Your locally-owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington
January 16, 2014 VOL. 6, NO. 3
Wildcat girls lose to Sammamish Page 11
Snoqualmie Council mulls rising flood insurance By Sam Kenyon Mayor Matt Larson worries rising flood insurance may sweep away a decade of downtown improvements and growth in Snoqualmie. Larson and the Snoqualmie City Council heard a detailed presentation about flooding and potentially vulnerable buildings at its first meeting in 2014 on Jan. 13. Much of downtown Snoqualmie sits on a flood plain. The council was analyzing the impacts of the new federal flood laws under the Biggert and Waters Reform Act.
Code-breakers Students learn the secrets of computer languages. Page 2
Greenest around Snoqualmie wins Green Power Challenge. Page 3
Police blotter Page 6
Old nog Need some ideas for your leftover eggnog? Page 7
Totems on top Boys basketball can’t block Sammamish. Page 10
Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER
Artists find new ways to hang in the North Bend Library
Flood insurance rates are strongly affected by the new legislation, and the probable increase in rates is potential problem for Snoqualmie. The concern is that increased flood insurance rates will price many people out of their current homes and businesses, or prevent new owners from purchasing homes in Snoqualmie. “It’s a huge threat … it could turn some of these communities into ghost towns,” Mayor Larson said. Insurance agent Elizabeth Gildersleeve, who manages the Hauglie Insurance office in
Snoqualmie, was at the meeting and agreed. “What we’re going to start to see is people who simply cannot afford to continue to live in their homes,” she said. No actions were taken as council wants to study the situation further. The council ushered in the New Year by renewing their oaths of office, welcoming a new council member and fire chief and reappointing several city positions. Heather Munden, the new council member, said her term so far has been smooth. Her big-
See ART, Page 3
See FLOOD, Page 3
Kolkes give away Boxley’s Jazz Club By Sherry Grindeland
By Sherry Grindeland The North Bend Library community room has new wall covering, a new lighting system and a new way to hang displays and paintings. Starting this week, the room also features a lot of primary colors – red, yellow and blue. Credit the Mount Si Artist Guild for the color. One of the guild’s two annual shows was installed Jan. 13. Audrey Zeder, who organized the show, considers it a testament to the group’s creativity. Artists were told they could use only primary colors – red, yellow or blue. From those simple directions, members created a variety of paintings done in multitudes of shades, styles and sizes. The resulting show, “Celebration of Primary Colors,” features 22 paintings. They include animal scenes, landscapes, still life pieces, and modern interpretative art. “Celebration of Primary Colors” had originally been
gest challenge, she said, is that she has “a lot to learn really fast.” “Everyone here is very welcoming and easy to work with so that’s made it a lot easier,” Munden said. Munden wants to continue the current culture of the city council in terms of how they operate with one another, even when they disagree. “They work well together, they’re always professional and cordial with each other,” she said.
Contributed
Robyn and Danny Kolke stand in front of Boxley’s Jazz Club. The couple built the business and has now given it away.
Danny and Robyn Kolke just gave away one of North Bend’s most successful establishments – their popular music club and restaurant. The couple donated Boxley’s Jazz Club to the Boxley Music Fund, a nonprofit organization, effective Jan. 1. The Kolkes launched the Music Fund more than three years ago to support live performances, hold educational workshops and organize and run community events and festivals such as the North Bend Jazz and Blues walks. Customers, said Danny Kolke, probably won’t notice a difference. Boxley’s will still serve both food and jazz. Kolke plans to stay on as the restaurant manager for a while, he will continue to be involved with the Music Fund and, of course he said, perform. “We’ve been thinking about doing this for the last one and a åhalf years,” he said. “It is a succession plan that we wanted to put in place.” There’s also the matter of personal energy – Kolke performs frequently both at the jazz club and elsewhere. He manages the day-to-day restaurant operations. He and Robyn live in the Valley and have three children. Plus, Kolke has a full time job in the software industry. His company is based in California. Although he works remotely as See BOXLEYS, Page 2