Locally owned 50 cents
march 25, 2015
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Skyline soccer ties in season opener, page 9
City buys former Mars Hill Church for $6.1 million By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com Three community colleges have asked to have until Sept. 15 to complete a viability study that could lead to the opening of a community or vocational college in the former Mars Hill Church building.
With a letter of interest from the schools in hand, the Sammamish City Council acted unanimously March 17 to authorize City Manager Ben Yazici to purchase the vacant two-story building at 120 228th Ave. N.E. for $6.1 million. The schools involved are
Cascadia and Bellevue colleges, along with the Lake Washington Institute of Technology. “I’m pretty excited about that personally,” Mayor Tom Vance said after the meeting, adding that a higher education facility should serve a lot of Sammamish residents and per-
sons in surrounding areas. “I cannot tell you how excited I am about this,” Deputy Mayor Kathleen Huckabay said. She commended Yazici, Vance and Councilman Tom Odell for making the purchase happen. Vance said Councilman Don Gerend also
played an important role. “I think it’s a unique opportunity,” Odell said, adding it will be a long time before a similar chance comes along. The letter of interest from the three schools is not binding, according to a city press See CHURCH, Page 2
Answer on 42nd Street barricade may not be known until next year By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com
By Greg Farrar
Erika Kumar (from left), Maddy Fletcher and Niyathi Chakrapani stand with their SAMMI 2015 Youth Spirit Awards as they receive the applause of the audience in attendance at the annual celebration.
Annual SAMMI Awards honor 11 community volunteers By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com Like several of the winners at the 14th annual SAMMI awards celebration, Maddy Fletcher said she was surprised at even being nominated. Fletcher was one of three youths to take home a 2015 Youth Spirit Award and one of 11 overall award winners honored March 21 at the 14th annual SAMMI Awards Celebration, held this year at the EX3 Teen Center. Speaking before the program, Fletcher, 13, said she was diagnosed with Type One
diabetes in 2012. She needs to take insulin daily and monitor her blood sugar by pricking her finger several times each day. “It’s hard for a kid to admit they’re different,” said Maddy’s mom Kate Fletcher. “Sometimes it stinks.” “I’ve embraced it,” Maddy said, regarding her diabetes. Just after being diagnosed, Maddy said she assumed her dream of being a chef was over. But because of her illness, she has had the opportunity to meet some celebrity chefs, such as Top Chef finalist Sam Talbot, who has Type One diabetes himself.
Maddy is very involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and a community group, Birthday Dreams, which provides birthday cakes and parties for homeless or foster children. The other Youth Award Winners were Niyathi Chakrapani, who founded a youth writing group for students age 9-18, and Erika Kumar, who is a co-president of the community service group Charity Circle, among other volunteer activities. There were two honorees for the SAMMI Circle See AWARDS, Page 2
A half-dozen or more people spoke at a recent Sammamish City Council meeting in favor of removing the barricade that cuts Northeast 42nd Street in two, but some city officials said a final resolution on whether the gate should stay or go probably won’t arrive until next year. At their March 17 meeting, council members were somewhat split regarding when the city should take a hard look at the controversial barricade. In what was something of a compromise, council members asked city staff to study what promises have been made to residents in the neighborhoods around the barricade and to come up with a roadmap to study the overall issue. That information is expected to be in front of the council by the end of May. But Mayor Tom Vance and others said a final resolution on whether to remove the barricade would take time. “I doubt it will be this year,” Vance said in regard to a final answer on the gate issue. At a long session that lasted past 10 p.m., the barricade was among the last items discussed at the March 17 council meeting. Earlier in the evening, residents spoke out almost entirely in favor of removing the barricade. A previous council meeting had been packed with barricade supporters.
At the March 17 session, Timberline resident Ellen Zweig said when twice forced to rush her son to a local hospital, the barricade made her take the long way around. As she spoke, Zweig was clearly becoming upset. She said the arguments in favor of the barricade are overstated. Put in place by King County, the barricade is a holdover from the days prior to Sammamish becoming a city. The Timberline neighborhood is on one side of the gate; Old Mill Point is on the other. Supporters point to safety reasons for keeping the barricade in place and some council members have termed 42nd Street possibly too dangerous to open to full-blown traffic. While he never came out in favor of keeping the barricade, at a meeting earlier this month, Councilman Tom Odell said 42nd was poorly designed, with steep grades and odd turns where the road banks in the wrong direction. At the March 17 council session, City Manager Ben Yazici said he wasn’t sure council members appreciated how See COUNCIL, Page 2 Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER
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