DOT will open East Sunset Way bids
April 3, 2010
NEW — 6 a.m. April 3, 2010
State Department of Transportation officials will open construction bids for the East Sunset Way interchange April 7.
Workers will widen the narrow, curved roadway from a single lane in each direction lined by concrete barriers to wider lanes bracketed by road shoulders, curbs and a sidewalk. Crews will also replace a temporary support wall with a permanent support for the widened roadway.
The project will also require workers to reconfigure storm water retention ponds adjacent to the site.
Businesses benefit from break in city impact fees
March 30, 2010
A city program to make Issaquah more appealing to businesses has aided the developers of Overlake Center, a Northwest Maple Street medical building, offices along East Sunset Way and more than a dozen construction and remodeling projects citywide. Read more
Potential downtown tenants get break on fees
February 23, 2010
City Council members last week extended a break on city fees to merchants who open businesses in downtown Issaquah. Read more
Sunset Way interchange completion to begin construction in late spring
January 12, 2010
The narrow, temporary East Sunset Way approach to Interstate 90 will be completed this year with wider lanes, road shoulders, curbs and a sidewalk. By Greg Farrar
Expect construction noise and lane closures when state crews begin work to widen the East Sunset Way approach to Interstate 90 in late spring.
State Department of Transportation plans call for construction on the $3.5 million project to start in May and last about six months. Although most work will take place off the roadway, the project will require up to 60 nighttime closures, when a single lane will remain open and flag crews will direct traffic.
Workers will widen the narrow, curved roadway from a single lane in each direction hemmed by concrete barriers to wider lanes bracketed by road shoulders, curbs and a sidewalk.
“When you have two buses or two trucks try to go through here at the same time, it’s impossible. One of them has to wait,” Project Engineer Hung Huynh said.
Crews will also replace a temporary support wall with a permanent support for the widened roadway. The project will also require workers to reconfigure storm water retention ponds adjacent to the site.
Huynh said the DOT plans to advertise the project to contractors next month. Officials tapped into state gas tax revenue to pay for the project. Read more
Former Councilman David Kappler lauded for environmental record
January 5, 2010
Issaquah claimed about 8,000 residents when David Kappler launched a successful City Council campaign in 1991.
David Kappler
Then, before the seismic shifts brought on by widespread growth, residents talked about still-unrealized plans to build urban villages on Cougar Mountain and Grand Ridge. Costco still maintained corporate headquarters in Kirkland.
Kappler, a tireless advocate for trails and open space preservation, won every election since his ’91 victory. The former councilman, who shaped decisions for almost 20 years, led the push to conserve land and cast crucial votes to shape transportation and public safety in Issaquah and across the Eastside.
John Rittenhouse is proud of human services impact
January 5, 2010
John Rittenhouse
During a single City Council term, John Rittenhouse advanced watershed legislation to reshape city elections and establish a human services campus in Issaquah.
The former councilman led the effort to cap city campaign contributions at $500 for cash and in-kind donations from a single party — a measure the council overwhelmingly approved in May.
Rittenhouse led the push to open a proposed human services campus, a clearinghouse where needy people can receive food, healthcare and employment. The council OK’d the first steps toward a campus — location scouting and business planning — in a unanimous vote last month.
Before Rittenhouse left the council last week, colleagues praised him as affable and effective. Read more
Developer: Park Pointe could break ground in 2011
December 22, 2009
The developer behind Park Pointe said ground could be broken for the embattled Tiger Mountain residential project as early as a year after it emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy hearings. But city officials, accustomed to long delays related to Park Pointe, described the timeline as ambitious. Read more
All-mail election could keep decision unknown on Nov. 3
October 27, 2009
When City Council candidate Joan Probala and her supporters gather at Gibson Hall on election night, the crowd could be cheated out of knowing how the months-long campaign culminates. Read more
Council candidates look toward future at forum
October 13, 2009
City Council candidates envisioned redevelopment of the commercial district, promised to protect crucial city services and looked beyond the defunct Southeast Bypass — the defining issue of the 2007 municipal election — at a campaign forum last week.
Organized by The Issaquah Press and moderated by Publisher Debbie Berto, the Oct. 8 forum drew Position 5 candidates Maureen McCarry and Joan Probala, and Position 7 hopefuls Tola Marts and Nathan Perea. The candidates, bedecked in campaign buttons, spent the hourlong forum fielding questions from Berto about issues including the economy, growth and transportation. Read more
Council incumbent withdraws
June 16, 2009
David Kappler announced June 11 he would not seek re-election to the City Council — less than a week after the longtime councilman filed with King County Elections to run for another term. Kappler withdrew his candidacy with the elections office a day before the withdrawal deadline.
As he announced his intention to withdraw, Kappler said he plans to spend more time with his family and take care of his 93-year-old parents in Seattle.
David Kappler
Kappler said his sucessor and other council members would be forced to make tough decisions as city officials grapple with the recession. Officials cut spending by $1.6 million as a result of a $1.5 million shortfall.
Despite the downturn, Kappler said he wants the next council to plan for future transportation projects and complete and implement the Central Issaquah Plan. The document will outline future development and redevelopment on 915 acres around Interstate 90.
“Dealing with the finances is going to be the nitty gritty, but I’d like to see some vision,” he said.
Kappler, first elected to the seven-member council in 1991, is a staunch advocate for environmental preservation and a longtime member of the Issaquah Alps Trails Club. He said his post-council plans include devoting more time to the trails club. In 2006, he received the Ruth Kees Award for a Sustainable Community — the city’s top honor for people who take steps to protect natural resources.
Kappler, 60, endorsed political newcomer Tola Marts in the race to succeed him. Marts will face another newcomer, Nathan Perea, in the contest for the Position 7 council seat. Kappler said he plans to campaign for Marts. Read more
