Experience the journey, not the destination on May Valley trail to Central Peak hike
August 7, 2012
Out-of-place among the trees, this stone fireplace is all that remains of the Bullitt family homestead. By Lillian Tucker
If it’s a few hours of fresh air free of people and noise pollution you want, but you aren’t willing to chug up the Interstate 90 corridor, then the May Valley Loop could be just the ticket.
“It’s really beautiful. I like that it’s not a crowded hike,” Debbie Simmons said.
She lives nearby in High Valley and often walks her Bernese mountain dog Rogue around the trail system of Squak Mountain, one of the lesser-visited triplets better known as the Issaquah Alps. “Rogue likes that it’s shaded most of the way.”
It doesn’t take long to reach the shade, where even on a hot day in mid-July the air along the trail is cool under the high-reaching big leaf maples. After parking at the Squak Mountain State Park entrance off Southeast May Valley Road, follow the only trailhead, which has a sign for Squak Mountain Trail.
Offer input about May Valley fire station at open house
July 17, 2012
Residents can learn about a fire station planned for May Valley at a July 19 open house hosted by Fire District 10.
The district is the Eastside Fire & Rescue partner serving residents in Klahanie, May Valley, Mirrormont, Preston and Tiger Mountain in the Issaquah area, plus Carnation in rural King County.
Plans call for EFR crews from 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 May Valley station could start next year.
The open house is at 7 p.m. at EFR headquarters, 175 Newport Way N.W. Participants can offer input and ask district commissioners questions about the project.
In April, district officials completed the process to issue $5.5 million in construction bonds to build the fire station and complete other projects throughout the district.
The district encompasses about 130 square miles and about 28,000 people.
In February, 64 percent of voters in the district approved a bond measure to generate the construction dollars.
Offer input about May Valley fire station at open house
July 14, 2012
NEW — 6 a.m. July 14, 2012
Residents can learn about a fire station planned for May Valley at a July 19 open house hosted by Fire District 10.
The district is the Eastside Fire & Rescue partner serving residents in Klahanie, May Valley, Mirrormont, Preston and Tiger Mountain in the Issaquah area, plus Carnation in rural King County.
Plans call for EFR crews from 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 May Valley station could start next year.
The open house is 7 p.m. at EFR headquarters, 175 Newport Way N.W. Participants can offer input and ask district commissioners questions about the project.
Plan progresses to relocate rural fire station near Issaquah
May 22, 2012
Construction should start on a May Valley fire station next summer, as local fire officials relocate firefighters and equipment deeper into Fire District 10 from a station close to the Renton city limits.
In late April, officials from Fire District 10 — May Valley, Mirrormont and other communities near Issaquah — completed the process to issue $5.5 million in construction bonds to build a May Valley fire station and complete other projects throughout the district.
Fire District 10 is the Eastside Fire & Rescue partner serving residents in Klahanie, May Valley, Mirrormont, Preston and Tiger Mountain in the Issaquah area, plus Carnation in rural King County.
The district encompasses about 130 square miles and about 28,000 people.
Issaquah School Board is unhappy about King County’s school site decisions
May 8, 2012
Members of the Issaquah School Board were unhappy to hear last week that a district-owned 80-acre property is most likely unusable.
“We own the land. If the county wants to condemn it then they can pay us and we’ll go find something else,” board member Brian Deagle said.
The board got the bad news at its April 26 meeting, when it received an update about the recent recommendations of the King County School Siting Task Force.
In his presentation to the board, Steve Crawford, director of capital projects for the Issaquah School District, explained that one of the recommendations is for Issaquah to basically give up the nearly 80 acres of land it owns on Southeast May Valley Road. The $1.4 million property, which sits between Squak Mountain to the north and the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill to the south, is outside of King County’s urban growth boundary.
King County calls for new schools in urban areas
April 24, 2012
A 30-member task force unanimously agreed to recommend that new school sitings in King County be done in urban areas and rural towns, not in areas designated as rural.
King County officials announced the decision April 11.
“These are thoughtful recommendations that will help deliver educational excellence for our children without sacrificing the environment of our rural areas,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine in a press release.
According to the county, the School Siting Task Force evaluated an inventory of 18 rural properties owned by eight school districts in King County.
The county lists one such property owned by the Issaquah School District at 21569 S.E. May Valley Road.
King County task force says new schools should go in urban, not rural, areas
April 11, 2012
NEW — 5:15 p.m. April 11, 2012
A 30-member task force unanimously agreed to recommend that new school sitings in King County be done in urban areas and rural towns, not in areas designated as rural.
King County officials announced the decision Wednesday afternoon.
“These are thoughtful recommendations that will help deliver educational excellence for our children without sacrificing the environment of our rural areas,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine in a press release.
According to the county, the School Siting Task Force evaluated an inventory of 18 rural properties owned by eight school districts in King County. The county lists one such property owned by the Issaquah School District along Southeast May Valley Road. County information does not provide an exact address.
Turnout hit 28 percent in February special election
March 6, 2012
Turnout in the Feb. 14 election to decide a $5.5 million bond for fire station construction reached 28 percent, King County Elections announced Feb. 28, as officials certified the election results.
State law required the Fire District 10 bond measure to receive a 60 percent yes vote from a turnout of at least 4,418 voters. The measure received a 64.7 percent yes vote from a turnout of 5,863 voters. (The district includes 20,791 registered voters.)
Fire District 10 is the Eastside Fire & Rescue partner serving residents in Klahanie, May Valley, Mirrormont, Preston and Tiger Mountain in the Issaquah area, plus Carnation in rural King County.
Officials plan to use bond dollars to relocate crews from Fire Station 78 at 16135 S.E. 113th Place near Renton to a modern facility at a more central location at Southeast May Valley Road and 207th Avenue Southeast.
Overall, elections officials issued 189,753 ballots for measures in Fire District 10 and school districts elsewhere in King County. The elections office predicted 38 percent turnout overall in the special elections, but turnout reached 32 percent in the contests.
Turnout reached 28 percent in February fire district election
February 29, 2012
NEW — 10 a.m. Feb. 29, 2012
Turnout in the Feb. 14 election to decide a $5.5 million bond for fire station construction reached 28 percent, King County Elections announced Tuesday, as officials certified the election results.
State law required the Fire District 10 bond measure to receive a 60 percent yes vote from a turnout of at least 4,418 voters. The measure received a 64.7 percent yes vote from a turnout of 5,863 voters. (The district includes 20,791 registered voters.)
Fire District 10 is the Eastside Fire & Rescue partner serving residents in Klahanie, May Valley, Mirrormont, Preston and Tiger Mountain in the Issaquah area, plus Carnation in rural King County.
The district encompasses about 130 square miles and about 28,000 people.
Fire District 10 voters OK $5.5 million bond to relocate fire station
February 21, 2012
Fire District 10 — May Valley, Mirrormont and other communities near Issaquah — received approval to build a fire station and upgrade other facilities as voters approved a $5.5 million bond in a special election Feb. 14.
Officials plan to use bond dollars to relocate crews from Fire Station 78 at 16135 S.E. 113th Place near Renton to a modern facility at a more central location at Southeast May Valley Road and 207th Avenue Southeast.
The district asked the electorate to OK the bond to fund a rebuilt Station 78 and improvements to other fire stations throughout the sprawling district. The price tag for the rebuilt station alone is expected to reach $4.5 million.
