Editorial
January 1, 2013
2013 goals are imperative for Issaquah
Our news staff and editorial board put their heads together each year to create a list of 2013 goals for the Issaquah area. Some are repeats from former years, but are still waiting to be accomplished.
Site is eyed for Issaquah human services campus
July 31, 2012
The long-gestating plan to build a human services campus in Issaquah is a step closer to reality, as organizers inch closer to selecting a site for the facility.
City Council candidates, unopposed in election, outline goals for future
November 29, 2011
Though most City Council seats appeared on the November ballot, voters faced a choice in a lone race — the contest between incumbent Joshua Schaer and challenger TJ Filley. (Schaer claimed a second term in a landslide.)
The other seats up for election did not attract challengers, so incumbents Fred Butler and Stacy Goodman, plus newcomer Paul Winterstein, coasted through campaign season. The next council is due to settle into office in early January.
Issaquah City Council sets goals for 2012
June 21, 2011
Less than a month after gathering to brainstorm ideas for the coming year, City Council members set ambitious goals for 2012, including possible solutions for cash-strapped Lake Sammamish State Park, a more citizen-friendly budgeting process and a commission to address economic vitality.
The council OK’d the list June 6, and sent Mayor Ava Frisinger priorities for the months ahead. The decision represents the initial step in the process to shape the 2012 municipal budget. The unanimous decision came after council members met for a rare Saturday meeting May 14 to outline goals.
“In my view, these are a balanced set of goals that cover just about every aspect of city government,” Councilman Fred Butler said during the June 6 meeting. “There’s something in there for everyone.”
The list calls for the city to join with the DownTown Issaquah Association and the Issaquah Chamber of Commerce to determine options for a structured parking study. Issues related to downtown parking — a headache during ArtWalk, Fenders on Front Street and other summertime events — emerged as the top priority at the retreat.
Supporters outline future for human services campus
April 5, 2011
The push to select a location and raise dollars to build a long-planned human services campus in Issaquah — envisioned as a clearinghouse for employment assistance, food aid, health care and more — should start in earnest this spring and summer after years spent on discussions and studies.
Organizers plan to launch a fundraising campaign for the campus, identify anchor tenants and, most critically, select property or a building to house the facility.
John Rittenhouse
The result could resemble the nonprofit Together Center, a similar campus in Redmond. In 2007, Issaquah leaders and the Together Center — then called the Family Resource Center — partnered to spearhead a feasibility study for a campus in Issaquah.
Together Center Executive Director Pam Mauk and John Rittenhouse, a former Issaquah councilman and a Together Center board member, presented the study to City Council members March 29.
“So, what does the study conclude?” Rittenhouse asked. “It concludes that a human services campus being sited in Issaquah is feasible. Under all scenarios that were studied by the consultants, a campus is doable in Issaquah.”
Plans for the campus hinge on the location, and whether organizers opt to build a campus or lease space in existing structures.
City Council candidates offer varied skills for post
February 15, 2011
Interviews start March 1 for nine council contenders
Candidates offer assorted skills for the open City Council seat created after Maureen McCarry resigned in late December.
The candidates bring backgrounds in community, military and municipal service to the interview process.
The midterm opening for the Position 5 seat attracted nine candidates.
Candidates face the council in public interviews scheduled for March 1. Then, after the 10-minute interviews, council members could recess into a closed-door executive session to discuss candidates’ qualifications.
Under state law, the council can discuss candidates’ qualifications in a closed-door session, but interviews and the decision must occur in public meetings.
The vote to appoint a member to the council is scheduled for March 7, though the appointee might not join the council until later in the month. The salary for council members is $700 per month.
McCarry created the vacancy late last year after she resigned to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Human services campus study is due to city next month
September 7, 2010
City leaders last week outlined ideas for a human services campus — a clearinghouse for charities providing food, healthcare and employment services to the needy.
Mayor Ava Frisinger and other top officials met representatives from the San Francisco-based consultant conducting a city-funded feasibility study of the proposed campus.
Former Councilman John Rittenhouse — a longtime proponent of the campus — updated council members about the study Aug. 16.
“I’m very confident that you’ll find the end product useful as you deliberate how to make this vision a reality,” he said.
The nonprofit Family Resource Center is a similar human services campus in Redmond. Rittenhouse serves on its board of directors.
The city and Family Resource Center partnered to study the need for a campus. The council started the process in December by spending $35,000 for the study.
Rittenhouse said the study should be completed and delivered to the city by late October. Officials used impact fees paid by the Talus developer to fund the study.
Issaquah human services campus study is due in October
August 24, 2010
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 24, 2010
City leaders last week outlined ideas for a human services campus — a clearinghouse for charities providing food, healthcare and employment services to the needy.
Mayor Ava Frisinger and other top officials met representatives from the San Francisco-based consultant conducting a city-funded feasibility study on the proposed campus.
In addition to gathering input from Issaquah leaders, the consultant collected demographic information to determine a possible service area for the facility.
Former Councilman John Rittenhouse — a longtime proponent of the campus who left the council in December and then joined the Family Resource Center board of directors — updated council members about the study Aug. 16.
Council sets 2011 goals
June 29, 2010
The ambitious agenda for 2011 calls for the city to turn Issaquah into a mountain-biking destination, decide whether to annex Klahanie and surrounding neighborhoods, and continue to promote Issaquah to prospective businesses.
City Council members OK’d goals for 2011 last week, and handed Mayor Ava Frisinger a broad set of priorities to be accomplished next year. The decision represents the first step in the process to shape the 2011 city budget.
Department chiefs start to prepare the budget in summer. Frisinger then delivers a proposal to the council by October. Members mold the proposal into a final budget, and the council approves the spending plan in late December.
The list also calls for the city to improve transportation, foster economic development and reduce environmental impact.
The council seeks to build a mountain bike park in Issaquah and connect city trails to regional mountain biking trails. Though the process could take several years to complete, council members directed city staffers to start the process next year.
City Council sets goals, including plan to make Issaquah a mountain-biking mecca
June 26, 2010
NEW — 7 a.m. June 26, 2010
The ambitious agenda for 2011 calls for the city to turn Issaquah into a mountain-biking destination, decide whether to annex Klahanie and surrounding neighborhoods, and continue to promote Issaquah to prospective businesses.
City Council members OK’d goals for 2011 on Monday, and handed Mayor Ava Frisinger a broad set of priorities to be accomplished next year. The decision represents the first step in the process to shape the 2011 city budget.
Department chiefs start to prepare the budget in the summer. The mayor then delivers a proposal to the council by October. Members mold the proposal into a final budget, and the council approves the spending plan in late December.
