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july 2, 2015
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Sahalee Way open house answers, raises questions By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com City officials are moving forward with an $80,000 study that should lead to the longplanned widening of Sahalee Way. According to the city, the plan is to widen the street between Northeast 25th Way and Northeast 37th Street. Potential features may include median strips, turn lanes, bike lanes and sidewalks on one or both sides of the roadway. The city held an open house on the preliminary plans at the Boys and Girls Club Teen Center the evening of June 24. One main issue still under consideration is whether the street will reach three or five lanes, said Andrew Zagars, city engineer. Zagars added that work on Sahalee Way has been included on the city’s transportation improvement and traffic concurrency plans for six years. The latter is a requirement of the state that compels cities to
keep traffic improvement plans on pace with other development. According to Zagars, most of the 40 or so people at the open house seemed to prefer the three-lane plan to the five-lane alternative. But Zagars said all options still are on the table. The next stop for the plan should be a meeting of the Sammamish Planning Commission in late July. The issue will go to the Sammamish City Council, eventually, but Zagars said that might not happen until after the November elections. He said another public meeting is planned for down the road; no date has been announced. At the June 24 open house, the only council member present was Councilman Ramiro Valderrama-Aramayo. As he has in the past, ValderramaAramayo expressed concern the city may not be covering all its bases regarding the Sahalee project. See ROAD, Page 3
Fourth on the Plateau adds shuttles to celebration By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com The city’s Fourth of July celebration, Fourth on the Plateau, will change from previous years. Yes, there will be fireworks. Yes, there will be music. And food. And children’s’ attractions. The big change is celebrants will not be able to make their way down the usual pathway from the City Hall Plaza to the Lower Commons, according to Tim Larson, city communications manager. That usual pathway is blocked, he said, due to ongoing construction of the new Community and Aquatic Center. Instead of walking between the plaza and the commons, city officials suggest hopping on
one of the shuttles that will run between the two locations from 6-9:30 p.m. Larson said both locations would have their attractions. Both upper and lower areas will have food available. Live music will be featured at the City Hall Plaza provided by two bands: America be Strong and Wings ‘N’ Things. The Lower Commons will have lots of child-friendly activities, including bouncy houses. Children can bounce unlimited for $5. Fireworks get underway at 10 p.m. Larson said the best place for viewing is the Lower Commons. See FOURTH, Page 5
Eagle scouts enjoy accomplishments, page 7
School project gets started
By Greg Farrar
Issaquah School District Superintendent Ron Thiele (far left), Sunny Hills Elementary School Principal Leslie Lederman, school board members, school staff and Sammamish Mayor Tom Vance (second from right) gather for a groundbreaking ceremony June 26 at Sunny Hills Elementary School.
Alcohol and drug use, stress are community concerns By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com In December, about 30 community leaders gathered in the Sammamish City Hall Council Chambers to discuss topics including drug use. The subjects, primarily: q What do you value about the community? q What drug problems have you personally seen evidence of in Sammamish? q What are the root causes? Similar community conversations were held in Issaquah and Newcastle, along with a regional discussion, in June 2014. The Healthy Youth Initiative of the Issaquah Schools Foundation, which partly sponsored the open discussions, released its findings June 22. Underage alcohol and marijuana use, especially now that the latter is legal for adults, will be big parts of the discussion
and actions taken going forward, said Barbara de Michele, Healthy Youth program director. She said her group and discussion cosponsors the Issaquah Drug Free Community Coalition would meet in September to discuss results and map out specific strategies to address combatting alcohol and marijuana use, as well as what many meeting visitors saw as the stress and pressure put on teens to perform in school, in sports and the community in general. In Sammamish, discussion attendees all said they highly value their city. The initiative report reads that the most common responses on this topic characterized Sammamish as a family-friendly city with local institutions that were “well-run and well-managed.” However, the Sammamishspecific report reads that most attendees “personally observed
worrisome activities, including public drug use, traffic infractions and speeding by youths.” In a summary report comparing meetings in individual cities, it was noted that Sammamish speakers seemed more worried about drug use “behind closed doors” than in public. Other general findings touched on the use of alcohol in the area. The study concluded Washington voters made it much easier for underage youths to gain access to alcohol when they eliminated state-run liquor stores. The study results See HEALTH, Page 3 Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER
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