Your locally-owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington
October 13, 2011 VOL. 3, NO. 41
Students are strummin’, pIckin’ and grinnin’ Page 14
Si View park district asks for tax hike to stay open By Dan Catchpole
Director for doctors Two vie for seat on hospital district board. Page 2
North Bend City Council race Pair face off for open seat. Page 3
Drug collection Police join national effort to round up old drugs. Page 6
Police blotter Page 7
With its financial back against the wall, the Si View Metropolitan Park District has put two propositions on the November ballot asking voters to save the district from having its budget cut by more than half. With such a drastic cut, the district would barely be able to keep its doors open, according to district officials. That would be devastating for the upper Snoqualmie Valley, Si View supporters say. The park district’s value isn’t merely in the programs it offers, but in the community it creates, they say. For Debby Peterman, the park district offered a way to meet people when she and her husband moved to North Bend in 2006. Five years later, she is a part of the community, but she still regularly goes to Si View Park, the district’s largest park. “It is one of my favorite gathering places, particularly in the summer at the farmer’s market,” Peterman said. “In the summer, the farmer’s market is the best place to be on Thursday — good
By Mary Miller
Si View Metropolitan Park District faces an uncertain future. It is in danger of losing more than half of its operating budget due to a state cap on property levies and declining property values. food, entertainment and lots of friends. I can’t imagine North Bend without Si View. It would be too sad.” But the district could see the
amount it collects in property tax cut by more than 84 percent from $1.18 million in 2011 to a projected $190,000 in 2012. The rest of Si View’s budget
comes from user fees, which are expected to generate about $800,000 in 2011. See PARKS, Page 6
Unsung hero She’s kept the schools clean for 18 years. Page 14
Neighbors North Bend Police won’t seek charges want out of in downtown road rage scuffle school district By Dan Catchpole
By Christopher Huber
Football falls Mount Si loses to Mercer Island. Page 16
Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER
Residents from a handful of Sammamish neighborhoods want their children to attend the Lake Washington School District, instead of the Snoqualmie Valley School District, according to Lake Washington School Board documents. The Lake Washington School Board formally recognized the petition Oct. 10 and began the process of negotiating whether to transfer a piece of the Snoqualmie schools’ territory into the Lake Washington schools. See TRANSFER, Page 3
North Bend police won’t ask King County prosecutors to press charges against two men who got into a fight in the middle of a downtown street last week. The road rage-fueled fight snarled traffic as the men smashed each other’s cars. The two men agreed to pay for repairs to their respective cars, North Bend Police Chief Mark Toner said. He decided against seeking misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges because he believes it was a one-time incident. The confrontation occurred at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6. A local man driving a Ford
Fusion told police that a Mini Cooper had cut him off while driving on Interstate 90. The man followed the car into downtown North Bend. The two cars stopped behind other vehicles on Bendigo Boulevard waiting for a green light at the intersection with North Bend Way. While stopped, the local man got out of his car, approached the Mini Cooper’s driver and began yelling at the man, Toner said. The man began hitting the Mini Cooper. The second driver — a man with ties to Bellevue — got out of his car, and began hitting the Ford Fusion. Police were called, but the local man had left before they arrived.
One of the men told Toner that they had behaved like 5year-olds. “I said, ‘Nah, you’re acting like 15-year-olds,’” Toner said. While the fight was a surprising scene for the Snoqualmie Valley, the scenario is not unique, he said. The best way to avoid road rage confrontations is to mind your own driving, Toner said. “If you see a reckless driver, jot down their license plate number and contact the police,” he said. “There’s nothing to be gained by contacting the person directly.” Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.