Learn about eco-friendly zHome project at tour
November 30, 2010
Track the construction of zHome during a public tour Dec. 2.
The free walk-through focuses on panel installation, fiberglass windows, construction recycling and rainwater plumbing. The tour runs from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Look for the construction site near the Issaquah Highlands Park & Ride, 1755 Highlands Drive N.E.
Plans call for zHome to include 10 eco-friendly townhouses designed to produce as much electricity as the units consume. The homes will harness solar power and use recycled building materials. Officials expect zHome to be completed by the spring.
Dignitaries broke ground on the project in September 2008, but the recession delayed construction until April 2010.
The city spearheaded the development of zHome. Howland Development Issaquah — a joint venture of Shoreline developer Howland Homes and Ichijo USA, a subsidiary of Japanese homebuilder Ichijo Co. — handles the construction. Ichijo USA financed the project.
Trail connector construction marks milestone
November 30, 2010
Crews poured concrete for the last piers in the trail connector at Interstate 90 and state Route 900 in mid-November.
The completion marks a significant milestone for the project. The concrete-and-steel supports constitute about 30 percent of the total construction contract. Each pier is about 140 to 160 feet deep, and contains more than 18 tons of steel and 190 cubic yards of concrete. Crews finished pouring the piers Nov. 19.
Plans call for the piers to support concrete girders spanning the eastbound interstate on-ramp. The project should be completed in April.
The completed connector is to feature a 12-foot-wide pedestrian bridge across the westbound interstate on-ramps, plus a 10-foot-wide pedestrian crossing on the existing state Route 900 overpass.
The project experienced a slight delay in October, as crews had to dig deeper to reach a sturdier soil layer to support a series of concrete-and-steel piers.
The city awarded the $4.4 million construction contract to C. A. Carey Corp. in June. The total project price tag is about $6 million.
The project relies on grants — including $400,000 from Sound Transit — to offset most of the project cost. The city contributed about $341,000 toward the link. Construction on the project started in July.
Issaquah food pantry needs sponsors for holiday season
November 30, 2010
More than 450 families in need will receive holiday cheer from their community this year, thanks to the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank holiday drive. Schools, scouts, businesses, religious groups and individuals have already reached out, buying presents and nonperishable food for Issaquah families struggling through tough times. This season, the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank needs more sponsors to adopt families for Christmas. To help, mail donations to Issaquah Food Bank, P.O. Box 652, Issaquah WA 98027, or call the food pantry at 392-4123.
Donate pet food to help hungry, furry friends
November 30, 2010
The fifth annual Holiday Pet Food Drive is collecting kibbles, treats and wet pet food at Safeway.
Every year, pet food donations help the Seattle Humane Society fill its Pet Food Bank shelves for animals in King County owned by people who are disabled by AIDS, are low-income and senior members of the community, or who are Pet Project clients.
In the winter of 2009, people donated about 15 tons of pet food — providing food to more than 1,200 pets. This summer, Safeway participated in the first summer pet food drive and collected 8,000 pounds of food for the Pet Food Bank.
It takes an average of 12,000 pounds per month to sustain the program. The latest pet food drive ends Dec. 31.
Call 649-7566 or e-mail petproject@seattlehumane.org to enroll in the Pet Project, and e-mail petfoodbank@seattlehumane.org to enroll in the Pet Food Bank.
“Thanks, to the Pet Food Bank, more than 930 pet owners each month don’t have to choose between self care and pet care,” Seattle Humane Society spokeswoman Divya Kumar said.
Evergreen Philharmonic relies on practice, practice, practice before Carnegie Hall gig
November 30, 2010
Dancers twirl in the Issaquah Community Center as the Evergreen Philharmonic Orchestra performs at Swingin’ in Vienna in January. File
Skyline High School violinist Melinda Wang and her friends from around the Issaquah School District have the chance of a lifetime this school year.
Wang, a senior and the concertmaster for the district’s Evergreen Philharmonic Orchestra, will be one of 54 fellow musicians who will get to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York in May.
Carnegie Hall has hosted the likes of the Beatles, Leonard Bernstein, composer John Adams, the New York Philharmonic and Duke Ellington, among others. Read more
Issaquah CEO hosts a radio show with moxie
November 30, 2010
During her radio interview on “Chat with Women,” Andrea Heuston so impressed the show’s hosts that they offered her a radio show of her own.
At first Heuston, a Snoqualmie resident and Issaquah businesswoman, declined, saying she was too busy with her business, Artitudes Design, and her family. But “Chat with Women” co-owners and hosts Pam Gray and Rochelle Alhadeff insisted they needed her, calling her every week until she agreed to join their team.
On her new radio show, “Artful Moxie,” Heuston interviews successful women, and asks them to share their stories with her listeners.
“‘Artful Moxie’ is about learning from others’ experiences — how to push past our boundaries, those speed bumps on the road on our journey to success,” she said on her first show, Nov. 8, when she interviewed her friend, Bellevue romance novelist Gerri Russell. Read more
High school students dig deep into DNA at Fred Hutchinson
November 30, 2010
Issaquah High School sophomores Ashlie Humphries (left) and Nick Co isolate the DNA of strawberries at Hutch High, as University of Washington graduate student Naomi Bogenschutz explains how detergent breaks up lipids, and cellular and nuclear membranes. Photo by Laura Geggel
The strawberry, with eight sets of each chromosome, is an ideal fruit for DNA extraction. Humans only have two sets of each chromosome, one from their mother and the other from their father. Read more
Submit verses and rhymes to youth poetry slam
November 30, 2010
Whether it is a ballad or a sonnet, freestyle verse or a haiku, the Issaquah Youth Advisory Board is looking for teenagers to write and read their work for a poetry slam.
Issaquah High School sophomore Iman Baghai, one of about 50 youth board members, said the poetry slam would encourage students to express themselves through the written word.
“We decided a poetry slam would be a good way to promote youth writing and youth voice,” he said. “We thought it would be a good way to promote poetry and trigger some interest and maybe even some passion for poetry.” Read more
Issaquah High School presents the classic tale ‘Sleeping Beauty’
November 30, 2010
The wicked Trollarina, played by freshman Kylie Fletcher (left), chortles as Sleeping Beauty, played by freshman Paige Montague, pricks her finger on a spinning wheel. By Laura Geggel
The whole kingdom celebrated the birth of the Princess Melisande during her christening — everyone except the wicked fairy, Trollarina.
Trollarina bursts out in the song of “I’m So Mad,” causing the royal and common folk to cower under her fury, but the troublesome fairy is clearly a villainess with spunk, and sings “It’s Lovely to be a Troll” while tap dancing later in the musical.
The scenes come to life as Issaquah High School students present the classic tale of “Sleeping Beauty.”
This is the last year Issaquah High School’s drama group has to perform away from its school until its remodel is complete. So, the troupe presents “Sleeping Beauty” at the Skyline High School theater. Read more
Master Chorus Eastside celebrates 20 years of ‘ingenious’ creativity
November 30, 2010
The Master Chorus Eastside opens its 20th season Dec. 4 with ‘A Victorian Christmas.’ File
For 20 years, Master Chorus Eastside has been gracing the Issaquah area with a variety of music and an abundance of skill.
The chorus will open its 20th season Dec. 4 at Eastlake Performing Arts Center in Sammamish with “A Victorian Christmas.” The performance will feature Victorian Christmas songs, like “Masters in This Hall” and “A Virgin Most Pure,” as well as more familiar Christmas songs, including “The 12 Days of Christmas” and “Deck the Halls,” according to Conductor Linda Gingrich. Read more
