Portfolio 2013 by Seth Truscott

VALLEY RECORD SNOQUALMIE

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2012 ■ DAILY UPDATES AT WWW.VALLEYRECORD.COM ■ 75 CENTS

For the Snoqualmie Community Center, it’s

Showtime, at long last

NEWS

Sole recycle station slated for shutdown King County dumping free Cedar Falls service to cut the budget

Sharpshooter Molly Sellers takes aim at season wins Page 7

BY CAROL LADWIG

SCHOOLS

Staff Reporter

Music teachers to share talents in a recital of their own Page 11

Moment of truth arrives for joint city-Y venture on Snoqualmie Ridge BY SETH TRUSCOTT

INDEX OPINION LETTERS SCHOOLS PUZZLES ON THE SCANNER OBITUARIES CALENDAR

Editor

hoes have been kicked off and board games are on the table on this lazy January afternoon. The trio of teens, Cali Rose, Ellie Miller and Allie Murphy, laugh as they play “Buzzword, then switch to “Apples to Apples.” “That one made me think too much,” said Miller, who’d rather just hang out. The atmosphere is relaxed, but these girls aren’t at home. They’re regulars at the teen center at the Snoqualmie Community Center and Valley YMCA, which quietly opened January 1 and with a grand-opening bang on Saturday, Jan. 21. The three girls have been coming here since day one, dabbling in games and bouts of ping pong, but mostly coming to see each other.

4 5 6 11 12 13 15

Vol. 98, No. 34

Seth Truscott/Staff Photo

Founding director of the new Snoqualmie Community Center and Y, Dave Mayer doesn’t hesitate to shoot a few hoops or engage visitors. Mayer is responsible for getting the center off to a strong start.

SEE BIG MOMENT, 2

Recycling is easy, for most people in the Valley. Plastic blue bins for depositing plastic, glass, paper, and metal are part of the landscape, anywhere you’d find a trash can, and every commercial trash hauler in the county will pick up recycling right off your curb, if you ask them to. For the rest, recycling is not exactly hard—t hos e who don’t get curbside collection can still haul their recyclables to a collection site—but it is about to get harder. King Seth Truscott/Staff Photo County will Signs at the Cedar close its free Transfer recycling col- Falls lection sites Station in North at most solid Bend inform users waste transfer of the impending stations on closure of public We d n e s d ay, recycle service. Feb. 1, including North Bend’s Cedar Falls facility. SEE RECYCLE, 3

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OPENING DAY ARRIVES FOR SNOQUALMIE YMCA

Photo courtesy Puget Sound Energy

Above, Zumba instructor Kirsty Johnson leads fast moves in the gymnasium at the newly opened Snoqualmie Valley YMCA. Top left, Stacy Holdren, right, leads a round of card games with Cali Rose, Ellie Miller and Allie Murphy in the new Snoqualmie teen center. Below left, Mount Si High School senior Sean Ballsmith takes an application form from Y employee Annie McCall. Left, Becky Straka and Megan Worzella assemble exercise bikes.

BIG MOMENT FROM A1 “I get bored sometimes at home,” Rose said. Since mom doesn’t like her wandering Snoqualmie, she comes here, where the teens play under the supervision of YMCA teen program director Stacy Holdren. The teen center is open to any youth in grades 6 to 10, regardless of whether they are Y members. While staffed by the YMCA, the teen area is part of the Snoqualmie Community Center, one of several facets where the Y and center blur together.

Breaking the mold The new Snoqualmie Y breaks the mold in several ways. It’s a joint city-Y venture, reclaiming a YMCA legacy that lasted for decades at the lost community of Snoqualmie Falls. It’s a community center within a Y—that’s why teens like Holdren’s card-playing trio can attend even if they aren’t members. The boundaries between the Y and the community center are fuzzy, and there’s a reason for that, says Gwen Voelpel, parks director for the city of Snoqualmie. “It’s been a growing-together process,” Voelpel said. “They’re one and the same.” “So many words about what a community center means, is what the Y means as well,” said Dave Mayer, the founding director of the Snoqualmie Valley YMCA. “Our job is to create healthy lives. That’s what a community center would be doing, too.” Boosters say this place will change the Valley by becoming a gathering point, a local hub. The full name of the Y’s local identity is the “Snoqualmie Valley YMCA,” and it’s meant to live up to the name through Valley-spanning activities like the group hiking classes that start in February. “They’re bigger than just the building,” Voelpel said.

With the city as building owner, the Y is the operator and maintainer of a master schedule, running center-specific programs like a teen center and a community meeting room. Reflecting that, at Snoqualmie, unlike other Ys, there is no gate to halt visitors at the reception desk. Voelpel says the center is already a community hub. On Friday, Jan. 6, 50 families camped on blankets and sleeping bags to watch a movie on the gym wall. Last Tuesday, 45 teens transformed the gym into a dodgeball battleground. Now, the Y’s after-school programs are converging here. “When you see families coming together, see families meeting people that they somehow have never met before, it’s already fulfilling that vision… as a centerpiece,” Voelpel said. “I’m interested in seeing how that gives kids avenues to explore and grow.”

Cost and size The path to a new center has led past three failed votes. The $4 million, 13,000-squarefoot center is a trimmed-down version of the vision put before Snoqualmie voters in 2002, 2006 and 2008. Those bond measures, which would have built a bigger center and pool, each time failed to garner a supermajority vote. The city then voted to go it alone, choosing the YMCA as an operating partner and setting aside $950,000 of reserves for construction. Other funding came from the Snoqualmie Tribe, Ridge builders Quadrant, Murray Franklyn and Pulte, the Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Development Company, and from Puget Western. Besides the initial donation, the tribe has made a $100,000 annual commitment from its mitigation and social services fund to pay for operations. The Y has a goal of 900 membership units— individual, couple and family memberships— for its first year. Snoqualmie Valley YMCA had 418 units on Dec. 31, and about 520 today.

Here they come

Grand opening

Coming together

During a tour of the gym, Membership representative www.valleyrecord.com A public grand opening of Mayer stopped for a moment Bre Fowler had her hands full the Snoqualmie Community to snatch a rolling basketTuesday evening, scanning Center / Snoqualmie Valley ball, then sunk a hoop on his members while touting the YMCA is 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 first throw. His second went facility to newcomers. p.m., Saturday, Jan. 21, at wide, though. “Around 7 o’clock, we get 35018 S.E. Ridge St., on Self-described as “the busa mad rush,” Fowler said. “It Snoqualmie Ridge. iest guy on the planet, having was going out the door. That the time of my life,” Mayer Speakers include Snoqualmie was the craziest I’ve seen it.” has been balancing the act Mayor Matt Larson; Bob The most common quesof getting the community Gilbertson, President/CEO of tion she answers: “What are center/Y up and running the YMCA of Greater Seattle; the activities for 9-to-10-yearwith face time, leading tours and Snoqualmie Valley YMCA old kids?” and meeting new members. Executive Director Dave On Wednesday afternoon, “Obviously, there are Mayer. youths and families steadily e-mails to go through, but approach Fowler’s desk. There will be an open house I’d rather be out, walking Mount Si High School seniors with activities for all ages. around,” he said. Sean Ballsmith, Tyler Young Y staff will register new As the last clocks and coatand Dustin Dirks walked in to members and give tours of hooks go up, the completion pick up applications. The boys the Health & Well-Being of the long-anticipated vision live on the Ridge, and want to Center, Family Gym, Youth sinks in. Mayer excitedly lift weights, work out and play Development Center, goes over the plans for the basketball in the offseason. Community Activity Room, grand opening and beyond— In the next room, and other facility amenities. unveiling of a large mobile Snoqualmie Ridge residents Program information will statue out front, a future fireBarry Ferner, who was lifting be available about ongoing warmed plaza outside—and 25-pound hand weights, and YMCA activities and special points out the first commuJoel Erne, on the treadmill, events for children, teens, and nity group, the Northwest both joined for family reasons. adults. Railway Museum board, now They switched gyms from ranged along a table in the MORE PHOTOS ONLINE Issaquah and Snoqualmie, community activity room. www.valleyrecord.com respectively, and while both “What’s cool is seeing men said they’d prefer to see a people come into the buildbigger facility, they were sold ing, so excited about what on the variety of options for all ages. they’re seeing,” Mayer said. “Seeing every“It’s something for everybody,” Ferner thing the community envisioned…it’s been said. cool to see that come into reality.” Y programs are fluid right now, but will • You can learn more about the Snoqualmie firm up soon. Mayer points to the comment YMCA at www.seattleymca.org/Locations/ card at the front desk as a way to fine-tune Snoqualmie/Pages/Home.aspx. Valley residents offerings. who want to reserve the community room “We’re encouraging as many comments at the center should contact the Snoqualmie as possible,” he said. branch at (425) 256-3115.

VALLEY RECORD SNOQUALMIE

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2010  DAILY UPDATES AT WWW.VALLEYRECORD.COM  75 CENTS

Parents campaign for school boundary options Elementary review is not popularity contest, school official says

Tykes have to be fast to grab eggs at Valley Easter hunts Page 2

BY ALLISON ESPIRITU Staff Reporter

Seth Truscott/Staff Photo

SPORTS

Chasing the ghosts of a vanished community, Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum member Dave Battey uncovers the playground foundations of long-lost Snoqualmie Falls Grade School. The lost town is the focus of a new museum exhibit.

Go east, young man: Lacrosse makes local inroads Page 12

Ghosts of the mill town History museum explores vanished community BY SETH TRUSCOTT

INDEX VALLEY VIEWS BOB’S VIEW ON THE SCANNER BUSINESS CALENDAR SCENE CLASSIFIED ADS

4 6 7 8 11 16 18

Vol. 96, No. 45

Editor

The forested pathways surrounding the site of Weyerhaeuser’s deserted Snoqualmie Falls lumber mill hide secrets. But some people know how to uncover them. Dave Battey, a retired telephone company employee and history sleuth for the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum, is one such man. On a cold March morning, Battey hopped a guard rail near his home and hiked down an elk trail just off 396th Drive. His destination: the ghostly remains of the Snoqualmie Valley’s original YMCA. The elk trail is more than it seems. Under layers of leaf litter, Battey’s boots find the old loop road, once a main thoroughfare in the now-vanished

community of Snoqualmie Falls. “It’s all asphalt,” said Battey. Steps away, seemingly lost in the forest, is a paved school yard, hidden under the leaves. Here, the forest is reclaiming its own. Weyerhaeuser moved houses, bulldozed pavement and replanted the town with firs 40 years ago. English ivy, escaped from some mill worker’s garden, entwines the trunks near the vanished community center. In its heydey, the Snoqualmie Falls community hall drew children and adults from as far as Carnation. “It was quite spectacular, probably the biggest Y this side of Seattle,” Battey said. Today, just finding where it stood is a challenge. Battey’s only clue to the Y’s whereabouts is a steel pipe among the trunks. Holding up an old photo, Battey zeroes in on a tiny signpost in the photo that directed firefighters to a water source. “The community hall was really right

here,” he said. The pipe is the only visible vestige to a building that nurtured thousands of lives.

Quick growth The company town of Snoqualmie Falls sprang up fast — and vanished almost as quickly. Snoqualmie Falls had its genesis in the creation of the Snoqualmie Falls Lumber Company in 1914 by Weyerhaeuser and the Grandin-Coast Lumber Company. Homes and services were needed for the mill workers, and the town coalesced as the lumber company began operations in 1917. Bunkhouses provided initial homes for the loggers and mill workers. Over a period of about four years, true neighborhoods developed — places called The Flats, The Gulch, Riverside and the Dirty Dozen, so-called for its SEE GHOSTS, 3

Snoqualmie Valley School District officials weighing more than 1,300 comments and responses in this spring’s elementary school boundary review process caution residents that the change is not a popularity contest. Concerned parents flooded two public comment meetings held Monday and Tuesday, March 29 and 30, at North Bend Elementary and Snoqualmie Middle School, but none took the microphone. Rather, school officials asked parents to write their comments on cards, which were then read to the district’s boundary review committee, made up of school staff. Jeff Hogan, committee facilitator and district director of instructional technology, noticed a phenomenon at the second meeting that was different from the first. “What was heard on Tuesday night was unique,” Hogan told the Record. Monday’s meeting saw more support for options A and C, while Tuesday’s meeting saw increased support for option F. SEE OPTIONS, 2

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GHOSTS FROM PAGE 1 downwind proximity to the mill’s smokestacks. The Orchard neighborhood, built in 1919, was a social experiment to attract stable families, breaking the old stereotype of loggers as rough, hard-carousing men. The last house was constructed in 1924. At its peak, the self-contained community had its own water and electricity system, post office, hotel, barber shop, hospital and YMCA, serving the mill’s 1,200 workers. To Battey, Snoqualmie Falls was clearly an urban environment. “This was a town,” he said. “The houses were reasonably close together. Everyone felt like they were part of their individual neighborhoods.”

Vanishing town By 1930, homes were being removed at Snoqualmie Falls. Gradually, employees and services in Snoqualmie Falls moved into the greater Valley. Nelems Memorial Hospital, now being converted to senior housing by the Snoqualmie Tribe, replaced the Snoqualmie Falls Hospital in 1948. The bulk of the homes that could be moved were rolled across a timber bridge into Snoqualmie in the 1950s. The site of the Orchard is now a Glacier Northwest gravel pit; trees are reclaiming the other neighborhoods. Among the last mill town agencies to close was the YMCA. “They tried to get the rest of the Valley to keep the YMCA going,” Battey said. “It was too far out of the way. But people came to this thing from Carnation in its heyday. It was a regional draw.” Even after Snoqualmie Falls residents moved away, the Y remained a gathering place until it closed its doors in 1971. On June 30 of that year, the last piece of mail received its Snoqualmie Falls date stamp in the mill town’s post office. The last generation born at Snoqualmie Falls Hospital is now in their mid-50s. Occasionally, a bewildered child of the mill town revisits Snoqualmie Falls, struggling to find a lost home. Battey’s family farm sits just over the hill from the mill. When a visitor pulls into his driveway, he can tell at a glance whether they are searching for the lost town. “Our house is the only thing they can recognize,” Battey said. “Sometimes they have tears in their eyes. They can’t grasp the fact that this is all gone.”

• MORE NEXT WEEK: “Ghosts of the mill town” is the first in a two-part series on the lost community of Snoqualmie Falls. See the full story online.

Snoqualmie Valley Record • April 7, 2010 • 3

Wrecking ball hits former hospital Tribe found Nelems site too dilapidated to save BY SETH TRUSCOTT Editor

The former Nelems Memorial Hospital in Snoqualmie has been demolished to make way for Snoqualmie Tribe elder housing. Tribal Administrator Matt Mattson said the 1947 structure offered too many challenges for a successful renovation. ContractorBubba’sTrucking of Carnation will clear the site, located east of Snoqualmie Casino on Southeast North Bend Way, within a week. “It was far more expensive to try to remodel it than to tear it down and rebuild new,” Mattson said. The tribe’s $1.4 million project would build four housing units for seniors. Construction begins this summer. Preference will be given to low-income elders. To reside there, elders should apply to the tribe’s Housing Committee. The tribe purchased the Nelems site in 2005. “By the time we took ownership, you could barely tell it was an old hospital, except for the morgue in the basement,” Mattson said. When the tribe originally purchased the building, it was thought that some parts of the building, such as the foundation, could be saved. But that strategy was discarded.

The building was not in good shape, Mattson said. “I don’t think it was functional for any use whatsoever,” he said. The tribe had to remove asbestos from the building last year. Bubba’s Trucking owner Chuck Hinzman said that some parts of the building were sound and sturdy, but the side walls were rotten. “I can’t pull the stucco off the side walls,” he said. “I’m afraid the building will collapse.” Demolition crews found the hospital’s old morque under the floor. They’ll have to jackhammer its five-foot-thick concrete walls to bits. Much of the materials, including wood beams, brick and plaster, will be recycled or reused, Hinzman said.

Building history Nelems was a precursor to Snoqualmie Valley Hospital, which opened in 1983. Superintendent Bernice Nelems built the 12,000 square foot hospital in 1948 for $32,000, according to a Jan. 1, 1948, Valley Record article. The building replaced Snoqualmie Falls Hospital at the Weyerhaeuser mill. The building was named Nelems Hospital as a memorial to Nelems’ mother, father and sister. The Nelems family operated it until 1969 when it was sold to a group of physicians and re-named Nelems Memorial Hospital.

Seth Truscott/Staff Photo

Chuck Hinzman sweeps up debris at the former Nelems Memorial Hospital building in Snoqualmie. The Snoqualmie Tribe demolished the site to make way for elder housing. The hospital was where a generation of Snoqualmie Valley residents were treated, and where a generation of Valley babies were born. When it opened, the building had 23 rooms — five fewer than today’s hospital — as well as a solarium, living room, surgery, kitchen, and quarters for staff in the basement. “For 1948, this was a small but modern hospital,” said Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum member Gloria McNeely. Six of her grandchildren were born there, and McNeely’s son Denny was treated for a compound leg fracture during the last football game of his senior high school career.

She recalled the care there as exemplary. While noting that the building was never a candidate for historic registry listing, McNeely expressed some regret that the building could not find a continuing role in the elder housing plans. The Snoqualmie Tribe has also executed a purchase agreement for the current Snoqualmie Valley Hospital, located on Ethan Wade Way in Snoqualmie. The tribe is negotiating an extension on its payment schedule to King County Hospital District 4, asking for a minimum monthly payment plan. The tribe plans to turn Snoqualmie Valley Hospital into a tribal health center.

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North Bend resident Harley Brumbaugh revisits his boyhood home, the former Snoqualmie Falls neighborhood of Riverside. Where rows of homes once stood, now only the corridor of sycamores remain. Inset, the community of Riverside as it looked circa 1940. The site is now a King County historic landmark.

Editor

Visit the Reinig Road Sycamore Corridor, a registered Youth life King County landmark, today and you will find rows of Setting the standard for youth behavior was Harold Keller, the huge, stately trees, forming a natural cathedral of arching director of the community hall and YMCA in the mill town. If a branches and thick trunks. teen under Keller’s eye goofed off too much, he might find himBut a visit with North Bend resident Harley Brumbaugh, self a persona non grata at the Y. armed with an old black and white photo, reveals a very “There went your social life,” Brumbaugh said. different place. Harold’s son Ward Keller remembers his The corridor of trees was once the Riverside father, who ran the YMCA from 1942 to 1965, as Mill town neighborhood, part of the lost community an energetic, hard-working man. at the museum of Snoqualmie Falls built around the nowYoung people learned everything from knitclosed Weyerhaeuser mill. Seven decades The story of the Snoqualmie ting to rifle marksmanship at the YMCA. The ago, Riverside looked like any other suburban Falls mill and town is the senior Keller used the rivers of the Valley to teach neighborhood, with houses set back from Snoqualmie Valley Historical swimming to children who didn’t have access to younger, smaller sycamores, reached by conMuseum’s primary exhibit for a pool. He went to the Arthur Murray studios crete steps. Today, only the trees remain. 2010. As the museum opens to learn the latest dance steps, then taught them this month, it will feature each year to junior high school students. Riverside Rats images and stories of the town Keller said he was amazed by what the YMCA and how it changed the Valley. Brumbaugh grew up in Riverside. Son meant for young people. To learn more, visit www.sno“We never had any problems with kids during of a steam shovel operator and a homequalmievalleymuseum.org. that time,” he said. maker, he roamed the streets and meadows of Snoqualmie Falls with the boys from his Sound of the mill neighborhood. “We called ourselves the Riverside Rats,” Brumbaugh said. The school, YMCA and store all overlooked the gigantic “It was a Tom Sawyer existence.” mill and its smokestacks. Brumbaugh recalls the ambience of The boys used a chicken coop for a club house. Bylaws sound to the place. included “No girls allowed.” “You could always hear the whining and the clank-clank of Living in Riverside meant more freedom for Brumbaugh lumber going through,” he said. “There would be percussive and his pals than most children in Snoqualmie Falls. They jabs of whistles. The main mill whistle was a baritone — a low lived closer to the urban environment of Meadowbrook than ‘wooh!’ You expected those things. You could see the cinders anyone else, so the boys were able to collect old beer bottles on your windowsill at school.” and sell them back to the tavern owners across the river. An aspiring professional musician, Brumbaugh saw a dif“Kids who lived in the Orchard, on the other side of the ferent world when he commuted to Seattle for trumpet lesmill, they were sort of confined,” Brumbaugh remembered. sons. But he always appreciated the mill’s sense of unity. Every Thanksgiving, boys from the two neighborhoods To many longtime residents, the vanished mill town was faced off in a touch football game. The boys had to mind clearly the strongest influence on the Valley of the last centheir own fouls, because there was no referees. tury. The mill’s economic engine drew workers from as far as “We had great freedom as kids,” Brumbaugh said. “But we Redmond, coalescing a community. all worked. We were expected to produce for the family.” The community of Snoqualmie Falls began to shrink in the Brumbaugh was expected to keep the family wood pile 1930s, and was completely gone by the early 1970s, as homes stacked year-round. He and the other boys also helped and services moved out into the greater Valley. elderly residents with their firewood. Most people grow up and leave their communities behind. “We had the meadows, we had swimming, fishing,” To Brumbaugh, “Snoqualmie Falls left us.” Brumbaugh said. “We had each other. We felt as though To Keller, the loss of the YMCA at the mill left a 45-year gap we were in a community. Nobody really screwed up. I can’t in recreation for Snoqualmie residents. remember the police ever coming.” “Hopefully, this project they have at the Ridge will be the Every student who attended the Snoqualmie Falls Grade beginning of restoring the YMCA’s efforts,” he said.

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School knew each other, though enrollment fluctuated with employment. “We got superior ratings in music,” Brumbaugh said. “It was because we had roots. We knew who we were.”

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Valley Views

SNOQUALMIE

History rolls on at mill site, new hotel

Valley Record SNOQUALMIE

Publisher William Shaw wshaw@valleyrecord.com Editor Seth Truscott struscott@valleyrecord.com Reporter Allison Espiritu aespiritu@valleyrecord.com Creative Design Wendy Fried wfried@valleyrecord.com Advertising Terri Barclay Account tbarclay@valleyrecord.com Executive Circulation/ Sean McGinnis Distribution circulation@valleyrecord.com Office Denise O’Keefe Manager dokeefe@valleyrecord.com

ur page 2 story this week continues the saga of the lost town of Snoqualmie Falls. Like many locals, I was aware that there used to be a community across the river from downtown Snoqualmie. But actually seeing the shadowy remains of that town — the steps to the nownonexistent Snoqualmie Falls Hospital, a gnarled cherry tree planted three generations ago by a long-departed Japanese student of the Falls school — was a true eyeopener. The story of Snoqualmie Falls is an amazing saga, which really Seth Truscott hasn’t ended yet. Valley Record Editor Part of the old town is still owned by Weyerhaeuser, where it has been reclaimed by forest. Some parts are among the mill site that Ultimate Rally Experience is negotiating to buy from Weyerhaeuser. If the purchase goes through as planned, owners Greg Lund and Bob Morris intend to conserve and promote the history there. It’s impossible to give much more than an introduction to the mill town’s story in these pages. For those who would like to go deeper, the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum, located in downtown North Bend, is the place to go.

North Bend changes The thought of changing communities underscores what is happening right now in North Bend. Last week, the North Bend City Council made its decision to allow a new and modern hotel on the south side of Interstate 90’s exit 31. This has been one of the most hotly contested issues in a Valley community in recent years. Meetings on the hotel plan made the Mount Si Senior Center a standing-room-only venue, and a planning commissioner resigned at the height of the furor last fall. Hundreds of people had something to say on the matter, with some folks demanding a new place for visitors to stay, others decrying the change a national chain hotel means for their community.

Local police checked out the claims of neighbors that the site will drive up crime rates, and did find that crime will rise — but with the hotel, not neighbors, as the victim. North Bend’s city planners worked to lay down design standards easing a big building’s impacts on the local viewshed, but those obviously won’t please everybody. Regardless, a decision has been made, and history moves on.

Hotel race

Valley communities have been in a race for a new hotel for some time. Four communities have a stake — North Bend, Snoqualmie, the Snoqualmie Tribe and the Muckleshoots. In Snoqualmie’s city limits, a hotel has been discussed atop Snoqualmie Ridge, at the planned new campus

of Snoqualmie Valley Hospital. It’s a safe bet that the Snoqualmie Tribe will one day open a big hotel next to their casino, probably when economic times are flusher. And sooner or later, the Muckleshoot Tribe will proceed with plans to expand the Salish Lodge and Spa. For now, North Bend has taken the lead in the lodging race. That’s good news to folks like the entrepreneurs behind Ultimate Rally Experience, as well as other Valley businesses who would benefit from North Bend’s push to position itself as a recreation gateway. Just how bad it will be for near neighbors or the North Bend scenic landscape, only time will tell. • E-mail Editor Seth Truscott at editor@valleyrecord.com.

Earth Day is April 22. How do you help the environment?

Mail PO Box 300, Snoqualmie, WA 98065 Phone 425.888.2311 Fax 425.888.2427 www.valleyrecord.com Classified Advertising: 800.388.2527 Subscriptions: $29.95 per year in King County, $35 per year elsewhere Circulation: 425.453.4250 or 1.888.838.3000 The Snoqualmie Valley Record is the legal newspaper for the cities of Snoqualmie, North Bend and Carnation. Written permission from the publisher is required for reproduction of any part of this publication. Letters, columns and guest columns do not necessarily reflect the views of the Snoqualmie Record.

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Heavy Meadowbrook traffic, road closure in works for weekend Warrior Dash Cooking Italian is a passion for Valley’s Gianfranco Page 7

SCENE

Seth Truscott/Staff Photo

Cracker of a trail ride for venturesome Valley woman Page 14

INDEX OPINION 4 5 LETTERS ON THE SCANNER 10 13 SPORTS 15 PUZZLES CLASSIFIED ADS 17-18

Vol. 98, No. 7

Holding a binder of memories and written appeals, North Fork property owners Jan and Robert “Sully” Sullivan stand on the decaying Shake Mill Left Levee, watching as erosion steadily encroaches on their home. Now candidates for buyout, the 40-year residents have watched the levee disappear in four years.

The hungry river Homeowners watch and wait as North Fork devours levee, property

“We don’t know what’ll happen if it keeps up,” adds Jan.

BY SETH TRUSCOTT

The Shake Mill Left Levee, also known as the North Fork Bridge Levee, was built in the early 1960s to protect the bridge and nearby 428th Avenue from erosion. Gloria McNeely, a local historian and retired employee of the King County flood division, recalled how the levee system in North Bend originated. Voters approved a $5 million bond in 1960 following a big 1959 flood on the Snoqualmie River that killed a driver on Interstate 90. That money paid for levees. “They were built with the participation of the riparian property owners,” McNeely said.

Editor

Jan Sullivan won’t go any closer to the crumbling edge of the Shake Mill Left Levee, but husband Robert “Sully” Sullivan is bolder. He takes a few steps closer to the void, where the grass of the earthen berm ends in a clean break, its base invisible under the overhang. Jan’s caution is understandable. She and Sully have watched the levee that marks the northern edge of their home and business property disappear, faster and faster, over the last four years. The thought of the speedy devouring of their property keeps them up at night. Worry “hits us like a ton of bricks,” Sully says.

The lost levee

SEE LEVEE, 6

An extreme racing event featuring an obstacle course of mud, fire and car hulks is expected to bring nearly 30,000 people to Snoqualmie and North Bend this weekend. The Warrior Dash, happening for the first time at Meadowbrook Farm, will mean increased traffic, North Bend city officials warn. Boalch Avenue will be closed from 10 a.m. Friday, July 15 to 10 a.m. Monday, July 18, from the south entrance of Mount Si Golf Course to the King County Sheriff Station. Drivers can still reach Mount Si Golf Course using Park Street. The 3.55 mile race begins at 8 a.m., Saturday, July 16, with heats starting every half-hour. The last heat starts at 6:30 p.m. Racers will cross Boalch Avenue several times during the event. At the finish line, there are live bands and a free beer. This Warrior Dash is one of 35 scheduled for 2011 and the first in Washington state. Learn more about the Warrior Dash at www.warriordash.com/register2011_washington.php.

‘Flash mob’ forms for block party Dance instructor: Any and all comers invited to boogie for town festival

Katie Black of IGNITE Dance & Yoga in North Bend is planning a first “Flash Mob” dance for the North Bend Block Party, Saturday, July 23. “I really want this to be about bringing the community together,” Black said. Children and adults are welcome to learn the steps and dance to the song, “Shake a Tailfeather.” To view the choreography, visit www.ignitedanceandyoga.com. Rehearsals are planned for 11:30 a.m. Saturday, July 16; 8 p.m. Monday, July 18; 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 22, at the studio, 472 E. North Bend Way next to QFC. To learn more, call (425) 292-9880.

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LEVEE FROM 1 “Whenever (the county) saw a stretch of the river that would benefit from being rip-rapped, those owners were approached,” she added. Walking the remains of the levee along his property, Sully stopped every few feet to collect windblown sticks and branches, then toss them out of the way. He keeps the grass mowed up to his property line, which extends into a nearby oxbow lake. “We’ve always maintained it,” said Sully. “When you’ve owned a piece of property for 45 years, that’s a long time.” The Sullivans bought the site for a home and shake mill business in 1966. “It was beautiful,” Sully said. “Here’s a picture of the mill.” He held up an aerial photo of the place, pointing to the loop road that wound around the north edge and is now eroded away. “This is all gone,” he said. “It’s our bloodlife, from when we started the first little shake mill, and grew it.” Walking the levee up to the oxbow, Sully points out how the earthwork is unchanged near the calm water. “Most of this has good armament,” he said, referring to the stabilizing rocks, or rip-rap, encasing the bank. “They didn’t armor it from the silo burner on down.” That’s why the bank went so fast, he says. Erosion started slowly; the Sullivans noticed it about four years ago. “The last two years, it’s just quadrupled,” Sully said. The motion of the river removed tons of material from their side of the bank, piling a lot of it as rocky, gravelly deposits along the opposite shore and sending the rest downriver. “A lot of our fill is over there,” he said. “What denotes our north boundary was the south shore of the river,” Sullivan said. In places, that boundary is now as far as 50 feet out in the water. The Sullivans have spent about four years seeking county action on the levee, which has now been destroyed up to within about 300 feet of the North Fork Bridge, A few years ago, “it wouldn’t have taken a lot of armament to stop this erosion,” Sully said. “Look at it now.”

Changing channel Pushing for action from King County, the Sullivans have become increasingly frustrated with the response. At one point told that their levee was on the roster for repairs, the

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Sullivans instead became a candidate for buy-out. With the scale of the damage and the natural processes now changing the North Fork, the county has ruled out a levee replacement. County officials say the situation does not warrant emergency action. “We’ve concluded that the best approach is to make the Sullivans a fair market value offer for their property,” said Clint Loper, the county’s supervising engineer for River and Floodplain Management in the Snoqualmie basin. This part of the river is susceptible to channel changes, as it sits in the North Fork’s alluvial fan, a flat area near the river’s mouth where the sediment is deposited and the flow is prone to meandering. “It used to flow parallel,” Loper said. “Now, the river is to the north, attacking the levee at an aggressive angle.” As the river meanders, Loper said it’s still expected to keep its channel under the bridge. If the county owned the property, Loper said his division might look at a project to protect the approaches to the bridge. Like the Shake Mill Left, many local levies date to the 1960s, Loper said. “There was a philosophy of what we call river training,” he said. But today, the Sullivans’ levee is among others that are not routinely maintained. Loper said his division doesn’t have clear records on whether the Shake Mill levee was privately or publicly constructed. “We do know that there are many properties along the North Fork for which we do have easements,” he said. “The easements we have specifically exclude the Sullivan property. Someone made a decision not to grant that easement to the county back in the 60s. That is our analysis.” Loper said he understands the Sullivans’ position. The river “is just eating through their property... Nobody wants to see that.” But the county’s policy is to provide the river with more room to move, and replacing the levee isn’t cost-effective. “We don’t feel it’s a good expenditure,” Loper said. If the county can’t negotiate a purchase, the Sullivans were told to try their own erosion-control measures or hire a firm to control it. The Sullivans dispute this decision. Their research, which included visits to regional and collegearchives and talks with the widows of some of the men who helped build the levee, Serving th e Snoqualm Valley forie 50+ year s!

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In May, the Sullivans’ vista changed dramatically when two huge, century-old cottonwood trees toppled from the new shoreline, forming a barrier spanning roughly the entire channel. Sully calls them a potential threat to kayakers and river users. “There is so much water backed up in the oxbow, it’s unbelievable,” said Sully, who blames the downed trees for blocking flow. He has doubts about whether the remaining trees along the riverbank will stay standing. Steve Marshall, a King County Sheriff ’s Deputy with the department’s Marine Unit who responded to the scene, downplays any risk from the downed trees. “That area doesn’t get a lot of recreation. There’s a long line of sight. It’s an easy escape off the river,” he said. “The trees are so stinking massive,” the county’s largest helicopter probably couldn’t move them, Marshall added. “It’ll be there a long time. It’ll be a landmark.” To Marshall, the river is showing its natural implacability. “It’s hard to put a wild river into a box,” he said. The Sullivans, however, are preparing for more of their bank to go. As the buyout proceeds, they still want to see the berm fixed before additional land goes underwater. “We still feel they should fix the levee,” Jan said. “We’re going to lose some more property. That’s a given, come flood season.”

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show that the county was involved with work on the Shake Mill berm. Among their findings is a 1962 resolution by the King County board of commissioners authorizing $6,000 for bar removal and revetment work on the left bank of the North Fork Bridge. “We’ve got the proof they worked on it,” Jan said. In the Sullivans’ view, the county always had the right to access the property. In their four-year effort, “there’s always been a reason” not to fix the levee, Jan said. “The stories change. Wouldn’t you become frustrated?” The Sullivans say they would accept a buy-out, if it was fair. “We’re not passing it on,” Jan said. “The boys aren’t interested.”

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The Riverview Schools Board of Directors presented Roger Jones, manager of the Duvall Safeway, with the 2011 Community Service Award on June 28. Safeway and Riverview have partnered over the years to assist in the success of students in school and in the community. Safeway was the first business to provide employment learning experiences for students in the transition program. From left are Danny Edwards, Lori Oviatt, Duvall Safeway Manager Roger Jones, Greg Bawden, Dan Pflugrath, and Carol Van Noy.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012  DAILY UPDATES AT WWW.VALLEYRECORD.COM  75 CENTS

Legacy of the storm

Transitional center still feeling effects of January blackout BY CAROL LADWIG

Softball revs up seniors for strong postseason run Page 13

Seth Truscott/Staff Photo

SCENE

Exploring the splash of graffiti under the Bendigo Boulevard bridge, North Bend Police Chief Mark Toner has been keeping tabs on the increasing work of taggers—some using gang symbols—in the community. He says locals should be aware of graffiti’s growth.

Volunteers celebrate new Fall City stage Page 12

INDEX OPINION 4 5 SCHOOLS 9 CALENDAR 15 OBITUARIES ON THE SCANNER 16 17-18 CLASSIFIEDS

Vol. 98, No. 51

Writing on the wall In North Bend, growth of tagging, gang symbols is a troubling sign BY SETH TRUSCOTT Editor

On the stairwell by the North Bend Park and Ride, a tagger has struck, and pretty recently, too. The nickname, sprayed in black, spiky letters, has resisted one clean-up attempt, leaving the graffiti still legible. “I’m reading M-A-V-I-K: Mavik,” says North Bend Police Chief Mark Toner, driving around the city on a graffiti survey. Most commuters who drive by this place, on West North Bend Way, won’t notice the foot-tall letters, which are hidden under the lip of the roadway, out of sight. “You could drive by this thing all day long, and you’d never see it,” the police chief said. Toner says graffiti is on a steady incline in North Bend. He’s not sure what’s pushing the increase,

Erasing Graffiti ‘Writing on the wall’ is the first story in a two-part series looking at how Valley police are dealing with the persistent problem of graffiti and vandalism.

but he knows that locals need to start pushing back. “If we allow some to go, it’s going to start to grow,” he says. “That’s what we’re seeing now.”

A hidden language

A few steps away, there’s another Mavik sign. But this time, someone else has come along and sprayed over his tag with “X3” in blue letters. The new tag has connections with the Sureños, an Hispanic street gang. “Mavik is saying ‘I’m cool,’ and X3 is saying, ‘No, you’re not,’” Toner says. “This is where it starts to become a battle of sorts.” SEE GRAFFITI, 3

Months after a weeklong power outage that started January 18, the Mount Si Transitional Health Center in North Bend has again suffered from the effects of that event. The center, home now to 41 people recovering from medical procedures, had to have a generator wired into the facility during the outage. Staff did not know until last month that some of the work did not meet state code. An electrical inspector found the flaws about two weeks ago, and called them to administrator Beth Marsh’s attention. “He told us what he had concerns about, and we said ‘ok, we’re on it,’” Marsh said BETH MARSH Thursday. She esti- Mount Si Transitional mated the repairs Health Center would be done by the Administrator end of last week. The center was not fined or penalized in any way because of the work, either Marsh emphasized. “He totally held us blameless,” Marsh said of the electrical inspector. “He wasn’t even here for that.” The inspector had just approved the electrical repairs to the laundry room, damaged by a Feb. 18 fire, when he spotted the generator flaws. Marsh called the discovery unfortunate, but also a good development, since now they knew to make repairs to bring the generator up to code. The generator had been installed by a company that appeared at fault for the failure to meet code. The installation had been intended to be temporary, but the generator is now expected to stay in place for a few more months, Marsh said. SEE STORM, 2

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nance stressing prompt cleanup, but balks at putting all the responsibility on victims. “It’s effective, but at the same time, it’s a double insult,” he said. Toner would like to see a volunteer program in which graffiti can be reported and a quick-response team can quickly paint over it, free of charge, allowing the home- or

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King County would join a growing list of local parks, hospitals and schools with policies for tobacco-free areas under a proposed ordinance, prohibiting tobacco use in the busiest areas of the county’s expansive parks system, being considered by the county council. The proposed ordinance would mean visitors to county parks could no longer use tobacco in heavily-used park areas such as children’s playgrounds, athletic fields, picnic shelters and trailheads.

able to identify five of the teens involved. The city is now working with juvenile court and the teens’ parents to right the wrongs through restitution and community service. “The parents seem very cooperative,” Snoqualmie Police Captain Steve McCulley told the Record. “They want to make sure the right thing is done, and that kids understand there are consequences for their actions.” The police, McCulley said, would rather see the teens stay out of the jail system, and correct their behavior instead. The graffiti arrest also gets

County weighs park tobacco ban

On the night of March 19, a small group of teens went wild with paint on Snoqualmie Ridge. Their tags marred the stairwell at the Ridge Fitness building, signs at Stillwater Bog interpretive center and covered much of the men’s room at Community Park with “SOG” tags in black, white, red and day-glo green. Police estimate the spree caused more than $2,000 in damage. The damage was the latest visitation of a plague of vandalism in Snoqualmie parks, bridges and signs in the last year. Thanks to a report by a vigilant citizen, and police work with schools that led to a mark on a detention slip, police were

Steve McCulley, by residents and business ownSnoqualmie Police Captain ers. He has considered an ordi-

property-owner time to do a better job. Toner asks parents to check out their children’s notebooks. “When you drive through town and you see a specific script, look at your kids’ books. See if they have the same script on it,” he said. McCulley said parents should be vigilant, and know where their teens are and who they’re hanging out with. When Pray, the North Bend parks worker, spots those stealthy teens ducking him at Torguson Park, he calls the cops. “We always tell people, if they see something, they need to tell us,” McCulley said. “Sometimes, there’s a hesitancy to call 911. That’s how you reach police.”

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word out: “If you do this, “Parents...want the there are going to be conseto make sure quences for your actions.” the right thing is Local response done, and kids North Bend Police Chief understand there Mark Toner wants to see a response to grafare consquences.” community fiti—not just officially, but also

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In Pray’s 15 years on the job in the North Bend Parks Department, he’s caught his share of taggers, from 10-yearold boys to men in their 20s who should know better. “It ranges from the good kids that you never have a problem with to repeat offenders,” Pray said. “On occasion, grown boys.” The city’s public bathrooms and both Torguson and EJ Roberts Parks are graffiti favorites, but Pray can’t find much logic to the vandalism. “It can be anywhere at all— out on the skate park, or concealed inside the bathrooms,” he said. Power company-owned utility boxes get hit a lot. North Bend doesn’t own those, but it often ends up painting them. “If we want the grounds to be kept up, we have to just get on it,” Pray said. Blatant, obvious foul language is a priority target. So far this year year, graffiti has been a nuisance. But past years have seen major spikes. In 2008, Mayor Ken Hearing called a town forum on the issue. Pray remembers con-

fronting serious graffiti problems at downtown businesses and city water tanks—dozens of tags requiring hundreds of work-hours to remove. “Right now, it’s quiet. Keep in mind that the weather hasn’t been great, and kids aren’t out of school—which increases things exponentially,” Pray said. “You’re not going to see it go anywhere but up, until school starts and the rain comes back.”

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2010  DAILY UPDATES AT WWW.VALLEYRECORD.COM  75 CENTS

Brother arrested in parking lot stabbing North Bend man, 31, slashed across chest

North Bend has a world champ in teen power lifter Page 6

By Valley Record Staff

Seth Truscott/Staff Photo

BUSINESS

Master hunters David Wyrick and Steve Perry eye surroundings from the Scott farm near the Snoqualmie River’s Three Forks. Wyrick, of Carnation, and Perry, of Snohomish, are among nine hunters authorized to kill elk this winter by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. A special season runs through March and is meant to increase the local herd’s aversion to humans while slowing its growth.

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In special season, master hunters aim to decrease elk-human interaction BY SETH TRUSCOTT

INDEX VALLEY VIEWS PARENTING MOVIE TIMES PUZZLES ON THE SCANNER CLASSIFIED ADS OBITUARIES

Hunting to save the herd Editor

4 11 12 12 13 14 15

Vol. 97, No. 27

Dusk fell quietly as David Wyrick and Steve Perry took their positions inside the barn and readied their rifles. Motionless, without speaking, the men settled in their darkened blind, waiting for the perfect moment to make a kill.

Both men are master hunters, allowed to kill one cow elk this fall in a culling project approved by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Their vantage point, a cow shed near the Snoqualmie River’s Three Forks, allowed them a view onto a nearby pasture. Mist-wreathed trees in the distance marked the extent of their kill zone. The men only had a hundred yards or so to make a safe shot, and as master hunters, that is the only one they are allowed to take. SEE HUNT, 2

A 31-year-old North Bend man was treated for stab wounds, reportedly inflicted by his 30-year-old brother Monday afternoon in a parking lot in the 42900 block of Southeast North Bend Way. A witness called police at 1:10 p.m. to report the incident. The two brothers had been arguing when the younger one pulled out a folding knife and slashed the older brother, leaving a six-inch-long cut in the victim’s chest. King County Sheriff ’s Deputies throughout the Snoqualmie Valley responded to the call within three minutes, and began processing the crime scene. Eastside Fire & Rescue treated the victim on-site and transported him to Overlake Hospital. The seven deputies on the scene interviewed witnesses and tracked the suspect to a heavily wooded area about 200 yards from the crime scene. The man was arrested and booked into the King County Jail for assault, first degree. Bail has not been set. The Sheriff ’s Office Major Crimes Unit will refer charges to the King County Prosecutor’s Office.

North Bend’s Mountain Film Festival eyes local vistas BY SETH TRUSCOTT Editor

For three years, the North Bend Mountain Film Festival has brought international perspectives on the great outdoors to the big screen. This fall, Valley film-

makers get their moment in the limelight at North Bend Theatre as part of the Outdoor Amateur Film Challenge. Filmmakers were invited to submit 15-minute, PG-rated outdoor films to the challenge this fall. The

winning film and other runners-up will be played at the festival, which begins Sunday, Dec. 5 with showings of “Eye Trip” and “Revolver,” and culminates with the Banff Mountain Film Festival, Dec. 8 and 9.

To Martin Volken, owner of Pro Ski Guiding Service, the festival is a major coup for North Bend. “It’s part of the plan to make the North Bend community be what we’re saying we are,” Volken said. “We want to be

an authentic town that cares about the outdoors.” The film challenge prize includes four tickets to the North Bend Banff Film Festival. The top three films will be featured on the city’s website.

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HUNT FROM 1 “If there is any question about it, you don’t have a shot,” said Perry, a Carnation resident and master hunter of eight years. “Our number one thing here is safety, and relations with landowners and neighbors. We’re in their back yard.” Earlier, North Bend resident and Master Hunter Coordinator Jim Gildersleeve met with the hunters to show them the lay of the land and how to do their job safely. “It’s important that they understand this area,” said Gildersleeve, who works with hunters to find permitted, private sites. At the Scott farm at Three Forks, Gildersleeve explained how topography and a nearby road defined safe and unsafe shooting lines. From the barn, the men had an ideal view. Poised to waylay passing elk, the hunters were aiming downhill; any missed shot would pass harmlessly into the earth. This year, hunters have been authorized to kill 42 cows, with master hunters receiving 25 permits. So far, nine elk cows have been killed. Gildersleeve is expecting a good season, and the Scott property is a good place for a hunter to hide. The riparian habitat is prime elk country, but the animals don’t respect property boundaries, leading to increased run-ins with residents and property owners. This fall, Nursery at Mount Si owner Nels Melgaard canceled autumn activities and closed his pumpkin patch because a nocturnal herd had destroyed the field.

When combined with accidents, predation and natural causes, the hunt is believed to keep the Valley herd stable in size, more spread out and more averse to human beings. “The goal right now is to keep it level,” said Gildersleeve. A major study of elk habits and numbers is underway, and a constant population will help in getting that data, he said. Elk have overbrowsed the Valley floor, Gildersleeve said. “If we don’t keep the numbers under control, we’re going to have significant die-off, especially in a hard winter,” he said. Hunted for the first time last year, the herd has already become more wary of humans. “That’s a good thing,” Gildersleeve said. “That keeps the distance between the humans and the animals, and minimizes a lot of problems.” Hunters must dress in orange, and hunt in permitted areas. They cannot shoot in city limits or a number of rural no-shooting areas. Meadowbrook farm elk are protected by custom. Only cow elk are hunted. Individual property owners may relax some rules or make them more stringent, at their preference. The special season runs from August 1 through March 31. Sometimes, residents contact law enforcement when they hear shots after the close of the regular season. “People thought we were hunting illegally,” Gildersleeve said. “We’re doing

something that is legal and, we believe, in the best interest of the elk herd.” Gildersleeve has advised some agencies of the harvest, but police visits sometimes take a while to straighten out. With the regular season over as of last Tuesday, he hopes to make the public aware of the project. The special elk hunt can be cold, tiring work, but Wyrick, Perry and fellow hunter Fred Valenta, also of Carnation, are in their element. On Monday afternoon, a snow-dusted Valenta emerged from the brush to greet his fellows. “I love the snow,” said Valenta. The ground cover helps him see and track animals. “It’s more enjoyable to be out. You’ve just got to dress for the occasion.” “You have to really man up,” Perry said. “It’s a test.” Hunting offers a pursuit diametrically opposite from Perry’s workaday life. He became a master hunter to avoid otherwise-crowded public hunting venues, and enjoys the solitude of the pastime. “You get to do a little soul searching, a little processing that you can never do at home,” he said. “When you’re out here by yourself, that’s a good day—whether you harvest anything or not.” • When the special hunting season ends, the Upper Snoqualmie Valley Elk Management Group will resume its collaring project, participating with local students. Sponsors are sought to participate. Learn more at snoqualmievalleyelk. org.

A single-engine plane flipped on its top in a landing accident Sunday afternoon, Nov. 28, at the Bandera State Airport near Snoqualmie. No one was injured in the accident, the King County Sheriff ’s Office reported. The pilot, a 53 year-old Kirkland man, was flying the A-1b Aviat Husky airplane alone. The runway had about three feet of snow on it, but the pilot explained to authorities that he’d successfully landed on snow in the past and decided to try it. The wheels of the landing gear sank into the snow and caused the plane to flip upside down. Sheriff ’s Office spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart said the Federal Aviation Administration was alerted about the incident and has taken over the investigation.

School to host bond info meetings The Snoqualmie Valley School District will host three informational meetings about the February 2011 school bond proposition, starting next week. The public is welcome to the meetings, all scheduled at Twin Falls Middle School, 46910 S.E. Middle Fork Road in North Bend, to learn and ask questions about the planned improvements to various district buildings. Meetings will be Tuesday, Dec. 7, from 7 to 8 p.m., and Wednesday, Dec. 8, from noon to 1 p.m. A third meeting will be conducted online. Participants can watch the e-meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15. To attend the online meeting, visit the school district’s website (www. svsd410.org) and then click the E-meeting icon. Log in a few minutes before the presentation starts. All of the meetings will include the same presentation.

Transition group looks at barter Transition Snoqualmie Valley will explore a local barter exchange program at its “Potluck with a Purpose,” 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Carnation Tree Farm Loft. Visitors can meet Francis Ayley of Fourth Corner Exchange and learn about a complementary currency option in its fourth year of operation. To learn more, e-mail to launchpath@gmail.com.

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Snoqualmie Valley Record • September 12, 2012 • 9

Staff Photo

Dancers, from tykes to teens to adults, gather at IGNITE Dance & Yoga’s studio in North Bend. The studio has grown dramatically since opening its doors in 2010, and today holds hundreds of classes weekly, such as yoga instruction, below.

Community strong

IGNITE Dance & Yoga grows skills, health and friendships in first two years

fter 10 years of traveling the world working as a professional dancer for Holland America Cruise

Line, and stints in California and Las Vegas, Katie Black decided she was ready for more. She pursued yoga training, getting certified though the world-recognized Yoga Alliance. Katie was ready for a new start. All she needed to do was find her roots. It turned out that Black’s roots were waiting to grow right here in North Bend. Not long after opening the doors of her first business, IGNITE Dance & Yoga, two years

ago this month, Katie knew she had made the right choice.

Bold steps

VALLEY PROFILE

On any given day, IGNITE’s four classrooms are filled with students, young and old alike, learning new skills for life, staying fit and building friendships. It’s those friendships, those relationships, that led Katie to ing, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, musical theatre, start this business in September of 2010. acro (tumbling), and contemporary. Youth Connections between dancers, instructors, dance gives young people focus, strength friends and neighbors are what have made and flexibility. Katie relates the story of IGNITE a success, and as it one boy, Max, whose amazenters its third year, the studio ing acro and yoga class skills continues to grow, Katie’s bold helped him make big plays vision leading the way. on the baseball diamond, From those first days in and had his buddies start 2010, when Katie and her signing up. family members ran the busiAdults can take part in sevness and taught the classes, eral varieties of yoga, includIGNITE has grown to nearly ing, hot, warm, gentle, prena30 instructors, together teachtal, Vinyasa and introductory ing more than 160 classes for classes, as well as monthly adults and children every Katie Black, yoga workshops. Yoga has week IGNITE Dance & Yoga owner positively impacted all ages IGNITE offers dance and at IGNITE. Students have yoga classes for all ages, from benefited from not only the young children to seniors. Beginning with physical demands of yoga, but also the emothe youngest students, there is the Spark! tional and mental challenges, helping with preschool enrichment program, and classes patience and stress reduction. for youth including creative movement, ballet and tap, tumbling, boys’ break-dancSEE IGNITE, 10

“I realized how important relationships are to me—seeing kids grow as dancers.”

September 2012

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10 • September 12, 2012 • Snoqualmie Valley Record

IGNITE FROM 9

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Yoga Oasis opens

Zumba, a fast-moving, dance-centric workout, along with ballet, tap and Broadway-style dance classes are offered. Adults and teens explore acting concepts in an improv class. In its first two years, the studio greatly expanded, from two dance rooms to three rooms to, this fall, four. The latest addition is the private, quiet, yoga “oasis,” a space for 25 people to practice. The new addition, which has its own landscaping, parking and entrance, gives IGNITE new visibility on the city’s main street, and Katie is understandably proud of it. Katie believes IGNITE has a different feel from most studios, and that her students can sense this. “It’s a community spirit,” she says. “My mission is to have a place where people can be themselves in a nonpretentious environment. Where people can really thrive and work to their fullest potential and feel like they have a family that supports them.” It’s not about who’s the best dancer. Small stuff isn’t sweated. “There’s no anxiety when you come in to take a class,” Katie says. “It’s down-to-earth, real people with incredible instruction.”

Big change Visits to her family in Snoqualmie led Katie to try teaching classes on the Eastside. When her students’ parents began to request that she stay, the seeds of IGNITE were planted.

IGNITE Dance & Yoga holds a special grand opening for its new Yoga Oasis, all day Sunday, Sept. 16. There will be live music, massage demos, lots of giveaways and prizes, and other special events. For the open house, the studio is partnering with Pioneer Coffee, QFC, Emerald City Smoothie, Birches Habitat, George’s Bakery, The Valley Theatre, Selah Gifts, and North Bend Bar and Grill. It’s a great opportunity to find out what the studio has to offer for your family. Courtesy photos

“I had traveled nationally, taught master classes, but you don’t see those kids improve every week,” she said. “I realized how important those relationships were to me—seeing the kids grow as dancers, being stable in their lives, being someone they could rely on.” After two years of success, Katie smiles, and tears up, as she thinks about what the community support has meant for her. “I love it so much,” she says. “Life has changed a lot. It’s so good. So good.”

Children can learn movement and exercise skills for life while taking classes, such as acrobatics, above, at IGNITE Dance and Yoga. The youth competition team, at right, showcase their advanced moves in regional and national showcases.

The balance The different faces of IGNITE— children’s classes, adult dance, yoga and competition teams—all intertwine. Dance and yoga encompass the whole family, and there is something for everyone.

For her staff, there are high expectations, but teachers rise to them. Katie emphasizes communication: “Making sure that we connect and that we have similar goals. I trust every single person that works here. We keep it healthy and happy.” That welcoming feeling extends outside the exercise room. There is always a friendly face to answer questions at the front desk. Katie has also improved much of the building, from expansion to landscaping to customizing the top quality sprung dance floors—which are husband Gavin’s Black’s specialty, designed for less impact—and fewer aches—in the dancers’ legs. Katie isn’t hesitant to try new ideas— as long as they fit into her vision of

helping her customers, students and families have a better experience.

Competition teams IGNITE gives its youth dancers the opportunity to earn their spot on traveling competition teams, and shows their moves at regional and national events. Starting with 20 children and teens in the first year, in 2012 there were 90 youths who came to audition, which amazed Katie. Not everyone makes it, but the opportunity helps every student move toward their potential. Competition team members take advanced classes, bond as a team, and practice extra, simply for their love of dance and commitment to each other. The teams,

like other classes at IGNITE, lead to lifetime friendships. When classes are fun, families can be deeply involved. Katie points out the annual Dads’ Dance, which is held for every youth recital. Students’ fathers perform a dance all their own, getting in on the fun. In 2011, they were the “Blues Brothers.” This year was the dance of the “Disco Dads.” “When dance is your passion, and you’re serious about it, it becomes your family,” Katie says. “It’s about more than classes. It’s about relationships.” • IGNITE is located at 472 East North Bend Way. Learn more about classes or sign up at www.ignitedanceandyoga.com, call (425) 292-9880, or e-mail to info@ignitedanceandyoga. com.

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Lawrence J. and Suzanne D. McGowan of Stevensville, Mont., announce the engagement of their daughter Natalie Suzanne McGowan, to Liam David Shaw, son of William G. A. Shaw and Mary Beth Haggerty-Shaw of Issaquah. The couple will be piped and fiddled into matrimony at a September 15 wedding by Scottish bagpiper Andrew Taylor and Irish violinist Brendon Haggerty. The celebration will take place at the

McGowan graduated with a bachelor of science degree from Montana State University and is an equine nutrition consultant with CHS Nutrition. Shaw graduated from Central Washington University with a geography degree and is a territory manager at New Zealandbased Gallagher Animal Management Solutions, Inc. The Shaws plan to live in Cle Elum with their growing menagerie of cattle, horses, chickens, dogs and cats. The couple would like to thank their parents for their love and support and for their respective 29 and 30 years of marriage—great examples to set for a long and happy union.

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Scouts find room to grow

Season begins: Full schedule, profiles for Wildcat sports Pages 7-10

With 20 acres in North Bend, board has home for new Youth Activity Center BY CAROL LADWIG Staff Reporter

Seth Truscott/Staff Photo

Working a weekly route on Snoqualmie Ridge, Allied Waste collector Rod Holmes handles all yard debris collection in North Bend and Snoqualmie—and is proud of his role. Garbage contracts in the Valley are up for renewal starting this fall.

Transforming the trash

SCENE

Garbage footprint evolving as contracts go up for grabs Calendar fame? Some surprises as judges meet ‘Tractor Men’ Page 3

INDEX OPINION 4 5 LETTERS 6 BACK TO SCHOOL 12 LEGAL NOTICES 13,14 CLASSIFIEDS 15 CALENDAR

Vol. 98, No. 15

BY SETH TRUSCOTT AND CAROL LADWIG

The hydraulic arm lifts the plastic bin up into the air, dumps the

aromatic contents and then sends it back down to the ground in seconds with smooth motion. But inside the cab, driver Rod Holmes, along with the rest of his 50,000-pound garbage truck, is wobbled like a kayak in a gale by the power of that arm.

“It takes a lot of getting used to,” admits Holmes, a 15-year Allied Waste collector—don’t call him a garbage man—and five-year veteran on the yard waste route in the Snoqualmie Valley. SEE TRASH, 11

Hero Sunday, hospitalized Monday Fall City man rescues rafter, suffers heart attack BY CAROL LADWIG Staff Reporter

Russell Holl of Fall City had a back-breaking week. His schedule so far has been as follows: Sunday, Aug. 28, save a woman from drowning in a rafting accident; Monday, rush to hospital with a heart attack; Tuesday, more hospital; Wednesday, come home with a new stent in the chest. “It was a little more excitement than I planned on,” said the 45 year-old last Thursday, Sept. 1, after admitting he was still a little woozy from the past week. Holl had just been planning on a sunny float down the Snoqualmie River Sunday, with some friends and neighbors from the Snoqualmie RV Park and Campground. SEE RESCUE, 3

Carol Ladwig/Staff Photo

Friends Lisa Sweet, left, and Russell Holl sit at the Snoqualmie River RV Park and Campground. Holl and his neighbors saved a young woman from a river accident in August; he suffered a heart attack the following day.

It’s a good thing Bryan Zemp built his Eagle Scout project to last. The 25year-old sign announcing the future site of the Snoqualmie Valley Youth Activity Center has been installed again this week on Boalch Avenue in North Bend, across from Encompass. Ty Powers restored the sign last year for his own Eagle project, making it a symbol of what the YAC Board of Directors hopes the center will be. “We really want to emphasize the multi-generational aspect of the center,” said board member Jim Green, who is excited to get the YAC “back on the map.” The center has been closed since March of 2008, when the building it then occupied on Bendigo Boulevard, was flooded with sewage from North Bend’s nearby water treatment plant. Youth groups that relied on the center, mainly Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the Venturing Crew, have been meeting in other facilities over the years, and focusing more on outdoor activities. “It kind of disappeared for a few years,” Green said of the center. Board members were working all along, though, to settle the issue of the old building with the city of North Bend, and to buy new property for a new, bigger center to accommodate the expanding club sizes. In 2010, the city of North Bend bought the property from the YAC for $425,000, and earlier this year, the board purchased a 20-acre site on Boalch Avenue for about $225,000. SEE YAC, 5

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“It has to have that kick,” he explains. “It has to have a lot of power to shake out all that stuff out of there, so... when the customer comes home, they’re not giving us a call.” Holmes’ eight-hour shift— two days a week in North Bend, three days a week in Snoqualmie, collecting thousands of green yard waste bins, dumping them, coming back for more—is full of shakes, wobbles, beeps, hisses and funny smells. But it’s also surprisingly full of human contact. Like all Allied Waste collectors, Holmes drives solo. But he gets to know many residents— most Valley folk are great, he says—parents, children and pets. “I even have dog treats for my dogs out here,” he said, pulling out a bag of bacon-flavored Canine Carry-Outs. “I meet about five a day.” Pointing to a passing golden Lab making his own rounds on Kendall Peak Street on Snoqualmie Ridge, “I already hooked him up,” Holmes said. As Allied Waste’s sole yard waste collector in the Valley, Holmes works under the company’s contracts with North Bend and Snoqualmie. Those contracts are up for renewal this year, and city officials are negotiating new terms beginning in 2012, hoping to expand options and lower the local ecological footprint.

Trash picture Solid waste in Snoqualmie, North Bend, Fall City, Preston and the surrounding county is picked up by Allied Waste. In Carnation and parts north, garbage is picked up by Waste Management. Together, Waste Management and Allied Waste are the first and second largest haulers in the United States, commanding roughly a $20 billion share of the industry. In Snoqualmie and North Bend, trucks hit the streets several days a week for eight-anda-half-hour shifts. In some cities, they’re on the road as early as 6 a.m.; in most, it’s 7 a.m., though, for schoolchildren’s safety as well as noise reasons. Three different kinds of trucks make the rounds. Some are specifically garbage, others recycling, still others solely yard waste, like Holmes. Recyclers deliver to Allied’s high-tech Materials Recovery Facility in Seattle. Yard waste trucks deliver to the Cedar Grove Composting facility at Maple Valley. All garbage from the Valley is trucked to the county’s Cedar Hills landfill, dumped by the hauler for $95 a ton. The 920,000-acre landfill takes in about 800,000 tons of trash a year, or 2,200 tons a day—all of the garbage gener-

ated from across the county, except Seattle and Milton. The landfill is expected to fill up after 2024. County residents may selfhaul, but city residents can’t move in without signing up for garbage service: “Not an option,” said Dan Marcinko, Snoqualmie Public Works director. Collection is mandatory for homes, apartments and businesses in city limits, “meaning you have to use the contractor we’re using,” Marcinko said. Recycling is included in the rate, typically about $45 for a single family residence, which can be reduced for low-income residents or seniors. Snoqualmie’s contract could be sweetened as part of the bid process. Proposals are due Wednesday, Sept. 7. A finalist will be selected by October, council action will come in December, and the new contract comes online next June. With contracts coming up only periodically, this is the time for competition among haulers for trash dollars. “When you go through a competitive process, you have the opportunity to get the market price on things,” said Jeff Brown, a private trash contract consultant to the city. Thanks to the recession, the marketplace has changed. Prices are lower and contractors are hungrier for hauling accounts; there are more haulers in the mix, and a wider, better variety of recycling options and tech. Mayor Matt Larson wants the city’s next solid waste contract to allow as much flexibility as possible to adapt to new discoveries. “One of the areas most lacking in our current contract is the ability to separate food waste for our commercial and

retail customers,” Larson said. “Local restaurants, schools, (The) Salish, TPC, etc., do not have the option to separate their food waste, which represents a majority of their waste streams. I hope that new technologies... will offer solutions to such problems. We wish to be sure that we can take full advantage if and when the opportunity arrives.” Allied’s waste options have evolved in the course of the contract. The company most recently expanded a food waste program: Residents can now dump egg cartons, rinds and scraps into their yard bins. “When I started here, March of 2009, you couldn’t do it,” Marcinko said. “Now you can. They’ve done a great job of adding, of allowing the city to make changes.”

Sole provider? Two contract companies serve North Bend, each with its own franchise area. Allied Waste Management collects trash, recycling and yard waste from most North Bend residents, while Kent-Meridian Disposal has three separate contracts to serve the recently annexed Maloney Grove, Stilson, and Tanner neighborhoods of the city. The city’s contract with Allied expires in 2012, but the North Bend City Council last month approved a 10-year extension of Kent-Meridian’s contract. By this extension, the council was able to avoid paying damages to Kent-Meridian for the loss of its franchise, as state law dictates. However, the city still has to manage multiple contracts. City Administrator Duncan Wilson said Allied has requested that the city delay calling for bids on a new contract. The city agreed, and has begun negotiating with Allied on a possible

future contract. “We wanted to investigate a way to bring all those contracts under one entity,” Wilson explained. Since the company is part-owner of Kent-Meridian, “Allied might buy out the contract,” he said. Whatever provider wins the 2012 contract, the city wants a few changes from its current service level. Some possibilities are increased yard waste collection, now every other week, and lower rates for residents and businesses. The monthly charge for the lowest volume of collection at a business in North Bend is $120, $198 outside city limits “... so you can see there’s a serious savings in the city,” Wilson said. “Allied has told us it’s feasible for them to buy out the (KentMeridian) contract and effectuate some savings.” However, if the city and Allied can’t agree on terms, the city still has time to seek bids from other haulers.

Old landfill

Carnation used to manage its own waste stream, with a city truck and a couple of employees making the weekly rounds. That system worked for more than 50 years, City Manager Ken Carter estimated, since the city had its own landfill. “I think it wasn’t a landfill like we think of a landfill today,” said Carter, who’s been with the city for about two years. “It was the old, old city dump.” The landfill closed in 1989, and the city now contracts with Waste Management for trash collection, recycling and yard waste services. The current franchise agreement expires next year, and although the City Council hasn’t begun discussing its options, Carter has

already been thinking about them. “There is a big hole in our current agreement regarding commercial solid waste recycling,” Carter said. Without specific provisions for commercial recycling, “For a commercial business to recycle, doesn’t save them anything.” Carter is also hoping to negotiate a spring cleaning day into the city’s next agreement, allowing people to dispose of large items at no extra cost on this day. Better rates are also always a goal, Carter said. “On the whole, Waste Management does a pretty good job... but that doesn’t mean the council won’t want to explore other options.” Among its other options are contracts with Allied Waste, or Cleanscapes, a newer contractor that contacted Carter in mid-August. Carnation’s current agreement with Waste Management is a franchise fee model, in which the city gets free collection in return for the franchise, plus 5 percent of the contractor’s receipts from residents and businesses in the city. Last year, that brought in about $50,000 for the city, after utility taxes. That revenue almost covers the annual cost of monitoring the city’s closed landfill, which was $57,000 in 2010. Monitoring requirements from King County and the State Department of Ecology are for four periodic tests of the site each year, to check for methane production, settling of materials, or any movement in the landfill. The landfill has had some of these issues, but the periodic test results have been identical recently, so the city has received permission to test the site only twice in 2011, for an estimated cost of $48,000.

Dirty job

Waste collectors like Rod Holmes have seen their industry change from the inside. Five years ago, Allied Waste did away with the last of the two-person pick-up teams. For safety reasons, all drivers go solo, using the robot arms to pick up bins. Haulers are also embracing green tech in the truck fleet. Half of Allied’s 88 Eastside trucks are now powered by compressed natural gas; Replacing one truck is the equivalent of taking 325 cars off the road. When the old rear-loaders went away, Holmes swore he wouldn’t change. But when they gave him one of the new hydraulic trucks, he quickly got on board. They couldn’t pry it from him now, he says, and he doesn’t mind driving solo. There’s his name, decaled on the doors. “For eight hours, it’s my truck,” he says. “The ownership is me operating the truck safely, educating the public.” Holmes not only meets customers on his route, but makes pitches for recycling on radio. Holmes thinks constantly about safety, and warns families to keep children away from the bins. He often makes a personal connection, getting to know the people he serves. “There are people who are truly grateful,” Holmes said. “Most people follow the rules. I’ve had some pretty good runins out here. Except for that deer.” Holmes loves the reality of his job, and says he’s passed up desk jobs to stay on the road. “I’m glad to be a part of it,” he said, proud of being a collector. “We are totally the opposite of the stigma that is garbage.”

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Snoqualmie Valley Record • September 7, 2011 • 11

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Folkstyle sign-ups at Wrestling Club Snoqualmie Valley Wrestling Club is readying for its folkstyle season, which begins Oct. 22. Three groups, ages 4 to 6, and novice and advanced ages 6 to 14, wrestle at gyms in the Valley. Wrestling fundamentals and skills are taught, and wrestlers have the opportunity to take part in tournaments. Fees range from $80 to $175. No previous experience is necessary. To learn more, visit http://www.siviewpark.org/ wrestling.phtml.

The big payoff Hard work delivers as Mount Si boys golfers ramp up season BY SETH TRUSCOTT Editor

Help groups with golf tourney Tee-off for Valley Health, a golf tournament coming to Mount Si Golf Course in Snoqualmie Sept. 28, will benefit three local groups working to support the health and well-being of citizens in the Valley. The Snoqualmie Valley Hospital Foundation, Mount Si Senior Center and Sno-Valley Senior Center are all beneficiaries of the 18-hole tournament. The tournament is open to men and women, with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Team prizes will be awarded for first, second and third-place teams, and individual prizes will be awarded for Closest to the Pin, Longest Drive, and Longest Putt made. Lunch will be served after the tournament. Cost is $125, for individuals, or $500 for teams of four. To secure a spot in the tournament, sponsor a portion of it, or for any questions, contact BJ Libby, Executive Director, Mt. Si Senior Center, at bjlibby01@ gmail.com, or by calling (425) 888-3434.

Snoqualmie Valley Record • September 26, 2012 • 9

Seth Truscott/Staff Photo

Wildcat freshman Alex Nelson drives on hole 13 of the Mount Si Golf Course on Sept. 17. He co-medaled with Sebastian Gant.

Alex Nelson’s drives cleaved through the warm air of one of the last days of summers. His putts all hit their mark. The Mount Si freshman had a golden day on his first varsity tournament, co-medaling with fellow ‘Cat Sebastian Gant at home. “I was just taking my time, doing what I normally do,” Nelson said of his game. He’s at home on the course, and like the rest of the varsity squad, is only beginning. Mount Si won their first league match of the season, Monday, Sept. 17, against Juanita. Gant and Nelson went two under par with scores of 38 on nine holes. Senior Jake Archambeau shot 39, junior Marcus Deichman and sophomores Mac Smith and Reed Pattenaude hit 41s, and Tanner Simpson had a score of 43. Junior Dylan Savage shot 44, sophomore Sam Young shot 45, and junior Duncan Kelly shot 46. Mount Si won, 197 to 217. Boys squad members practice on weekends and extra in the afternoons. A goal of head coach Brandon Proudfoot’s youth program was to instill the need to golf on their own. Now, that emphasis on play is paying off. SEBASTIAN GANT “Their scores from the beginning of the season have dropped so much as a team,” Proudfoot said. “This team has worked harder on their own than I’ve seen any other team, boys or girls, to date,” in his three years as coach. “It’s been amazing,” he added. On Monday, Gant hit three birdies, five bogies and one par, on hole 12, the par-five longest hole in the course. Archambeau was proud to have tied with the number-one high school golfer in Washington, Juanita’s Frank Garber. “If you do that, it’s a good day,” he said. In the top four, Gant is shaping up as Mount Si’s top player, followed by Pattenaude and Archambeau. Deichman was on junior varsity last year, and has found his footing as Mount Si’s most consistent player. Nelson shot even par in a preseason match, and is looking very promising. • The Wildcats host Lake Washington this Thursday, Sept. 27.

Right on time Mount Si hitters deliver, grow against Bellevue, Mercer From her post as setter, senior team captain Lauren Smith was in a good position to actively watch as teammates on the Mount Si varsity volleyball team delivered a domination of the Bellevue Wolverines at home on Thursday evening, Sept. 20. From Smith’s perspective, Mount Si’s four middle blockers—Haley Groth, Taylor Herro, Katelyn Hoydal, Haley Holmberg—were everywhere, on time that night, doing what they needed to do. Mount Si’s strengths of communication and timing were evident in their first set, a 25-13 win. The edge allowed head coach Bonnie Foote to play some younger athletes and grow depth, before the Wildcats start to face stronger competition later in the season. Sophomore Jen Rogers was called up from junior varsity to suit up as a server. “I got one ace, which is better than I was hoping,” she said. “I was hoping to get them all over.” Mount Si finished things, 25-16, 25-21. “We played really well as a team tonight,” said outside hitter Anna McCreadie. She is happy “just knowing I did my best and swung hard.” Fellow hitter Lindsay Carr said her teammates terminated well on the night. The hitters showed strong communication in calling their shots, and follow-through in raining balls down on Bellevue. Smith, a co-captain, delivered 22 assists on the night; she said she is nothing without her teammates. Rogers praised the group’s ability to communicate. “We’re all really close,” she said. Mount Si is now 5-0 overall. Mount Si went on to beat Mercer Island on Seth Truscott/Staff Photo Sept. 24 in five sets, 23-25, 25-18, 25-18, 15-25, 15-12. They play Thursday, Sept. 27, at Liberty. Taylor Herro, Lexi Read, Anna McCreadie and Lauren Smith eyeball an incoming hit by Game time is 7 p.m. Bellevue during play Thursday, Sept. 20. LINDSAY CARR

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Stories in stone

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Valley women run and roll, competing at top triathlon Page 16

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‘Tractor Men’ calendar raising a hubbub for good cause Page 3

INDEX OPINION LETTERS ON THE SCANNER CALENDAR MOVIE TIMES PAST TIME CLASSIFIEDS

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Vol. 98, No. 24

Suspect sketched in High Point burglaries Man in brimmed hat, glasses entered homes near Preston, witnesses say BY CAROL LADWIG Staff Reporter

Seth Truscott/Staff Photo

Brian Gray of Mr. K’s Construction lays a row of brick pavers at the new Snoqualmie Valley Veteran’s Memorial. A plaza at the site includes personalized bricks with messages of remembrance and patriotism. The $40,000 monument connects all Valley communities and honors locals who died in service to their nation over more than a century.

After four-year push, Snoqualmie Valley vet’s memorial ready for dedication BY SETH TRUSCOTT Editor

There are only six words in the inscription. “The Dubey Family honors Jack Dubey.” But Cristy Lake, assistant director at the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum, knows the whole story behind the words on the brick paver. As clerk for the Snoqualmie Valley

Veteran’s Memorial, Lake takes orders for the $100 memorial bricks, sales of which fund the memorial project. In the process, she hears or reads the stories behind the bricks. She learned Jack Dubey’s story from his brother, Neil, a Snoqualmie resident. The two men served in the U.S. Merchant Marine together during World War II. Neil met his sailor brother by chance on the street twice in the two weeks before Jack’s ship was torpedoed off the Atlantic coast. SEE DEDICATION, 4

Neighbors of four homes that were burglarized the week of October 14 are working to help law enforcement capture the thief. An artist’s sketch of the man who was seen breaking into one of the homes on High Point Way has been circulated throughout the area, and neighbors are urging anyone who’s seen him to contact the King County Sheriff ’s Department. Courtesy photo The man, pictured in A King County large glasses and a narrowSheriff ’s Office brimmed homburg hat, is artist sketched the believed to have robbed likeness of a susthree homes. pect in recent High Point burglaries. SEE SKETCH, 19

North Bend plans attack on odors City explains distressing discharge BY CAROL LADWIG Staff Reporter

North Bend’s 50 year-old wastewater treatment plant is the source of complaints about ongoing unpleasant odors, and lately, concern over murky, foamy discharges into the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River. SEE WASTEWATER, 25

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Veterans’ memorial, start to finish The story of the Snoqualmie Valley Veterans’ Memorial begins with the individual memorials created by residents of several local communities in the years after the world wars. Some of those memorials still stand. Others have vanished. A group of historians, veterans and passionate community members began work five years ago for a new, central memorial in Snoqualmie. Fundraising efforts reached critical mass by spring of 2011, leading to the start of construction at the Renton-Pickering Post this summer. A dedication and celebration is planned for 11:11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11.

Vanished memorials, 1945 Among the vanished Valley memorials are the North Bend Service Roll, left, posted in front of the main grocery story at Bendigo Boulevard and North Bend Way in this 1945 photo by Harold Keller, and the employee service rolls at the Weyerhaeuser Mill, below. The new Snoqualmie Valley monument is meant to combine existing and vanished memorials into one.

A new vision, 2008 A big crowd of veterans and civic officials ceremonially break ground on Veterans’ Day in 2008, spurring the initial campaign for a new Valley memorial. However, the oncoming national recession slowed donations and progress for a few years.

Back in motion, 2010 Memorial backers were pleased to see new impetus and energy come into the project. By mid2010, more than $30,000 in donations had been pledged to the project, with various businesses and professionals putting in their efforts.

The earth moves, 2011 With enough money in hand, ground broke again in the summer of 2011. Construction ramped up this fall, and the new memorial should be almost fully complete in time for a grand dedication on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 2011.

DEDICATION FROM 1 According to Lake, in one meeting, Jack asked Neil to go on board ship with him, but Neil turned him down. “I had been at sea for five months, and had train fare home,” Neil wrote in a message to Lake. “By the time I got home, he had been torpedoed the second time. I was lucky, and served a little over four years at sea, and survived by luck.” Neil turned 90 this year and is now in a rest home in Sammamish. “It’s just because he loved his brother,” his wife, Donna, explained the brick message. “It was a nice donation.”

Time is near Bricks like those of Neil and Jack Dubey have been sliding into place in the last few days at the Valley Veteran’s Memorial. The monument, which has cost $46,000 and taken about four years to fundraise and build, is nearing the moment of completion. An official dedication is planned for 11:11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11. Congressman Dave Reichert, Washington’s ‘First Husband’ Mike Gregoire, State Rep. Jay Rodne and Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson have been invited to speak. Members of the Snoqualmie Tribe will also bless the occasion. All are invited. A shy public speaker, Lake made the rounds at city councils recently, drumming up awareness and asking locals to attend the dedication. “I appreciate all the sacrifices that our veterans have made,” she said. “I’m just so honored that I get to be part of helping honor them.” Built beside the American Legion’s Renton-Pickering Post at 38625 S.E. River St., Snoqualmie, the project includes a legacy tree, lighted flagpoles, standing stones, a brick plaza, and, eventually, a carved memorial stone capped by a replica of Mount Si. Through its very stones, the project is meant to connect Valley communities and their legacy of service.

Stones from lost towns

Legacy tree The newly planted Legacy Tree at the Snoqualmie Valley Veterans’ Memorial is special. It’s a Bloodgood sycamore, a cross between North American and Asian sycamores that is resistant to disease and to smog and other urban pollutants. The Veterans’ Memorial Legacy Tree is not the only memorial sycamore in the Snoqualmie Valley. Some time around 1925, sycamores were planted in front of each mill house in the Riverside neighborhood of the now vanished Weyerhaeuser mill town of Snoqualmie Falls— which lost at least seven young men in World War II. The houses are gone, but the sycamores live on as an officially designated living King County Landmark. The tree was donated by Big Trees Supply of Snohomish.

Ten stones came from each Valley community—three from the vanished towns of Edgewick, Snoqualmie Falls and Cedar Falls. Those stones were donated by former residents or those familiar with the lost towns. Eventually, there will be bricks identifying the standing stones. Right now, you have to guess. “They’re all different shapes and sizes,” Lake said. Representing Snoqualmie Falls, historian Dave Battey pulled one from his old farm. One granite stone, the biggest, was donated by the Snoqualmie Tribe. The city of Snoqualmie’s stone once sat in the river. It appears to be a conglomerate of other stones, merged into one over time. “It has cool green colors that shine when it’s wet,” Lake said. The irregular stone pieces for the flagpole wall were blasted from beneath Snoqualmie Falls by Puget Sound Energy, and were a challenge to lay. The task of building them into a rock wall would normally be a pricey custom job, but Nolan Daley and other employees of J&S Masonry put in the same effort as a paying job. “It’s part of the heritage,” mason Nolan Daley said. “It’s nice to do something for the community. We’re happy to be here.” The memorial’s central monument isn’t ready yet. Carvers at Quiring Monuments have donated a smaller stone as a stand-in. That stone looks similar, but will lay flat on the site. “It’s quite close, and quite neat,” Lake said. Memorial boosters have raised about $43,000. Still needed is another $3,000. Lake says it’s needed sooner rather than later. The Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum has fronted the money to the project, to be paid back by the memorial committee. “The museum is covering it until we get the money,” Lake said. “But it’s also my budget for the museum.” The best way for people to support the project is through donations and buying memorial bricks. The $100 bricks can memorialize the name and deeds of a friend or family member; those honored don’t need to be Valley residents to be included. Any message, including a simple one of patriotism, is welcome. Major donors to the project include Mr. K’s Construction, J&S Masonry, Kunesh Landscaping, A&H Septic Systems, Bob’s Electric, Quantum Consulting Engineers, Miller Hall Partnerships, Big Trees, The Nursery at Mount Si, Lee Nursery and Fred’s Flowers. Stone was donated by Puget Sound Energy. Mutual Materials gave a 50 percent discount on bricks. Quiring Monuments donated a second monument. “It’s been nice to see everyone’s support of the project,” Lake said. “It’s a tough economic time right now.” • You can learn more about the memorial project or order a brick at http://www.snoqualmievalleymuseum.org/veterans.html. Or, call Chris Chartier at (425) 888-9152 or by cell at (425) 802-5174.

8 • December 28, 2011 • Snoqualmie Valley Record

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Above, in September, senior Chase Carlson holds the ball for junior Cameron Van Winkle during practice. Van Winkle, a junior and the varsity kicker since ninth grade, crushed Mount Si’s school field goal records. Below, praying for the prosperity of all Valley businesses, an informal women’s circle meets with North Bend café owner Kyle Twede in February. From left are Terri Mattison, Samantha Van Nyhuis, Twede, Jo Anderson, and Karen Nelson.

Seth Truscott/Staff Photos, except where noted

Contestants emerge from the final Warrior Dash mud crawl on July 15, 2011. More than 24,000 participants tested themselves in a dirty, fiery obstacle course.

Never a dull moment

Top, in January, Jeff Groshell and son Trevor inspect the flooded entrance to their family’s golf course at Fall City. Groshell was surprised by fast flooding over the Martin Luther King Jr., holiday weekend. Above, in May, the Mount Si High School baseball team—from left, Trevor Taylor, Tim Proudfoot, coach Elliott Cribby and ballboy Ryan Jarchow—celebrates with the WIAA 3A state trophy. Mount Si won, 5-4, over Shorewood, Saturday, May 28, in Tacoma. Right, in April, driver Matthew Johnson digs up the final stretch of a Global RallyCross heat at Snoqualmie’s Old Mill Adventure Park. The race drew pro drivers, ESPN coverage—and a contentious annexation debate—to Snoqualmie. Below, in June, North Fork property owners Jan and Robert “Sully” Sullivan stand on the decaying Shake Mill Left Levee outside North Bend. The Sullivans watched as erosion steadily encroached on their home.

Carol Ladwig/Staff Photo

2011 Photo Year in Review

Despite challenges, Valley changed, amazed in 2011 Even in tough times, the Snoqualmie Valley never stagnates. While the past year has seen the marks of economic struggle—shuttered storefronts, women praying for the survival of businesses—nothing ever stayed still or silent in 2011. We saw ‘minor’ floods soak the Valley, future homes change hands on Snoqualmie Ridge, and the rise of medical marijuana in places like Preston’s Kind Alternative. Construction of some long-awaited projects, like the new North Bend Fire Station, the Snoqualmie Community Center, or the Snoqualmie Valley Veteran’s Memorial, marked the year. So did the advent of ‘adventure’ sports such as DirtFish Rally School driving, which drew big attention when annexation plans revved up this year, or major footraces like the Warrior Dash, which created gridlock and opportunity on North Bend streets. And we met amazing people, from DuWayne Bailey, who writes more than 60 valentines to all the ladies and kids in his life, to Darby Summers, who risked his own life to save another in the cold waters of the Snoqualmie last June. Revisit the year that was through these Valley Record photos.

Carol Ladwig/Staff Photo

Above, in March, Dianna Mattoni lifts son Simon at a Snoqualmie story time. Snoqualmie has the highest youth population of any city in King County. Left, in June, North Fork hydropower proponent Thom Fischer spoke about plans for power plant and dam upriver from Ernie’s Grove. Above right, Snoqualmie Tribe member Jessy Lucas performs a blessing at the newly unveiled Snoqualmie Valley Veteran Memorial on Nov. 11. Right, penning 60 Valentine’s cards for friends, family and sweethearts, Snoqualmie’s DuWayne Bailey gets plenty of hugs in return.

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OPENING DAY ARRIVES FOR SNOQUALMIE YMCA

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Fall from the sky

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Investigators explore Mount Si for answers in fatal late-night plane crash BY CAROL LADWIG

Mount Si senior grapplers cap season at state; Smart athletes get nat’l nod Page 8

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One week after a small plane dropped from the sky to crash on the face of Mount Si, investigators are still without definite answers for why three people are dead. The plane, a Cessna 172 with one pilot and two passengers, was destroyed when it crashed into the mountain early Wednesday, Feb.

Seth Truscott/Staff Photo

Assembling at the foot of Mount Si, King County search teams and firefighters huddle Wednesday, Feb. 15, before hiking to the site of an early morning plane crash. Investigators are still seeking the cause of the deadly accident. 15, killing all three aboard. Last week, the King County Medical Examiner revealed the identities of the victims, Robert Hill, 30, Seth Dawson, 31, and Elizabeth Redling, 29, all from the Federal Way area.

What they were doing in the plane, where they came from and why they were flying so near Mount Si are all still unclear. SEE CRASH, 3

Filling

empty bowls As Mount Si Food Bank sees record demand, grassroots benefit can help meet local needs BY CAROL LADWIG

Editor

The broad second-floor expanse of the big, beige Kendall Lake building on Douglas Avenue is mostly empty now. That’s expected to change in a few months, when its suites become home to an enterprise wholly new to Snoqualmie Ridge—a King County divisional headquarters. In a bid to move closer to the bulk of its permit business, the county’s Department of Development and Environmental Services THE KENDALL LAKE wants to relo- BUILDING cate its 98-person main office from Renton to Snoqualmie, as early as this summer. The county is two months into negotiations with Kendall Lake owners Meriwether Partners of Seattle for an estimated $300,000 lease, about half of what the county pays for its current facility—a place DDES Director John Starbard likens to a gloomy DMV. SEE MOVE, 7

Staff Reporter

Isaiha Medford rubs his hands together and sits back to take a look at his work. The middle school student is shaping pottery bowls for Empty Bowls, an upcoming benefit for Mount Si Food Bank. “I’m going to make three, because I want to donate two and keep one,” he explains. “It’s helping the needy and the poor people to feed their children.”

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GET OUR FREE MOBILE APP With that understanding, Medford represents at least one goal accomplished by this food bank project: Raising awareness of hunger in the Valley.

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Admiring a clay bowl made for the first-ever Mount Si Food Bank benefit night, Ruth Huschle, art teacher at Snoqualmie Middle School, says students are awake to local needs.

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Snoqualmie Valley Record • April 18, 2012 • 9 BY SETH TRUSCOTT AND CAROL LADWIG Valley Record Staff

alley elementary, middle and high school students explore bold frontiers, serious mysteries and weird wonders in annual science fairs. The following are a sampling of the wide variety of projects to spring from their imaginations.

Electric Shoes He’s not a runner himself, but Cedarcrest High School junior Alex Ratayzeck laced up his own shoes and took a couple of jogs to prove his hypothesis: there are plenty of ways to produce electricity that have nothing to do with fossil fuels. “The world uses 18 trillion kilowatts per year, and 77 percent of it is supplied by fossil fuel,” he said at the Cedarcrest science fair in February. His goal, with his electric shoes, was to lighten some of that load. “Even if it just charges an iPod, that’s that much less electricity that is taken from the fossil fuels,” he said. The shoes work, too. The left one is a Faraday device, modeled after a flashlight that is powered by shaking. The right one is piezoelectric, more intriguing to Ratayzeck, but less powerful. “The Faraday one works very well. It actually generates quite a few volts,” he said. “The piezoelectric one produced a little less voltage than I wanted, but it still produced enough to be practical.” Ratayzeck’s shoes earned him first place at the Central Sound Regional Science & Engineering Fair in March, but he’s gotten used to science success. “Last year, I built an argon gas laser,” he said.

Deep freeze As his friend Adam Rogers pulls on gloves to help, Twin Falls Middle Schooler Carlos Larios cheerfully

dunks a chunk of super-cold dry ice into water, mist swirling around his station. Carlos is having fun with the experiment, in which he proves that the warmer the water bath, the faster the dry ice—frozen carbon dioxide—evaporates. “I’ve been curious about dry ice,” the seventh grader says. “Even if you hold it with gloves, it can still burn you.”

The dry ice experiment was among a number of serious and goofy topics at Twin Falls’ science fair on April 12, which ranged from dirty keyboards and homemade hovercrafts to DNA and smoking’s effects on the lungs. “Science is an interesting thing,” Carlos says. “We get to learn how things grow and transform. It’s not always putting Mentos in Coke. It’s about learning how chemicals react to each other.

Yoga vs. Television

A cultural showdown was at the heart of Carly Stewart’s science fair entry at Cedarcrest. The freshman wanted to compare the effects of two different activities, practicing yoga, and watching television, on people’s bodies. “I took their blood pressure before and after yoga, and then before and after television, and I found that yoga significantly lowered their blood pressure, and television significantly increased their blood pressure,” she said. Television was limited to the show “24,” but Stewart wanted to further investigate the effects of different types of television shows. For this experiment, the action show fit her purposes. “When you’re watching television, you’re always thinking ‘what’s going to happen next?’ You’re trying to figure out the plot, and in yoga, you’re trying to focus on your breathing, and really relaxing,” she said. “I really wanted to see the overall difference between mental calmness and mental activity… I wanted to see if there’s an unspoken reason why many Americans have hypertension.”

Photo courtesy of Stephen Kangas

Zapped hair

Opstad Elementary’s science fair drew an estimated 1,000 people, who viewed presentations such as an exploration of whether dog nose-prints are as unique as human fingerprints, as well as trying their hand at the demonstrations. The OtterBots robotics display and 100,000 volt Van de Graaf “lightning machine,” the effects of which are pictured above, were again popular displays. Science fair participants chose topics that were interesting to them, then formed the questions they wanted to explore, predicted the answers, tested their predictions, then reported on their projects. A group of 26 adult volunteers judged the projects during the day. Mount Si High School teacher Kyle Warren nominated 30 finalists for Super Scientist awards, and the judges also selected award winners.

Vinegar rocket Twin Falls’ Ashley Gate has always liked explosions. She gave the science fair stand-by, vinegar reacting with baking soda, a new twist: she added measured amounts of baking soda to vinegar in a canister, shook it up and ran for cover. The resulting ‘rocket’ leaped into the air. Her dad, watching from nearby, helped her gauge the height of the launch. “I’m going to think of other experiments to do with baking soda,” she says.