July 6, 2011 Locally owned Founded 1992 50 cents
What the neighbors built ...
Jesse Bornfreund runs for City Council
Take a hike
By Caleb Heeringa
With so many of today’s decisions so vital to the future of the city, Jesse Bornfreund said he isn’t content to sit on the sideline. Bornfreund, a 55-year-old entrepreneur and former Microsoft executive, says the Town Center project and potential community and aquatic center motivated him to get involved by running for City Council. He is facing former Planning Commission Chair Tom Vance for the seat being vacated by retiring Councilman Mark Cross. Bornfreund, a Sahalee resident, said he thinks the city should be doing more to encourage some sort of anchor tenant to move into Town Center, whether through investment in the roads and other infrastructure that will be necessary or by giving more consideration to putting the community center facility along
Federal Way recently wrestled with building a community center By Caleb Heeringa
Eight years ago, the city of Federal Way faced the same decision Sammamish now ponders — whether or not to build a publicly funded community and aquatic center. Federal Way Councilwoman Jeanne Burbridge recounts that her city had many of the same hopes for the facility that Sammamish City Council members now profess — that it will create a central gathering place for residents young and old and provide affordable swimming and recreation opportunities for families that can’t afford a private club. The city also grappled with some of the same questions Sammamish now faces — whether the city should be competing with private businesses, how much of a facility was too much and how to find the balance between revenue-making amenities and affordability for users. Despite some bumps in the road, Burbridge said the Federal Way Community Center, now in its fourth year of operation, has proven to be an asset to the community. “I still have people stop me in the grocery store and say ‘Thank you for the community center,’” Burbridge said. “It’s a great serSee CENTER, Page 2
Photo by Christopher Huber
Southeast Fourth Street — an area that is slated to the be the densest part of Town Center. “What people are looking for Jesse Bornfreund is a reason to stay here and not have to go to Redmond or Issaquah for everything,” he said. “The only way that kind of thing is going to happen is if Town Center has that anchor that brings everything else in.” Though he said he’s unsure whether the Town Center Plan as written needs more or less density, he said he hopes the project should help alleviate one of the city’s looming financial issues — its one-dimensional tax base. With so little in the way of sales tax revenue, Bornfreund said the city relies too heavily on property taxes and impact fees from home construction. “We’ve got sales tax leakage going to Redmond and Issaquah,”
Summer is here, and so is our occasional series, Hike of the Week. Read the story on Page 14.
See COUNCIL, Page 5
Lake Washington schools unveil budget By Anna Marum
Despite $2.8 million in cuts to state funding and a loss of $2.6 million in federal funds, the Lake Washington School District will receive and spend more money in the 2011-12 school year than in the previous year, primarily due to an increase in enrollment. According to the proposed 2011-12 budget, the district expects to bring in about $222.9
million for the school year, but the district plans to spend about $231.3 million, drawing the extra from reserves. At the board’s meeting June 20, Business Service Coordinator Barbara Posthumus presented the proposed budget for the upcoming school year. The district is expecting about 550 more students than last year. Posthumus said enrollment is a key driver of revenue and expenditures. The majori-
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Filmmaker wins award
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ty of the enrollment growth will be at the elementary level, she said. The district expects enrollment gains to continue in the coming years, but members are unsure of the amount. In addition to increased enrollment, local levys have also helped bring in the increase of $8.3 million in local revenues in the upcoming year’s budget, which will help
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See BUDGET, Page 3