Bellevue utility tax hits some Issaquah residents
February 7, 2012
Bellevue officials decided Jan. 23 to impose a utility tax on water customers in Greenwood Point and South Cove — Issaquah neighborhoods served by the Bellevue municipal water system.
Bellevue City Council members approved extending a utility occupation tax to the water utility’s revenue, including for customers beyond Bellevue. Starting March 1, customers should start to see a 10.4 percent increase on water bills. The change does not affect customers in Bellevue.
Officials intend to use the additional dollars for fire hydrants, oversized pipes and reservoir storage.
The decision followed a 2008 state Supreme Court ruling related to how cities pay for municipal fire hydrants. The ruling in Lane v. Seattle identified hydrants as a general government service and not a utility.
Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District service is restored
January 20, 2012
NEW — 8:35 a.m. Jan. 20, 2012
Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District officials said power has been restored and district facilities returned to normal functions.
The request for customers to conserve water is no longer in effect. Customers can use water and sewer facilities as normal.
The district encompasses North Issaquah neighborhoods, including Providence Point, and Klahanie in unincorporated King County. Overall, the district serves 16,300 water customers and 10,100 sewer customers.
Officials said some areas in the district service area remain without power. Customers without power and on a sewer grinder pump system should continue to minimize water and toilet use until the power is restored.
The winter storm interrupted operation to 11 district water facilities and 15 sewer lift stations. The district kept facilities operating through the use of backup generators, but the loss of power and communication posed challenges for the continuity of operations.
Local water agency urges conservation for Issaquah customers amid power outage
January 19, 2012
NEW — 11:40 a.m. Jan. 19, 2012
Some Issaquah residents should conserve water until further notice, as a local water agency operates on generators due to widespread power outages.
The conservation notice affects residents served by the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District. Officials asked residents to not flush toilets or put water down drains until further notice.
Customers can call the district’s 24-hour emergency line at 392-6256 if they experience pressure or water quality issues.
The district encompasses North Issaquah neighborhoods, including Providence Point, and Klahanie in unincorporated King County. Overall, the district serves 16,300 water customers and 10,100 sewer customers.
The agency’s headquarters in Sammamish is operating on generator power after snow and ice caused outages to more than 180,000 Puget Sound Energy customers across Western Washington.
Customers served by the Issaquah municipal water utility can use water normally.
Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District officials consider water rate hike
December 13, 2011
Less than a month after the City Council raised water rates for most Issaquah customers, the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District is considering a hike next year to offset losses related to the cool, soggy summer.
District officials blame the weather, in part, for water revenues coming in about 8 percent below budget in 2011. The cloud cover and moderate temperatures meant fewer people watered lawns — resulting in lower water consumption and less money for the district.
The district encompasses North Issaquah neighborhoods, including Providence Point, and Klahanie in unincorporated King County.
City Council approves Wave Broadband cable agreement
December 13, 2011
Wave Broadband is the cable provider for customers in many multifamily residences, City Council members decided Dec. 5.
The city needed to complete the routine action to transfer the cable franchise agreement from Broadstripe to Kirkland-based Wave Broadband.
The decision comes as Broadstripe dissolves. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2009. Wave Broadband started to purchase local Broadstripe assets in August.
Wave Broadband inherited the Broadstripe customers in multifamily complexes in the Issaquah Highlands and Providence Point, plus some single-family residences.
The major cable provider in the city, Comcast, long offered a broader lineup and more services than Broadstripe. Wave Broadband offers more services and a broader channel lineup than Broadstripe.
The council started the process to transition from Broadstripe to Wave Broadband last month.
Issaquah handles the franchise negotiation process through a citizen Cable TV Commission. Commissioners and Wave Broadband representatives then negotiated the 10-year agreement.
Council Utilities, Technology & Environment Committee members discussed the proposal Nov. 8 and sent the agreement to complete council for approval.
Jazz club Bake’s Place is moving to Bellevue
December 6, 2011
The Bakers’ “living room” is moving.
Bake’s Place is closing its doors after eight and a half years in Providence Point following a final performance Feb. 14. Owner Craig Baker and his wife, Laura, decided to move to a bigger facility in Bellevue.
The right fit for the new location was with Columbia West Properties, owner of the Columbia West Building. The new location will be at 108th Avenue Northeast and Northeast Second Street in downtown Bellevue, across from Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar.
The new Bake’s Place and Premier Live Music Venue will boast a 4,500-square-foot facility, doubling the Issaquah capacity. Baker plans to expand a mezzanine, to accommodate more seats, and add an outdoor patio.
Bake’s Place jazz club to move from Issaquah to Bellevue
December 1, 2011
NEW — 3 p.m. Dec. 1, 2011
The Bakers’ “living room” is getting larger.
Bake’s Place is closing its doors after eight-and-a-half years in Providence Point following a final performance Feb. 14. Owner Craig Baker and his wife, Laura, decided to move to a bigger facility in Bellevue.
The right fit for the new location was with Columbia West Properties, owner of Pacific Plaza. The new location will be at 108th Avenue Northeast and Second Place in downtown Bellevue, across from Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar.
Wave Broadband acquires Broadstripe, cable service changes for local customers
November 29, 2011
The cable provider Broadstripe is out and Wave Broadband is in for some Issaquah customers.
Broadstripe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2009. Kirkland-based Wave Broadband started the process to purchase local Broadstripe assets in August, and received a green light from the City Council to proceed Nov. 7.
Wave Broadband intends to invest $15 million in broadband systems in the Northwest to upgrade offerings and service for former Broadstripe customers.
The changeover could end a long disparity in cable service for Issaquah residents. The major cable provider in the city, Comcast, long offered a broader lineup and more services than rival Broadstripe.
“Hopefully, if Wave is true to form, customers will see an improvement in offerings and cable lineups,” city TV Coordinator Tim Smith said.
Issaquah couple celebrates a lifetime together
September 20, 2011
Marv and Lucille mark 68 years of marriage
Lucille and Marv Lemke keep the love bright for each other as they recall highlights of their 68-year marriage. By Greg Farrar
At a fateful wedding in Wisconsin during the early 1940s, Marv Lemke and his parents attended the reception to offer their congratulations to the groom.
Lucille Lueder and her family attended the event to do the same for the bride.
Little did they know that attending that wedding would soon lead to their own.
After decades of traveling across the United States and around the world, being active in the Lutheran church and starting a family, the Issaquah couple will celebrate their 68th wedding anniversary Sept. 22.
But the relationship almost never got off the ground.
After Marv introduced himself at the wedding in Wisconsin, where the Lemkes were raised, he asked if he could drive Lucille home.
She declined.
But as a driver for a Ford tractor distributor, Marv was resourceful and asked around to find out where Lucille lived.
Marv and Lucille Lemke celebrate anniversary
September 13, 2011
Marv and Lucille Lemke celebrate 68th anniversary
Lucille and Marv Lemke in 1943
Marv and Lucille Lemke, of Issaquah, celebrated their 68th anniversary Sept. 2.
Marv and Lucille both grew up on dairy farms near Milwaukee, Wis., and met at a friend’s wedding reception dance. Marv, smitten by Lucille Lueder, asked if he could drive her home, but she refused. Through a friend, Marv found out where Lucille lived and drove by her family farm the next day, finding her standing at the well pump. He asked her for a Saturday night date, she accepted and they continued seeing each other every Saturday night for the next year.
They married in Thiensville, Wis., on Sept 2,1943.
Marv served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and set foot in Japan on Sept. 2,1945, right after the USS Missouri battleship was in Tokyo Bay for Japan’s signing of the official instrument of surrender.
After his discharge from the Navy in 1945, Marv worked at the Washington State Employment Office, in Seattle, and helped reactivate the Washington National Guard, which was demobilized at the end of the war. He rejoined the Navy in 1948 and worked at Sand Point Naval Air Station until he was transferred in 1966 to the U.S. Navy Reserve Fleet in
Marv and Lucille Lemke in 2011
Bremerton, where he worked for 10 years.
Marv then worked at the Safeway Beverage Plant, in Bellevue, until his retirement 14 years later.
Marv and Lucille have always been very active in the Lutheran church, both serving in many leadership roles. Over the years, they, along with their son Paul, traveled to every state, camping in all of them with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii. They have lived at Providence Point for 26 years.
