Your locally-owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington
January 12, 2012 VOL. 4, NO. 2
Plan the parks State seeks help in planning area parks. Page 2
Victim was a cop Man shot in North Bend faced drug charges. Page 2
Election season Candidates announce for state-level offices. Page 6
Police Blotter Page 7
Life skills School offers new kinds of help to students. Page 10
Valley nurse is tops Page 10
North Bend honors 3 known for gift of giving By Dan Catchpole North Bend honored three of its residents for their contributions to the community at the Jan. 3 City Council meeting. Mayor Ken Hearing presented awards for Citizen of the Year and two new awards — Youth Citizen of the Year and Community Spirit. The Community Spirit award will not be given annually, unlike the other two, and instead will be reserved for special recognition of individuals and groups, Hearing said. The three recipients shared one trait. “One common denominator among all of them was the gift of giving to others,” he said. Nels Melgaard received the city’s Citizen of the Year award. The city recognized him for his work with youth organizations, service groups, Sallal Grange and as a local businessman. Two years ago, Melgaard, who owns the Nursery at Mount Si, helped re-charter the Grange, and he has been an active member since. He also has helped build the Snoqualmie Valley’s
Contributed
Heidi DeHart, North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing, Nels Melgaard and David Olson (from left) pose after Hearing presented the three North Bend residents for awards honoring their community contributions. youth wrestling organization. Today, it has more than 100 participants. “He garnered many nomina-
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and resources,” Hearing said. “I’m really blown away,” See CITIZEN, Page 3
Snoqualmie Valley Hospital makes Y is off to big decisions with little public notice fast start By Dan Catchpole
Exchange students flip for Mount Si, literally. Page 12
tions from community members who reported he is always there to lend a happy, helping hand and share generously of his time
In 2011, the elected board of commissioners overseeing Snoqualmie Valley Hospital held 14 special meetings — meetings requiring only 24 hours of notice to the commissioners and media outlets with a standing request for notice. The commissioners made big decisions during at least five of the meetings — decisions ranging from approving a $15 million bond sale to approving agreements for construction of the district’s planned $37 million new facility. Hospital officials say the special meetings were necessary and legal, and that the district operates in a transparent manner. The district never violated the state’s open meetings law in holding the meetings. But open government advocates caution that even if there
On the Web ❑ Snoqualmie Valley Hospital: www.snoqualmiehospital.org ❑ Washington Coalition for Open Government: www.washingtoncog.org ❑ Open Government Ombudsman Tim Ford: www.atg.wa.gov/Open Government/Ombudsman.aspx is no intended malice, relying on special meetings can raise barriers to public involvement and accountability. “Maybe it’s legal notice, but the public doesn’t have adequate time to attend or be informed,” said Toby Nixon, president of the Washington Coalition for Open Government and a Kirkland City Councilman.
The 24-hour notification required by law is often not enough time to allow for substantive public participation, Nixon said. The Washington Coalition for Open Government has advocated for revising the state’s special meetings statute, but it is not a high priority, according to Nixon. The danger of special meetings is that “really significant decisions are being made with limited notice to the public,” he said. The hospital district does post notices of special meetings at post offices in its territory, which it is not required to do. “From our standpoint, we’re conducting the business of the district in a way that complies with the public open meetings act, but we have to conduct the
The Snoqualmie Valley YMCA is open and ready for business. The new community center opened Jan. 1, and a grand opening celebration is scheduled for Jan. 21. The Y’s mix of familyfriendly programming has already drawn more than 1,500 members, mostly from Snoqualmie. The new facility is located on Snoqualmie Ridge. The facility combines several multipurpose rooms and is designed to allow for flexibility in the branch’s programming. The branch’s most popular room is its family gym, said Dave Mayer, the branch’s executive director.
See HOSPITAL, Page 3
See YMCA, Page 3
By Dan Catchpole