Issaquah events open Mountains to Sound Greenway Summer
June 17, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. June 17, 2011
Celebrate the season as the Mountains to Sound Greenway Summer launches Saturday and Sunday.
The events start Saturday as the Issaquah Alps Trails Club leads the Olallie Lake hike. Join hike leader Mary Nolan on a moderately difficult, five- to six-mile hike with 1,200 feet gain in elevation to Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area lakes — Talapus and Olallie. Participants need a Northwest Forest Pass. The hike is open to all ages; no reservation is required. Join the hike at the Issaquah Trails House, 110 S.E. Bush St., at 9 a.m. Saturday. Call Nolan at 837-1535.
Learn about the Puget Sound watershed and salmon at the Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery open house and tours Saturday. Explore the life of a salmon through hands-on exhibits, tours and a family-oriented open house featuring activities for all age group. Join FISH docents for 30-minute hatchery tours at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The hatchery, 125 W. Sunset Way, is open 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Find a niche at Issaquah Hobby & Volunteer Expo
May 3, 2011
Looking for a quilting club? How about a hiking group or a nonprofit that helps veterans?
Hobby hunters and volunteer enthusiasts need look no further than the 12th annual Hobby & Volunteer Expo, held at the same time as the Issaquah Farmers Market May 7 at Pickering Barn.
“It has just been a fantastic tradition, an annual event, in which community programs and hobby groups can get together and, one, network with each other, and two, put the word out that they exist and they are looking for members,” Issaquah Recreation Coordinator Cathy Jones said.
The expo targets a number of people: youths looking for volunteer opportunities; Issaquah newcomers looking for groups to join; empty nesters or recent retirees searching for new outlets; and just about anybody in need of a new venture.
Interstate 90 pedestrian bridge is late, over budget
April 19, 2011
Opening is delayed until at least June
The spindly pedestrian crossover bridging the westbound on-ramp at Interstate 90 and state Route 900 is at least $200,000 over budget and not expected to open until June, months after the expected completion date.
Blame unstable soil at the site and soggy conditions for delaying the connector from April until early summer. The additional construction could increase the $6 million project budget. City Public Works Engineering Director Bob Brock said planners could ask the City Council to authorize additional dollars for the project, depending on the remaining construction.
“We would like to get it done sooner, but we recognize that this has been a very wet winter, and it just keeps going,” he said.
The long-planned connector at the bustling intersection experienced a construction slowdown last fall after crews needed to dig deeper to find a solid layer to support the piers beneath the bridge. The rain-soaked winter and spring also caused construction to proceed at a slower pace.
Plans call for the completed connector to include a separate 12-foot-wide pedestrian bridge across the westbound interstate on-ramps. Crews also modified the existing state Route 900 overpass to install a 10-foot-wide pedestrian crossing.
The city relied on federal dollars and a $400,000 grant from Sound Transit to offset most of the project cost. The city contributed about $341,000 for the connector and is responsible for cost overruns.
Construction on the project started last July.
Legislators consider $30 fee for public lands, state parks
April 5, 2011
Proposed Discover Pass could stave off closures
Hikers, mountain bikers and other outdoors enthusiasts using Issaquah as a starting point for treks could face a $30 fee to use public lands and state parks come July.
Lawmakers proposed the statewide fee in order to inject funds into the cash-strapped agencies managing public forests, open spaces and recreation facilities. The legislation aims to create a yearlong pass, called the Discover Pass, to park at trailheads and other state-managed lands. For users uninterested in the annual parking pass, the legislation proposes a $10 day-use fee for using the lands. Otherwise, violators could face a ticket.
By Dona Mokin
Though the Discover Pass proposal attracted broad support from outdoor recreation groups, Issaquah legislators remain concerned about the state imposing fees amid a tough economy.
If the Legislature decides against a recreation fee, agencies could close state lands to public access in order to cut costs. Squak Mountain State Park near Issaquah faces closure from July through 2013 as legislators scramble to patch a $5.1 billion hole in the 2011-13 budget.
David Kappler, Issaquah Alps Trails Club president and a former Issaquah councilman, said the Discover Pass could offer a short-term solution.
“I think some of the fees that they’re talking about are reasonable, at least for a while, until things improve,” he said. “I really don’t think that we want to get into that situation long term.”
Supporters said the per-vehicle pass could be easier to enforce, because officers can check parking areas for vehicle windshields displaying a Discover Pass, rather than tracking down users on trails.
Maureen McCarry receives city’s top environmental award
March 22, 2011
Maureen McCarry smiles March 21 as her husband Tom Knollmann and the City Hall audience applaud her for receiving the Ruth Kees Environmental Award. By Greg Farrar
The latest recipient of the top environmental honor in Issaquah acted as a guiding force — in public and behind the scenes — in the long-running effort to shape neighborhoods and preserve undeveloped land.
Leaders elevated Maureen McCarry into the pantheon alongside other important conservation activists, and bestowed the Ruth Kees Environmental Award for a Sustainable Community on the former councilwoman at a City Hall ceremony March 21.
Maureen McCarry receives city’s top environmental honor
March 21, 2011
NEW — 8 p.m. March 21, 2011
The latest recipient of the top environmental honor in Issaquah acted as a guiding force — in public and behind the scenes — in the long-running effort to shape neighborhoods and preserve undeveloped land.
Leaders elevated Maureen McCarry into the pantheon alongside other important conservation activists, and bestowed the Ruth Kees Environmental Award for a Sustainable Community on the former councilwoman at a City Hall ceremony Monday night.
Mayor Ava Frisinger cited the countless hours McCarry contributed to forge agreements outlining construction in the Issaquah Highlands and Talus, preserve forested Park Pointe near Issaquah High School and strengthen tree-protection rules.
The mayor and Council President John Traeger selected McCarry for the honor after receiving numerous nominations for the former councilwoman, a Squak Mountain resident.
Nominate environmentalists for Ruth Kees award
January 25, 2011
Nominate environmentalists for the top city eco-honor — the Ruth Kees Environmental Award for a Sustainable Community.
The annual award recognizes people for a record of outstanding commitment to natural resource preservation. Kees, a teacher, mentor and role model, advocated open space preservation and environmental protection.
The application is available on the municipal website. Submit nominations until 5 p.m. Feb. 25.
Then, a committee reviews nominees and recommends a group of finalists to Mayor Ava Frisinger and City Council President John Traeger for selection.
The award is usually presented at a spring or summer council meeting.
Nominate Issaquah environmentalists for top ‘green’ honor
January 21, 2011
NEW — 4 p.m. Jan. 21, 2011
Nominate environmentalists for the top city eco-honor — the Ruth Kees Environmental Award for a Sustainable Community.
The annual award recognizes people for a record of outstanding commitment to natural resource preservation. Kees, a teacher, mentor and role model, advocated open space preservation and environmental protection.
The city put out a call for applications Friday. Submit nominations until 5 p.m. Feb. 25.
Then, a committee reviews nominees and recommends a group of finalists to Mayor Ava Frisinger and City Council President John Traeger for selection.
The award is usually presented at a spring or summer council meeting.
Park Pointe preservation reaches ‘historic’ milestone
December 28, 2010
Leaders build framework to save Tiger Mountain land, build Bellevue College campus
In a series of decisions a councilman described as a “historic moment,” City Council members assembled the framework Dec. 20 to preserve more than 100 Tiger Mountain acres and attract a Bellevue College campus to Issaquah.
The council OK’d agreements related to the long-running effort to preserve 102 forested acres on Tiger Mountain and, through a complicated transfer of development rights, open land in the Issaquah Highlands to Bellevue College and homebuilders for construction. Read more
County acquires Cougar Mountain land for park
December 21, 2010
King County has acquired 41 acres near Issaquah to be added someday to Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park.
Officials and open space groups considered the land — west of Newport Way Northwest and south of Northwest Oakcrest Drive — as a high priority for conservation.
County planners aim to purchase additional land in the area to connect Newport Way Northwest to the 3,115-acre park. The parcel is located in the northeast corner of the preserve.
The county used $1.55 million from the King County Parks expansion levy and the Conservation Futures open space program levy to purchase the forested site near the Summerhill neighborhood. The deal closed Dec. 3. Read more
