Landowners receive fire benefit charge notices
January 15, 2013
Landowners in Fire District 10 — Klahanie, May Valley, Mirrormont and Preston in the Issaquah area — recently received fire benefit charge notices.
The notice includes a letter of explanation and per-parcel benefit charge information. The notice is not a bill, and the recipient is not required to act, unless he or she believes some information is erroneous.
Public can comment on May Valley fire station proposal
January 1, 2013
The public can comment on the permit application for a planned Fire District 10 fire station in May Valley.
Plans call for crews from Eastside Fire & Rescue Fire Station 78, at 16135 S.E. 113th Place near Renton, to relocate to a modern facility at a more central location at Southeast May Valley Road and 207th Avenue Southeast after construction is complete.
Construction on the 10,000-square-foot fire station is expected to start next year. Meanwhile, residents can comment on the permit application to the King County Department of Permitting and Environmental Review.
Unincorporated King County residents avoid $20 roads fee
December 18, 2012
Residents in unincorporated King County — including Klahanie, Mirrormont and Preston in the Issaquah area and more than 200,000 people countywide — no longer face a $20 vehicle-license fee to fund road maintenance.
King County Council members dropped the proposed fee from the 2013 county budget, and approved the spending plan Nov. 13 in a unanimous decision. Instead, officials plan to lobby the state government for additional road dollars — a challenge as the state faces another budget shortfall next year.
In September, King County Executive Dow Constantine proposed a $20 fee to fund road maintenance and storm response in rural and unincorporated areas.
Thanksgiving changes Issaquah garbage pick-up
November 20, 2012
Customers should not expect regular garbage service on Nov. 22, Thanksgiving Day.
The haulers serving Issaquah do not collect garbage and recycling on the holiday. Instead, if a customer’s collection day falls on Thanksgiving, service is delayed one day.
So, for example, because Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, customers with garbage and recycling collection on Thursday receive Friday service the day after Thanksgiving, and Friday customers receive Saturday service after the holiday. The regular collection schedules resume Monday, Nov. 26.
Communities receive grants for National Night Out, mapping projects
November 15, 2012
NEW — 11:45 a.m. Nov. 15, 2012
Issaquah-area residents received more than $3,700 in King County grants to host a National Night Out event and map rural areas between Issaquah and Renton, leaders announced Wednesday.
Officials awarded $60,000 in grants for disaster preparedness, neighborhood cleanup, tourism promotion and other activities in unincorporated communities countywide.
Overall, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced 24 Community Engagement Grants. Officials said the grants offer residents in unincorporated areas a chance to participate more in community activities.
The county awarded $1,254.50 to residents in the Four Creeks/Tiger Mountain area to produce a National Night Out program.
Four Creeks/Tiger Mountain residents also received a $2,500 grant to create maps and conduct spatial analysis for community planning.
King County OKs cell tower near Endeavour Elementary School
October 30, 2012
Construction can start on a 150-tell cell tower near Endeavour Elementary School, after King County planners determined the project can proceed.
T-Mobile proposed constructing a tower for antennae and other equipment, plus a shelter at the base. The structure is designed for other telecommunications companies to add equipment in the future, too.
The county Department of Permitting and Environmental Review required T-Mobile to provide sufficient backup power for equipment on the tower, and to paint equipment on the tower the same color as the pole.
The telecommunications giant applied last year to construct a cell tower at 26325 S.E. 39th St., about a mile northeast of the Klahanie Center shopping complex and less than a half-mile from the elementary school.
The county conducted environmental and permit reviews, and approved the project Oct. 1.
King County renames, reorganizes permitting agency
October 16, 2012
In response to a population decline in unincorporated King County, leaders renamed and reorganized the county permitting agency Sept. 17, as officials prepare to relocate the office from Renton to Snoqualmie.
In a unanimous decision, King County Council members approved a measure to reorganize the Department of Development and Environmental Services and rename the agency as the Department of Permitting and Environmental Review.
The responsibilities for the agency do not change with the reorganization and the name switch.
The department issues building and land-use permits for properties in unincorporated areas, such as Klahanie, Mirrormont and Preston. The agency also enforces county land-use and building codes, staffs the King County Fire Marshal Division and issues business licenses.
Issaquah mayor eyes property tax hike
October 9, 2012
Issaquah homeowners can expect to pay about $5 more in property taxes next year, if City Council members adopt a 1 percent rate hike to fund long-term projects.
The property tax increase, proposed Oct. 1 by Mayor Ava Frisinger, is not expected to generate much next year. If enacted, city officials expect to raise only $69,707 — a drop in a proposed $35 million general fund budget.
The decision to raise the property tax rate by the maximum amount allowed under state law, 1 percent, is projected to cost the average homeowner $4.75 per year.
Klahanie food drive, pumpkins return for 24th year
October 9, 2012
In the span of 23 years, local Realtor Bob Richards has collected more than 80 tons of food for the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank, through his annual food drive held in Klahanie.
Richards started the food drive after reading that the local food bank needed some assistance many years ago.
“I ran across an article that the Issaquah food bank was struggling at the time and we just made a decision to do our part, and it’s just kept going, and this will be the 24th consecutive year,” he said.
Personal stories define Referendum 74 discussion
September 25, 2012
Dana Alixander (left) and partner Sage Alixander stand on the staircase of their Sammamish home with their California-issued marriage license and photographs chronicling their life together. By Greg Farrar
In the moments before the state Senate voted on a landmark same-sex marriage bill Feb. 1, Dana Alixander joined other supporters in the gallery overlooking the chamber.
“I was there, waiting for history to happen — and terrified that it wouldn’t,” she said in a recent interview.
Legislators, after impassioned debate, passed the bill and sent the measure to the state House of Representatives for consideration. In February, Gov. Chris Gregoire signed the legislation as supporters looked on from the packed State Reception Room at the Capitol.
The measure, Referendum 74, goes before voters on the November ballot. Opponents to the same-sex marriage law gathered enough voter signatures to put the measure before the electorate.
R-74 is the centerpiece in a high-dollar, high-profile contest in the national battle between same-sex proponents and foes.
Alixander headed to Olympia to support marriage rights — a long-running fight for the Sammamish resident and partner of 22 years, Sage. (In 2008, Sage and Dana got married in California before Proposition 8 outlawed same-sex marriages there.)
