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New coach takes over Mt Si senior laden fastpitch squad Page 7
Friday, March 18, 2016
New elementary construction enters phase two By Dylan Chaffin dchaffin@snovalleystar.com Tucked away in the trees off of Southeast Swenson Drive, just north of Snoqualmie Parkway, the valley district’s newest elementary school, Timber Ridge, is quickly taking shape. The roughly 70,000-squarefoot facility is, for the most part, in phase 2 of construction. Divided into four wings, crews have begun painting and installing ceiling tiles in the east section, leading by a slim margin over the south section. Timber Ridge will have a total of 29 general-education classrooms to accommodate 650 students, said Assistant Superintendent Ryan Stokes during a tour of the site. Many of the teachers will be coming from other schools, but the school district is in the process of hiring teachers as well as administrators. The design for Timber Ridge was inspired by Cascade View Elementary, which was built a decade or so ago, said district Superintendent Joel Aune. “It’s cool that we have a working design that we can just improve on,” Stokes added. The new school will feature several improvements in building security as well as energy efficiency based on continually changing building codes. While there’s no second floor, architects designed windows that function similarly to skylights but offer more protection against the heavy winds and rains Snoqualmie sees.
At left, Timber Ridge Elementary School, located at 34412 S.E. Swenson Dr., in Snoqualmie is scheduled to open in September. Construction began in August 2015. Below, Clerestory windows will make for a light-filled library at Timber Ridge. When finished, the school will be approximately 70,000 square feet. Scott Stoddard / sstoddard@snovalleystar.com
Additionally, crews have built the school with waterproof membranes to keep water out of the foundation. Rainwater will eventually travel to a holding pond south of the school.
“It’s important when you have 90 mile-per-hour winds and 90 inches of rain,” said project manager Clint Marsh. The contracting company, Babbit Neuman Construction, also built Cascade View
Elementary and averages 45 workers on staff. Aune said the district isn’t looking at utilizing solar panels at this point, and that the donation from NW Solar and Wind to Snoqualmie
Snoqualmie City Council bans marijuana The Snoqualmie City Council unanimously passed an ordinance during its March 13 meeting outlawing the production, process-
ing and sale of marijuana or marijuana products effective March 22. The ordinance amended the existing city code to
cover all marijuana use, whether medicinal or recreational. Penalties for growing marijuana fall under state
law as a Class C penalty of growing without a license, punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
Elementary School is more of an opportunity for students to learn about energy and energy efficiency. “Four kilowatts isn’t See SCHOOL, Page 8 Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER