Council approves transportation plan
May 24, 2011
Proposal outlines repairs to weakened retaining wall
City Council members laid out a roadmap for Issaquah transportation projects May 2.
The council adopted the Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, a guide to short- and long-term planning for road, transit and pedestrian projects. The document outlines possible transportation projects for 2012-17.
“Having a project on the TIP makes it eligible for certain types of funding, but more broadly, it signals to the community what improvements we’re considering for the future,” Councilman Joshua Schaer said before the unanimous decision.
The city Public Works Engineering Department lists transportation projects in the TIP, and then prioritizes the projects through a separate process to fund capital improvements.
Transportation planners outlined possible improvements to the timber retaining wall along Southeast Black Nugget Road behind Fred Meyer and The Home Depot.
Some timbers started to dislodge, rot is prevalent, pressure distorted some pilings and the fence atop the wall is failing. The city attributes the problems to shoddy construction. The timber was cut too short and too thin for the area. In addition, the structure was not properly treated.
King County could provide some funding to offset the estimated $496,000 repair cost.
“We’ve been talking with King County for a couple of years now, and we’re very close to reaching an agreement with them whereby we can receive some funds fairly quickly, with the possibility of additional funds over an undetermined period of time,” Public Works Engineering Director Bob Brock told the council.
City Council, school board to discuss shared issues
May 24, 2011
City Council and Issaquah School Board members face a substantial docket May 26, as the elected groups meet for dinner and a wide-ranging discussion.
Many issues overlap into both municipal and Issaquah School District spheres and, although no action is to be taken at the meeting, participants expect a productive meeting. City officials plan to update board members about ongoing city projects and vice versa.
“I think that it is clear that the success of the school district and the success of the city are intertwined,” Councilman Tola Marts said. “I’ve said many times, no one moves to Issaquah for the weather. They move to Issaquah for the Issaquah jewels, but they also move because it’s one of the few places in Washington state that’s somewhat affordable that also has outstanding education.”
Marts and Councilman Mark Mullet both have children in the Issaquah school system.
“I think it’s a good meeting, because I don’t think we do enough overlap to make sure that we know what’s going on with each other,” Mullet said.
Participants plan to discuss the school district’s $228.6 million bond proposal. The still-evolving proposal suggests for the district to raze Tiger Mountain Community High School and Clark Elementary School, and move campuses for the schools to a remodeled Issaquah Middle School. Such a proposal could affect downtown Issaquah traffic — a subject of intense focus from city leaders.
In the same vein, officials plan to discuss busy Second Avenue Southeast — a corridor bordered by Issaquah High School and other campuses.
Press Editorial
May 24, 2011
Thank you for the winning opportunities
A big journalism award like Best Nondaily Newspaper in the Northwest gets our adrenaline pumping — and gives us pause to say thank you.
Let’s just start with the special section inside today’s paper, our second year to publish Lest We Forget. It’s a labor of love, and a labor of respect. It’s also a lot of hard work. But we couldn’t do it at all without the community neighbors and businesses who step up to cover the minimal costs. Thank you.
Thank you to all of the businesses that advertise with us year after year. Part of our commitment to excellent journalism is our commitment to advertisers to keep readership high. Quid pro quo. Your success is our success.
Thank you to our readers, who inspire us with their contributions of service to the community. Thank you for submitting your story ideas and photos. Thank you to the thousands for following us on Facebook and Twitter.
Thank you to the owners of The Issaquah Press and its three sister newspapers. The Blethen family encourages us, and then gives us the resources to do great work.
We are often asked whether newspapers will survive the test of a changing time. We’re glad to say our crystal ball is rosy and bright. We’re not in the business of making predictions, but with a commitment to strong journalism and a strong community, we have a formula that will keep us around for many years. Heck, 111 years is just the beginning!
Thank you, Issaquah. We’re proud to be your award-winning newspaper.
Bellevue College leader, advocate for Issaquah campus, resigns
May 24, 2011
Bellevue College President Jean Floten, a strong advocate for adding a college campus to the Issaquah Highlands, is resigning from the institution to serve as chancellor of WGU Washington, the state’s online university.
Floten arrived at Bellevue College in 1989 and helped build the Eastside institution into a college serving about 39,000 students each year. Only the University of Washington and Washington State University outrank Bellevue College in size.
“Having the honor of serving as president of Bellevue College for over two decades has been the opportunity of a lifetime,” she said in a statement.
The college announced the resignation May 23.
In recent years, Floten focused on adding a satellite campus in a fast-growing Eastside community. The college announced plans last year to build a campus in the highlands, as a complicated land-preservation process neared completion.
The college purchased land for a highlands campus last year, but no construction timeline has been finalized.
The college’s board of trustees plans to launch a national search for a successor to Floten.
WGU Washington is a partnership between the state and Western Governors University.
Troopers confront slowpoke ‘left-lane campers’
May 24, 2011
State troopers cracked down last month on “left-lane campers” — people clogging traffic by traveling too slowly in the left lane.
Troopers stopped 223 motorists and issued 199 warnings during King County patrols. Washington State Patrol leaders conducted the exercise to educate drivers about the importance of the left-lane travel law.
Under state law, slower traffic should travel in the right lane in order to keep traffic flowing in a safe and orderly fashion. Motorists violate the law if they remain continuously in the left lane and impede the flow of other traffic. (The left lane does not include high-occupancy vehicle lanes.)
Slowpokes face a $124 fine if caught.
Motorists stopped for continually driving in the left lane often frequently state, “I didn’t realize it was against the law.”
Slow vehicles traveling in the left lane create unsafe conditions as other motorists grow frustrated and start to pass on the right side. The problem causes traffic congestion as motorists follow a slow-moving vehicle too closely.
School district awards Maywood contract
May 24, 2011
Six contractors submitted bids for the Maywood Middle School addition and modernization; M.J. Takisaki Inc. was awarded the project.
The Seattle company gave the lowest base bid at $11.8 million in a range of base bids that went as high as $13.2 million.
After accepting the base bid, district staff members agreed to several more construction projects at the school, including a new elevator and fire alarm system, as well as new partitions and music storage rooms, bringing the bid to about $12.2 million. Finally, the district agreed to a Washington state sales tax of about $1 million, bringing the final bid to $13.2 million.
The Issaquah School Board approved the bid at its April 28 meeting. Maywood’s modernization and expansion is slated for completion by August 2012.
Woman shoots self during Issaquah traffic stop
May 24, 2011
State troopers said a driver shot and killed herself early May 17 during a traffic stop in Issaquah.
The trooper had stopped a vehicle along Interstate 90 when he heard a popping noise and discovered the woman inside the vehicle had suffered a gunshot wound.
He then called for medical assistance. Eastside Fire & Rescue medics declared the woman dead at the scene.
The incident occurred at about 2:30 a.m. on the eastbound interstate near the Front Street North exit. The woman had been alone in the Saturn coupe.
Officials later identified her as a 23-year-old Bothell woman and a veteran of the Iraq war.
Concerned family members had alerted the state patrol about the woman.
Plan ahead to steer clear of holiday travel headaches
May 24, 2011
Memorial Day weekend means more traffic congestion as people hit the road for the traditional start of summer.
The state Department of Transportation alerted drivers to expect delays along Interstate 90 at Snoqualmie Pass and U.S. 2 at Stevens Pass, as well as along Interstate 5 at the Canadian border and between Olympia and Tacoma.
The agency offers many ways for motorists to check road conditions, including a travel website, www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic, and a travel information hotline, 511.
Motorists can find information such as camera images from across the state, state ferry schedules and a map of highway incidents and closures online.
People using mobile devices can go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/inform to see how transportation officials provide travel information through email alerts and other tools, such as Facebook and Twitter.
Sound Transit upgrades website for riders
May 24, 2011
Sound Transit has launched the website to improve commutes for bus and train riders throughout the region.
The address is the same — www.soundtransit.org — but the agency upgraded the features. In addition to a clean, intuitive design, the website includes a better trip planner and interactive maps featuring more information about transit connections and the locations of stations, stops and parking. The transit agency also made schedules easier to read.
Other improvements to the trip planner include the ability to type in start and end points of a transit trip and see multiple options on interactive maps.
The site also features a guide for new riders, plus the ability to sign up for email and text message service alerts.
Off the Press
May 24, 2011
Here’s to those who help us remember
Sometimes we all need a little reminder. Thank goodness we have people like Dave Waggoner in the Issaquah community.
Bob Taylor Press sports editor
Waggoner, a quartermaster in the Issaquah Veterans of Foreign Wars post, once left a small U.S. flag at the office so I would always remember Memorial Day. The flag still flies above my desk.
Each year, Waggoner, members of the VFW post and local Boy Scouts plant flags and/or crosses on the graves of former veterans at Hillside Cemetery for Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Waggoner makes sure these former vets are remembered.
Waggoner expressed a concern in an April Issaquah Press story that people are forgetting U.S. veterans. With Memorial Day coming up, none of us should forget veterans, especially those in our family.
I do a roll call every Memorial Day, setting aside some time to remember the veterans in my family.
