County seeks proposals for youth sports facilities
February 7, 2013
NEW — 8 a.m. Feb. 7, 2013
Local youth sports organizations can apply for King County grants to build or upgrade recreation facilities.
The county Youth Sports Facilities Grants Program provides matching grant funds from $5,000 to $75,000. Past grant recipients include playgrounds and athletic fields, including the Issaquah Little League’s Dodd Fields near Issaquah Valley Elementary School.
Other local grant recipients in the Issaquah area include city-run Central Park in the Issaquah Highlands and county-run Duthie Hill Park in Sammamish.
Overall, officials awarded $12 million through the program in the past 20 years.
Citizens can comment on proposed Grand Ridge trailhead
September 18, 2012
King County parks planners asked the public for input on a proposed trailhead facility to add access to Grand Ridge Park and Mitchell Hill Forest near Preston.
The county Parks and Recreation Division is hosting a public meeting on the proposal Sept. 27.
The meeting includes a public question and comment period. Staffers intend to provide a summary of comments received to date, plus information about possible access and road improvements.
Planners seek public input on proposed Grand Ridge trailhead
September 13, 2012
NEW — 10 a.m. Sept. 13, 2012
King County parks planners asked the public for input on a proposed trailhead facility to add access to Grand Ridge Park and Mitchell Hill Forest near Preston.
The county Parks and Recreation Division is hosting a public meeting on the proposal from 7-8:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Preston Community Center, 8625 310th Ave. S.E. The meeting includes a public question and comment period.
Citizens can also submit comments to the county through Oct. 12.
Officials said developed access to Grand Ridge Park and Mitchell Hill Forest is limited to two locations meant to serve only Grand Ridge Park.
Police detonate pipe bomb in Issaquah Highlands portable toilet
July 24, 2012
Police display a pipe bomb discovered in a portable toilet July 16 and later safely detonated the device. Issaquah Police Department
Police safely detonated a pipe bomb discovered inside a portable toilet in the Issaquah Highlands on July 16, not long after a construction crew discovered the Honey Bucket had been damaged by explosives.
Police ask for tips after pipe bomb is discovered in portable toilet
July 17, 2012
NEW — 6:50 p.m. July 17, 2012
Police safely detonated a pipe bomb discovered inside a portable toilet in the Issaquah Highlands on Monday, not long after a construction crew discovered the Honey Bucket had been damaged by explosives.
The incident occurred at 15th Avenue Northeast and Northeast College Drive. Bellevue Police Department bomb squad personnel responded to the scene after workers discovered the unexploded pipe bomb inside the damaged Honey Bucket. The case remains open and under investigation by the Issaquah Police Department.
Police said another portable toilet in nearby Central Park sustained damaged from explosives July 4.
Investigators asked for tips and assistance from citizens in reporting suspicious activities near construction areas in the highlands.
Issaquah Highlands road link opens to vehicle traffic
May 15, 2012
By Dona Mokin
Issaquah Highlands residents, long limited to a single east-west route uphill through the hillside neighborhood, celebrated the opening of another road link May 10.
The city opened a pair of connected roads — Northeast College Drive and Northeast Falls Drive — to connect motorists to the area from Grand Ridge Elementary School to a proposed retail complex downhill from the campus.
The roads supplement the existing east-west corridor, Northeast Park Drive. The project is also meant to address congestion caused by morning and afternoon drop-offs and pick-ups at Grand Ridge Elementary.
The link starts at Central Park, runs behind the school and terminates at 10th Avenue Northeast. The link — completed by developers — is meant to offer additional access to the school, residences and a planned Bellevue College campus. (Hence the name Northeast College Drive.)
Developers shouldered most of the roughly $1.75 million project cost.
City Council approves Issaquah Highlands land sale
May 1, 2012
City Council members agreed April 16 to sell land to homebuilder Polygon Homes, despite objections from local environmentalists.
The city earned $80,000 in the land sale — dollars earmarked for landscaping in Central Park and elsewhere, wetland programs and Park Pointe conservation.
The property is 14,693 square feet, or about the size of the Issaquah Library, in the Issaquah Highlands’ Forest Ridge subdivision. Polygon intends to use the land for residences.
The property is included in the complicated Park Pointe transfer of development rights. In exchange for preserving a forested Tiger Mountain site near Issaquah High School, officials agreed to open additional highlands land to development. The long process ended in March 2011.
Despite the conditions council members added to the agreement, leaders in the environmental community protested the decision.
David Kappler, Issaquah Alps Trails Club president and a former councilman, and Janet Wall, a longtime local environmentalist, urged the council to reconsider. Kappler raised safety concerns about a trail leading to the property.
The council approved the sale in a 5-1 decision. Councilman Paul Winterstein dissented. Councilman Joshua Schaer did not attend the meeting.
Construction prompts changes at Issaquah Highlands intersection
May 1, 2012
Northeast College Drive — a road in the Issaquah Highlands from 15th Avenue South to Central Park — is almost finished and, to accommodate traffic, crews plan to install signals soon.
Plans call for traffic signals to be added at the intersection of Northeast Park Drive and 15th Avenue South in early summer.
Until then, to improve safety for motorists and crews, temporary stop signs have been installed at the intersection to ensure motorists can safely turn left onto Northeast Park Drive.
Issaquah voters could decide parks funds in November
April 17, 2012
Issaquah voters could decide as early as November on a multimillion dollar package to fund expansions and upgrades to city parks.
The proposed park bond could generate dollars to add amenities to existing parks, create additional parkland and purchase undeveloped land for conservation. The package could infuse funds into the parks system as lean municipal budgets limit the number of projects the city can undertake.
The municipal Parks & Recreation Department is in the initial stage to prepare for such a bond package, although the timeline is not yet firm. The decision to put a bond measure on the ballot is left to the City Council.
The city is considering offers from firms to conduct a public opinion survey to gauge residents’ interest in parks amenities. The survey should reach residents by late spring or early summer.
Join hike, barbecue to celebrate Grand Ridge Park milestone
April 3, 2012
The effort to link the High Point Trail to Duthie Hill Park on the Sammamish Plateau consumed almost a decade and more than 40,000 hours from Washington Trails Association volunteers.
The public is invited to join King County Parks and the Washington Trails Association on April 5 to celebrate the yearslong push to complete the trail connection. Citizens can join a hike through Grand Ridge Park and a barbecue at Duthie Hill Park.
