Sammamishreview122415

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SAMMAMISH’S only Locally owned newspaper

THURSDAY, december 24, 2015

eview R sammamish sammamishreview.com

Blackwell loves gingerbread, Pages 8-9

Road projects get attention as Klahanie annexation nears By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com

By Greg Farrar/gfarrar@sammamishreview.com

Kirei Johnson (left), who signed up for kitchen coordinator for Tent City 4, unloads jugs full of donated gasoline Dec. 16 to her fiancé John Roller as the security volunteer passes them to Wendell Hansen for the camp generator at Hans Jensen Campground in Lake Sammamish State Park.

Homeless for the holidays For Tent City 4 residents and others facing homelessness, Christmas can amount to a day that isn’t anything special By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@sammamishreview.com “It’s just another day,” said Tent City 4 resident Wendell Hansen, talking about the upcoming Christmas holiday. “It’s just another day,” parroted Joe, a visitor to the Issaquah Community Hall on Sunset Way for a holiday dinner given Dec. 11. Joe declined to give his last name but added the coming holiday “doesn’t mean a damn thing.” And while he didn’t think the free dinner was anything special, he admitted looking forward to getting one of the dozens of coats being handed out that evening by dinner sponsor Trail Youth. The homeless encampment Tent City 4 is parked in Hans Jensen Campground, part of Lake Sammamish State Park, until at least Dec. 28. With permission from the state, Tent City moved in the first weekend

in November, unable to find a more long-term place to stay. The initial permit was for 20 days, but that deadline has since been extended and could be again. All together, there are 27 adults calling Tent City 4 home. No children are allowed. There are residents who plan to celebrate the holiday in one way or another, going to church and trying to visit with family. But many seem to hold the same opinion as Hansen and Joe. Jason – not his real name – has been in Tent City 4 for about nine months. He doesn’t say so, but it seems as if he’s not looking forward to Christmas as he won’t be able to see his children, who live with their grandparents. Addiction has apparently been a challenge for him, but he states he’s been clean and sober for years and tried to win some visitation rights. “I can’t beat their money,” he said of the chil-

dren’s grandparents. Hansen said somebody almost certainly would provide Tent City a dinner on Christmas Day. The Redwood Family Church in Redmond supplied a Thanksgiving meal. The residents spent a good part of the day doing what a lot of people did, watching football, in this case, on a somewhat aging large screen TV that is part of the encampment. Resident Shawn Svoboda offers a tour of Tent City 4. The tents are lined up in rows on either side of a sort of boardwalk of wooden and plastic pallets, needed because of all the recent

Roads and road maintenance are first and foremost on the minds of Klahanie-area residents who are about to become residents of Sammamish. In the meantime, Deputy City Manager Lyman Howard said Sammamish is ready for the approximately 11,000 new residents who live in Klahanie and several smaller, adjoining neighborhoods. Sammamish officially annexes the Klahanie area Jan. 1. Presently a part of unincorporated King County, the annexation area contains some 3,900 residential units and covers almost two square miles on the southeast edge of the existing city. Answering questions posed during the last official meeting of the Klahanie Transition Committee, Sammamish plans to take on several road projects in the area, said John Cunningham, interim public works director. The projects are listed on the Sammamish Transportation Improvement See ROADS, Page 2

‘Sammamish’ in the running for name of state’s newest ferry By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@sammamishreview.com The name “Sammamish” is one of three in the running to be the moniker for the next state ferry. The state legislature funded a fourth Olympic-Class ferry earlier this year as part of a larger transportation package. In turn, the Washington State Transportation Commission was asked to provide Washington State Ferries with a name for the new ship by March 2016. The commission conducted a name search last year, as work began on the third 114-car ferry. That search resulted in four possible names, with the name “Chimacum” ultimately selected.

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