FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016
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Concerns cause halt to proposed dam BY STUART MILLER smiller@snovalleystar.com
A proposed dam on the North Fork Snoqualmie River has been formally halted. Concerns over the energy facility’s effects on Snoqualmie drinking water, fish and wildlife habitat, recreational kayaking and tribal cultural sites plagued the project during the five-year
process. Black Canyon Hydro LLC, a subsidiary of Tollhouse Energy Company, formally withdrew its application Oct. 13 for a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license to build and operate a hydroelectric facility in the Black Canyon area, also known as Ernie’s Canyon. The proposed hydroelectric plant had a 25-megawatt generation capacity that
could have provided clean, renewable energy to approximately 8,700 homes, according Black Canyon Hydro LLC figures. It would have also taken about 90 percent of the water out of the river for a 2.6-mile stretch, starting about 5 river miles up the North Fork and ending near the Ernie’s Grove neighborhood of North Bend, according to Snoqualmie Watershed Forum officials.
River water would be channeled into a 400-foot vertical tunnel drilled into the ground, turning turbines on the way down. A large tunnel at the bottom of the drop would deposit the water back downstream after about 2.5 miles. Many obstacles impeded the permitting process from the start. One of the biggest
Outdoor shop celebrates 25th year BY STUART MILLER smiller@snovalleystar.com After emigrating to the Northwest from the Swiss Alps, Martin Volken did what came natural to him. “I didn’t have many options,” Volken said. “I came from the Swiss Alps where skiing is a huge part of the economy.” He worked as a travelling ski tuner for a year, going from shop to shop to work on equipment, then opened a small ski shop in Seattle in the fall of 1991. It would eventually land him in North Bend, operating the shop that many people see as a gem of the community. “Right here in the little town of North Bend, we have what I consider to be one of the top shops in the country,” North Bend resident Eric Yotz said. Pro Ski and Mountain Service celebrated 25 years in business with a party Oct. 29 in the downtown North Bend shop that has served the community since 1999. Volken estimated between 60 and 80 people showed up Saturday night to celebrate a quarter-century in business with food, drinks and friends. What does that mean to Volken? “It means I’m old, I guess,”
SEE DAM, PAGE 8
Two firms submit new City Hall designs BY STUART MILLER smiller@snovalleystar.com
STUART MILLER | smiller@snovalleystar.com
Community members filled the Pro Ski and Mountain Service shop in downtown North Bend Oct. 29 for a 25th anniversary party.
he said. Volken credits Pro Ski and Mountain Service’s longevity to staying authentic over all these years — a practice that is often questioned when bucking retail trends in favor of staying true to character. “That’s why Pro Ski never sold a snowboard,” Volken said. “We don’t want to sell stuff that we don’t know enough about.” The position of the store is quite clear as an alternative to the evermore-gentrified
retail landscape, Volken said. Though he wouldn’t realize it until years later, Yotz, an avid skier and 12-year North Bend resident, first became familiar with Volken decades ago when he cut out a magazine article about a backcountry skier. Eventually, after becoming a customer at Pro Ski in North Bend, Yotz found out Volken was that skier. Volken also made the cover of Outside Magazine years ago after a miraculous
survival story was passed around the alpine community. During a guide-training course on Johannesburg Mountain in the North Cascades, Volken was hit by a chunk of snow from above that ripped the entire rope team off their feet — toward a 2,000-foot cliff. Somehow they were able to recover and stay on the friendly side of the drop. “I’m sure I got that edition SEE 25 YEARS, PAGE 6
The City of North Bend pitted two architecture firms against each other to compete for the opportunity to design a new City Hall building. Lawhead Architects and TCA Architecture presented their designs to the public and City Council at an Oct. 25 town hall meeting at Mount Si Senior Center. Citizens had an opportunity to walk around the room and view designs from both firms, meet the architects and provide feedback for the first hour of the town hall. Small stickers were provided for people to mark design ideas and aspects they agreed with, and a large poster SEE DESIGNS, PAGE 2
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