City leaders select architect for downtown parks
May 25, 2010
City parks officials picked a Seattle landscape architect to plan the “crown jewel” of the municipal parks system — a network of parks at the confluence of Issaquah Creek and the East Fork in downtown Issaquah.
The confluence area includes three contiguous properties: Tollë Anderson, Cybil-Madeline and Issaquah Creek parks. City leaders refer to the area as the “crown jewel” of city parks.
The city selected The Berger Partnership, the firm responsible for redevelopment at Warren G. Magnuson and Cal Anderson parks in Seattle. Officials announced the deal May 24.
“We take our role as stewards of the environment seriously and continuously strive to achieve balance between people and nature,” Guy Michaelsen, a partner and the landscape architect, said in a news release. “The opportunity for Confluence Park to celebrate this balance is unparalleled — Issaquah had great foresight to acquire this natural treasure in the heart of its increasingly vital downtown.”
City leaders requested proposals from landscape architects in January; the city Parks & Recreation Department received 16 responses. Staffers culled the list to the five top-scoring firms, held interviews and then invited the final three firms to participate in a conceptual design competition. Staffers and community members then picked The Berger Partnership.
Though architects sketched a conceptual plan for the parks, the final plan will be developed with input from residents about the features park-goers want. But geography and preservation requirements will limit the parks to passive recreation, such as walking trails.
Issaquah voters approved money for development of the confluence area parks in a 2006 parks bond. The measure passed with 76 percent of the vote.
City leaders select architect for downtown parks
May 24, 2010
NEW — 12:17 p.m. May 24, 2010
City parks officials picked a Seattle landscape architect to plan the “crown jewel” of the municipal parks system — a network of parks at the confluence of Issaquah Creek and the East Fork in downtown Issaquah.
The confluence area includes three contiguous properties: Tollë Anderson, Cybil-Madeline and Issaquah Creek parks. City leaders refer to the area as the “crown jewel” of city parks.
The city selected The Berger Partnership, the firm responsible for redevelopment at Warren G. Magnuson and Cal Anderson parks in Seattle. Officials announced the deal Monday.
Issaquah benefactor Julia Pritt dies
April 27, 2010
The philanthropist who donated land for a planned downtown park and housing for the homeless has died.
Julia Pritt, 77, died April 3 at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. The philanthropist amassed a fortune when she and then-husband Frank Pritt launched a software company, Attachmate Corp. Julia Pritt led accounting and human resources for the company.
The retired software executive left a diverse legacy in downtown Issaquah. Her donations laid the foundation for a much-anticipated park and needed transitional housing units.
The city purchased the Beebe property — today known as Cybil-Madeline Park — in August 1995 with a $500,000 donation from Pritt. City officials have worked for more than a decade to assemble parcels near the confluence of Issaquah Creek and the East Fork. Officials refer to the area of planned trails and open space as the “crown jewel” of the municipal park system.
Pritt requested for the parcel to be renamed for her granddaughters, Cybil and Madeline.
Cybil-Madeline Park, Compassion House donor dies
April 24, 2010
NEW — 6 a.m. April 24, 2010
The philanthropist who donated land for a planned downtown park and housing for the homeless has died.
Julia Pritt, 77, died April 3 at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. The philanthropist amassed a fortune when she and then-husband Frank Pritt launched a software company, Attachmate Corp. Julia Pritt led accounting and human resources for the company.
The retired software executive left a diverse legacy in downtown Issaquah. Her donations laid the foundation for a much-anticipated park and needed transitional housing units.
City seeks architect for park
January 19, 2010
The vision for Cybil-Madeline, Tollë Anderson and Issaquah Creek parks started to take shape in early January as city officials sent out a request for landscape architects to tackle the project. Read more
Officials seek architect, vision for Issaquah Creek parks
January 15, 2010
NEW — 12:15 p.m. Jan. 15, 2010
The vision for Cybil-Madeline, Tollë Anderson and Issaquah Creek parks started to take shape in early January as city officials sent out a request for landscape architects to tackle the project.
City officials spent years talking up the wooded, 15.5-acre area where Issaquah Creek meets the East Fork as the “crown jewel” of the municipal parks system. Issaquah voters approved $6.25 million for parks improvements and open space acquisition in November 2006, with money funneled to the confluence area parks. The parks maintenance facility is located near the site, and the city included the facility in the request to architects.
City Parks & Recreation Director Anne McGill and her team seek a landscape architect to turn the vision into reality. The architect will navigate a thicket filled with development and environmental limits on the land, and match the plan with residents’ wish lists, during the planning process.
Press Editorial
January 5, 2010
Correction: The following editorial was published Jan. 6 in The Issaquah Press. Parks & Recreation Director Anne McGill explains that the city is putting out a Request for Qualifications to seek to hire an architectural designer for the new park. Two or three design firms will be chosen to develop conceptual site plans based on specific criteria, and a final firm will be selected by city parks staff to begin gathering community comments.
Let the community help design new park
When the city of Issaquah asked voters to approve a parks bond in 2006, one of the most enticing items to be funded was land that would expand city-owned property for the future Cybil-Madeline Park along Issaquah Creek. Read more
Park bond stretched to preserve open space, upgrade parks
November 17, 2009
Crews work to install artificial turf and lights at a Central Park sports field. Courtesy of Issaquah Parks & Recreation Department
City parks officials used grants to stretch a $6.25 million park bond into almost $9.6 million — money then used to buy land for new parks, preserve open space and improve sports fields.
Issaquah voters approved the bond in November 2006 with a resounding margin: 76 percent. The dollars were split among open space acquisitions and improvements to existing parks. The park bond came almost 20 years after city officials last asked Issaquah voters for money to add recreation and open space.
Proponents pitched the bond to voters as a way to protect water quality in Issaquah waterways, add and enhance sports fields and open new areas to recreation and wildlife. Officials earmarked the biggest piece of the bond — $3.5 million — to buy creekside and hillside land. Read more
Planners envision downtown park as ‘crown jewel’
November 17, 2009
Almost 16 acres in downtown Issaquah will be transformed into walking paths and picnic areas, near where Issaquah Creek and the East Fork meet. The area encompasses three contiguous parks: Cybil-Madeline Park, Tollë Anderson Park and Issaquah Creek Park. City officials dubbed the area near the confluence of the creeks as the “crown jewel” of the municipal park system. Read more
Tola Marts, Maureen McCarry lead in City Council races
November 3, 2009
NEW — 9:50 p.m. Nov. 3, 2009
City Council candidates Tola Marts and Maureen McCarry led by wide margins as Election Day wrapped.
King County Elections released unofficial returns at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday. The next update from the elections office will be 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. Additional ballots could still shift results in the contested races.
The elections office predicted 56 percent of King County voters would cast ballots. Officials sent 16,428 ballots to Issaquah voters; 5,818 ballots— or 35 percent — had been returned to the elections office and tallied by Tuesday night. The election marks the first city contest since King County switched to all-mail voting.
Newcomer Marts led opponent Nathan Perea by 726 votes — 60 percent to 39 percent — while incumbent McCarry bested challenger Joan Probala by 1,353 votes — 69 percent to 31 percent.
“The candidates who talked about specific, concrete issues” reached voters, Marts said after the elections office released unofficial returns.
Tola Marts (right) talks to campaign supporters during an election night party at Stan's Bar-B-Q on Front Street in downtown Issaquah. He leads in the race for the City Council seat being vacated by 18-year veteran David Kappler (left). — Photo by Greg Farrar
