State Senate recommends leaner budget for trails
April 19, 2011
The state Senate proposed a less-generous budget last week for Issaquah-area outdoor recreation projects than the state House of Representatives.
Senators released a budget proposal April 12, a week after legislators from the other chamber recommended $2.18 million to upgrade trails and recreation areas.
Senators proposed reductions of more than $600,000 for local projects, trimming a Cougar Mountain trail project to $127,000 from the $500,000 recommended by the House and reducing Duthie Hill Park trailhead development to $55,000 from the $317,000 recommended by the House.
Lawmakers from both chambers agreed on Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program funding for the other Issaquah-area projects.
Senators also recommended $247,870 to build bridges on Tiger Mountain State Forest trails, plus $500,000 to pave East Lake Sammamish Trail from Redmond to Issaquah.
Both proposals include dollars for Covington and Snoqualmie Valley projects.
State Senate recommends leaner budget for Issaquah trails
April 14, 2011
NEW — 4 p.m. April 14, 2011
The state Senate proposed a less-generous budget for Issaquah-area outdoor recreation projects than the state House of Representatives.
Senators released a budget proposal Tuesday night, a week after legislators from the other chamber recommended $2.18 million to upgrade trails and recreation areas.
Senators proposed reductions of more than $600,000 for local projects, trimming a Cougar Mountain trail project to $127,000 from the $500,000 recommended by the House and reducing Duthie Hill Park trailhead development to $55,000 from the $317,000 recommended by the House.
Lawmakers from both chambers agreed on Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program funding for the other Issaquah-area projects.
Senators also recommended $247,870 to build bridges on Tiger Mountain State Forest trails, plus $500,000 to pave East Lake Sammamish Trail from Redmond to Issaquah.
State budget proposal outlines upgrades for Issaquah trails
April 12, 2011
Outdoor recreation and wildlife-protection projects in the Issaquah area received a boost in the proposed budget from the state House of Representatives, but hurdles remain before crews can break ground.
The proposed House budget includes a $500,000 Cougar Mountain Park-Precipice Trail grant, for King County to expand Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, create a buffer and create a gateway from Issaquah to the park. (King County acquired additional land for the park late last year.)
Funds from the $500,000 East Lake Sammamish Trail grant could help King County expand and pave the trail along the lake from Redmond to Issaquah.
The proposal includes a $317,000 Duthie Hill Park trailhead development grant to enable the county to expand the trailhead at the popular mountain-biking destination.
Bridges along Tiger Mountain State Forest trails could also be replaced using the $247,870 proposed for trail upgrades in the forest.
State proposal outlines upgrades for Issaquah trails
April 7, 2011
NEW — 10 a.m. April 7, 2011
Outdoor recreation and wildlife-protection projects in the Issaquah area received a boost in the proposed budget from the state House of Representatives.
The proposed budget includes a $500,000 Cougar Mountain Park-Precipice Trail grant, for King County to expand Cougar Mountain Park and to create a buffer to prevent pending development and create a gateway from Issaquah to the park.
(King County acquired additional land for the park late last year.)
Funds from the $500,000 East Lake Sammamish Trail grant could help King County expand and pave the trail along the lake from Redmond to Issaquah.
County seeks proposals for youth sports facilities
March 20, 2011
NEW — 10 a.m. March 20, 2011
Youth sports organizations can apply for King County grants to build or upgrade recreation facilities.
The county Parks and Recreation Division is accepting applications from qualified groups for Youth Sports Facilities Grants. Applicants must partner with a public agency, such as a school district or municipal parks department, to develop or renovate sports facilities.
The fund has helped organizers build or renovate hundreds of public sports amenities in neighborhoods throughout the county.
Past grant recipients in the Issaquah area include city-run Central Park in the Issaquah Highlands and county-run Duthie Hill Park in Sammamish.
Off the Press
March 1, 2011
Issaquah attractions are worthy of bucket list
I’ve worked here at The Issaquah Press for over a decade now, covering different aspects of one of the state’s fastest growing towns.
David Hayes Press Reporter
I’ve patrolled the schools beat, sat in on City Council meetings when the city reporter was out of town, and roamed the sidelines at sporting events when Bob Taylor, our sports editor, couldn’t be everywhere at once.
Seeing so many sides of Issaquah, it has really grown on me over the years. How could it not, with so much to do and see, and with such interesting people waiting to tell their tale?
And that’s the problem. As I move further into my second decade covering Issaquah, I’ve realized there is still so much I haven’t done.
As “bucket lists” — where you make up a list of things to do before you die — have become all the rage, consider this my list of righting all the missed opportunities I’ve incurred since living and working in Issaquah.
King County Parks offers ‘green’ holiday gift ideas
December 18, 2010
NEW — 6 a.m. Dec. 18, 2010
Forget the mall.
King County Parks has “green” holiday gifts galore. Holiday shoppers can support the regional parks system by shopping at the King County Parks Store.
The sales benefit 26,000 acres of public land, including Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park and Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park near Issaquah.
Shoppers can create custom holiday cards, purchase parks-themed stamps or donate to the King County Parks Legacy Fund.
Zazzle, the online retailer behind the parks store, donates up to 27 percent of the net sales from purchased items to King County Parks.
County, trails association to dedicate trail bridge
October 5, 2010
Trees felled during a fierce windstorm in December 2006 found another use as material for a bridge across a coho salmon-bearing stream in Grand Ridge Park north of the Issaquah Highlands.
Now, hikers, runners, mountain bikers and other trail users no longer need to risk life, limb or shoe to cross Canyon Creek.
The organizations plan to dedicate the bridge at noon Oct. 7. Enjoy trail snacks and prizes at the ceremony. Find a map of the park here.
King County Parks and the Washington Trails Association partnered to build a 40-foot bridge across the creek. Before the bridge spanned the creek, trail users had to scramble down a steep slope, slog through the creek and then climb back up the other side. Now, trail users can stay dry and help preserve and protect fish and wildlife. The bridge helps complete the seven-mile trail from the High Point area to Duthie Hill Park.
The trails association received a King Conservation District grant through the Snoqualmie Watershed Forum to help fund the bridge construction.
County, Washington Trails Association to dedicate Grand Ridge bridge
October 4, 2010
NEW — 8 a.m. Oct. 4, 2010
Trees felled during a fierce windstorm in December 2006 found another use as material for a bridge across a coho salmon-bearing stream in Grand Ridge Park north of the Issaquah Highlands.
Now, hikers, runners, mountain bikers and other trail users no longer need to risk life, limb or shoe to cross Canyon Creek.
King County Parks and the Washington Trails Association partnered to build a 40-foot bridge across the creek. The organizations plan to dedicate the bridge at noon Thursday. Enjoy trail snacks and prizes at the ceremony. Find a map of the park here.
New club aims to connect bicyclists
September 7, 2010
Paul Winterstein bicycles up 12th Avenue Northwest, by Tibbetts Valley Park, on his commute home from work in Redmond. By Laura Geggel
Almost every day, Paul Winterstein commutes the 12.5 miles from his house on Squak Mountain to his workplace in Redmond.
He began biking to work in 2008, after two of his four children got their drivers’ licenses. Instead of buying another car, he decided to bicycle to work, rain or shine. Bicycling helps keep him fit and be a good role model for his children, he said.
The more he used local roads to bike to work, the more he noticed how road construction affected his safety and route.
With road changes happening frequently, Winterstein decided to start an Issaquah Bicycle Club that would unite the area’s bicyclists, helping give them a voice at Issaquah City Council meetings and a presence in the community.
The group could also organize rides, share bicycling tips and bring people together, giving bicyclists a stronger unified identity, much like hikers who belong to the Issaquah Alps Trails Club.
Kent Peterson, an Issaquah bicyclist who works as a bike technician at the Bicycle Center of Issaquah, said he enjoyed mountain biking and that he looked forward to joining the club.
“There are certain roads that are better riding on than others,” Peterson said. “It’s nice to have a place where you can share that knowledge with other people.” Read more
