Newcastle Elementary School Principal Christy Otley recently announced that she will transfer to Grand Ridge Elementary School in the Issaquah Highlands at the end of the school year.

Otley, who has been at Newcastle Elementary since it opened, announced the news in a letter.

“For the past six years, this school community has been such a family to me,” Otley wrote in her resignation letter. “I am following an important life lesson that we try to teach all of our students: Challenge and change are often necessary for growth and fresh perspectives.”

Issaquah School District officials created a survey to help in selecting a new principal for Newcastle Elementary. Take the survey here by 4 p.m. Feb. 23.

The King County Road Services Division will begin pedestrian safety improvements along a section of Southeast Issaquah-Fall City Road between 247th Place Southeast and Klahanie Drive Southeast beginning the week of Feb. 15.

County workers will make several improvements along the stretch of roadway, including the installation of a 5-foot-wide concrete sidewalk, a bicycle lane and additional lighting along the north side of the roadway. The project is expected to take about two months to complete.

Motorists should be advised that the one westbound lane of Southeast Issaquah-Fall City Road will be closed from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Monday through Friday during the construction period. Therefore, motorists may experience periodic traffic delays. Workers will attempt to keep those disruptions to a minimum.

Issaquah and other 5th Legislative District residents can join a call-in “town hall” meeting Feb. 10 with State Rep. Jay Rodne.

Callers will be able to listen to the lawmaker, a North Bend Republican, ask questions and participate in polls. The hourlong meeting begins at 7 p.m. Call 877-229-8493 toll free and enter the code 15549 to participate.

Rodne and other lawmakers continue to work on the state budget shortfall; the 60-day legislative session wraps in March.

“I’m really excited about hearing from so many constituents at once,” Rodne said in a news release. “The midway point of the legislative session is a great time to share what is happening in the Legislature and get people’s feedback.”

Besides Issaquah and North Bend, the 5th District includes Sammamish, Fall City, Snoqualmie, Maple Valley and parts of unincorporated King County.

Special Olympics Washington hosts the King County Regional Basketball Tournament Feb. 7 from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Issaquah Community Center.

The tournament will feature more than 800 Special Olympic athletes from the county. Teams will compete for an opportunity to advance to the Winter Games, March 5-7 in Wenatchee.

Klahanie residents asked the City Council to reconsider a still-nascent proposal to redraw a key growth map, as Issaquah officials consider annual changes to the city growth plan.

The council heard Monday from 13 Klahanie residents, who encouraged Issaquah officials not to cede the community to potential annexation by Sammamish. The residents also protested a proposal by Sammamish to take over Klahanie Park.

Proposed amendments to the city growth blueprint to evaluate the Klahanie Potential Annexation Area — about 1,200 acres spread across several subdivisions and home to about 11,000 residents — prompted residents to address the council.

But the council did not discuss the proposed amendments, and instead sent the items to the Council Land & Shore Committee for review. The committee meets 6 p.m. Monday in the Pickering Room at City Hall Northwest, 1775 12th Ave. N.W.

Issaquah Planning Director Mark Hinthorne said city planners included the proposed Klahanie amendment as a placeholder.

“If the council decides not to do anything this year, it’s a no-change situation,” he said. “It doesn’t affect our planning at all.”

Issaquah and Sammamish officials entered discussions in December about tweaking the map to include Klahanie in long-term growth plans for Sammamish instead of Issaquah.

Concerned Citizens of Klahanie — a neighborhood group opposed to a Sammamish takeover of the park — undertook the initiative to address the Issaquah council. The organization claims almost 500 members.

Gisela Bleiweiss, who lives near Klahanie Park, urged Issaquah officials to stop the park transfer from King County to Sammamish.

“We don’t feel it’s fair for us to have this land that’s always been there with us and Sammamish can take it and do whatever they want,” she said. “We have no representation and we can’t vote them out of office if they do things we don’t like.”

Klahanie, in unincorporated King County, borders Sammamish and Issaquah. The park borders Sammamish to the north.

Then-County Executive Kurt Triplett proposed closing Klahanie Park and 38 others in unincorporated areas in August to help the county close a budget gap. County Parks Director Kevin Brown has said the park will close this year unless the county can find a new owner.

If Sammamish and King County reach a deal to transfer the park, then Issaquah and Sammamish could move to amend the cities’ comprehensive plans, or long-term growth blueprints. Only Issaquah can annex Klahanie until officials redraw the potential annexation area. A vote by Klahanie residents to annex faltered in 2005.

“Personally, I don’t really care whether we are annexed ultimately by Sammamish or by Issaquah, but I do think that Klahanie as a package needs to stay intact,” Klahanie resident Ken Stanfield said. “I think our park is an important part of that. I think that it may be the park today, but if we don’t solve this issue of not belonging to either Sammamish or Issaquah, it’s going to be Klahanie Boulevard some other day.”

Hinthorne said action by Issaquah hinges on whether council members decide to pursue the Klahanie switch. Then, officials will discuss the proposal further with neighboring Sammamish.

“We need to make sure we’re on the same page as Sammamish,” Hinthorne said.

Chris Brown, who was recently promoted to executive chef at the Issaquah Sip restaurant, has been selected to appear on KCTS 9 Chefs 2010 — a fundraising special hosted by the television station.

The program airs Feb. 6, and Brown will join a select group of local chefs who will share their favorite recipes. Brown will appear live presenting an Issaquah favorite — jidori chicken.

Local athletes sign letters of intent

It was big day Feb. 3 for several local high school senior athletes as they signed national letters of intent.

Four members of Skyline High School’s Class 4A state championship football team signed letters of intent — linemen Evan Day and Jase Butorac with Eastern Washington, linebacker Anthony DeMatteo with Central Washington University, and linebacker Cooper Pelluer with the University of Washington.

Day and Butorac will join Skyline grads Jason Harris and Tyler Washburn at Eastern.

Pelluer, who had earlier verbally committed to Hawaii, changed his mind and decided to become a Husky. His father Scott was a star linebacker for Washington State University and his uncle Steve was a standout quarterback for WSU.

The list of Spartans bound for the college ranks also includes quarterback Jake Heaps, who signed his letter of intent in the fall with Brigham Young University.

Issaquah High School’s football team had two players sign letters of intent — lineman Daniel Fleischman with the University of Wyoming and quarterback Ryan Bergman with Western Oregon University. Running back Grant Gellatly also committed to Cornell University of the Ivy League.

Coleton Langdon, a Liberty High School lineman, signed a letter of intent with Portland State University.

There were some nonfootball signings, too. Kristin Maris and Abby Glasgow, standout members of the Issaquah girls soccer team, and Quinn Grisham and Michael Axelson, standout players on the Issaquah boys team, signed national letters of intent.

Maris is headed to Western Washington University, Glasgow is going to Chico State University, Grisham will play for Washington and Axelson will go to Whitman.

Issaquah volleyball player Chrissy Dickinson signed with Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey.

Earlier baseball signings included Spencer Rogers, of Issaquah, with Washington, and John McLeod, of Liberty, with Wake Forest.

Eagles cruise by Bothell

The Issaquah High girls basketball team started slowly, but quickly got its game in gear Feb. 3 as the Eagles raced by visiting Bothell 83-37 at the Pacific Cascade Freshmen Campus.

Issaquah trailed Bothell by three points at the end of the first quarter, but outscored the Cougars 23-10 in the second period and steadily pulled away for the victory.

Four players scored in double figures for Issaquah led by Domi Mendezona, who had a game-high 16 points. Complementing Mendezona were Mackenzie Schiltz with 13 points, Maddey Pflaumer with 12 points and Blaire Brady with 10 points.

The Eagles’ improved their 4A KingCo Conference record to 11-2. Issaquah remained one game behind first-place Newport in the Crest Division.

In other action, Skyline lost to Woodinville 54-51. Kassia Fortier, of Skyline, scored a game-high 21 points and Rachel Shim had 10 points.

Tournament time begins

Post-season tournaments for gymnasts, swimmers and wrestlers get under way this week with many athletes vying for district berths.

The KingCo Conference gymnastics meet for 4A and 3A athletes takes place Feb. 6 at Mount Si High School. The 3A gymnasts compete in the first two sessions of the day.

Session 1 begins at 9 a.m. with Liberty, Mount Si and Mercer Island competing in the session. Sammamish, Interlake and Bellevue compete in session 2 at 11 a.m.

The 4A KingCo gymnastics competition begins with session 1 at 2 p.m. with Redmond, Skyline, Lake Washington and Roosevelt competing in the session. Eastlake, Ballard, Garfield and Bothell compete in session 2 at 4 p.m.

Concluding the day is session 3 at 6 p.m. featuring Inglemoor, Woodinville, Issaquah and Newport. All four teams have won state championships in the past.

KingCo wrestling takes place at Juanita and Liberty. The 4A KingCo tournament is Feb. 5-6 at Juanita. The first round begins at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 5. The second round starts at 10 a.m. Feb. 6 with the championship round set for 5:30 p.m.

The 3A KingCo tournament is Feb. 6 at Liberty. The opening round begins at 10 a.m. with consolation finals at 3:30 p.m. and the championship round at 6 p.m.

KingCo swimming takes place Feb. 4-6 at three different sites. Prelims are Feb. 4 and will be at Juanita, Mercer Island’s Mary Wayte Pool and Hazen. Skyline, Liberty, Eastlake and Redmond compete in the prelims at 9 a.m. Feb. 4 at Hazen. Issaquah competes in the prelims at noon Feb. 4 at Juanita.

Diving prelims and finals are Feb. 5 at Juanita. The prelims begin at 11:30 a.m. with the finals set for 1 p.m.

The finals for swimming begin at 3:15 p.m. Feb. 6 at Mary Wayte Pool.

Liberty has coaching changes

Eric Larsen has become the interim head coach for the Liberty High School boys basketball team. Larsen replaces Jevon Green, who was fired midway through the current KingCo Conference season.

Liberty athletic director Stark Porter was unable to comment on why Green was let go. Green was a first-year coach for the Patriots.

Darren Tremblay is stepping down as head coach of the girls soccer team. The Patriots went 4-4-4 in 3A/2A KingCo action last fall and finished fourth.

Skyline cheer team takes second

The Skyline High School cheer squad has some momentum as it gears up for a trip to nationals later this month.

Two of Skyline’s teams took second place at the WIAA state championships Jan. 23 in Everett, according to coach Stephania Lemeshko. The Spartans were going for a three-peat after winning state in 2008 and 2009.

Skyline Green placed second in the small coed category with 200 points, behind Kentwood Silver, which scored 219 points.

In the non-tumbling category, Skyline Silver scored 185 points, enough for second. Meadowdale won by just five points in that category.

Forty-nine schools from around the state competed Jan. 23.

Skyline’s small coed team is going to the Universal Cheerleaders Association National High School Cheerleading Championships in Orlando, Fla. Feb. 12-16.

Transit riders, elected officials and representatives from business, labor, education, human services and other organizations will envision future mass transit options in King County.

King County Council members sent County Executive Dow Constantine a set of guidelines Monday to form a regional task force with 27 members from across the county.

The legislation calls on the task force to explore the county transit system and weigh factors, like efficiency, environmental impact, economic development, financial sustainability and geography. The measure sent to Constantine calls on the task force to make recommendations by September.

Shortfalls in the Metro Transit budget prompted the council to advocate for a task force. Members will develop a comprehensive vision for what the regional transit system should look like in the years ahead. The panel will also examine criteria for systematically growing or reducing the transit system, depending on available money.

“This is an example of good government and people working together for the public benefit,” County Councilwoman Kathy Lambert said in a news release. “I am pleased the task force will include rural representation that will ensure a focus on diverse transportation solutions.”

Lambert represents Issaquah, Sammamish and large swaths of unincorporated eastern King County.

Officials raised some transit fares by 25 cents at the start of the year to counter the wide budget gap. Besides the fare increase, Metro cut staff and delayed capital projects to save money.

“As I said in my inaugural speech, we need to push past political divisions and develop a means of delivering transit that is both efficient and reflective of how people live and work today and in the future,” Constantine said in the release. “I thank the council for working with me to create this task force, and I look forward to appointing a panel that is representative of the needs of the entire county.”

A man robbed The Bank of Washington branch along Northwest Mall Street at about 2:15 p.m., authorities said.

Issaquah Police Cmdr. Scott Behrbaum said a man dressed in dark clothing robbed the bank and then fled. No employees were injured during the incident. Behrbaum did not know if any customers were in the bank, at 1250 N.W. Mall St., when the robbery occurred.

Officers responded to the scene and launched the initial investigation. Issaquah Police then contacted the FBI to handle the case, because bank robbery is a federal crime. Federal agents had not reached the bank by 3:45 p.m.

A spokesman from the bureau’s Seattle office could not be reached by 4 p.m.

U.S. Census Bureau officials need temporary employees to help count King County residents during the decennial tally.

The temporary jobs pay $17.50 per hour, including paid training. Applicants must be 18 or older and have a valid Social Security number. Most applicants will need a valid driver’s license.

Call 866-861-2010 toll free to sign up for a 30-minute, multiple-choice basic-skills test, or take a practice test here.

The census questionnaire will be sent to every U.S. household next month. The bureau needs census takers to conduct interviews with people who do not return questionnaires. Officials will hire thousands of census takers to complete the task.

Every 10 years, the Census Bureau surveys the entire national population. Data gathered during the count helps local officials plan for improvements, public services and emergencies. The information helps direct federal dollars for projects, like highways and public health initiatives.

The data also determines how Issaquah, the Eastside and Washington will be represented in government. Officials estimate Washington will gain a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives due to population growth since the 2000 census.

The bureau will host several application tests in the area this month:

• Feb. 5, 3 p.m. – Sammamish Library, 825 228th Ave. S.E.
• Feb. 9, 4 p.m. – King County Library System Service Center, 960 Newport Way N.W.
• Feb. 16, 6 p.m. – Fall City Library, 33415 S.E. 42nd Place
• Feb. 17, 5 p.m. – Eastside Fire & Rescue Station 83, 3425 Issaquah-Pine Lake Road S.E.
• Feb. 19, 11 a.m. – Issaquah Library, 10 E. Sunset Way
• Feb. 25, 3:30 p.m. – EFR Station 82, 1851 228th Ave. N.E.
• Feb. 26, 9:30 a.m. – KCLS Service Center, 960 Newport Way N.W.