25TH YEAR, NO. 27
THE PLATEAU’S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016
SAMMAMISH
FURIOUS FINISH
REVIEW
Issaquah all-stars hold off Eastlake to advance in Little League tourney Page 7
School district may use eminent domain to acquire Providence Heights property BY SCOTT STODDARD sstoddard@sammamishreview.com
The often-passionate debate over the future of the Providence Heights College campus is about to veer into new territory. The Issaquah School
District’s Board of Directors on July 13 will consider authorizing condemnation of the property, which has been at the center of a dispute pitting historic preservation groups and former students against a Kirkland megachurch and a Bellevue developer.
Condemnation is the process of implementing eminent domain to take private property for public use. State law permits school districts to employ eminent domain to acquire property as sites for schools. Jake Kuper, the school district’s chief of finance and
operations, said in an email the district “has identified a need for property to accommodate a new high school and a new elementary school, both funded as a part of the recent bond measure.” The district wants to obtain three parcels totaling 40.6
Fourth Street closure starts July 18 Southeast Fourth Street will close for nearly a month beginning July 18. The closure is necessary as TRF Pacific, the development company building The Village at Sammamish Town Center, installs new water and sewer mains under the street, according to a City of Sammamish news release. After taking the steep slope of the roadway and the depth of the sewer main into account, it was decided the safest — and quickest — way to get the job done would be to close the street for about three to four weeks. “Sometimes a road can stay open while this kind of work is done,” City Manager Lyman Howard said. “But that often requires the temporary installation of big metal plates for vehicles to pass over. With that steep slope and more rain coming, we were afraid we might end up with a slip-n-slide on our hands.” The closure will affect about a quarter mile of Southeast Fourth Street just west of 228th Avenue Southeast. Drivers who SEE CLOSURE, PAGE 8
acres owned since 2008 by Plateau Campus LLC, a company controlled by The City Church of Kirkland. The church has said it has a purchase agreement in place with a Bellevue developer, Brixton SEE CAMPUS, PAGE 2
FANTASTIC FLORALS A Sammamish resident giving his first name, Al, carries two bouquets he purchased June 29 at the Sammamish Farmers Market, one for his wife and one for a family friend. Eight weeks into the season, the market is attracting big family crowds for produce, crafts, food and music as school is out for the summer and the weather warms. The event continues every Wednesday 4-8 p.m. through Sept. 21 on the Sammamish Commons at City Hall. GREG FARRAR gfarrar@sammamishreview.com
Consultant reports inadequacies in city’s emergency preparedness BY LIZZ GIORDANO For the Sammamish Review
The Sammamish City Council’s Public Safety Committee received a dismal briefing at its most recent meeting from a disaster-solutions consultant, who highlighted the need for a cohesive disaster management plan. “Clearly, we are behind the eight-ball,” Deputy Mayor Ramiro Valderrama said during the committee meeting. Gail Harris of Organizational Development
and Disaster Solutions listed a number of inadequacies in the city’s emergency preparedness management. She noted the city hasn’t submitted a plan to the state for a consistency review since 2001. John Ufford, a Preparedness Unit manager with the state
Emergency Management Division, said that was a missed opportunity for the city to update the city’s comprehensive emergency management plan and fix any inconsistencies for future plans. Cities are required to have periodic consistency reviews
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of their plans by the state. Ufford said one change since the city last submitted a plan for a consistency review is how cities request additional services during an emergency. Out-of-date plans SEE FINDINGS, PAGE 3
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