESL, Page A2

GAS GAUGE BEST LOCAL PRICES *

$2.22 — Costco $2.29 — Chevron 22121 S.E. 56th St.

2. 2 2 Best local prices Costco

HIGHEST LOCAL PRICE * $2.31 — The Grange 145 N.E. Gilman Blvd.

To report gas prices in your area, go to www.seattlegasprices.com.

The Issaquah Press

Wednesday, April 8, 2009 •

A3

Journals to Chefchaouen Clark Elementary School teacher Julia Landa (right) and a group of her fifthgraders show off the journals they made for students in Chefchaouen, Morocco, one of Issaquah’s sister cities.

BY WARREN KAGARISE

Second student death shakes high school

BY GREG FARRAR

Matt Streifel (right), an employee of West Coast Armory since it opened a year and a half ago, answers questions for Gary (left), of Issaquah, and Andrew Alaniz, of Duvall, in the busy Gilman Boulevard store.

Guns FROM PAGE A1

gun-rights advocates about a possible revival of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban and new restrictions on other types of guns.

President Bill Clinton signed the ban in 1994. The ban prohibited the sale of 19 types of semi-automatic military-style guns, like AK47s and AR-15s, and ammunition clips with more than 10 rounds.

The decadelong ban expired five years ago. Attorney General Eric Holder recently announced the administration would seek to revive the ban.

Roberts predicted the sales surge would “continue as long as the Democrats are in power.”

Other gun-rights advocates and gun owners are concerned about the possibility of new taxes on gun sales. The weak economy also drives sales, Roberts said.

The rush on guns concerned gun control advocates, who said the sales surge took place in the absence of federal firearms legislation.

“I see no movement at the federal level in any way, shape or form to touch the gun issue,” Kristen Comer said, the executive director of Washington CeaseFire, a Seattlebased group that works to reduce gun violence.

Comer said she doubts voters would support a ban on handguns, and she wants to see more thorough background checks for gun buyers and increased education for gun owners.

Issaquah Police Chief Paul Ayers said his department is processing more paperwork related to gun sales and concealed pistols licenses. But privacy considerations prevent the department from tracking information about the sales, he said.

“Once we get the information, we check it and then destroy it,” he said.

Sgt. John Urquhart, King County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said his agency was handling more paperwork related to gun sales, but could not provide a specific figure.

Andrew Alaniz, of Duvall, stopped by West Coast Armory last week to check out ammunition.

Alaniz, who served in the Army, worried about restrictions lawmakers might place on certain varieties of ammunition.

Roberts said first-time gun owners also fueled the increase in sales: “We see people come in who have never owned guns before.”

Though demand has far outstripped supply, Roberts said he kept his prices steady.

“Barring sweeping government legislation, our future looks pretty bright,” he said.

Burglar hits downtown’s Fischer Meats A burglar broke a lock and stole about $100 from a Front Street butcher shop overnight April 2. A nearby bicycle store was also targeted, but the attempt to break into the shop was unsuccessful.

Fischer Meats, 85 Front St. N., was broken into between 6:30 p.m.

April 1 — when employees left and locked the store — and 7 a.m. today. Owner Chris Chiechi said a thief used locking pliers to pop a lock at the store’s front entrance.

The burglar stole about $70 worth of coins from a change drawer behind the display cases.

The thief did not steal the pennies kept in the drawer.

Chiechi said about $25 worth of dollar coins were stolen from his office in the back of the shop. The thief also broke a lock on a file cabinet filled with U.S. Department of Agriculture documents.

The thief left the store undisturbed otherwise.

School counselors reported to Issaquah High School March 31 after school officials were notified that Kevin Conroy Tork, a 15-yearold sophomore, had died in Seattle.

Bellevue Police responded to the call, however, the case is still under investigation, said Officer Greg Grannis, the department’s public information officer.

The cause and manner of death is pending, according to information from the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Principal Paula Phelps and school counselors went to each classroom at the high school and

notified students and teachers of the death.

The additional school counselors remained on campus throughout the day to assist students and employees with the news.

Tork’s death comes just weeks after Issaquah High School junior Nicholas Bethel died in Seattle March 3.

The cause and manner of Bethel’s death are still pending, as the toxicology report has not come back yet, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office.

Results from those tests can take

Cold case

ON THE WEB

FROM PAGE A1

BY GREG FARRAR

Steve Roberts, manager of West Coast Armory, stands in front of a wall of rifles.

Joe’s Sports, Outdoor & More on Northwest Gilman Boulevard is the closest competitor to West Coast Armory. Joe’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early March. A spokeswoman for the regional chain could not be reached for comment.

After the 1999 Columbine High School shootings, Heidi Yewman joined Million Mom March, part of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Yewman, of Vancouver, serves as the state president for the Million Mom March chapters. She just released a book, “Beyond the Bullet,” about people who have lost loved ones to

REQUIREMENTS FOR A CONCEALED PISTOL LICENSE: Be at least 21 years old at time

of application.

Be a United States citizen or have an alien firearms license.

Have no pending trial, appeal or sentencing on a charge that would prohibit you from having a license.

Have no outstanding warrants for any charge from any court.

Have no court order or injunction against possessing a firearm.

Have no mental health conditions that would prohibit you from having a license.

Have no felony convictions.

Read a complete list of requirements at www.dol.wa.gov/business/firearms.

Issaquah residents can apply for a new license at: Issaquah Police Department 130 E. Sunset Way 9-10 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Renewals are accepted from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays.

Residents of unincorporated King

“It’s not like they came in and ransacked the place,” Chiechi said.

He said the break-in was only the second at the store in the past two decades.

Chiechi said a new lock, installed during the day following the breakin, cost about $50.

A would-be burglar also attempted to break into Bicycle Center of Issaquah, 111 Front St. N., overnight. The lock appeared to have been tampered with by pliers, according to Issaquah Police Department logs. The damage to the lock was estimated at $150.

EFR responded to more than 7,000 incidents in ‘08 Eastside Fire & Rescue crews responded to more than 7,000 incidents last year, according to a report released by the state fire marshal April 1.

EFR responders handled 7,090 incidents in 2008. Property damage related to the incidents totaled

gun violence.

Yewman, who said her goal is to “stop dangerous people from getting dangerous guns,” said the sales surge is based on paranoia.

At the Issaquah Sportsmen’s Club gun range, range master Lori Laughren said more shooters seemed to be using the range.

Though she said the increase could be the result of the economy, with unemployed people stopping by the range on weekdays. Laughren said new gun owners should receive proper training for using their firearms.

“Any tool is only as dangerous as the intent of the user,” she said.

County can apply for a concealed pistol license at: King County Courthouse 516 Third Ave., Seattle 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays Due to King County Sheriff’s Office staff reductions, Precinct No. 3, 22300 S.E. 231 St. in Maple Valley, no longer accepts new concealed pistol applications.

Residents who need to renew or replace their license can go to the courthouse or Precinct No. 3.

License holders who only need a renewal may go to the Blackriver Community Service Center, 919 S.W. Grady Way, Renton.

Precinct No. 3 or Blackriver employees may direct license holders to Seattle, depending on how many employees are available.

No appointment is necessary at Precinct No. 3. License holders must schedule an appointment at Blackriver.

Learn more at www.kingcounty.gov/safety/sheriff/ services. Follow the link for “Concealed Weapons Permits.”

more than $1.3 million, according to the “Fire in Washington Report.”

King County officials recorded 11 fire-related deaths last year.

Emergency crews in King County handled 163,055 incidents last year. In the region comprised of King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, crews handled more than 300,000 incidents, according to the report produced by the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Fire agencies statewide reported nearly 600,000 incidents to the state fire marshal. The agencies reported more than 24,000 fire incidents, which resulted in 45 deaths and caused an estimated $227 million in property damage.

The agencies are required to submit fire incidents to the state fire marshal to compile data for the National Fire Incident Reporting System, which tracks emergencies and service calls.

Read the “Fire in Washington Report” on the state fire marshal’s Web site, www.wsp.wa.gov/fire.

away.

But Sgt. John Urquhart, sheriff’s office spokesman, said David was likely abducted: “It’s very unlikely a cougar dragged him, or that he ran away, which is unlikely at age 8.”

Detective Scott Tompkins, a member of the cold case team, said investigators will determine whether DNA testing and other techniques unavailable in 1968 could aid the investigation.

Jensen, Tompkins and Detective Jake Pavlovich will also look at crimes committed by people connected to the case in the years since the disappearance.

Despite the advances in techniques and technology, Urquhart said old-fashioned “gumshoe detective work” would be crucial to the cold-case investigations.

Since the unit began work in January, Tompkins contacted David’s father to request photos of the boy to use on bulletins and an agency Web site devoted to the cases.

Challenges abound for investigators as they seek to unravel cold cases. Evidence gathered in the era before DNA testing may have been contaminated, mis-

Learn more about the King County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Squad at www.kingcounty.gov/safety/sheriff.

Follow the link for “Cold Case Investigations.”

handled or improperly stored.

Memories of cases fade and witnesses die.

But the passage of time can also push people with information about a case to talk.

“As many cold cases get solved by people talking as they do by DNA,” Urquhart said.

Investigators said people with information are more likely to come forward as they get older and begin to worry about their mortality.

“Maybe they’re on their deathbed and they want to make it right,” Urquhart said.

Tompkins said people once connected to potential suspects, such as ex-wives and former cellmates, often yield valuable information because the potential suspects confided in them. As time passes, “loyalties change and people are more willing to disclose information,” he added.

Because investigators face so many cold cases, each will be

up to 10 weeks.

Parents should be aware of changes in their student’s physical and emotional behaviors in coming days and weeks as they process the loss. Changes in behavior can include, sadness, anger, irritability, anxiety, loneliness, numbness, indifference, detachment, listlessness, headaches, stomachaches, nausea and changes in appetite, according to school information.

Students and parents can call the high school’s counseling center at 837-6140 for guidance or additional information.

reviewed based on the status of possible suspects, witnesses and evidence, as well as possible threats to the community.

“There’s no way we can actively investigate 193 cases,” Urquhart said.

The sheriff’s office established the Cold Case Squad with a $500,000 grant from the National Institute of Justice, part of the federal Department of Justice. The grant, which will fund the squad for 18 months, covers personnel costs and expenses associated with the investigations.

The grant is eligible for renewal. Evaluators will decide if the squad was productive and is likely to solve additional cases.

Before the cold case unit was established, each detective from the sheriff’s office Major Crimes Unit was assigned to a handful of cold cases. Urquhart said their workload of active cases often prevented them digging deep into the old files. He said solving the cold cases is paramount.

“If we can’t solve it, we have failed,” Urquhart said. “We’ve failed the victim and we’ve failed society.”

Reach Reporter Warren Kagarise at 3926434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.issaquahpress.com.

Community Banking You Can Trust “Cascade Bank is committed to delivering the best financial solutions to our community. Our well-capitalized status, along with new higher FDIC insurance limits mean we’re able to continue to offer safe and secure community banking–just as we have since 1916.

If the ever-changing economy has you looking for a solid, local bank you can trust, switch to Cascade today.”

Debbie McLeod, Retail Banking Executive

Member

FDIC

cascadebank.com 800-326-8787