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Semipro baseball league poised for growth
Your locally owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington
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July 24, 2015
Six candidates vie for hospital commissioner seats By Dylan Chaffin dchaffin@snovalleystar.com Six candidates are vying for two Public Hospital District No. 4 commissioner seats in the Aug. 4 primary election. Incumbent President Joan Young is running against Bruno Kelpsas and Steve Weaver for Position No. 5. Incumbent Treasurer David Speikers is running against Tim Noonan and Fritz Ribary for Position No. 1. Young has more than 45
Aiming for a winning block party Austin Lange, 8, of North Bend, plays a bean bag toss game at the North Bend Block Party. The annual two-day event featured a car-show, eating contest, the Reptile Man and much more. See more photos from the event at www.snovalleystar.com. By Dylan Chaffin
Joan Young
Bruno Kelpsas
years in medical experience as a registered nurse, and has continued to stay involved with medi-
Steve Weaver
David Speikers
cine as it transforms in the 21st century, she said. She has served on the board for more than 15
Tim Noonan Fritz Ribary years, and has been district president since January. She is focusing on continuing
success for the hospital district, including outreach services to the rest of the district, and employing and providing the best in health care professionals, she said. Speikers has served as treasurer of the hospital district for three years, and has been a member of the hospital board since 2006. He has practiced law since 1991, and owns a private practice in Fall City. Speikers is focusing on conSee CANDIDATES, Page 2
Mount Si High School remodel will displace nearby homeowners By Dylan Chaffin dchaffin@snovalleystar.com Sixty years ago, Mount Si High School opened its doors to students from Snoqualmie, North Bend and Fall City. It also opened in a floodplain. Now, with a remodel on the agenda, the Snoqualmie Valley School Board is facing a new challenge: taxpayers who want the school built somewhere else. But there were only a few public comments made at the board meeting July 16, seeming to echo what had already been heard at the previous meeting, where the conceptual design for the high school was approved June 25. “It’s not too late to rebuild somewhere else,” Dean Patterman, a North Bend resident, said at the meeting. He asked the board to consider his testimony as constructive criticism, and to consider a different site that wouldn’t have the same fiscal and logistical headaches that the current design plan holds. The bond to remodel Mount Si High passed with 62.5 percent of the vote in February. Citizens are concerned that the current plans would require the purchase of seven parcels of land on the southwest corner of the existing campus, displacing homeowners and their families.
As it stands, the homeowners had until July 21 to respond to the initial offer. If an agreement is reached, the board has 45 days to complete an inspection of the property. Construction is slated to begin in April 2017. There have been no official responses or agreements, according to Snoqualmie Valley School District Assistant Superintendent and Business Services Director Ryan Stokes. Some of the owners have requested more time to complete independent appraisals of their properties, and the board has been accommodating to those requests, he said. The board has not authorized usage of eminent domain or condemnation. There is a required notice of 15 days in advance of the following board of directors meeting should that change, he said. The current design plan would See REMODEL, Page 3 Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER