wnpa 2011 writer of the year

Sports shrink talks a good game

See Page A8

Officers protect — and serve — burgers for Special Olympics

Little League swings into spring Sports,

Page B4

Community,

Page B1

See Page B1

www.issaquahpress.com

THE ISSAQUAH PRESS

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 • Vol. 112, No. 13

Locally owned since 1900 • 75 Cents

Ex-Mariner now swings a hammer

City preserves Tiger Mountain forest in historic milestone Park Pointe protection occurs after yearslong effort to stop proposed construction

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter The long-running saga to preserve Park Pointe — a slice of Tiger Mountain forest near Issaquah High School — ended late March 24, after more than a decade of public and behind-the-scenes negotiations to halt construction of hundreds of houses once proposed for the land.

The tradeoff: Under the agreement, city leaders steered construction from Park Pointe to the Issaquah Highlands instead, and,

as a result, preserved more than 140 acres in the process.

“I think that this will transform the community in a very, very positive way,” Mayor Ava Frisinger said, minutes after the deal closed.

“It has the three elements of sustainability. It has the environment — the environmental protection and preservation. It has a huge social element. It has economic vitality benefits as well.”

The historic conservation effort is part of a complicated transfer of development rights.

City planners and officials shep-

herded the agreement through the arduous process after Frisinger outlined the landmark opportunity to preserve Park Pointe in late 2008.

In the years since, representatives from the city, highlands developer Port Blakely Communities and other partners pursued the project until the recession scuttled the developer behind the proposed Park Pointe development.

Since a Seattle bank foreclosed on the land from the defunct developer last March, the preservation effort lurched into gear. Issaquah

and King County officials adopted a series of agreements late last year to advance the process.

Finally, in another historic but little-noticed decision March 21, the City Council approved a set of housekeeping agreements to complete the process and preserve Park Pointe.

“It certainly is the light at the end of the tunnel — and that’s not a freight train coming at us,” Councilman Fred Butler said before the unanimous decision. “It is what is going to allow us to secure Park Pointe and deal with

some of the minor technicalities associated with the other transaction. It’s another big step forward.”

Under the agreement, the city preserves 101 acres at Park Pointe, plus another 43 acres near Central Park in the highlands.

“We finally freaking did it,” citizen activist and Issaquah Environmental Council member Connie Marsh said.

Park Pointe pact required ‘guts’ The other key component of the agreement allows construction on 35 acres adjacent to the highlands

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter For a Clark Elementary School class, raising coho salmon from eggs no larger than a BB pellet to miniscule fish is part lesson, part ritual.

Students traipse down the hallway from class to the aquarium in a science room in the morning, again at lunchtime and before the last bell rings in the afternoon.

Using a small spatula, students scoop salmon food — a coarse substance similar to dirt in color and texture — into the aquarium.

U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert and school board members from six different districts, including the Issaquah School District, met March 25 to discuss the problems swirling around the No Child Left Behind federal law.

POINTE, Page A3

listed as failing. Schools receiving federal Title I funds for lowincome students that do not meet AYP must notify their parents and could face sanctions. For instance, depending on how many years a school has missed AYP, it must See REICHERT, Page A2

See COACH, Page A5

BY GREG FARRAR

In Washington, no school district larger than 6,100 students is meeting standards required by No Child Left Behind, Issaquah School Board member Chad Magendanz said.

“This is an issue that I’ve heard over and over and we just can’t seem to make any progress on it,” said Reichert, a federal represen-

See PARK

Tamara “Tammy” Fox, the assistant cheer coach at Skyline High School, died March 20, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Fox, a 31-year-old Issaquah resident, was found dead in her home. Authorities are still working on a toxicology report to determine the cause of death, according to the medical e x a m i n e r ’s office.

A 1998 graduate of Liberty High School, Fox danced on the drill team her freshman year and cheered for three years as Tammy Fox a member of Liberty’s cheerleading squad. Her classmates awarded her the honor of having the most school spirit in her senior year and she was a member of Signet, Liberty’s senior service club.

Liberty principal’s secretary Kathy Schroeder knew Fox from the cheer squad and from her work as an office teacher’s assistant.

“She was a great gal,” Schroeder said. “I’m just heartbroken.”

She remembered teasing Fox about the crush she had on former Seattle Mariners’ star Alex Rodriguez during their hours together in the main office.

“I remember her as our TA and

Clark Elementary School students (from left) Callie Mejia, 10, Hannah Halstead, 10, Jackson Rubin, 10, and Caelan Varner, 11, take turns feeding the coho salmon fry growing in the science room aquarium.

Congressman, school board discuss education law

By Laura Geggel Issaquah Press reporter

site. Bellevue College and local homebuilders plan to add a satellite campus and homes on the 35-

By Laura Geggel Issaquah Press reporter

“I like the fact that they grow and seeing the steps they’re going through,” fifth-grader Callie Mejia, 11, said during a pause in salmon care and feeding March 22.

The annual salmon-rearing program faces a murky future, despite popularity among students and elementary school teachers in the Issaquah School District and elsewhere in the state.

The culprit is a state budget gap deeper than Puget Sound.

State legislators eliminated dollars for the Salmon in the Classroom program in a round of budget cuts during a December special session. The state faces a $5.1 billion hole for the 2011-13 budget.

The decision to eliminate Salmon in the Classroom saved $110,000 through June 30 and a See SALMON, Page A2

Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust executive director

Skyline High School cheer coach dies

Salmon in the Classroom reaches crossroads Questions remain about start-up costs, permits

“The average city the size of Issaquah would have not had the stamina or the mental horsepower or the guts to tackle this.”

— Cynthia Welti

tative for the 8th Congressional District, an area including Bellevue, Issaquah, Sammamish and other Eastside and South King County cities through rural Pierce County.

During the meeting, Reichert, RAuburn, and the school board members agreed that No Child Left Behind needs reform.

No Child Left Behind uses data from standardized test scores in reading and math. In Washington, the tests are called the Measurement of Student Progress, for grades three through eight, and the High School Proficiency Exam, for sophomores.

If a school fails to meet standard in one of the 37 subgroups, it is

Legendary rocker offers hope for Japan Don Wilson, of The Ventures (left), prepares to deliver a message of sympathy to be broadcast in Japan as videographers Holland Hume and Justin Peterson prepare to record several takes.

Japan ‘embraced The Ventures like no other’

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter The walls almost groan beneath a Fort Knox of framed gold records.

Inside a house on the Sammamish Plateau, amid a museum-quality collection of rock ‘n’ roll history, Don Wilson offered encouragement to people in catastrophe-stricken Japan.

Wilson, a cofounder of the semi-

BY GREG FARRAR

INSIDE THE PRESS A&E . . . . . . . . A8

Opinion . . . . . . A4

Classifieds . . . . B6

Police & Fire . . A5

Community . . . B1

Schools . . . . . . B8

Obituaries . . . . B3

Sports . . . . . . B4-5

nal band The Ventures and a Sammamish resident, reached out March 23 to people impacted by the earthquake, tsunami and stillunfolding nuclear crisis in the island nation.

The Ventures, unlike perhaps any foreign musicians before, enraptured Japan in the early 1960s and have remained popular in the decades since.

Because the band is revered in Japan, NHK, the largest public-TV network on the island nation, reached out to Wilson to offer a message of encouragement to millions of viewers.

So, a crew set up cameras and

See JAPAN, Page A3

QUOTABLE

YOU SHOULD KNOW Crews plan to close all lanes on Interstate 405 in both directions between Northeast Eighth Street and state Route 520 from 11 p.m. April 1 to 4 a.m. April 4 to remove the Northeast 12th Street Bridge — and the closure could impact Interstate 90 traffic through Issaquah. Nearly 450,000 vehicles use the route on a typical weekend. Learn more about the closure at the state Department of Transportation’s project website, www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/i405.

lights amid the rock ‘n’ roll history, to capture a brief message from the unofficial ambassador to Japan.

“After all these years, I’ve really learned to love the Japanese and made so many friends,” Wilson said from behind rock star sunglasses before the filming.

The memorabilia surrounding Wilson and the film crew included a sculpture of a triumphant figure holding aloft a record — the statuette bestowed upon Rock and Roll

“We finally freaking did it.”

— Connie Marsh Citizen activist and Issaquah Environmental Council member, after the deal was done to preserve 101 acres at Park Pointe, plus another 43 acres near Central Park in the Issaquah Highlands. (See story above.)

The Issaquah Press

Park Pointe

The process to halt development at Park Pointe started more than a decade ago. The developer once proposed hundreds of homes for the forested site.

FROM PAGE A1

acre parcel. The pact allows for up to 500 residences on the site, but developers proposed 100 in initial plans submitted to the city in October.

In order to serve the additional construction in the highlands, the agreement outlines about $2 million in transportation upgrades for the neighborhood.

The transfer-of-developmentrights package includes another incentive for highlands residents: recreation improvements for Central Park and the surrounding area.

Bellevue College could break ground on the highlands parcel in the near future, although construction on the campus could stretch for decades.

City Major Development Review Team Program Manager Keith Niven, the point man on the transfer of development rights, logged years on the project.

“The reality is, we never controlled all of the pieces,” he said.

“So, there was always a chance that one of the parts could just pick up their toys and go home. I couldn’t worry about that, because I didn’t control it — ever.

I marched forward with this blind faith that it was either going to happen or it wasn’t.”

The multipronged effort to preserve Park Pointe dominated politics and government in Issaquah for more than a decade.

Cynthia Welti, Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust executive director, praised Issaquah leaders and residents for not abandoning the project despite the long list of challenges. Park Pointe is part of the 101-mile-long greenbelt from Seattle to Central Washington.

“The average city the size of Issaquah would have not had the stamina or the mental horsepower or the guts to tackle this,” she said.

Observers also credited former City Administrator Leon Kos, former Councilwoman Maureen McCarry, David Kappler, a councilman turned citizen activist, and other officials and environmentalists for toiling to preserve Park Pointe.

In perhaps the most dramatic decision attached to the process, the council decided in February 2008 to cancel the planned Southeast Bypass — a Tiger Mountain road link meant to serve Park Pointe and alleviate traffic congestion through downtown.

Celebrating a conservation milestone The last set of plans presented by the developer, Wellington Park Pointe, proposed 251 units or 344 units for Park Pointe. The required environmental studies for the proposed neighborhood raised questions about traffic congestion near Park Pointe and runoff from the mountainside.

Since Wellington Park Pointe proposed building homes on the land in the mid-1990s, opponents maintained Park Pointe could harm the environment, clog nearby streets and mar the Tiger Mountain panorama.

“Development would have been

TIMELINE

1994 Regional planners recommend designating Park Pointe as urban land.

1997 City amends Comprehensive Plan to include a Park Pointe urban village.

2001 City changes long-term plan for Park Pointe, and calls for public or private open space instead.

September 2008 Mayor Ava Frisinger proposes a transfer of development rights to preserve Park Pointe.

BY DONA MOKIN

WHAT THE PARK POINTE DEAL MEANS In addition to preserving 144 forested acres, the Park Pointe transfer-of-development-rights deal includes changes to transportation and recreation.

For transportation Developers agreed to add transportation upgrades in the Issaquah Highlands, including a traffic signal along Northeast Park Drive at 15th Avenue Northeast, a road running parallel to Northeast Park Drive

a huge visual blight on what people presumed was forest,” Welti said.

The builder collapsed into bankruptcy in late 2009, and a Seattle bank foreclosed on Park Pointe last March.

In the same period, the cooling real estate market caused the price for Park Pointe to dip from $18.9 million in early 2009 to about $6 million in late 2010 — a critical boost for the deal.

“To a degree, an unexpected outcome of the down economy was that this became purchasable,” Frisinger said. “For years, people tried to figure out how this might be accomplished, and even with all of the efforts of the Cascade Land Conservancy and others who put together ways of purchasing land, it just was too expensive.”

Issaquah could offer the open space to other agencies. The city could transfer the highlands land to the county for inclusion in Grand Ridge Park, and shift Park Pointe to the state for Tiger Mountain State Forest.

Representatives from the city and the state Department of Natural Resources also conducted discussions about options for jointly managing the Park Pointe property, as the transfer of development rights neared completion.

from Central Park to 15th Avenue Northeast, and the completion of a missing link of Northeast Discovery Drive near Seventh Avenue Northeast.

For recreation The tradeoff also means the addition of a trail network west of Central Park in the highlands, paved parking and a restroom facility at the park, and assistance from highlands builder Port Blakely Communities in creating and funding a mountain bike skills course in the neighborhood.

In the meantime, Issaquah Environmental Council teams plant to tackle the invasive plants choking the Park Pointe property.

The mayor said city officials plan to discuss future goals for the preserved land soon — after some celebrating, of course.

“I don’t think I have any Champagne in my house,” Frisinger said. “But I was about to look for a bottle of something that would be a good substitute.”

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

June 2009 Consultants release environmental impact statement for Park Pointe, days after developer defaults on loan.

November 2009 Park Pointe developer Wellington Park Pointe files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

March 2010 Wellington Park Pointe nixes plan for land and Regal Financial Bank forecloses on Park Pointe.

October 2010 King County Council shifts urban growth boundary to allow additional Issaquah Highlands development.

December 2010 City selects Bellevue College and homebuilders to purchase highlands land, and then annexes site.

March 2011 Issaquah concludes successful transfer of development rights and preserves Park Pointe.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 •

A3

Japan FROM PAGE A1

Hall of Fame inductees. The band joined the hall in March 2008.

The rarest honor earned during a lifetime in rock ‘n’ roll is nestled inside a case not much larger than a deck of cards.

The medal inside the case — called the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, a decoration conferred on only a handful of foreigners — comes from Japanese Emperor Akihito.

The band behind the “Hawaii Five-O” theme and surf-rock anthems “Pipeline” and “Walk, Don’t Run” received the honor last June for the “contribution to the development and enrichment of music culture in Japan” and for fostering “cordial relations” between Japan and the United States. Wilson and other band members accepted the medal at the Japanese consulate in Seattle.

The Ventures earned success in the United States, but on the other side of the Pacific, the instrumental rock band reshaped the popular-music scene.

The band scored 20 No. 1 hits in Japan and, for a time, outsold The Beatles in the electric-guitarcrazed nation.

‘Hang in there’ The Ventures’ sound is as much a part of California as the Hollywood sign, but the band formed in the Evergreen State — Tacoma, in fact.

The instrumental music appealed in part because no language barrier existed.

In Japan in the early days, the band encountered reserved audiences unaccustomed to no-holdsbarred rock ‘n’ roll concerts.

“You could drop a pin and you could hear it — while we’re playing,” Wilson recalled. “After we played, it was an eruption of applause.”

Japanese fans “embraced The Ventures like no other,” Wilson’s son and Issaquah resident Tim Wilson said.

The band continues to tour in Japan each year, and usually sells out a 3,000-person venue in devastated Sendai. The magnitude-9 earthquake struck about 80 miles from the coastal city, and the subsequent tsunami ruined seaside areas.

“Sendai is a beautiful city,” Don Wilson said.

The band played in the city almost every year for the past halfcentury. In the aftermath, Don

BY GREG FARRAR

Don Wilson reflects on his love for the Japanese and empathy in the triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor radiation leak.

Wilson remains uncertain about friends and business contacts in Sendai.

“It was surreal to me,” he said.

“This can’t be happening. The more I saw on TV, the worse it got.”

The Ventures scheduled summer tour dates in Japan, although the catastrophe put the plans on hold.

The band toured in Japan last summer.

Don Wilson rode out temblors in earthquake-prone Japan before the March 11 disaster.

“I’m thinking, ‘Thank God he wasn’t there,’” Tim Wilson said.

In the meantime, the band is planning a benefit concert in the United States to assist disasterrelief efforts.

“I’ve been doing a lot of praying for those people,” Don Wilson said. “But, actually, those people are pretty resilient, amazingly so.

They’re very compassionate to each other. You know how organized they were after the disaster, lining up for food and water and things like that.”

Before recording the message for THK, as the film crew transformed a downstairs rec room into a makeshift studio, Don Wilson said Japan could overcome the challenges.

“It’s such a cliché to say, ‘Hang in there. You just have to get through it.’ And I’m sure they will,” he said. “I’ve never seen harder-working people in my life.”

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Montaine at Aldarra $768,000

Loree Estates $825,000

Apply to represent council district on county boards Issaquah and Sammamish residents can apply to represent King County Council District 3 on county advisory boards.

County Councilwoman Kathy Lambert, the District 3 representative, urged people to apply for open seats on the Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Administrative Board, Mental Health Advisory Board and Women’s Advisory Board.

The alcohol and substance abuse panel recommends policies and programs related to prevention, intervention and rehabilitation. The mental health board focuses on the access and quality of mental health services in the county. The women’s group makes recommendations to the county executive and council to ensure the county meets the needs and rights of women.

Interested people should contact Grace Reamer at 206-296-0331 or grace.reamer@kingcounty.gov.

Homeowner associations, come to Sustainability Challenge Friends of Quadrant Homes, a social network hosted by Quadrant Homes, has launched a 90-day sustainability challenge, lasting from March 15 through June 15.

Anybody living in a homeowner association can participate. The two HOAs that make the most creative environmental changes will receive $2,000 grants.

Of the HOAs that place, one will be urban and the other suburban, which includes communities in King County.

To register, HOA residents must

do the following: Register online at http://friendsofquadranthomes.com/sustainabilitychallenge, Make a pledge to do at least one of the items in each of the three categories or Create a pledge of their own.

Participants can make a difference by being conscientious of their energy, water and land use, including giving up paper cups for beverage mugs, replacing outdated showerheads with low-flow ones or planting a tree.

In addition to sustainability commitments, participants can share their photos, videos and stories on the Friends of Quadrant Homes Facebook page.

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The Issaquah Press

Wednesday, December 1, 2010 •

A3

Report: Issaquah Annexation could resolve area’s commuters spent less contamination, fire concerns time in traffic last year Sammamish Plateau Water

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter Issaquah commuters spent less time on the road to Bellevue and Seattle last year.

The typical morning commute between Issaquah and Seattle shrank to 21 minutes — a decline from 25 minutes in 2007. The morning commute from Seattle to Issaquah also dropped, from 20 to 18 minutes. The trip between Issaquah and Bellevue declined to 15 minutes from 17 minutes during the same period.

The state Department of Transportation said the decreases represent a broader trend.

Evergreen State drivers spent less time in traffic last year.

The information is outlined in the annual congestion report produced by the Department of Transportation.

Planners attributed the change to the economic downturn and the completion of major congestionrelief highway projects. The result: fewer delays and shorter travel times on high-demand corridors.

“We’re seeing the benefits of the transportation investments that have been made in our most congested corridors,” Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond said in a statement.

“These strategic investments help keep people and freight moving and our economy growing.”

Issaquah commuters also logged less time behind the wheel during a typical afternoon commute.

The afternoon trip from Seattle to Issaquah declined by a minute to 21 minutes from 2007 to last year. The afternoon haul from Issaquah to Seattle declined, too, from 28 to 25 minutes. The lateday commute between Bellevue and Issaquah contracted from 18 to 14 minutes during the same period.

The state Department of Transportation measured the Issaquah-to-Seattle routes along

Recycle appliances for free Do you have a broken refrigerator, an old stereo or a neglected bike clogging the garage?

Bring it to a free recycling event, from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Briarwood Market Place parking lot, Southeast 128th Street and 164th Avenue Southeast, Renton.

Proceeds from the recycled raw materials benefit local charities, homeless shelters and food banks.

The recycling program is provided

by Issaquah-based 1 Green Planet and organized by the Liberty High School PTSA. Find a list of recyclable products at the 1 Green Planet website, www.1greenplanet.org.

Learn about eco-friendly zHome project at tour Track the construction of zHome during a public tour Dec. 2.

The free walk-through focuses

ON THE WEB Read the complete traffic report at the state Department of Transportation website, www.wsdot.wa.gov/ accountability/ congestion/2010.htm.

Interstate 90 and Interstate 5. The travel times for Issaquah to Bellevue include I-90 and Interstate 405.

The reduction in traffic congestion came as Issaquah experienced a rise in population unrelated to annexations. The city added more than 2,000 people between 2007 and last year, but Issaquah commutes along the I-90 corridor improved during the timeframe.

The congestion report also highlighted the construction along state Route 18 near Issaquah.

The state transformed a stretch of the highway from a single lane in each direction to a four-lane divided highway from Maple Valley to the Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast interchange. The project concluded in 2006.

The upgrades cut travel time and added safety features, such as broader road shoulders, guardrails and a median.

Before the project, the Route 18 section west of Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast served about 24,000 vehicles each weekday. The number had increased to 28,000 vehicles per weekday in September 2009.

The travel time study showed a 15-to-20-minute reduction in westbound travel time during the peak afternoon commute. The study also showed a six-to-10-minute reduction in eastbound travel time during the peak morning commute.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

on panel installation, fiberglass windows, construction recycling and rainwater plumbing. The tour runs from 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Look for the construction site near the Issaquah Highlands Park & Ride, 1755 Highlands Drive N.E. Plans call for zHome to include 10 eco-friendly townhouses designed to produce as much electricity as the units consume. The homes will harness solar power and use recycled building materials. Officials expect zHome to be completed by the spring.

Dignitaries broke ground on the project in September 2008, but the recession delayed construction until April 2010.

The city spearheaded the development of zHome. Howland Development Issaquah — a joint venture of Shoreline developer Howland Homes and Ichijo USA, a subsidiary of Japanese homebuilder Ichijo Co. — handles the construction. Ichijo USA financed the project.

and Sewer District considers absorbing Overdale Park

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter Concerns about contaminated drinking water and inadequate fire protection could evaporate soon for Overdale Park residents.

The neighborhood near the former Albertsons store could be annexed into the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District after a yearslong debate about arsenic-tainted wells and questions about a stable water supply.

Overdale — through a neighborhood water association — has operated a private water system since the 1950s, not long after houses started to sprout at the then-rural site. Residents turned to the Sammamish district for service in 2005, after arsenic contamination left a well near East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast unusable. In addition, another neighborhood well could no longer meet residents’ demand for water.

The outdated system also put the neighborhood at risk from fires. Engineers discovered some fire hydrants in Overdale lacked the pressure to fight fires.

If a blaze had occurred, pressure could have dropped to unacceptable levels for firefighting in minutes — and left homes unprotected from fire.

The problem is detailed in a report the Sammamish district issued in April.

The agency has since added a water tender — or tanker — to the fire response plan for the neighborhood.

The neighborhood system supplied water to about 140 households. The district collected about $30,000 per year from the neighborhood water association to supply water to the community.

The decision to petition the Sammamish district for annexation came after numerous contentious discussions about the decades-old neighborhood water system and potential impacts to emergency response, health and property values.

The district board has scheduled a Dec. 6 public hearing on the annexation.

Nita Weiss, a neighborhood resident since 1977, said the water system had deteriorated in the decades since she settled in Overdale.

“We have grown so much that it’s a definite need,” she said. “I’m thrilled we’re going with Sammamish.”

EFR leaders learned about the fire hydrant problem in the spring, as the Sammamish district conducted tests in preparation for possible annexation. Fire Marshal Bud Backer said the agency could not be sure how long the pressure problems had lasted.

“Somewhere down the road in the annals of history, there should have been certification of the water system that would have said it could provide sufficient fire flows in order to obtain building permits and build structures in that area,” he said. “How the situation got missed — or did it degrade over time? — I don’t know how we got to where we are today.”

District plans to reduce fire risk If the Sammamish district annexes Overdale, engineers could send additional water into the neighborhood system to provide sufficient fire hydrant pressure.

In the meantime, EFR has added a water tender at Station 71 — along East Sunset Way near Issaquah City Hall and about three miles from Overdale — to the response plan.

The tender carries about 3,000 gallons — “more than enough water to attack a house fire,” Backer said.

More equipment might be necessary for larger blazes.

“We are aware of the situation there,” Backer continued. “We’re dealing with it with the best way we’ve got available to us.”

The neighborhood is divided into higher and lower pressure zones.

Residences in the higher-pressure zone — most of the homes east of 232nd Avenue Southeast — face increased fire risk.

District Planning Engineer Jay Regenstreif said planners had proposed upgrades to improve flow to fire hydrants if the annexation occurs.

“The way that area is set up,

that area has somewhat limited access to how much water their pumps can put out for fire protection,” she said.

The district surrounds Overdale on all sides. If the district board decides to annex the neighborhood, the King County Boundary Review Board and the King County Council must approve the annexation.

District General Manager Jay Krauss said the approval from both boards could extend the annexation timeline to months.

Contamination prompts tough decision The district serves about 16,300 water customers and 10,100 sewer customers in parts of Issaquah, Sammamish and unincorporated King County. Customers elect a board to direct budget and policy decisions for the 62-year-old district.

“It will make the water supply more firm, shall we say,” Regenstreif said.

Before the neighborhood turned to the Sammamish district in 2005, Overdale customers relied on a well drilled in 1963 and another well — near East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast — drilled in 2004.

Discussions about future water sources intensified throughout the past year. The debate also exposed divisions between residents and the volunteer board in charge of the neighborhood water system.

Overdale residents considered a handful of options before petitioning the district for annexation.

Residents also met a representative from the state Office of Drinking Water to discuss choices.

The other options included a pricey water treatment system to counteract the arsenic contamination in the well near East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast or drilling the well deeper to search for acceptable water.

Federal Environmental Protection Agency regulations for arsenic in drinking water allow 10

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parts per billion. The arsenic level in the contaminated Overdale well exceeded 11 parts per billion. The poisonous element occurs naturally in the ground near the well.

The discovery raised concerns among Overdale residents, because arsenic presents a longterm health risk, and arsenictainted groundwater has been linked to numerous cancers and other maladies.

Tests recorded high manganese levels in the well water, too. The element does not pose a health risk. Overdale residents said iron and manganese cause unpleasant odor and taste in drinking water.

Customers also considered blending well water and Sammamish district water in order to meet EPA standards.

The neighborhood water association also considered extending the existing arrangement between Overdale and the district.

Overdale resident Weiss said the neighborhood had changed in recent years. The neighborhood, she said, could be better served as a full-fledged Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District customer.

“Our water system when I first moved here in ’77, it was fabulous and the water board was fabulous,” she said. “But it has over the years deteriorated and a volunteer board no longer works.”

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

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Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District Agenda: Overdale Park annexation public hearing 6:30 p.m. Dec. 6 Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District office 1510 228th Ave. S.E., Sammamish

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GOLD byKellyJensen

Why is my white gold turning yellow?

G

old has been in the news a lot lately. It seems that people all over the world can’t get enough of this noble metal.

I get asked regularly why white gold jewelry “turns” yellow over time. Let me start off by saying that gold is always yellow. Jewelers make gold whiter by mixing nickel or palladium with it. Keep in mind that most jewelry is made in 14k (karat) or 18k.

As a percentage, 14k contains 58.5% gold and 18k contains 75% gold.

The other 41.5% or 25% is mostly silver and copper with white gold containing the aforementioned nickel or palladium.

Now that you have a basic understanding of gold let me tell you why your white gold jewelry is “turning” yellow. White gold jewelry is not as “white” as silver or platinum which are naturally white. Jewelers routinely coat white gold with another metal called rhodium to make it appear whiter.

Rhodium is in the platinum family of metals and is a nice bright white color. But, because the rhodium is just a coating it wears off. So, your jewelry is not really turning yellow but the rhodium coating is wearing off revealing the natural, slightly yellowish color of the white gold.

Rhodium doesn’t wear off Award overnight and can be Winning replaced by a jeweler.

Designers

2830 228th Ave Se #B Sammamish, WA www.PlateauJewelers.com

Advisers instill life skills

Scout honors Bill Gates with Silver Buffalo Award

Skyline re-establishes gridiron dominance over Issaquah, 35-6 Sports,

See Page B7

Trails inspire local artists

Community,

Page B4

Page B1

THE ISSAQUAH PRESS

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 • Vol. 111, No. 38

Locally owned since 1900 • 75 Cents

Prepare for fishy fun as Salmon Days returns Grande Parade opens festival The Issaquah Salmon Days Grande Parade will again kick off the annual two-day festival at 10 a.m. Oct. 2.

Issaquah will begin its 41st anniversary celebration with more than 100 entries, including stunning floats from the Northwest.

Follow the procession from Front Street at Northwest Dogwood Street, down Gilman Boulevard to 12th Avenue and along 12th Avenue until the parade’s end past

INSIDE Ohfishal program, insert

the Sports Authority parking lot.

The Grande Parade is ohfishally spawnsored by Lakeside Industries.

Festival VIPs in the parade include Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger, Issaquah Police Chief Paul Ayers, Eastside Fire & Rescue Chief Lee Soptich and Issaquah Chamber of Commerce President Chris Hysom.

Grand marshals of the parade are Moroccan sister city of Chefchaouen City Councilman Mustafa Ajjab and his daughter, American Moroccan International Exchange 2009 exchange student Sahar Ajjab.

Also watch for Captain Coho Gene Hill, president of the Issaquah Salmbassadors — the festival’s volunteer organization; Sammy the Salmon; and the many community floats that represent festivals from all over the Northwest. These include floats from the Spokane Lilac Festival, Tacoma’s Daffodil Festival, Port Townsend Rhododendron Festival, New Westminster’s Hyack Festival, Olympia’s Capital Lakefair and Wenatchee’s Washington State Apple Blossom Festival, just to name a few!

Cheer on regional high-stepping high school bands, fancy-footed drill teams and spirited cheerleaders as they perform for your enjoyment. Wave to your neighbors and friends as they display their pride and talents. Best seating is along Gilman Boulevard.

Festival spawns road closures Prepare for road closures as the Salmon Days Festival turns downtown Issaquah into a celebration of spawning salmon Oct. 2-3.

Plan ahead for closures of the following streets from 6 a.m. – 8 p.m. Oct. 2-3: Front Street from Newport Way Southwest to Northwest Gilman Boulevard East Sunset Way from Second Avenue Southeast to Newport Way Northwest Rainer Boulevard South and First Avenue Southeast from East Sunset Way to the community center Southeast Bush Street and Southeast Andrews Street from Second Avenue Southeast to Front

Street South First Place Northeast and First Avenue Northwest from West Sunset Way to Northwest Dogwood Street The following streets will be closed from 9 a.m. – noon Oct. 2 for the Grande Parade: 12th Avenue Northwest from Northwest Maple Street to Northwest Gilman Boulevard The following streets will be closed from 8 a.m. – noon Oct. 3: Seventh Avenue Northwest, Second Avenue Northwest and Fourth Avenue Northwest Rainier Boulevard North from Northwest Dogwood Street to Northwest Juniper Street

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter Inside the neon-illuminated Rollin’ Log Tavern, the full effect of the city-mandated change from foam and plastic to eco-friendly cups, containers and utensils is apparent after a quick glance at the timeworn bar.

Not long ago, skinny straws made from paper and swizzle sticks fashioned from wood replaced the plastic of yore.

Issaquah is the first Eastside city, and among a handful of cities in the state, to require compostable containers at restaurants and other food sellers. The ordinance is modeled on a Seattle law.

The change to compostable cups and containers — plus a citywide ban on expanded polystyrene foam, often called Styrofoam — takes effect Oct. 1.

Many establishments, from dive

bars to chain restaurants to school cafeterias, started the changeover to compostable materials not long after the City Council passed the landmark ordinance last November. The city chucked polystyrene because the material does not biodegrade in landfills.

“I think a lot of people want to help the environment these days,” Rollin’ Log Manager Jamie Reynolds said. “It’s the little things like that that you can do. If everybody did a little thing, they could make a big difference.”

The ordinance has a broad reach into the dining rooms, storerooms and kitchens at Issaquah restaurants.

For diners, the change marks the end of foam takeout containers and cups — cheap and durable options, yes, but not the best choices for the environment. Some restaurants hinted at price increases to offset the added cost.

For restaurateurs, the council decision set off a scramble for affordable containers, cups, straws and utensils made from paper, corn and other plant materials. But some of the alternatives do not hold up to food and drink

Churches unite for monthlong food drive

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter Parishioners from several Issaquah churches mobilized Sept.

25 to collect donations for the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank before the onset of the busy holiday season.

The push is part of the Eastside’s Month of Concern for the Hungry, a regional drive to encourage businesses, community leaders, faith-based organizations, hospitals, neighborhood associations and schools to host food drives and fundraisers.

“Staying warm and well-fed when the weather outside starts to turn is important,” the Rev. Mark Miller, pastor at Mountain Creek See FOOD

BY GREG FARRAR

Jeanette Ludwig-Hughes, of Issaquah (left), a first-time volunteer docent for Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, teaches a Cougar Ridge Elementary third-grade class about salmon next to the coho salmon sculptures Finley and Gillda Sept. 23 at the hatchery.

Volunteers share the story of migrating coho, chinook

By Laura Geggel Issaquah Press reporter A record number of docents registered in September to volunteer at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery.

These locals are now prepared to instruct the masses and answer countless questions about chinook salmon, coho salmon and their Pacific Northwest underwater brethren.

Usually, about a dozen new volunteers sign up annually, Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery Executive Director Gestin Suttle said. This year, about 40 firsttime volunteers signed up to volunteer at the hatchery.

“I didn’t know anything about salmon, except that they were delightfully edible.”

— Sharon Macpherson Issaquah Salmon Hatchery volunteer

Beverly Lee, volunteer coordinator for FISH, said many of the volunteers began shadowing tours after their Sept. 11 training day.

“We probably have about eight of them that are actually leading tours now,” Lee said.

Hatchery docents conduct tours seven days a week, educating

school children, out-of-town visitors and curious locals about the life cycle of salmon. Docent-led tours end Nov. 12.

Sharon Macpherson started volunteering in 2009 after years of visiting the hatchery down the hill from her Squak Mountain home.

Before volunteering, “I didn’t know anything about salmon, except that they were delightfully edible,” Macpherson said.

She reasoned that anyone living in the Pacific Northwest should know about salmon, so she joined the docent program to See DOCENTS, Page A5

City makes history in effort to turn restaurants ‘green’ Groundbreaking packaging ordinance takes effect Oct. 1

See Page B10

Association, said last week. “If you keep it in the soup and you pull it out, the thing is melted and bent backwards. We’re not there yet.”

Manager David Fujimoto and the city conservation team reached out to restaurateurs and grocers to help assuage some of the concerns about the ordinance.

The measure has a July 2011 deadline built in for some products, including the buckle-underpressure compostable spoons. The staggered deadline emulates the Seattle ordinance.

“We wanted to provide some consistency, so if you’re a business that’s operating in the direct Seattle market — for example, a Taco Time — with operations in Seattle and operations in Issaquah, we wanted to try to provide consistency as much as possible, so they don’t have to retool just for Issaquah,” Fujimoto said.

Sarah Barnes, a manager at Pogacha in Issaquah, said the Eastside mini-chain committed to compostable containers, foodscrap composting and grease recycling years ago.

“We were already there, so it doesn’t feel like as much of a financial hit since we’ve already been

Following a trailblazer Resource Conservation Office

See ORDINANCE, Page A3

BY GREG FARRAR

A plastic fork and spork get picked out of the compost waste pile by Cedar Grove Composting General Manager Nick Harbert. as well as hardy foam and plastic.

“The technology still isn’t there for a spoon that can sit in a cup of soup for longer than 30 seconds,” Josh McDonald, state and local government affairs coordinator for the Washington Restaurant

INSIDE THE PRESS

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A&E . . . . . . . B10

Opinion . . . . . . A4

Classifieds . . . . B8

Police & Fire . . A6

Community . . . B1

Schools . . . . . . B7

Obituaries . . . . B3

Sports . . . . . . B4-5

Underage children of retirees might qualify for Social Security benefits. To receive benefits, a child must have a disabled or retired parent who is entitled to benefits; or died after he or she worked in a job and paid Social Security taxes. The child must be unmarried, under 18; 18-19 years old and a full-time student; or 18 or older and disabled. Learn more at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10085.html.

RAIN GAIN Last Week’s Rainfall: (through Monday) 0.84 inches Total for 2010: 43.16 inches Total last year: (through Sept. 27) 35.17 inches

DRIVE, Page A6

Council OKs Comcast price hike

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter The updated agreement between the city and Comcast allows the cable provider to raise prices and removes many of the provisions the city had to maintain some of the best cable prices in the state for decades.

Comcast announced plans in early September to raise prices for Issaquah customers Oct. 1. The decision prompted grumbling from the City Council, but, in the end, members said the city had little choice but to sign off on the agreement.

The agreement reached the council Sept. 20, after almost three years of negotiations between Comcast and the city Cable TV See CABLE, Page A5

DUI crash snarls traffic, injures commuters

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter State troopers said a suspected drunken driver caused a crash — and a mileslong traffic backup during the Sept. 24 morning commute — on Interstate 90 near Issaquah.

The crash injured the seven occupants of a King County Metro Transit Rideshare van traveling from Redmond to Snoqualmie.

Washington State Patrol investigators said the suspect, 26-yearSee CRASH, Page A5

SALMON COUNT Chinook: (through Monday) 1,500

Coho start returning up Issaquah Creek in early October.

The Issaquah Press

Council approves contract for next city administrator

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter City Council members praised Mayor Ava Frisinger’s choice for city administrator and approved the Wyoming, Ohio, city manager for the post last week.

The unanimous council decision Sept. 20 marked the final step to hire Bob Harrison, 42, as Issaquah city administrator, the No. 2 official at City Hall.

Harrison is due to start Oct. 11.

He stands to earn a $150,000 base salary, plus benefits. The city also offered him $15,000 if he relocates to the Issaquah School District.

The council signed off on the contract after about three minutes of discussion and a threemonth search to hire a replacement for former City Administrator Leon Kos, who retired in April.

In a meeting the same day, the Wyoming City Council accepted Harrison’s resignation and appointed his deputy, Assistant City Manager Lynn Tetley, as interim city manager.

Harrison and four other finalists met Issaquah community leaders and city department chiefs for interviews in early September.

Issaquah City Council President John Traeger, part of the community panel, praised the selection.

He said the group reached a near-unanimous decision to recommend Harrison for the job.

“Bob’s got a lot of extensive experience in city managem e n t , ” Traeger said.

“He has a lot of things that really fit well in his personal style, and Bob Harrison his involvement in stewardship and economic development and fiscal responsibility. So, it seemed like a really good fit for the city.”

Councilman Fred Butler said the “open and inclusive process” led to the selection of “the perfect candidate to move us forward for the next 10, 15 years.”

Recruiter Greg Prothman, the Bellevue headhunter hired by the city to conduct the search, conducted a screening and background check on Harrison as part of the hiring process.

Last-minute concerns about a lawsuit brought against Harrison in Wyoming did not affect the council decision. Frisinger and the council members did not mention the litigation at the meeting.

Wyoming is a Cincinnati suburb of about 8,300 people.

Issaquah has about 27,000 residents.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Parents of gifted children seek support

By Laura Geggel Issaquah Press reporter When Camber Charlot learned her 1-year-old daughter, Astor Tellman, loved language, she and her husband taught her to read and provided a supportive environment for their daughter filled with literature and math.

Tellman learned she qualified for MERLIN in elementary school, and now, at age 11, she is enrolled in classes available to high-achieving middle school students, including humanities-plus and higher-level math classes.

So, Charlot was alarmed last year when she learned the state Legislature might cut funding for highly capable programs, which would have cost Issaquah School District $147,000 for the 2010-11 school year, Chief of Finance and Operations Jake Kuper said.

The district spends about four to five times on its gifted programming than the state provides, Associate Superintendent Ron Thiele said.

When they learned of the potential budget cuts, Charlot and another parent, Cynthia Seidel, worked together to start the Issaquah Talented and Gifted Parent Association, or ITAG. The two families drove down to Olympia for Gifted Education Day and spoke with state Rep. Glenn Anderson about the importance of funding gifted education.

In the end, the Legislature did not cut funding for gifted programming.

“Luckily, that scary budget didn’t go through,” Charlot said. But, “Every year we face that problem of keeping the gifted program in the budget.”

Since then, ITAG has grown to about 200 members, some of whom are planning to attend the Gifted Education Day in February.

GET INVOLVED ITAG general meeting 7 p.m. Sept. 30 Issaquah Middle School commons 400 First Ave. S.E. Though ITAG primarily targets gifted elementary school children in the MERLIN or SAGE programs, organizers said they also welcomed parents of gifted middle school or high school students.

Brandi St. Pierre, whose daughter is in the MERLIN program, said gifted students need an advocate just like any other student group.

“A lot of people think gifted education is a good problem to have, you don’t need special funding, and to a certain extent that’s true,” St. Pierre said. “But for these kids to live up to their potential, they need more challenges. Going along with the same curriculum doesn’t work for them. They tune it out. They don’t necessarily learn in a linear way.

They need special curriculum and special teacher training.”

St. Pierre said she and other ITAG parents hope to begin offering grants to gifted classroom teachers and organizing parent education seminars.

The district bases its gifted programming on best practices research, which puts gifted children in a self-contained program in third through fifth grades in the MERLIN program, Thiele said. Highly capable students are pulled out of the classroom and given more challenging material for two hours a week in the SAGE program.

In middle and high school, students can take higher-level classes, such as humanities-plus in middle school, or Advanced Placement in high school.

Ordinance

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 •

“The marginal cost of a meal at a takeout or a restaurant where they’ve converted to compostables isn’t very much to a customer, so it’s not something that drives customers away.”

— Dick Lilly

FROM PAGE A 1

trying to behave in an environmentally responsible way,” she said.

The restaurant decided against a price increase to offset the higher cost of the eco-friendly measures — despite a difference of $5,000 to $10,000 per year.

Proponents said the cost should decline as manufacturers produce more compostable products to meet the demand in the Seattle area.

Reynolds said the transformation to eco-friendly containers and utensils at the Rollin’ Log had a negligible impact on costs. The bar did not raise prices.

However, cost remains a concern, especially as customers dine out less in a lackluster economy.

“We recognize the longer purpose of being sustainable,” McDonald said. “We do worry about having to take on these costs in an economy that’s very difficult to survive in.”

Dick Lilly, business area manager for waste prevention at Seattle Public Utilities, brushed aside concerns about price hikes.

“The marginal cost of a meal at a takeout or a restaurant where they’ve converted to compostables isn’t very much to a customer, so it’s not something that drives customers away,” he said.

‘Green’ equals dollars Though the Issaquah ordinance outlines a $150 fine for first-time violators and a $300 penalty for repeat offenders, Fujimoto said the city has no intention to send a code compliance officer into restaurants or stores to hunt down infractions.

Instead, the city plans to educate rule-breakers to bring them into line.

“Most likely, we would follow up with them and we would probably try to reach the business owner or the restaurant manager, and make sure they’re aware that there’s this requirement out there, and then also let them know that there are some resources to help them make that transition,” Fujimoto said.

The collaborative approach is reminiscent of the effort Seattle Public Utilities used to roll out the Emerald City ordinance in stages in January 2009 and July 2010.

The similar setup also made the process easier for business owners and employees.

Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria has outposts in Issaquah and Seattle. Anthony Ferrara, kitchen manager at the Issaquah location, said the local ordinance had no effect, because the restaurant already used compostable contain-

Trout Unlimited casts for kokanee at Salmon Days The Trout Unlimited BellevueIssaquah Chapter will have a booth at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery during Salmon Days.

The booth will display educational information about the chapter's long-standing goal to conserve and restore runs of Issaquah's heritage freshwater salmon, the kokanee.

Young kokanee will be displayed in an aquarium. Volunteers will be there to discuss the life history of kokanee, fry trapping for census information, habitat restoration, youth conservation education and sonic fish tagging with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Salmon Days kokanee T-shirts will be given for donations or new membership registrations in local organizations involved in saving Lake Sammamish kokanee.

BEST OF ISSAQUAH 13 CONSECUTIVE YEARS! 1996-2009

Town & Country Square 1175 NW Gilman Blvd.

Suite B-4, Issaquah (425) 391-9270

A3

Seattle Public Utilities business area manager for waste prevention

structure that will do that.”

PHOTOS BY GREG FARRAR

Above, Nick Harbert, general manager at Cedar Grove Composting, holds a compostable takeout food container before the composting cycle starts.

At right, a compostable paper straw finishes off the presentation of a cocktail at the Rollin’ Log Tavern in downtown Issaquah. ers in every restaurant.

The fallout from the Seattle ordinance has critics, too, including Dennis Ballen, founder of Redmondbased Blazing Bagels. The chain has a store at Safeco Field.

“Right now, man, it hurts. If you’re trying to be ‘green’ it’s an expensive statement,” he said.

Sean Hartley, operations manager for Tom Douglas Restaurants — a Seattle icon and another early adopter of “green” practices — said the change made sense in the eco-conscious Seattle area.

“When I see a Styrofoam cup of coffee, it seems so out of place now,” Hartley said. “It was a nobrainer to me to stop using that stuff.”

The food chain Flattened takeout containers and grease-stained pizza boxes rumble from restaurants and residences aboard trucks bound for Cedar Grove Composting just outside Issaquah.

Trucks disgorge ton after ton — 195,000 tons last year — of food scraps and compostable containers, cups, utensils and wrappers.

Crews in heavy equipment transfer garbage from steaming piles into a grinder to pulverize the material.

Sorters catch the occasional noncompostable stowaway.

General Manager Nick Harbert recently picked chunks of foam packaging and a plastic paint tray from the pile.

“Was somebody painting the kitchen?” he said. “This has nothing to do with food.”

Compostable materials — aided by heat, moisture and microbes — break down the garbage in about 60 days. The result is rich compost in the same color as dark chocolate.

Cedar Grove has tested more than 1,600 compostable products and OK’d about 700 for use.

“I think the industry would credit our ordinance for causing the creation of the compostable meat tray,” Lilly said of the Seattle law.

Restaurateurs and leaders in Issaquah and Seattle said the presence of Cedar Grove in the region makes the mandates for compostables possible.

“Cedar Grove is looked to nationally as a standard-setter in the composting business,” Lilly said.

The facility — infamous among neighbors for foul odors — functions as a central cog in the decision to require compostable containers in Issaquah.

“Most of the state of Washington just couldn’t do this, because there isn’t the infrastructure,” McDonald said. “You can’t have this kind of recycling and composting pickup and have it go through the proper cycle if you don’t have the infra-

Hurdles remain The catch to compostables: The same process used to turn the containers into mulch starts as soon as hot coffee is poured into the cup.

“If you’ve got a coffee cup with a lid on top, the lid is naturally breaking down as you’re using it,” McDonald said.

In a nod to the hurdle, the City Council decided Sept. 20 to postpone requirements for parts of the ordinance until July 2011.

Restaurants can continue to use foil-backed paper, plastic straws and cocktail picks, and foam portion cups until then.

The measure already had exemptions for lids made to handle hot liquid, utensils and trays used to package raw meat.

The extended deadline also takes the Issaquah School District into account. The original deadline — May 2011 — called for the district to enact changes just before the end of the school year.

Though all Issaquah schools use reusable trays in school cafeterias, and many made strides in composting, Resource Conservation Manager John Macartney said the district has no plans to hold schools outside city limits to the Issaquah requirements.

“Realistically, because of the cost, I don’t see the district not using Styrofoam in the other schools for awhile, until the budget is a little more stable,” he said. “It boils down to the dollars. That’s the reality.”

The district has banned polystyrene foam trays, although some eco-unfriendly containers remain in use.

“The district decided that it just wasn’t environmentally appropriate to use that kind of product, because it doesn’t break down and it goes into the landfill and sits there for potentially thousands of years,” Macartney said.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Intern Paige Collins contributed to this report.

Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Visit us at Salmon Days as The Issaquah Press

goes around the World!

Take our Cookie Walk Around the World when the music stops, you just might win a cookie!

Bring us a photo of you with the Issaquah Press on your last vacation and win a cookie!

New subscription special: Your choice – Save $7, or contribute $7 to your choice of Issaquah schools.

Free Issaquah Map! with each new subscription paid during Salmon Days

Meet the staff Bring in your best story ideas or just stop in for a chat.

We’ll be at Salmon Days and hope you are, too!

Look for our booth on Sunset Way, near Mandarin Garden Restaurant

Know the right sunscreen for you

See Page B4

Community turns out for day of burgers, bikes and babes

Gravity Car race returns for 13th year of racin’ fun Sports,

Community,

Page B7

See Page B12

THE ISSAQUAH PRESS

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 • Vol. 111, No. 29

Locally owned since 1900 • 75 Cents

Page B1

Shakespeare returns to community center

‘All hell broke loose’

Lake Sammamish State Park shootings leave two men dead

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter In the fading summer light, some picnickers and parkgoers thought the pops echoing through Lake Sammamish State Park on July 17 sounded like fireworks.

But seconds later, the crowd unwinding at the packed Issaquah park recognized the noise as something else: gunfire.

The shootings at a picnic area near the lakefront left two men dead and four others injured after gunshots shattered the summer Saturday evening. The shootings occurred at about 9 p.m. — just after sunset settled over the lakefront park and visitors started to load coolers and lawn chairs into

car trunks, as the dusk closing time neared.

Chaos ensued in the moments after the shootings, as parkgoers scrambled for cover in vehicles and park buildings. Someone barricaded himself or herself in a restroom.

By the time the shooting stopped, a 30-year-old Seattle man, Justin Cunningham, and a 33-year-old Kent man, Yang Keovongphet, had been killed. The gunfire injured another four people, three men and a juvenile male.

The shootout stemmed from a dispute between rival groups picnicking in the park — a coincidence, police said. The groups set up about 200 feet apart near Tibbetts Beach, a popular lakeside destination. Members sipped beer

“It could be as simple as a gang rivalry, but we don’t know that for a fact.”

— Sgt. John Urquhart King County Sheriff ’s Office spokesman

and fired up grills for a picnic.

Police said one of the groups celebrated a birthday.

Investigators later said several people in both groups had gang connections. Many had brought guns to the crowded park.

Members from one group approached the other gathering at about 9 p.m. and taunted members of the other group. The insults escalated into a fistfight. Someone pulled out a gun and fired a warning shot into the air.

“Then all hell broke loose,” King

More than 1 million people visit 512-acre Lake Sammamish State Park during the summer months for hiking, picnicking and swimming.

On July 19, the day the park reopened after deadly shootings, some people said the incident gave them pause about returning.

Others took a defiant tone against the violence.

The afternoon sunshine brought Carol and Joe Haldeman, 81, to the trails for a walk the day the park reopened.

“There’s nothing you can do with those gangs,” Joe Haldeman said. “When they get too close,

BY GREG FARRAR

See REACTION, Page A3

See SHOOTINGS, Page A3

Speeding crackdown continues Issaquah police and law enforcement agencies throughout King County plan to blanket area roads with extra patrols in order to crack down on speeding.

The beefed-up enforcement continues through Aug. 1 as part of the Slow Down or Pay Up campaign. Safety officials said the effort ties into a statewide plan — called Target Zero — to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on Evergreen State roads by 2030.

The state Traffic Safety Commission funds the extra patrols.

“Speeding may seem like a quick and effective shortcut, but in fact it is a leading cause of traffic deaths and injuries in King County and Washington state,” Dr. David Fleming, director and health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County, said in a news release. “Speed-related crashes harm individuals, families and communities, and many people hurt in these crashes suffer lifealtering trauma and never recover fully.”

Speeding drivers killed 140 people in King County between 200608, accounting for 44 percent of traffic deaths in the county during that period.

Police in neighboring Bellevue and Sammamish plan to participate in the increased patrols. The effort also includes Washington State Patrol troopers.

“Driving is a complex skill, demanding your complete attention,” Cesi Velez, the South King County Target Zero manager and part of the Kent Police Department, said in the release.

“Slow down and watch for sudden stops when traffic is heavy or the road has limited sight distance.

Avoid tailgating by leaving a car’s length between you and the car in front of you for every 10 mph you’re traveling. Road conditions and weather may also require a driver to slow down.”

Issaquah officers and officers from more than 150 law enforcement agencies statewide cracked down on speeders during another Slow Day or Pay Up effort in April.

SHOOTINGS FAIL TO DETER VISITORS AS PARK REOPENS

The King County Sheriff’s Office’s Guardian One helicopter lands the morning of July 18 at Lake Sammamish State Park during the investigation of the previous night’s shootings.

First salmon of the year reaches Issaquah Creek

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter

CONTRIBUTED

The first chinook salmon of the year to reach the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery swims in Issaquah Creek.

Issaquah Salmon Hatchery workers and Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery volunteers spotted the first salmon of the year in Issaquah Creek last week — more than a month before the fish usually arrive.

Teams confirmed a fish in the creek to be a female chinook. But the species of another fish spotted in the waterway could not be determined, though hatchery volunteers

believed the fish could be a chinook.

FISH Executive Director Gestin Suttle attributed the early arrival to unseasonable rainfall and higherthan-usual flow in the creek.

“We’re excited and wondering what’s going on,” she said.

FISH Education Coordinator Celina Steiger spotted the salmon earlier in the week, and Hatchery Manager John Kugen later confirmed the find.

Suttle described the mid-July arrival as the earliest in recent memory.

In 2009, the hatchery recorded the arrival of the first chinook — a 25-pound hen, or female — in late August.

Muckleshoot Tribe biologists had counted about 360 chinook salmon at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard by July 19. Most of the chinook and coho passing through the locks head to Issaquah Creek in order to spawn.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

City’s population nudges upward Highlands meeting

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter The number of people who moved to Issaquah last year could fit inside Pickering Barn and still have plenty of room to spare.

The annual tally from the state Office of Financial Management shows the city’s population nudged upward by 270 people last year, bringing the population to 27,160 residents. (The historic Pickering Barn holds 400 people.)

The latest population figures indicate a slowdown after a decade marked by large annexations and a housing construction boom in the Issaquah Highlands and Talus. The city ballooned by 139 percent between April 2000 and April 2009.

Issaquah ranked as the fifth fastest-growing city in the state during the previous decade. In early 2000, about 11,000 people called Issaquah home. The population had swelled to 26,890 by April 2009.

“It’s slowed down quite a bit, of course, over the last year, due to the recession,” city Planning Director Mark Hinthorne said.

Issaquah remains the 38th largest city in the state — a spot the city has held since 2008. The city ranked 61st in April 2000.

State demographers rely on changes in school enrollment, housing, voter registration, driver licensing and other indicators to

INSIDE THE PRESS A&E . . . . . . . B12

Obituaries . . . . B3

Classifieds . . . B10

Opinion . . . . . . A4

Community . . . B1

Police blotter . B11

Health . . . . . B4-5

Sports . . . . . . B7-9

CENSUS TAKERS WILL CONDUCT FOLLOW-UP VISITS Expect to see census workers throughout the Issaquah area again, as the U.S. Census Bureau conducts follow-up operations at a handful of houses.

Workers will knock on doors at some houses in Issaquah to collect information in order to confirm the accuracy of the data collected by the original census taker.

The process also helps census workers identify vacant homes, a special concern given the number of residences in foreclosure due to the economic downturn. Workers will visit households listed as vacant on April 1 to double check for occupants.

The operation verifies the location of addresses provided on forms or through telephone interviews to ensure the decennial census counts everyone in the correct location. determine population growth.

State officials use the population data to determine how dollars should be allotted to municipalities.

Despite the recession-related slowdown, Issaquah stands to grow in the years ahead. Earlier this year, planners proposed adding 5,750 housing units and 20,000 jobs to Issaquah by 2035.

Mayor Ava Frisinger appointed a task force last year to envision redevelopment in Central Issaquah — 915 acres along Interstate 90 — in the decades ahead.

Though the task force continues to work, the plan aims to increase density and add more residences to the commercial core. The task

force should deliver a report by September.

The city and Rowley Properties embarked on a concurrent effort to redevelop about 90 acres near the interstate and state Route 900.

“How can the city and the private sector work to make the streetscapes and other things to encourage that type of development?” Hinthorne asked.

Statewide, population inched upward by 65,050 people to about 6.7 million residents — a 0.98 percent increase from 2009.

Seattle, the largest city in the Evergreen State, grew by 10,000

See POPULATION, Page A3

YOU SHOULD KNOW State fire officials encourage performing a wildfire hazard assessment during fire season. The assessment examines several aspects of homes and property, with each hazard receiving a point value. The higher the hazard, the higher the number of points. Officials recommend planting fire-resistant plants, creating buffers around homes and using fire-resistant roofing material to lower the risk. Learn more about the assessment at www.firewise.org.

to address impacts of preserving Tiger Mountain

Bring questions about a landmark proposal to preserve more than 140 forested acres to a July 22 open house hosted by the city and Issaquah Highlands developer Port Blakely Communities.

The proposal aims to preserve the undeveloped Park Pointe site near Issaquah High School and foster additional growth in the highlands.

Stop by Blakely Hall in the highlands to review maps, ask questions about the proposal and offer input.

If city officials and landowners can pull off a proposed transfer of development rights, about 140 forested acres will be preserved — 102 acres at the Park Pointe site on lower Tiger Mountain and 43 acres adjacent to the highlands.

Mayor Ava Frisinger proposed the swap in 2008, but the process slowed after the previous Park Pointe owner, Wellington Park Pointe LLC, declared bankruptcy.

In March, a Seattle bank fore-

RAIN GAIN Last Week’s Rainfall: (through Monday) .05 inches Total for 2010: 37.79 inches Total last year: (through July 21) 30.45 inches

GET INVOLVED Park Pointe transfer of development rights open house 6:30 p.m.

Blakely Hall, 2550 N.E. Park Drive

closed on the property.

The city, Port Blakely and King County must complete several complicated measures in order for the process to succeed. The three parties must update longterm growth agreements to accommodate the changes.

The developer could be allowed to build 500 more residences in the highlands. In addition to preserving Park Pointe, the proposal calls for Port Blakely to spend about $500,000 for transportation upgrades in the highlands, and build a mountain biking course in the community.

GAS GAUGE BEST LOCAL PRICES *

$2.85 — Arco 1403 N.W. Sammamish $2.85 — Costco

2. 8 5 Best local prices Costco Arco

HIGHEST LOCAL PRICE * Not available at press time

To report gas prices in your area, go to www.seattlegasprices.com.

The Issaquah Press

Shootings

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 •

A3

FROM PAGE A1

County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart said.

Local law enforcement agencies received several 911 calls from terrified people inside the park, and a gunshot could be heard in the background as a park ranger called the Washington State Patrol to report the incident, Trooper Cliff Pratt said.

Police cruisers from four agencies — the state patrol, sheriff’s office and police departments from Issaquah and Bellevue — raced through the park gates moments later. Issaquah Officer Tom Griffith, on patrol in another part of the park, headed to the scene after hearing gunshots.

Issaquah officers helped secure the scene in the frantic moments after the gun battle. Police Chief Paul Ayers said they detained some people for questioning and performed first aid on one of the wounded men. Medics transported the injured men to hospitals in Seattle and Bellevue.

Investigators later recovered four guns, including some from a vehicle and another from brush near the shooting scene, and 25 spent cartridges.

Though police detained a halfdozen people at the park, no arrests had been made by July 19.

The cause also remained elusive in the days after the shootings.

“It could be as simple as a gang rivalry, but we don’t know that for a fact,” Urquhart said.

Under lockdown Police cordoned off Northwest Sammamish Road as flashing lights from emergency vehicles blazed in the darkness. The lockdown stranded more than 100 people scattered at beaches and picnic areas inside the park. The parkgoers had nothing to do but wait.

Dawn Hilliker and her teenage sons attended a high school graduation party for a family friend before gunfire erupted elsewhere in the park. Through the greenbelt separating the picnic areas, the shots sounded like fireworks.

Hilliker had been packing her car as police descended on the park.

The incident marred a day spent gathering around a roasted pig and watching friends perform skits.

Hilliker said she did not feel unsafe in the hours after the shootings, as police searched the park for suspects and evidence.

“It was under control the entire time, so there really wasn’t a cause for concern,” she said.

Traffic started to trickle down Northwest Sammamish Road just before 11 p.m., after police searched some vehicles and gathered information from every driver. The lockdown kept the Hillikers inside the park until almost midnight.

Hilliker said the incident made her hesitant to return.

“Will I go again? Probably not,” she said the day after the shootings. “Would I take my family there again? Definitely not.”

Elusive clues Investigators combed for evi-

BY WARREN KAGARISE

Officers from four law enforcement agencies blocked the Northwest Sammamish Road entrance to Lake Sammamish State Park after the July 17 shootings.

SHOOTINGS ECHO ’92 INCIDENT The shootings at Lake Sammamish State Park on July 17 echo a similar incident that happened 18 years ago.

A man firing from a car wounded a 22-year-old Seattle man in a gangrelated shooting at the park April 6, 1992. Police then described the incident as the first drive-by shooting on the Eastside.

The incident came in retaliation for another drive-by shooting in Seattle.

The assailant fired a semiautomatic weapon at a crowd of picnickers, hitting the Seattle man in the shoulder.

The shooting stemmed from a feud between Asian gangs. Police later arrested two Seattle men, the shooter and the driver, at a Beacon Hill apartment. The wounded man recovered from nonlife-threatening injuries.

Then-Lt. Sue Rahr — the current King County sheriff — served in the antigang unit at the time, and participated in the investigation.

“Some of our other park staff, they were there as it occurred and they are all dealing with it as expected.”

— Rich Benson

“Will I go again? Probably not. Would I take my family there again? Definitely not.”

— Dawn Hilliker State park visitor

Lake Sammamish State Park manager

dence at the closed park the day after the shootings. The sheriff’s office had about 40 people scouring the park — at times on their hands and knees — in the picnic area and nearby brush. The team also included sheriff’s office and Seattle Police Department bombsniffing dogs brought in to detect spent cartridges. The sheriff’s office helicopter — Guardian One — thudded in the air above the park.

Though the cause remained unknown, early indicators point to bad blood between rival gangs as a possible cause. The trigger for the argument before the gun battle also eluded investigators, though detectives continued to interview group members and witnesses.

Urquhart said alcohol could have been a factor in the incident. Both groups brought “lots of beer” to the park, he said.

Rules allow alcohol in designated areas of some state parks, including the now-bullet-scarred picnic area at Lake Sammamish State Park.

The rival groups — including the shooting victims, friends, family members and children — had many members of Asian descent, Urquhart said. Police described Cunningham, the Seattle man

killed in the gun battle, as white.

Investigators believe he shot Keovongphet before another participant killed him.

The shootings raised concerns about gang violence — a creeping problem in Seattle — reaching beyond the city to the Eastside.

“We have not had any gang-type activity” since he joined the Issaquah Police Department as chief in July 2007, Ayers said.

He also urged caution about drawing conclusions about gang activity as a cause before the sheriff’s office has completed its investigation.

“It certainly could be the case, but they haven’t reached that conclusion yet,” Ayers said.

Sandy Mealing, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, said the shootings marked the first such incident to occur in a state park in recent memory.

Regulations allow firearms in Lake Sammamish and other state parks, as long as the owner has a concealed-weapons permit and obeys park rules. Discharging a firearm is prohibited in state parks.

Lake Sammamish State Park employees met with a ranger trained in counseling and a psychologist contracted by the agency to aid park employees after

BY GREG FARRAR

A ranger at a checkpoint looks on July 18 as the Guardian One helicopter sits in a clearing at Lake Sammamish State Park after it had made several passes over the shooting site.

Reaction FROM PAGE A1

they start shooting.”

Issaquah resident Victoria Law joined her 13-year-old son Dyllon Nguyen and two friends. The group made reservations for paddleboards more than a week ago. The shootings could not stop them from heading to the park.

“We were worried that the park would be closed for a while, but we got here about 11:15 this morning,” she said. “Something like this is unusual for Issaquah, or anywhere on the Eastside.”

Jim Bittermann eats lunch at the park most days. The incident hit close to home for the Renton resident.

He grew up in Rainier Valley and often went to sleep to the sound of gunfire in

the tough Seattle neighborhood.

“I think it’s sad, there’s nowhere to go anymore,” he said. “We used to go to Seward Park until 3 p.m., but then we’d go home, because it became dangerous.”

Mercer Island resident Janet Elliott, 63, headed to the park for dog rescue training July 19.

“We were worried that the park wouldn’t be open today,” she said.

“We were surprised about the shooting and also the drowning that they had here.”

In late June, a Seattle man drowned in the lake, not far from where the shootings later occurred.

The shutdown altered Sunday plans for would-be parkgoers.

People had reserved at least three picnic shelters for events, but Park Manager Rich Benson said the groups rescheduled or moved to other venues.

The daylong closure forced the 5th District Democrats to hastily relocate a planned summer picnic to state Rep. Marcie Maxwell’s Renton waterfront home.

Some families, like the Sharpes from Kenmore, had not heard about the shootings. Janel and Ted Sharpe trekked to the park July 19 to play with their 8-year-old and 10-monthold children at the playground.

“We wanted to go to the zoo, but it was closed, so we thought we’d try something else,” Ted Sharpe said. “I looked on the BlackBerry, and we found this.”

Officials encouraged people to use common sense to stay safe at Lake Sammamish State Park and elsewhere.

“Like I tell everyone who is going anywhere, you need to be cautious and be aware of your surroundings, in a park or anywhere,” Benson said.

tragedies.

“We’re all doing OK,” Park Manager Rich Benson said July 19.

“I wasn’t directly involved until a few minutes later, so I feel a little less impacted by it than those that were directly involved. It’s quite different when you’re there and your adrenaline is pumping and emotions are going.”

Employees — including the rangers on duty July 17 — reported for work the next day to assist investigators and to conduct routine maintenance.

The state parks agency defers to local law enforcement in criminal cases. The park reopened to the public at 6:30 a.m. July 19.

“Some of our other park staff, they were there as it occurred, and they are all dealing with it as expected,” Benson said.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Reporter Chantelle Lusebrink and intern Elizabeth DeVos contributed to this report. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

BY DONA MOKIN

Population FROM PAGE A1

people to 612,000 residents. Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver and neighboring Bellevue rank as the next-largest cities in the state.

The state released the population data June 30.

State Chief Demographer Yi Zhao attributed the slowed growth to the ongoing recession and the accompanying slowdown in housing construction.

State demographers rely on data from the 2000 Census as a baseline, and then exam-

ine data related to school enrollment, housing, driver licensing and other indicators.

Zhao said the state estimates should not vary much from the 2010 Census data due to be released in December. Statewide population counts should be released first, followed by data for counties and smaller geographic areas in April 2011.

Zhao said the state estimates should be accurate to within about 3 percent of census data.

The methods for each tally vary. The census includes a count — in some cases conducted by census workers heading door to door — but the state estimates rely on datadriven projections.

“We try to keep as close to the growth as we can in the cities and counties,” Zhao said.

BY DONA MOKIN

Plan for state Route 900 lane closure Expect changes on northbound state Route 900 as construction starts this week on a trail connector across Interstate 90.

The initial phase calls for the northbound high-occupancy vehicle lane on state Route 900 to temporarily close. The contractor, Issaquah-based C. A. Carey Corp., also plans to narrow the driving lanes on state Route 900 between the interstate’s eastbound offramp and westbound on-ramp.

City engineers expect the project to prompt future closures of the HOV lane on the westbound onramp.

City Council members picked a contractor for the nearly $5.3 million project last month. The city has steered about $341,000 to the project, and received grants to cover the rest of the tab.

Plans call for a separate 12-footwide pedestrian bridge across the westbound I-90 on-ramps and modifications to the existing state Route 900 overpass to install a 10-

foot-wide pedestrian crossing.

Trivia Night comes to Zeeks Pizza The popular Trivia Night launched last year by the municipal Sister Cities Commission and the American Moroccan International Exchange returns July 26.

Proceeds from the event will be used for programs that will further strengthen the relationship between Issaquah and sister city Chefchaouen, Morocco.

Sister Cities Commission members work to promote international goodwill and understanding through people-to-people diplomacy, education and cultural exchanges.

Trivia Night will be hosted at Zeeks Pizza, 2525 N.E. Park Drive, in the Issaquah Highlands. The event begins at 7 p.m.

Trivia Night teams will match wits for fun and prizes. The entry fee is $20 for each team of up to four people. Participants should arrive early in order to secure a table.

There is no pre-registration for

the event, and Zeeks will remain open during Trivia Night.

Issaquah woman injured in car accident A 19-year-old Issaquah woman was injured in a single-car accident at 11:17 p.m. July 17 along state Route 202.

An SUV, a 1998 Ford Escape driven by a 21-year-old male from Monroe, was traveling westbound on the highway when it veered into the bushes near Southeast Eight Street, according to Washington State Patrol documents.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but officer Clifford Pratt said the driver had obviously been drinking and was arrested for driving under the influence. A sample of the driver’s blood was taken and has been sent to the state crime lab for testing, he said. Those results won’t be back for a few weeks.

The woman, Kendra J. Gaspard — one of five occupants in the vehicle — was taken to Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Belle-

vue, because she had a broken femur, Pratt said.

The woman said she had been wearing a lap belt; however, it was either buckled improperly or not on because she flew forward during the collision, he said.

She was treated and has since been released from the hospital, spokeswoman Karen Johnson said.

The driver, and three other people — a 21-year-old male from Duvall, 22-year-old female from Woodinville and a 19-year-old from Carnation — all wore their seatbelts and sustained minor injuries treated at the scene.

Texting can help nab poachers as part of new program Reporting poaching and other fish and wildlife violations to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife just got easier.

The agency has added a new text-messaging option, Tip411, to report activity threatening fish, wildlife and sensitive habitat. The system allows users to send a text message to the agency’s dispatch

center.

Tips should be sent to 847411.

The message must begin with the letters WDFWTIP followed by a space, and then a brief description of the violation and location. Include useful information, such as license plate numbers, vehicle make and color, the type of violation, the time the incident occurred and a description of the person or people involved.

Deputy Chief Mike Cenci said the system removes the texter’s name and replaces it with an alias before the message arrives at the communications center.

In some cases, the system allows the reporting party and the onduty wildlife officer to exchange text messages in real time.

The agency contracted Minnesotabased Citizen Observer, a private vendor, to provide the system.

Business group salutes Issaquah state senator A statewide business group has recognized state Sen. Cheryl Pflug as a “pro-retail” legislator for her

opposition to new taxes on bottled water, beer, candy, gum, soda and cigarettes.

Pflug, a Maple Valley Republican and the Issaquah representative in the Senate, received the nod last week from the Washington Retail Association. The organization honored 18 other state lawmakers for “efforts to reduce financial burdens on retailers and consumers during the 2009 and 2010 legislative sessions.”

Pflug earned a 100 percent rating from the organization. In addition to opposing the tax hikes, she also fought the rollback of Initiative 960 — a measure requiring a two-thirds vote from lawmakers for tax increases.

“They resisted the temptation to increase taxes that can only hurt retailers struggling to survive the recession,” Mark Johnson, vice president of government affairs for the organization, said in a news release.

In 2004, Pflug, then a state representative, succeeded Dino Rossi in the state Senate; she has been subsequently re-elected.

Head of teachers’ union retires

See Page B1

Dispatcher shaves head to raise funds for cancer research

Youth golfers shine at district tournament in Carnation Sports,

Community,

Page B5

Page B1

THE ISSAQUAH PRESS

Issaquah attorney enters race for judge

Picnic to kick off idea fest for creek park Architect pledges to listen to all

Issaquah attorney John L. O’Brien plans to challenge appointed District Court Judge Michael Finkle in the race to be judge in the Northeast Division of King County District Court, candidate filing records show.

The division includes Issaquah, Sammamish, Bellevue, Redmond, Woodinville and parts of unincorporated King County.

Voters will cast ballots in the race in the Aug. 17 primary election.

King County Council members appointed Finkle to the bench Feb. 22. The council created the position last year to address increasing District Court caseloads.

The court — the largest court of limited jurisdiction in the state — has responsibility for traffic infractions, certain civil matters and misdemeanor criminal offenses in unincorporated King County, contract cities and for the adjudication of state offenses — violations of state statute in the county or when the arresting agency is the Washington State Patrol or another state law enforcement agency.

District Court caseloads have increased each year since 2003; officials expect the caseload to increase further through 2011.

Because of the increase in cases, the state Administrative Office of the Court — tasked with advising the Legislature about the number of judicial positions needed in each county — recommended for the number of King County District Court judges to be increased.

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter The landscape architect hired to design a city parks complex along Issaquah Creek plans to ask residents about their ideas for the site during a picnic at the creekside site.

The late August picnic launches a monthslong process to shape the downtown parks at the confluence of Issaquah Creek and the North Fork.

Guy Michaelsen, principal at The Berger Partnership, a Seattle firm, said the parks should be flexible for many users, and a destination for residents from throughout the city.

“It is your Central Park — I know you have a Central Park — but this one will be really central,” he said during a June 29 presentation to the City Council. “This will be your

central, central park.”

The city hired Michaelsen to lead the overarching design, or master site plan, for three contiguous properties spread across 15.5 acres: Tollë Anderson, CybilMadeline and Issaquah Creek parks.

The process to develop the parks — often called the “crown jewel” in the municipal parks system by city officials — starts Aug. 26. City Parks & Recreation Director Anne McGill said residents should expect details about the picnic in coming weeks.

The city plans to spend up to $1.6 million to complete the plan and build the initial phase.

Issaquah voters approved money to develop the parks in a 2006 bond. Issaquah Parks & Recreation officials picked The Berger Partnership from three finalists in late May. “We’re excited about the site,” Michaelsen said. “We’re excited about all that it can be, and we see See PARK, Page A3

Sheriff’s office investigates death threat at Liberty

Second local quake recorded The ground beneath Issaquah shook — albeit slightly — early July 3, as a magnitude 1.6 earthquake rattled about two miles beneath the earth’s surface.

University of Washington seismologists said the micro-earthquake occurred at 12:19 a.m.

Saturday, about three miles northeast of Issaquah.

The seismic activity came less than a month after another tiny temblor occurred near Issaquah.

Seismologists said the magnitude 1.1 micro-earthquake shook at 2:29 p.m. June 9, about four miles east of the city, and five miles deep.

Such small quakes usually do not cause structural damage.

See Page B10

Wednesday, July 7, 2010 • Vol. 111, No. 27

Locally owned since 1900 • 75 Cents

Student creates cosmic art

PHOTOS BY GREG FARRAR

Colorful Fourth Sabina Gaudiano (top, left), 7, and Dahlia Fleck, 7, two Issaquah friends, display their painted face and hair as they wave flags at spectators from a homemade parade float during the Kids, Pets ‘n Pride Parade. Issaquah’s Downhome Fourth drew hundreds of families to take part in the parade and activities at Veterans Memorial Field, including games, pony rides, pie eating and entertainment. Porter Danger Long (lower left), 1, of Issaquah, wore a red, white and blue mohawk wig in his cart, and Barkley (lower right), a 5-year-old Old English sheepdog belonging to Randy and Linda Ritualo, wore his long tongue and his long stars-and-stripes bow. To see a slide slow of the event, go to www.issaquahpress.com. For more photos, see Page A6.

A threat scrawled on a restroom wall at Liberty High School raised concerns about school safety for Issaquah School District and law enforcement officials.

Police said the writer threatened to bring a gun to school Oct. 27 “and shoot everybody,” the message reads.

“If I were you I wouldn’t go to school,” the pencil-written message continues. “You are warned.”

Sgt. John Urquhart, King County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said investigators must determine whether the source is credible and then — if the threat turns out to be legitimate — coordinate with the school district to determine appropriate action.

Police said a custodian discovered the disturbing message on a wall near a toilet stall in a boys’ restroom June 23. Principal Mike Deletis reported the graffiti to the sheriff’s office and school district officials.

Only school staff members had occupied the building since the school year ended June 17, although a student could have come to campus unnoticed. District

officials checked security video, but did not notice anything unusual in the logs.

“The threat is not against Mike Deletis and is not specific to anybody,” Sara Niegowski, school district spokeswoman, said late last week. “This happened after school was out, the custodians have cleaned the bathrooms since, so it happened afterward and it is a mystery as to how it got there.”

She said district officials must determine the credibility of the threat, the person behind the message and the significance of the date.

Niegowski said she could not recall a situation like the Liberty threat happening before. She described the situation as unusual, because most threats against schools are more immediate.

For example, a 16-year-old Issaquah High School student made a bomb threat in December 2007, because he did not want to attend classes that day.

Officials evacuated the school, and sent students home after the 10:30 a.m. threat. Police eventually arrested the student responsible for the prank.

Technology in emergency vehicles carries risks, rewards

Greg Tryon, Eastside Fire & Rescue battalion chief, describes the laptops, smart phones and other communications equipment used in the agency’s mobile command posts, fire trucks and aid cars.

State phone ban exempts emergency services agencies

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter Distractions abound for Eastside Fire & Rescue trucks roaring through downtown Issaquah or down Northwest Gilman Boulevard at rush hour: cars racing to catch a yellow light, cyclists steering through narrow bike lanes and drivers chatting into mobile phones or tapping out text messages.

The distracted drivers concern Lee Soptich, chief of the regional

agency, because motorists become too consumed in technology, and might not clear a path for emergency vehicles. The situation creates the potential for disaster, despite a statewide ban on talking on handheld phones and texting behind the wheel that took effect June 10.

“We’ve been very, very fortunate that we haven’t piled up a rig,” Soptich said.

But the high-tech tools that responders use en route to emergencies also pose a risk. EFR and

INSIDE THE PRESS A&E . . . . . . . B10

Opinion . . . . . . A4

Classifieds . . . . B8

Police & Fire . . B9

Community . . . B1

Sports . . . . . . B5-7

Obituaries . . . . B3

other local agencies cram a jargonseasoned alphabet soup of devices into trucks and cruisers — AVLs, MDTs, GPS units and VHF radios.

Emergency services workers said the technology helps them find incidents in less time and prepare emergency room physicians for incoming patients. The devices — automatic vehicle locators, mobile data terminals, radios, mobile phones and the like — also

BY GREG FARRAR

See DISTRACTIONS, Page A3

YOU SHOULD KNOW State Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists remind residents not to disturb wildlife during the reproductive season. Wildlife parents may spend more time and energy warding off curious people and hungry predators and less time providing food to young animals. Biologists recommend using binoculars, scopes and telephoto camera lenses, and blending into surroundings. Learn more at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living.

RAIN GAIN Last Week’s Rainfall: (through Monday) .73 inches Total for 2010: 37.73 inches Total last year: (through June 28) 30.41 inches

GAS GAUGE BEST LOCAL PRICES *

$2.79 — Arco 1403 N.W. Sammamish $2.79 — Costco

2. 7 9 Best local prices Costco Arco

HIGHEST LOCAL PRICE * $3.09 — 76 740 228th Ave. N.E.

To report gas prices in your area, go to www.seattlegasprices.com.

The Issaquah Press

Changes coming for some trash customers

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter Trash pickup for about 900 customers in South Cove and Greenwood Point could improve soon.

On July 10, the trash collector for the area, Allied Waste, plans to deliver garbage and yard waste carts to customers without the carts. Customers should start using the new carts next week.

The updated service agreement OK’d by the City Council in April calls for Allied Waste to provide free wheeled garbage carts for all residents in the neighborhoods, as well as free curbside electronics pick-up.

Customers can also recycle more items, including plastic cups, trays and bags; clean aluminum foil and trays; clean paper latte cups; textiles; lids three inches and larger in diameter; and small metal appliances, such as toasters.

Polystyrene — known by the brand name Styrofoam — cannot be put out for recycling.

Old cans, carts and containers can be recycled starting this week.

Residents should put out old containers on collection day and place a large note indicating “recycle” on the container. Unmarked containers will not be picked up.

Allied Waste also plans to roll out

Distractions: Cell phones essential to package FROM PAGE A1

present potential hazards to emergency crews headed out on a call, and to other drivers as well.

Information streams into EFR command units — tricked-out Chevrolet Suburbans — through a dashboard-mounted laptop called a mobile data terminal. Special software, the automatic vehicle locator, helps emergency responders find vehicles in distress. Each battalion chief has a BlackBerry clipped to his or her belt.

“The cell phones are an essential part of our communications package,” Soptich said. “We’re doing everything we can to make it as safe as possible.”

Officers with EFR and other agencies said the technology — despite the potential for dangerous distractions — serves a crucial role in emergency response.

“Unfortunately, the business of running a fire department requires it,” EFR Battalion Chief Greg Tryon said.

Emergency services exemption Anne Teigen, transportation policy specialist for the National Conference of State Legislatures, said lawmakers in 27 states enacted texting bans since 2001. Most states, including Washington, allow exemptions for emergency responders to use mobile devices behind the wheel.

“The technology has come so far, and in addressing it, we also have to realize that it’s become useful in

TRASH HAULER TOUTS ‘GREEN’ CREDENTIALS

GET INVOLVED To request a free food-recycling starter kit from the city Resource Conservation office, e-mail rco@ci.issaquah.wa.us.

Contact Allied Waste customer service at www.alliedwastenorthwest.com or 392-6651 to learn more about the planned garbagepickup changes in South Cove and Greenwood Point.

low-emission trucks powered by natural gas in the coming months.

City Resource Conservation Coordinator Micah Bonkowski detailed the changes June 29 at a Committee-of-the-Whole Council meeting.

The city has also taken steps to reduce waste, he said. For instance, the Resource Conservation Office offers free food-recycling starter kits to customers interesting in reducing their amount of garbage.

The contract between the city and Allied Waste took effect May 1, and runs through February 2016. Rates increased by a few cents — and less than $1 in many cases — as part of the updated agreement.

Waste Management customers in Issaquah recycled or composted 9,325 tons of garbage last year, and cut carbon emissions by 3,505 tons — the equivalent of taking 2,354 passenger cars off of the road.

Spokeswoman Susan Robinson offered a report about the trash hauler to City Council members last week. Waste Management handles garbage collection in Issaquah outside the South Cove and Greenwood Point neighborhoods.

“The more we recycle, the more we avoid having to cut down trees, mine bauxite, bring virgin resources out of the earth, and that’s really what causes the carbon emissions,” she said June 29 at a Committee-ofthe-Whole Council meeting.

Robinson said the company has

Allied Waste provides trash service in South Cove and Greenwood Point; Waste Management handles garbage pick-up in the rest of the city.

Allied Waste also serves Klahanie and Mirrormont, but

Troopers cite nearly 670 drivers for phone use Washington State Patrol troopers issued nearly 670 citations for mobile phone or texting violations between June 10 and July 1.

King County troopers issued 129 violations for mobile phone use and another 13 for texting.

State law changed last month to make phone use and texting while driving primary offenses. Before the change, law enforcement officers could only cite drivers for phone use if the driver had been speeding or breaking another law. Infractions carry a $124 fine.

Since New York lawmakers passed the first-in-the-nation ban on talking behind the wheel in 2001, 26 more states have followed suit.

News about the crackdown could convince mobile phone outlaws to hang up and drive.

“If drivers don’t believe they are the ones who are likely to be targeted and ticketed, they will not change their behavior,” Insurance Institute for Highway Safety spokesman Russ Rader said.

The number of violators inched up July 2 after State Patrol Chief John Batiste cited a driver near Joint Base Lewis McChord.

“The fellow was just driving along talking on his phone,” Batiste said in a news release. “He was fully aware of the law and had no excuses.” some instances,” she said.

Officials at EFR and other local agencies — the Issaquah Police Department, the King County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol — said officers using a mobile phone or in-vehicle technology had never caused a crash.

No state or national data exists for the role in-vehicle technology has played in emergency vehicle crashes, but high-profile incidents in other states prompted Washington officials to take steps to avoid such accidents.

In April, Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste changed regulations to require troopers to use hands-free devices while driving.

The agency also distributed Bluetooth earpieces to employees with agency-issued phones.

Cruisers already include a bank of radios, a laptop computer and a small printer.

“They’re not there for them to check Hotmail or surf the Web,” Sgt. Freddy Williams, a spokesman for the agency, said just before the ban went into effect.

“We need to be leading by example,” he added. “Even though the

law exempts law enforcement, our chief says, ‘No. If it’s not safe for the motoring public, we should lead by example.’”

Troopers face discipline if they get caught breaking the rule.

Consequences range from a slap on the wrist as minor as a verbal reprimand all the way to termination.

Despite the abundance of technology in state patrol vehicles, the agency has left out one potential distraction: GPS units.

“The state patrol is not going to provide troopers with GPS devices,” Williams said. “We’re supposed to know our beat.”

Useful, if risky, tools Technology can also help reduce the distractions bombarding law enforcement officers from the dashboard and beyond the windshield.

Computers in Issaquah police cruisers have been outfitted with voice recognition software. Officers can read license plate numbers to the computer after only a few taps on the keyboard; a disembodied, electronic voice recites information

designed a less expensive bearproof garbage container — a potential boon for Issaquah customers accustomed to bears rifling through trash cans.

Robinson said Waste Management has also invested in plasma technology to break down trash with almost no impact to the environment.

“We’re a really big company, but a lot of what we’re doing starts on the West Coast, and a lot in the Pacific Northwest,” she said.

Waste Management generated more money last year from selling recyclable materials and trash-generated energy than by hauling garbage, Robinson said. The statement earned praised from council members.

“What a concept that someday soon our trash will be paid for instead of paying for it to haul it away,” Councilwoman Eileen Barber said.

county officials handle contracts with the trash hauler in unincorporated King County.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

to the officers.

In 2008, the tech-savvy department embraced e-tickets as a faster way to issue and process traffic citations. The system affords officers instantaneous access to the Statewide Electronic Collision and Ticket Online Records, or SECTOR, a state database of traffic incidents.

Issaquah Police Chief Paul Ayers said the agency discourages officers from talking on the phone during patrols. The department has not had any incidents as a result of technology in cruisers, he added.

The same goes for the King County Sheriff’s Office. The agency issued earpieces to allow deputies to talk hands-free while driving, Sgt. John Urquhart said.

EFR relies on another acronym to reduce the risk of crashes: EVAP, for Emergency Vehicle Accident Prevention, a driving course for emergency services workers.

But Soptich said common sense remains the best preventative measure.

“As much as possible, we discourage the use of cell phones unless it’s in relationship to emergency responses,” he said.

Instructors at the Health & Safety Institute in Eugene, Ore. — the largest private provider in the nation of continuing education — help emergency responders and law enforcement officers integrate technology into everyday use.

Chief Learning Officer Jeffrey Lindsey, a retired fire chief based in Florida, said the gadgets help reduce errors, because responders and physicians receive updates about the incident as it unfolds.

Despite the potential advantages, he said emergency responders and law enforcement officers should not use technology behind the wheel, due to the crash risk.

“Technology and everything are meant to be a tool, and should not be relied upon solely,” he said.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010 •

A3

School board renews superintendent’s contract

By Kirsten Johnson Issaquah Press intern At its June 23 meeting, the Issaquah School Board unanimously agreed to renew the contract of Superintendent Steve Rasmussen.

Board members said they were very pleased with the progress Rasmussen has made as superintendent this past year.

“I want to commend you on creating a culture for our teachers to grow,” board member Marnie Maraldo said. “By placing student achievement as highest priority and helping teachers to be instructional leaders, we are saying that we want our teachers to be the best they can be.”

Board member Suzanne Weaver praised the district’s financial positioning.

“We are very pleased with where the district is financially,” she said. “We were able to anticipate the increase in the levy lid, which helped us not only in maintaining class sizes, but we didn’t have to eliminate any teacher positions this year.”

Rasmussen’s new contract goes into effect July 1 and expires June 30, 2013. It includes a 5 percent salary increase to $212,000, up from $202,000 in the previous two contracts. It also includes an increase in vacation

Park: Complex to be done in a decade FROM PAGE A1

this as a really exceptional opportunity.”

Plans call for the entire park complex to be completed within a decade, although the final timeline hinges on grants and city money.

Michaelsen said the plan must be flexible enough to accommodate changes as the city evolves.

“That’s what a good master plan does,” he said. “It sets a long-term vision, but it allows adaptation to realities.”

Susan Boyle, principal at BOLA Architecture & Planning and a preservation expert, said the historic farm buildings on the park site could someday serve as a springboard for programs related to urban agriculture and Issaquah history.

“All of these things that happen using these farmsteads much as they were, but reviving them so that history isn’t so much in a museum, it’s really revitalized inside of people as they use the buildings and the property,” she said.

Preservation rules and the creekside geography limit the type of development in the parks, but Michaelsen said city leaders and residents should not view the boundaries as restrictions.

“It is passive, but passive doesn’t have to mean super-organic

benefits to $835, up from $400.

W h i l e board members were pleased with c u r r e n t progress, they said they were hopeful Steve Rasmussen for even more improvement in the coming year. The Optimal High School Experience Project — a project guided by five key beliefs toward creating the optimal experience for students — and Key Performance Indicators — five to 10 indicators used to assess the health of the district as a whole — are two projects board members said they hope to see progress and grow.

“We’re very pleased with what’s going on,” Weaver said.

“We just want to make sure that continues.”

Rasmussen agreed and said he has big plans for the next school year.

“It’s been a great year,” he said.

“But we have had some challenges as well. It’s a journey, not an event.”

Kirsten Johnson: 392-6434 or isspress@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

or natural,” Michaelsen said.

Despite the ideas offered by the architects — and suggestions from council members — Michaelsen said input from residents should help to shape the design. But he encouraged officials to accept ideas from many sources.

“I think that the real opportunity for getting that input is acknowledging that the public is an incredibly important voice, but it’s not the only voice,” Michaelsen said.

The landscape architect referenced some high-profile Seattle parks designed by The Berger Partnership: Cal Anderson Park and Warren G. Magnuson Park.

Michaelsen recalled how Capitol Hill residents rallied around Cal Anderson Park, and raised money to build additional features at the park. He said residents came to embrace the park as a gathering place for the community.

“Every time I go there, I wish I had a camera, because I see people doing things that we never imagined them doing — most of it completely legal,” he added.

ISSAQUAH - SAMMAMISH

Amateur Photo Contest

Celebrating

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