First of two Klahanie public hearings held
May 14, 2013
Citizens had their first opportunity to ask questions about the city’s approach toward a decision on the potential annexation of the Klahanie area.
The first of two public meetings was held May 8 for Nesbitt Planning Management Inc. representatives Tom Nesbitt and Cynthia Stuart to present the results of their study on the costs and benefits of a possible annexation. They also fielded questions from concerned citizens.
Annexation of Klahanie could cost $6 million
May 7, 2013
The area would add $600,000 annually to city coffers
Should the city annex the Klahanie area, preliminary reports say that it will come with a $6 million one-time cost and provide almost $600,000 in annual revenue.
The large sum was derived by Nesbitt Planning and Management Inc. Owner Tom Nesbitt presented a draft cost report to the Land & Shore Committee on April 9. The largest draw of funds from the initial annexation would be from Public Works operation and maintenance, including more than $5 million for things such as road improvements and storm water management.
Additionally, an estimated $500,000 would go to expanding the police force to provide adequate service to the area. However, while Nesbitt’s report called for an additional five officers, Chief Paul Ayers expressed a desire for a greater number.
City Council turns to veteran for vacancy
February 5, 2013
Joe Forkner (left) is welcomed back to the dais for another City Council stint by Eileen Barber on Jan. 29. By Greg Farrar
Joe Forkner returned to the City Council on Jan. 29 after a divided council appointed the former councilman, onetime city employee and longtime community leader to a vacant seat.
Forkner, a councilman in separate stints during the early and mid-2000s, did not fade from public life after departing from the council in 2007. The engineering technician and draftsman served as a member of numerous municipal boards and commissions in recent years, and spearheaded the initial plan to redevelop the business district along Interstate 90.
The depth of experience led the council to appoint Forkner, 59, to occupy the seat left after former Councilman Mark Mullet resigned to serve in the state Senate.
Measles exposure possible at businesses, school
February 5, 2013
Measles exposure occurred at Klahanie businesses and Tiger Mountain Community High School late last month, public health officials announced Jan. 30.
Officials warn of measles exposure at Issaquah-area businesses
January 30, 2013
NEW — 5:10 p.m. Jan. 30, 2013
Customers at businesses in Klahanie could have been exposed to measles in recent days, local public health officials said Wednesday.
The case is the second person with confirmed measles in King County since Jan. 25. The infected person is a King County resident and contracted measles from a contagious traveler at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Before receiving the measles diagnosis, the local resident might have exposed others to measles at QFC and Starbucks in Klahanie Center.
Measles is easily spread and highly contagious, although most people are immune to the disease due to vaccinations.
Firefighters rescue cat from Klahanie blaze
January 29, 2013
Firefighters extinguished a blaze at a Klahanie home late Jan. 23 and rescued a cat from the fire.
Eastside Fire & Rescue responded at 9:49 p.m. to a reported explosion and fire inside a garage in the 24200 block of Southeast 43rd Place, a Sammamish Plateau neighborhood about three miles northeast of downtown Issaquah.
Crews could see flames and smoke pouring from the garage upon arriving at the scene moments later. Firefighters protected nearby fire-prone areas and doused the blaze.
Blaze damages Klahanie home; firefighters rescue cat
January 24, 2013
NEW — 10:20 a.m. Jan. 24, 2013
Firefighters extinguished a blaze at a Klahanie home late Wednesday and rescued a cat from the fire.
Eastside Fire & Rescue responded to a reported explosion and fire inside a garage in the 24200 block of Southeast 43rd Place at 9:49 p.m.
Crews could see flames and smoke pouring from the garage upon arriving at the scene moments later. Firefighters protected nearby fire-prone areas and doused the blaze.
Officials said the home was occupied as the fire started, and the homeowner suffered a minor injury as he or she attempted to extinguish the blaze before firefighters arrived.
City Council applicants offer varied skills
January 22, 2013
Members to appoint candidate Jan. 29
The applicants for a rare open seat on the City Council include long-established community leaders — and some candidates from the last time the council accepted applications to fill a vacancy.
The seven candidates offer assorted skills in community, government and military service in the process to succeed Mark Mullet on the council.
Initially, Ken Sessler, a retired Boeing engineer and a prolific letter writer to The Issaquah Press, applied for the vacancy, but withdrew not long after the city released the applicant list.
Issaquah re-examines Klahanie annexation
January 22, 2013
Last annexation attempt failed in 2005
The question of how a large-scale annexation on the Sammamish Plateau could affect residents in Issaquah, Klahanie and other unincorporated King County neighborhoods is under the microscope again, almost a decade after a citizen panel tackled the issue.
Issaquah leaders commissioned a $100,000 study and created a citizen task force to examine the Klahanie Potential Annexation Area — 10,800 people in about 3,900 households in the namesake neighborhood and adjacent communities.
The potential annexation area under consideration is in unincorporated King County, and bordered by Issaquah to the south, Sammamish to the north and west, and more unincorporated areas to the east.
Woman flees police in Issaquah, crashes vehicle in Snoqualmie
January 22, 2013
Police said a suicidal woman fled from a therapist’s office in Issaquah on Jan. 18 and then crashed a vehicle in Snoqualmie.
Issaquah officers responded to a business in the 22500 block of Southeast 64th Place at 7:37 p.m. after the woman, a 31-year-old Klahanie resident, made suicidal threats to her therapist.
Once officers arrived, the woman did not cooperate with police and fled eastbound on Interstate 90. Police advised the Washington State Patrol and the Snoqualmie Police Department about the woman’s last known location.
