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Special Thanks & Photo Contributions: City of Issaquah, City of Sammamish, Issaquah School District, Issaquah Chamber, Sammamish Chamber, Melissa Johnson, and Julie Clegg. Cover Photo by Julie Clegg/julieclegg.com
A PUBLICATION OF
PLACES BOTH
OLD AND NEW
Welcome to the 2015 Issaquah-Sammamish Residents Guide.
In this 24-page guide we hope to give both new and established residents a guide to places and activities both old and new that abound in these cities situated at the foot of the Cascade Mountains. Issaquah is surrounded on three sides by the Issaquah Alps: Cougar Mountain to the west, Squak Mountain to the south and Tiger Mountain to the east. Those nearby mountains are not volcanic mountains — like the rest of the Cascades — but were born of an even older range of peaks eroded over time. Early settlers came in 1860. Issaquah was incorporated in 1892. More than 100 years later, Sammamish was declared a city after years of trying. In both, there are many places to live, work and play and shop . People have come from near and far to make these cities home and work in places as diverse as Costco, Microsoft, the King County Library System, Swedish Medical Center and the salmon hatchery. As such there are a wide variety of activities, lifestyles and cultures brought together. There are ballfields, gyms and swimming pools to shopping centers such as the Issaquah Commons, Gilman Village and the Grand Ridge Plaza in the Issaquah Highlands. There are schools and arts groups galore. There are breweries and a historic root beer stand. In short, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. We think you’ll like it here. We know we do.
With more than 100 cows, Issaquah’s Pickering Barn was the largest dairy farm around for many years. Washington territorial governor William Pickering bought the land in 1867. By 1878 a hay barn was under way and a big dairy barn in 1906. Now owned by the city, the barn is a popular place for events and celebrations. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. Photo provided by city of Issaquah
- Mary L. Grady ISSAQUAH-SAMMAMISH REPORTER •
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ISSAQUAH & SAMMAMISH:
A HISTORY T
he areas that are now Issaquah and Sammamish were home to the Snoqualmie and other native people long before non-natives began arriving in the 1800s. According to the Issaquah History Museum, white settlers began arriving in the valley in the 1860s. Those white settlers initially called the Issaquah area “Squak,” a version of the native word “Is-qu-ah.” Official use of the name Squak appears in records as early as 1869 and the Squak Post Office, a major influence in a town’s name during territorial days, opened one year later. However, the area destined to become Issaquah would spend the next decades trapped in an identity crisis helped along by local industrial magnates with big wallets and bigger egos. Ingebright Wold — the co-owner of a hops farm — famously disliked the name Squak and decided (naturally) a variation of his name would be better: He platted the area as “Englewood” in 1887. But Daniel Hunt Gilman was quickly making a name for himself as a backer of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway. When he established the Seattle Coal and Iron Co. in the Squak Valley and connected it to the railroad, the area became a coal town — even the post office
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relocated to Gilman Station. But Issaquah was a labor town Gilman’s attempts to rename and those same workers could the post office after himself also exhibit deep compassion failed when the U.S. Postal for their peers when they were Service decided his name was felled by dangers on the job. too close to “Gilmer” in Klickitat The Oddfellows, a guild to — they chose to recognize the which many Issaquah laborers area as Olney instead. Gilman belonged, provided a crude form would eventually succeed in of insurance in which members incorporating the town under pitched in to support injured his name in 1892. laborers, or their surviving family However, locals eschewed members in cases of death. the name Gilman, After World preferring to use War II, the BEFORE BECOMING Squak in casual boom-and-bust ISSAQUAH, conversation. THE VALLEY SETTLEMENT cycle of the Townsfolk natural resource WAS KNOWN BY FOUR petitioned the industry was DIFFERENT NAMES state legislature to replaced by a IN THE LATTER HALF OF allow them to have slow community THE 19TH CENTURY a say in their own evolution. home’s name, and The town’s in 1899 the area was officially — population hovered around and finally — renamed Issaquah. 1,000 until 1940, when the Saloons, hardware stores, first floating bridge over Lake boarding houses and other Washington was opened. The shops sprang up around the bridge brought Issaquah within booming coal mines. Logging easy driving distance of Seattle also brought workers into the and the town’s transformation town — tough men who were from a rural community to a sometimes apt to wake up in bedroom suburb began. Issaquah’s jail. Issaquah History Today, Issaquah is a thriving Museums director Erica Maniez city with eyes on becoming tells one amusing story on an “urban village” under the walking tours about two loggers ambitious dense-growth arrested for public drunkenness Central Issaquah Plan passed who kicked their way out of the in 2012. Yet the city’s Olde city jail’s wooden walls with their Town neighborhood retains spiked cork boots. Afterward, many elements of its historical city officials wisely built their beginnings. second jail out of concrete. Sammamish as an official city
RESIDENTS GUIDE 2015 • ISSAQUAH & SAMMAMISH
is more than a century younger than its valley neighbor, though its history as an American settlement begins soon after Issaquah’s. Settlers began making tentative inroads onto the Plateau in the 1870s and 1880s, according to the Sammamish Heritage Society. By the 1890s, logging had become a major industry in the area and most of the area was “logged out” by the 1930s. The southern half of the Plateau, particularly the area near Pine Lake, developed more quickly than the northern half. By the late 1930s no less than three resorts were operating on Pine Lake and Beaver Lake. Jump ahead to the mid1980s and growth accelerated dramatically as more homes, schools and shopping centers were built. Then, on Nov. 3, 1998, local voters approved incorporation and Sammamish officially became a city at midnight on Aug. 31, 1999. Today, Sammamish has its own symphony, three high schools and has been host to two PGA golf tournaments at the Sahalee Country Club. Homes in the city are some of the most desirable in the region, and some of the most expensive — in the beginning of August, Zillow’s Home Value Index placed the median price of a Sammamish house above $700,000.
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ISSAQUAH ‘S
WHO YOU GONNA CALL?
WATER A
major portion of Issaquah’s water system comes from groundwater served by four wells — two in the northeast section of Issaquah and two in the northwest section. The wells are deep: two are 100 feet deep, one is 200 feet deep and one is 400 feet deep. But those wells don’t serve every Issaquah citizen. The Cascade Water Alliance provides water to the Issaquah Highlands and Talus urban villages, as well as the Montreux and Lakemont areas. Cascade is a municipal corporation comprised of eight municipalities and water districts that joined together in 1999 to provide water supply for current and future needs. It includes the cities of Issaquah, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond and Tukwila, as well as the Sammamish
Essential numbers in the city of Issaquah Issaquah Police (Nonemergency) 425-837-3300 Eastside Fire & Rescue HQ 425-313-3200 City Clerk 425-837-3000 Development Services 425-837-3100
Plateau Water and Sewer District, Covington Water District and Skyway Water and Sewer District. The city of Issaquah mails an annual water quality report to its customers, with a breakdown of all substances monitored by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. In 2014 testing, Issaquah was given a clean bill of health for all substances monitored, including arsenic, chlorine, fluoride, copper and
lead. “Our dedication to environmental sustainability will help ensure our region’s water remains safe, clean and reliable for generations to come,” Mayor Fred Butler said. The city produced or purchased 787.6 million gallons of water in 2014, 725.2 million of which was consumed by customers — the remainder having been lost to system leakage.
Economic Development 425-837-3450 Executive 425-837-3020 Emergency Management 425-837-3028 Finance 425-837-3050 Public Works Engineering 425-837-3400 Public Works Operations 425-837-3470 Support Services 425-837-3080
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RESIDENTS GUIDE 2015
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WATER PROVIDERS
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or the most part, the city of Sammamish gets its water from underground aquifers provided through two corporations. Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District, which began in 1948 as King County Water District 82, serves an estimated 58,802 people on the Plateau and in Issaquah. It maintains about 273 miles of water main, 2,450 fire hydrants, 14 production wells and eight reservoirs. In the northern tip of the Plateau, more than 10,000 people rely on Northeast Sammamish Sewer & Water District for their water. The NE District was created in 1969 as the Sahalee Sewer District. It maintains 35 miles of water main, 275 fire
hydrants, five wells and two reservoirs that have a pumping capability of 2,230 gallons per minute. Only Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District, however, is part of the Cascade Water Alliance, which also supplies water to Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Tukwila, Issaquah and the Skyway Water & Sewer District. The Alliance gets its water from Seattle. The District gets about 20 percent of its water from the Alliance. For more information on the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District, visit www.spwsd.org. For more information on the Northeast Sammamish Sewer & Water District, visit www.nesswd.org.
WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Essential numbers for Sammamish residents Sammamish Police (Nonemergency) 425-836-5674 Eastside Fire & Rescue HQ 425-313-3200 City Hall 425-295-0500 City Clerk 425-295-0511 Public Works (Spill hotline after hours) 206-296-8100 Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District 425-392-6256 Northeast Sewer & Water District 425-868-1144 Puget Sound Energy 1-88-962-9498 Sammamish Chamber of Commerce 425-681-4910
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COMMUNITY POOL
If you were hoping to log some swim time in Issaquah during the past year, you and your floaties were out of luck — but no longer. The city-operated Julius Boehm Pool on Southeast Clark Street closed for renovations in November 2014, but reopens Sept. 8, 2015 with a slew of “items to enhance the ‘wow’ factor of the pool,” city parks manager Ric Patterson said last year. In the 2013 general election, Issaquah voters approved a $10 million park bond for city recreation facilities. Half of that — $5 million — went right into the pool, funding new locker rooms, benches, energy efficient LED lights, a retooled reception area, plastic pool liners and greater accommodations for visitors with disabilities. Patterson said he thinks pool regulars will like what they see when the pool is unveiled. “I hope they’re excited,” he said. “The staff here have been excited about what they’ve seen so far.”
Julius Boehm Pool • 50 S.E. Clark St. P.O. Box 1307, Issaquah, WA 98027 Ph: 425-837-3350 Fx: 425-837-3359 Office Hours Monday - Friday: 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday: Noon - 5 p.m.
Community Center • 301 Rainier Blvd. S. P.O. Box 1307, Issaquah, WA 98027 Ph: 425-837-3300 Fx: 425-837-3309 Center Hours: M-Th: 5 a.m.-8 p.m. Fri: 7 a.m.-5 p.m. • Sat: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun: CLOSED
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RESIDENTS GUIDE 2015
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ISSAQUAH PARKS Berntsen Park: 810 Fourth Ave. N.W. This 2-acre open space park in Olde Town Issaquah offers creek and lake view, natural open space and an open grassy area. Black Nugget Park: 1953 24th Ave. N.E. Located within the Issaquah Highlands Development, it offers a basketball court, benches, open grassy area, picnic tables, play equipment, tennis courts and a trail. Centennial Park: Front Street North and Rainier Boulevard. A small park that includes public art and landscaping along Front Street in Olde Town Issaquah. It has benches, public art and a trail.
Central Park: 1907 Park Drive N.E. Located within the Issaquah Highlands Development, it includes three park fields and facilities such as a number of athletic fields, natural open space, picnic shelter, play equipment and a scenic viewpoint. Confluence Park: 655 Rainier Blvd. N. Completed in 2013, Confluence Park is actually a merger of three parks — Tolle Anderson, Cybil-Madeline and Issaquah Creek. The resulting 15.5-acre park includes a large picnic shelter, restrooms, a series of trails and a fenced community garden. In late summer 2015, the park was the site of a million-dollar renovation of Issaquah Creek’s east fork, undertaken in order to create a better passageway for salmon returning to spawn at the Issaquah State Salmon Hatchery in the fall.
Cornick Park: 335 Front St. S. A scenic green space consisting of flowers and landscaping with benches and public art. Depot Park: 2 E. Sunset Way (Rainier & Alder). Features a restored 1888 train depot, currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It includes benches, parking, picnic tables and a trail. Emily Darst Park: Located along Pickering Trail, the 12-acre restored and enhanced park provides natural open space and wetlands. There are benches, creek/lake view, natural open space and a trail.
in the northern section of Issaquah Highlands and offers magnificent views of Mt. Baker and the Cascade Mountain Range. It includes include a play area, picnic area, manicured green space, on-site parking and a restroom. Harvey Manning Park at Talus: 919 Bear Ridge Court. On the southern edge of the Talus neighborhood development, the approximately 10-acre park site includes a basketball court, natural open space, play equipment, restrooms and a trailhead.
Gibson Park: 105 Newport Way S.W. A 3-acre park with benches, an open grassy area, picnic shelter, picnic tables and play equipment.
Hillside Park: 300 Mt. McKinley Drive S.W. This Squak Mountain park includes a nonscheduled sports field for “pick-up” games, natural open space and a trail. There is no onsite parking available.
Grand View Park: 2306 N.E. Natalie Way. Located
(Continued on page 10)
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ISSAQUAH PARKS (cont.) Meerwood Park: 4703 192nd Ave S.E. This 1.75-acre neighborhood park is located within the Sammamish Cove area and features a basketball court, benches, picnic tables, play equipment and tennis courts. Mine Hill Park: 200 Wildwood Blvd. S.W. Located at the base of Squak Mountain, it has five acres of natural area that parallels Wildwood Boulevard Southeast and includes a creek/lake view, trail and trailhead. Skate Park: 301 Rainier Blvd S, Issaquah (behind Community Center) The Skate Park offers a variety of challenges for skateboarders and inline skaters. The Park is unsupervised and is open at all
times. Rules are posted for the safety of participants. The Park is adjacent to the southeast side of the Community Center. This skate park will be closed once the city opens a new skate park in Tibbetts Valley Park at 965 12th Ave. N.W. Originally slated to begin construction in 2015, the city council delayed the project at the urging of citizens to pursue funding for more amenities. Construction is now tentatively scheduled for spring/summer 2016.
recreational community park with athletic fields, tennis courts, basketball court and a children’s playground.
Squak Valley Park: 10319 Issaquah-Hobart Road S.E. Located at the very southern edge of the city on the Issaquah - Hobart Road, the approximately 12.5-acre site includes three midsized soccer fields, children’s play structure, restroom and parking area.
Timberlake Park: 4500 West Lake Sammamish Pkwy. S.E. This 24-acre acre park site is predominantly forested and provides a 1/2 mile trail down to the Lake Sammamish shoreline and beach area. It includes a beach, benches, open grassy area, picnic tables, parking, restrooms and a scenic view.
Tibbetts Valley Park: 965 12th Ave. N.W. A 30-acre active
Veterans’ Memorial Field: 140 E. Sunset Way. Located in the
heart of Olde Town Issaquah, this park features an athletic field, places to picnic, and is adjacent to Depot Park, which has a train-themed play area. It also includes a baseball field, basketball court, benches, picnic tables, play equipment and a restroom. Walen Hill Park: Newport Way & West Sunset Way. Park offers a fabulous view of the Issaquah Fish Hatchery and Olde Town Issaquah. It includes an acre of manicured green space and picnic tables.
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SAMMAMISH PARKS Beaver Lake Park: S.E. 24th St. — 425-295-0500 Barbecue grill, baseball field, beach/waterfront, dog off leash area, group picnic area, indoor rental facility, picnic shelter, picnic tables, play structure, restrooms, softball field, trails and wildlife viewing areas. East Sammamish Park: N.E. 16th and 214th Avenue N.E. — 425-295-0500 Barbecue grill, baseball field, group picnic area, lacrosse field, picnic shelter, picnic tables, play structure, restrooms, soccer field, softball field and tennis courts. Eastlake Community Fields: 400 228th Ave. N.E. — 425-936-1500 Baseball field, lacrosse field, restrooms, soccer field and softball field.
Ebright Creek Park: 1317 212th Ave. S.E. — 425-295-0500 Barbecue grill, basketball court, climbing wall, group picnic area, picnic shelter, picnic tables, play structure, restrooms, trails and wildlife viewing areas. Evans Creek Preserve: 4001 224th Ave. N.E. — 425-295-0582 Trails and wildlife viewing areas. Northeast Sammamish Park: 21210 N.E. 36th St. — 425-295-0500 Basketball court, picnic tables, play structure and tennis courts.
group picnic area, lacrosse field, picnic shelter, picnic tables, play structure, restrooms and soccer.
picnic shelter, picnic tables, play structure, restrooms, skate park, trails and wildlife viewing.
Pine Lake Park: 2401 228th Ave. S.E. — 425-295-0500 Barbecue grill, baseball field, basketball court, beach/ waterfront, climbing wall,
Sammamish Commons: 801 228th Ave. S.E. — 425-295-0500 Barbecue grill, basketball court, climbing wall, group picnic area, indoor rental facility,
Skyline Community Field: 1122 228th Ave. S.E. — 425-837-7700 Baseball field, lacrosse field, restrooms, soccer field and softball field.
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forward, Sammamish will gain more than 10,000 residents on New Year’s Day and collect an estimated $5.8 million in property tax revenue by the following New Year’s Eve. In return, Klahanie residents are expected to pay lower property taxes overall and will see public services like emergency response, park upkeep and road maintenance adopted by Sammamish’s city government. Property taxes on a Klahanie home valued at $500,000 will drop by $420 a year post-annexation, according to one estimate from Butkus Consulting, Inc. The Sammamish Police Department, a subset of the King County Sheriff ’s Office contracted by the city, will add six new positions to cover the area. Outgoing Sammamish City Manager Ben Yazici announced in July the sheriff ’s office had agreed to expedite hiring for those positions. Police response times to Klahanie are expected to
Klahanie: Sammamish’s Newest Addition Klahanie is an upscale planned community on the Sammamish Plateau consisting of more than 3,000 homes built out over a 10-year period beginning in 1985. For 30 years, it has existed as a Census Designated Place in unincorporated King County. After unsuccessful bids by Issaquah in 2005 and 2014 to annex Klahanie into its city limits,
residents of the neighborhood voted in 2015 to join the city of Sammamish. Klahanie will now become a full part of Sammamish on Jan. 1, 2016, after the Sammamish City Council rejected a July 31 annexation — and $3 million in estimated revenue — to avoid a sudden strain on city services. When the annexation moves
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improve by five minutes or more. Pre-annexation, the Klahanie Homeowners Association hired county sheriff ’s deputies and offduty officers to police the area. The county agreed to complete extensive maintenance on Klahanie’s roads and parks through 2015. The work, totaling $340,000, includes irrigation, seeding and fertilizing of Klahanie Park as well as corrective repairs to roadways, including Klahanie Boulevard and 230th Place, and the neighborhood’s stormwater drainage. Yazici has said improvement to major commuter roadways will be a priority of the city once annexation is complete. “Many of our residents have a tough commute along IssaquahFall City Road,” Yazici wrote in a press release issued in early 2015. “Improving that corridor has been on our radar for a long time. Fortunately ... that added revenue we’ll receive will make those improvements very affordable.”
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LIBRARY SERVICES More than 70 years ago, voters established the King County Library System, then called the King County Rural Library District, to provide library services to people in rural areas without easy access to city resources. Now, with 48 locations, the library system is dedicated to providing free, open and equal access to ideas and information throughout the county. It was named Library of the Year by the Library Journal in 2011. In 2012, the system saw 10.1 million visitors come through the libraries in the area, with 22 million items checked out. King County Library System currently employs 1,200 people. Its 2015 circulation budget is $14.4 million, with roughly $10.7 million of that earmarked for new materials. To find out more visit www.kcls.org.
Photo credit: City of Issaquah
It wasn’t until 1983 and 1998, respectively, that Issaquah and the Sammamish area joined the library system. The new Issaquah Library (above), at 10 W. Sunset Way, opened in 2001. The new Sammamish Library (left), at 825 228th Ave. S.E., opened in 2010. They both operate Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1-5 p.m.
Photo credit: Megan Campbell
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SALMON DAYS OCTOBER 3-4 The internationally recognized event is one of the largest in the Northwest. Annually, Salmon Days attracts 185,000 people for a weekend of food, festivities and floats, which celebrates the return of salmon that spawn in local streams. The 2014 festival saw the addition of a small carnival. In the past, Salmon Days has filled downtown Issaquah with hundreds of artists, dozens of food vendors and small concert venues. The opening morning Salmon Days parade stops traffic on Front Street and Gilman Boulevard. This year’s event will be held Oct. 3-4 and will fill downtown with 250 artists, more than 60 food booths, five music stages, a 10 a.m. parade and, of course, up-close viewing of the salmon. 3.54x4.5_FS_ad.pdf 1 8/6/15 9:56
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RESIDENTS GUIDE 2015 • ISSAQUAH & SAMMAMISH
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EVENTS FOR ALL SEASONS Fall
Fantastic Fly-in An entirely new festival for Fall 2015, the Fantastic Fly-in is a paragliding parade (complete with airborne floats) modeled after the Coupe Icare festival in France. Spectators will gather at the Chirico Trailhead to watch flyers launch from Poo Poo Point on Tiger Mountain. The planned first Fantastic Fly-in is scheduled for Sept. 12. Zombie Walk Since 2009, Issaquahns have celebrated the coming of Halloween by slathering themselves in pallid makeup, adopting a bad case of rigor mortis and shambling down Front Street. The parade of undead ends with a recreation of the Thriller music video in downtown. Salmon Days (See previous page) Nightmare at Beaver Lake One of the most popular Halloween events on the Eastside, Nightmare at Beaver Lake transforms Beaver Lake Park into a terrifying walk through Hell. Put on by Sammamish Rotary, the haunted trek runs from mid-October through Halloween night. Halloween Happening A trick-or-treat adventure appropriate for all ages, Halloween Happening welcomes residents to venture through Sammamish City Hall for the city’s annual Halloween event. Typically held on a week day nearest the actual holiday, the 2015 event will be Monday, Oct. 31.
Winter
Very Merry Sammamish Held in early December, the city of Sammamish holds its annual winter event at city hall. The event boasts festive lights, food trucks and activities for children — including a petting zoo. The 2015 event will be Dec. 2. Beat the Winter Brews Fest The Greater Issaquah Chamber of Commerce and shopkeepers in Gilman Village join forces with brewers and vintners big and small to introduce drinkers to new brews. Beat The Winter Brews Fest is typically held in February. Wine Walk The first Friday of each month from February to June, the Downtown Issaquah Association helps oenophiles sample wines at shops throughout downtown.
Spring Issaquah Farmers Market On Saturdays, from May to September, the city of Issaquah features farm fresh food, music and other entertainment in the Pickering Barn. Sammamish Farmers Market On Wednesdays, from May to September, Sammamish City Hall Plaza becomes the site of food, fun and health-conscious education. Art Walk The first Friday of each month from May through September, the Downtown Issaquah Association helps bring art vendors, musicians and others to Front Street.
Rig-A-Palooza Inspired by a child’s curiosity and need to touch everything, the Sammamish Park and Recreation department presents an afternoon up close to vehicles like fire engines and utility trucks. Rig-APalooza takes place in May at the Sammamish Commons Plaza. Sammamish Walks Once a month, from about May to October, local volunteers lead residents along walks through Sammamish parks.
Summer
time machine in Back to the Future. Burgers, Bikers and Babes Thundering Angels MC take over Triple XXX Root Beer to show off and compare their rides. The event includes a bikini bike wash and bikini contest with live music. Concerts on the Green Every summer following the Fourth of July, the Issaquah Community Center hosts weekly free concerts on its lawn Tuesdays through the end of August.
Teen Fest Skate Competition The June event calls for skaters to compete at the Sammamish Skate Park off of 228th Avenue across from the Sammamish Library.
Concerts in the Park Throughout the summer, typically from July through September, crowds of Sammamish residents will make their way to Pine Lake Park for the weekly concert series.
Fourth on the Plateau Every year thousands of people gather in the Sammamish Commons for the Fourth of July tradition of watching fireworks explode overhead.
KidsFirst! An event that will get the young ones moving, KidsFirst! is a summertime concert series for children. The series takes place throughout Sammamish during July and August.
Challenge Races (pictured) This series of races put on by Life Enrichment Options pairs children with special needs partners for a thrilling soapbox derby. The race has been held in Issaquah for 18 years and in Sammamish for nine.
Sammamish Days During the late morning and early afternoon, families are welcome to join in festivities at the Sammamish Commons Plaza. It promises cultural performances, children’s activities and vendor booths. This event takes place in August, on the same day as Sammamish Nights.
Fenders on Front Street Held on Father’s Day, Fenders on Front Street is Issaquah’s largest car show. Collectors come out from all over the state to show off their rides, whether they’re new, classic, standard or unique. 2015’s Fenders included a loving recreation of the ISSAQUAH-SAMMAMISH REPORTER
Sammamish Nights Later in the evening, the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce presents Sammamish Nights, an event filled with music and entertainment, at city hall in August.
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ISSAQUAH’S PUBLIC ART
BEAUTIFYING THE VALLEY n the quest to make the valley a place of man-made, as well as natural beauty, the city of Issaquah is home to two dozen permanent public art installations commissioned or curated by the arts commission. Pieces around town include several statues and sculptures — such as “Copper Clad,” a one-ton horse made from metal parts that greets drivers as they arrive into downtown from the north — murals like “A Century of Dairying in Issaquah” on the Darigold Creamery plant and two-dimensional works like the photography collection in Tibbetts Creek Manor. Works in other mediums include crafts like the “Issaquah Community” quilt in the Community Center and entirely
non-traditional pieces like “The Blue Door,” an ornate but literal door that sits outside City Hall North, gifted by visiting delegates from Chefchaouen, Morocco. One prominent installation that sits on the corner of East Sunset Way and First Avenue between the north and south city hall buildings is a life-size statue of Linda Ruehle (pictured). Ruehle was Issaquah’s city clerk from 1971 to 2001 and a leader in the Washington Municipal Clerks Association. She died in 2005. Her statue is an aluminum cast sculpture that includes a functional bench resting on cast “books,” with Ruehle sitting on one end. She is pointing out an item in a large book on her lap — look closely and
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neighborhood of Seattle. In addition to its permanent selections, the arts commission works to bring statues to Rainier Trail Park temporarily for a year at a time.
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commission sponsors the free event. This is an example of the collaborative work the commission is involved in to fullfil it’s mission statement: “Integrating art and culture to create a sense of place, civic identity and unique character.” The commission, while it does get a portion of the city’s budget, can receive
grant money from outside sources. The arts commission meets the third Monday of each month. None of the members can hold office for more than two consecutive terms; at the February meeting, the commission elects a chair, who holds the office for one year. For more information visit www. sammamish.us/Group.aspx?ID=3
High School | November 4, 2015, 6:30 - 8 p.m. Middle School | November 18, 2015, 6:30 - 8 p.m. All School, Grades 6-12 | January 6, 2016, 6:30 - 8 p.m. eastsidecatholic.org ISSAQUAH-SAMMAMISH REPORTER
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n 2003, the Sammamish City Council established the Sammamish Arts Commission. One of the commission’s major responsibilities is to maintain a rotating exhibit of work from local, regional and national artists in the Sammamish City Hall, located at 801 228th S.E. Ave. The commission is also responsible for installing other art in public parks, and it promotes performances, readings and classes. For example, it paid $8,000 to local artist Garth Edwards for designing and installing new aluminum gates in the Sammamish community garden, located in the Lower Commons area off of 222nd Place Southeast, July 2015. The annual Sammamish Arts Fair, in its ninth year, shows jury-selected art work from artists within the area. The 2015 cultural art event will be Oct. 11 in city hall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The city of Sammamish and the arts
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EDUCATION VITAL TO A WELL-FUNCTIONING SOCIETY By Ron Thiele Superintendent, Issaquah School District
I
believe that an educated population is the cornerstone of a participatory and well-functioning, democratic society. To that end, the Issaquah School District has a direct role in shaping the future locally, nationally, and internationally. Our mission is to graduate our students prepared for and eager to accept the academic, occupational, personal, and practical challenges of life in a dynamic global environment. It’s an enormous responsibility, and it reflects the high value our community places on
education. We dedicate ourselves every day to creating the best learning experience possible to prepare our students for each level of their education, including post high school. We work to provide a rigorous academic program that meets the individual needs of students from our most highly capable to our most challenged. We go about doing this by recruiting, hiring, and training outstanding teachers and equipping them with the very best curricular materials, technological supports,
ISSAQUAH SCHOOLS
Elementary Challenger Elementary, 25200 S.E. Klahanie Blvd., Issaquah, WA 98029, 425-837-7550 Clark Elementary, 500 2nd Ave. S.E., Issaquah, WA 98027, 425-837-6300 Cougar Ridge Elementary, 4630 167th Ave. S.E., Bellevue, WA 98006, 425-837-7300 Creekside Elementary, 20777 S.E. 16th St., Sammamish, WA 98075, 425-837-5200 Discovery Elementary, 2300 228th Ave. S.E., Sammamish, WA 98075, 425-837-4100 Endeavour Elementary, 26205 S.E. Issaquah-Fall City Road, Issaquah, WA 98029, 425-837-7350 Grand Ridge Elementary, 1739 N.E. Park Drive, Issaquah, WA 98029, 425-837-7925 Issaquah Valley Elementary, 555 N.W. Holly St., Issaquah, WA 98027, 425-837-7200 Maple Hills Elementary, 15644 204th Ave. S.E., Renton, WA 98059, 425-837-5100 Newcastle Elementary, 8400 136th Ave. S.E., Newcastle, WA 98059, 425-837-5800
The Issaquah School District is the 15th largest district in the state with more than 18,000 students. There are 15 elementary schools, five middle schools, three comprehensive high schools and one alternative high school spread among 110 square miles in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. The district also runs the educational program at the state’s Echo Glen Children’s Center in Snoqualmie. The district serves an area from the valley floor, south into Renton and east to the Sammamish and Highlands areas.
Elementary Schools Apollo Elementary, 15025 S.E. 117th St., Renton, WA 98059, 425-837-7500 Briarwood Elementary, 17020 S.E. 134th St., Renton, WA 98059, 425-837-5000 Cascade Ridge Elementary, 2020 Trossachs Blvd. S.E., Sammamish, WA 98075, 425-837-5500
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professional development, and state of the art learning environments. In addition to outstanding teachers, we have high quality staff at every level who genuinely care about the success of our students academically and socially. Our principals, educational assistants, secretaries, transportation, maintenance, and food service personnel are all committed to creating a culture throughout the district that promotes kindness and acceptance. There are as many paths
Sunny Hills Elementary, 3200 Issaquah-Pine Lake Road S.E., Sammamish, WA 98075, 425-837-7400 Sunset Elementary, 4229 West Lake Sammamish Parkway, S.E., Bellevue, WA 98008, 425-837-5600
Middle Schools Beaver Lake Middle School, 25025 S.E. 32nd St., Issaquah, WA 98029, 425-837-4150 Issaquah Middle School, 400 First Ave. S.E., Issaquah, WA 98027, 425-837-6800 Maywood Middle, 14490 168th Ave. S.E., Renton, WA 98059, 425-837-6903 Pacific Cascade Middle School, 24635 S.E. Issaquah-Fall City Road, 98029, 425-837-5900
post high school as there are students. Ideally an Issaquah School District student graduates with a strong sense of self-worth and the strength to search out and find their own paths to happiness. As superintendent, nothing pleases me more than when I hear stories of our graduates succeeding and living happy, productive lives. That is truly what the Issaquah School District — and our community — stands for, and how together we contribute to a better, healthier, and stronger society.
Pine Lake Middle School, 3200 228th Ave. S.E., Sammamish, WA 98075, 425-837-5700
High Schools Issaquah High School, 700 2nd Ave. S.E., Issaquah, WA 98027, 425-837-6000 Liberty High School, 16655 S.E. 136th, Renton, WA 98059, 425-837-4800 Skyline High School, 1122 228th Ave. S.E., Sammamish, WA 98075, 425-837-7700 Tiger Mountain Community High, 355 S.E. Evans St., Issaquah, WA 98027, 425-837-6200 More information is available at www.issaquah.wednet.edu.
MAYOR FRED BUTLER Fred Butler was elected as mayor in November 2013. He previously served on the Issaquah City Council from 1999-2013. Butler is a retired U.S. Army Corps of Engineers colonel. Over 26 years, some of his assignments included command of a combat engineer company in Vietnam and command of the Middle East/Africa District. He was decorated for valor on the battlefield. Subsequently, he became chief engineer of Seattle City Light, where he served until 1996.
Eileen Barber
Eileen Barber currently holds Position 3 on the city council. She was elected Nov. 3, 2013 and serves on the Land and Shore Committee and the Services and Safety Committee.
T
he city of Issaquah operates under a mayor-council form of government. In this form, the elected mayor serves as the city’s chief administrative officer and an elected sevenmember council serves as the city’s legislative body.
Joshua Schaer
Paul Winterstein
Joshua Schaer currently holds Position 4 on the city council and he will exit his seat Dec. 31, 2015. Bill Ramos and Tim Flood are slated to run for his seat in the general election.
Paul Winterstein currently holds Position 6 on the city council and also serves as council president. He was elected Nov. 8, 2011. He will run against Christopher Reh in the general election.
Mary Lou Pauly
Tola Marts
Nina Milligan
Stacy Goodman
Mary Lou Pauly currently holds Position 1 on the city council. She was elected Nov. 5, 2013. She serves on the Land and Shore Committee.
Tola Marts currently holds Position 7 on the city council. He was elected Nov. 5, 2013 and serves on the Services and Safety Committee.
Stacy Goodman currently holds Position 5 on the city council. She also serves as deputy council president. She was elected Nov. 5, 2013 and serves on the Infrastructure Committee.
Nina Milligan currently holds Position 2 on the city council and will exit her seat Dec. 31, 2015. Council candidate Jennifer Sutton will run unopposed for the seat in the 2015 general election.
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ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING DISTRICTS IN KING CO. By Traci Pierce Superintendent, Lake Washington School District
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ere in Lake Washington School District, we look forward to graduating nearly 1,600 seniors in the class of 2015 this June. We also look forward to welcoming over 2,000 kindergartners in the class of 2028 next fall. As one of the fastest growing districts in King County and the sixth largest in the state, we are proud of our growth and continued focus toward accomplishing our vision of Every Student Future Ready. To accomplish our vision we focus on five strategic goals: Goal 1: Ensure academic success for every student Goal 2: Provide safe and innovative learning environments Goal 3: Recruit, hire, and retain highly effective personnel Goal 4: Use resources effectively and be fiscally responsible Goal 5: Engage our communities
As the 2014-15 school year comes to a close, I’m proud to highlight a few key district achievements aligned to our goals: Twenty four district schools earned Washington Achievement awards this year. Lake Washington received more awards than any other district in the state, including the five districts that are larger. Twelve schools earned recognition for Overall Excellence. These awards reflect the hard work of our teachers and staff in ensuring the academic success of our students. Our first class of seniors will graduate from Tesla STEM High School in June. Every high school in the district has developed Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math programs for our students. These programs provide innovative learning environments and opportunities for students.
Twenty nine teachers across the district achieved their National Board Certification this year. A total of 269 teachers in our district have earned this prestigious certification. Many classified and certificated staff members also earned national awards and recognition for their work. Our professional learning programs are extensive. They range from our New Teacher Support Program to our bus driver training program to certification offerings for nonteaching staff. These programs all focus on ensuring that we have highly effective personnel working in our district. This spring, the district saved taxpayers $17.3 million through bond refinancing, and the district’s Standard & Poor’s bond rating was upgraded to AA+. This is the highest rating assigned to any school district in the state. It is shared by only two other districts (Bellevue and Issaquah).
We continue to work to use our resources effectively and be fiscally responsible. Last fall, we convened a 63-person community task force to help develop a strategy to address our long-term facility needs. The work of the committee is still underway. They are engaging the larger community in the conversation through both on-line and inperson open house meetings. As superintendent, I am proud of our district’s achievements and proud to serve families and students in Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish. We continue to be a high-performing district due to the ongoing support of our parents and communities. As I reflect on the past year and look ahead to the future, I am confident that the future looks bright for our students!
SCHOOLS IN SAMMAMISH
Additionally, many Sammamish students also attend Tesla STEM High School, located just outside the city of Sammamish’s boarder in Redmond at 4301 228th Ave. N.E. The Lake Washington School District has educational sites in the cities of Kirkland, Redmond, Woodinville and Sammamish. There are 27 elementary schools, seven middle schools and four major high schools within the school district. There are also 13 elementary and secondary choice schools, like Tesla STEM High School, within the district. To view the district map, visit www.lwsd.org/Schools/District-
Map. The following list of schools are within the Lake Washington School District and are schools Sammamish students attend.
936-2630 Rachel Carson Elementary, 1035 244th Ave. N.E., Sammamish, WA 98074, 425-936-2750 Samantha Smith Elementary, 23305 N.E. 14th, Sammamish, WA 98074, 425-936-2710
The Lake Washington School District is not the only school district on the Plateau. Since the city of Sammamish was in unincorporated King County until 1999, district boundaries mixed onto the Plateau. The Lake Washington District serves the northern half. There are several schools within city limits that are within the Issaquah Schools District. There is also a private Catholic school, Eastside Catholic School, that is located at 232 228th Ave. S.E., Sammamish.
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Elementary Schools
Christa McAuliffe Elementary, 23823 N.E. 22nd St., Sammamish, WA 98074, 425-9362620 Elizabeth Blackwell Elementary,3225 205th Place N.E., Sammamish, WA 98074, 425-936-2520 Louisa May Alcott Elementary, 4213 228th Ave. N.E. Redmond WA 98053, 425-936-2490 Margaret Mead Elementary, 1725 216th Ave. N.E., Sammamish, WA 98053, 425-
Middle Schools Inglewood Junior High, 24120 N.E. 8th St., Sammamish, WA 98074, 425-936-2360
High Schools Eastlake High School, 400 228th Ave. N.E., Sammamish, WA 98074, 425-936-1500 More information is available at
CITY MANAGER
Tom Vance
Tom Vance currently holds Position 6 on the Sammamish City Council, and he was appointed mayor by the council in January 2014. He is running for re-election in the November 2015 election against Tom Hornish.
Day-to-day operation in Sammamish is under the direction of a city manager, selected by the city council to serve as the professional administrator of the city and coordinate all city operations, projects and programs and administering all policies and laws adopted by the council. Since 2001, that position has been filled by Ben Yazici. Yazici announced in early 2015 he will retire in February 2016. Deputy City Manager Lyman Howard (pictured) will fill his shoes March 1, 2016. Howard was named deputy city manager in 2011 after joining the city as its finance director about a decade ago.
nlike Issaquah, the city of Sammamish uses a council-city manager form of government. Under council-city manager governance, the mayor is a largely ceremonial role occupied by a voting member of the city council.
Kathleen Huckabay
Ramiro Valderrama
Nancy Whitten
Don Gerend
Kathleen Huckabay currently holds Position 1 on the city council and was appointed deputy mayor by the council in January 2014. She serves on several committees for the city.
Ramiro Valderrama-Aramayo holds Position 4 on the council. He was elected in 2011. He is running unopposed for re-election in Nov. 2015 after opponent Hank Klein announced he would drop out of the race.
Nancy Whitten currently holds Position 2 on the city council and will exit her seat Dec. 31, 2015. Christie Malchow and Mark Cross are slated to run for her seat in the general election.
Don Gerend currently holds Position 5 on the Sammamish City Council. He serves on the Legislative Committee, Water Resource Inventory Area 8, Utility District Coordination and the Sound Cities Association.
Bob Keller
Tom Odell
Bob Keller currently holds Position 3 on the council. He was elected Nov. 5, 2013. He serves on the Transportation Committee, Eastside Fire and Rescue board and the Sound Cities Association.
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Tom Odell currently holds Position 7 on the council. Originally elected in 2009, he was re-elected in 2013. He serves on several boards, including the finance, public safety and transportation committees.
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spwsd.org ISSAQUAH-SAMMAMISH REPORTER
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THE MANY LIVES OF A
LAKE WASHINGTON FERRY How did a steam ferry built in 1914 in the Eastside neighborhood of Houghton end up along the shores of San Francisco Bay?
T
he Lake Washington ferry, the Issaquah had quite a history behind her when she was retired from service on San Francisco Bay in 1948. The pretty little 114-foot ferry with twin smokestacks and pilot houses was said to be revolutionary for the times, being the first, and last, privately owned inland waterway, double-ended steam ferryboat. And she sported a maple dance floor. Affectionately known as “Squash,” she was built in Houghton, Washington, and launched with great fanfare on Lake Washington in March 1914. With appropriate banners and festivities involving both the mayors of Seattle and Issaquah, as she went down the launching ways, her 9’ draft proved too deep for the lakeshore bottom, and, in front of dignitaries making speeches,
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Issaquah nose-dived into the mud and got stuck there until the next day. It was perhaps a premonition of things to come, eight decades later. Nonetheless, by May 1914, she was serving ports on Lake Washington, and in between scheduled runs, was used as a floating and cruising dance hall and party center. But in just a few years, competition from the stateowned ferry system put her out of business, and in 1918, the Issaquah was purchased by the newly formed Rodeo/Vallejo Line of San Francisco Bay. Thirty years later, she was retired from service and laid up, “mothballed,” at Vallejo. Then the Issaquah was brought to the town of Sausalito — to a slot at the side of Gate 6 Road near the bay in the heart of all the new activity burgeoning in what had become called “The Gates.” The Gates was an outlaw settlement, made up of a variety of cobbled together, and sometimes barely floating, houseboats and a community of “free-thinking” bohemians and hippies. It
ISSAQUAH & SAMMAMISH
was a loose and largely illegal settlement that flourished for years. After two decades of lying at the side of Gate 6 Road, Issaquah became a deteriorated victim of benign neglect and inevitable decay. She sagged and sank deeper into the mud, her lower decks awash at high tide. Yet she was still inhabited by a hardy community of waterfront dwellers. At 114’, the vessel could house 10-12 persons comfortably on the upper deck in small bedrooms tucked away in cubbyholes, and considerably more in flop-house mode. It was often mentioned that the wind whistled through the planking, and the maple dance floor had curled up, and “the boat was gracefully sinking.” Indeed, the lower deck — open space where cars had once been carried, was awash at high tide and not used as living space. Progress inevitably crept up to the old ferryboat as developers finally secured permits to build a houseboat marina. In 1977
construction began on a dock that would carry her name. The dock brought a new kind of waterfront dweller and a new kind of waterfront living: ordered, comfortable, with amenities and utilities. As the dock grew, new vessels were towed into the new berths, some custom built, some the same built-upon, haphazard structures that had been there before there was a dock. A new kind of community emerged as professional people, executives and retirees with money to spend got on board. The dock, lined with bright flower-box gardens and greenery, was still inhabited by artists and writers, cats and dogs, seagulls and pigeons and people bonded by a desire to live on the water. Nearly everyone who lived there felt it was just like being on vacation every day. This story was excerpted from a forthcoming book by Annie Sutter titled “The History of Issaquah Dock.”
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A lot can happen in
Winter quarter, 1966: Bellevue Community College opened its doors to 464 students. Winter quarter, 2016: Bellevue College projected to enroll more than 33,000 students. With roots firmly planted in the community, Bellevue College has grown with the Eastside. From a quiet, rural community to a busy, ethnically diverse, high-tech hub.
Sign up for classes at www.bellevuecollege.edu
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Join us in 2016 as we celebrate 50 years of service to the region and look forward to the great things to come in the next 50.