Crews gird for snow removal before flakes start to fall
November 27, 2012
The mercury dips a little lower as November turns to December, winter starts in mere weeks, and the agencies responsible for ensuring roads remain passable in ice and snow readied removal plans for the months ahead.
Issaquah, King County and the state prepare detailed ice and snow response plans long before the flakes start to fall. The agencies face challenges in Issaquah and the surrounding area due to steep terrain, narrow roads and limited funding.
Encounter at Issaquah school offers bear safety reminder
October 16, 2012
Mike Pernack spotted a black bear cub in Squak Mountain’s Big Bear Court neighborhood Oct. 4. By Mike Pernack
Issaquah Valley Elementary School administrators briefly put the campus into lockdown Oct. 3 after surprise guests ambled onto school grounds.
State Department of Fish and Wildlife officers, plus Mishka, a Karelian bear dog, responded to the downtown Issaquah school, but arrived after a female bear and trio of cubs dashed across campus.
Rowley Properties executive Richard Symms retires
September 25, 2012
Richard Symms
Longtime Rowley Properties executive Richard Symms retired Sept. 1 after 44 years as a leader at the Issaquah-based company.
Symms, as president and board member, served as a key component in Rowley Properties’ evolution.
“Rowley Properties was blessed with Richard Symms’ capable, caring and dependable leadership to do whatever needed to be done over the years,” CEO Kari Magill said in a statement.
Symms worked as a teacher in the Issaquah School District before joining Rowley Properties founder George Rowley Sr. to sell houses on Squak Mountain.
Residents can honor Symms by sending a 4-by-6-inch note card with thoughts or a story to Rowley Properties, Attn: RSS, 1595 N.W. Gilman Blvd., Suite 1, Issaquah, WA 98027. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 5.
Organizers plan to compile the memories into a book for Symms.
Roadwork could impact Squak Mountain traffic
August 28, 2012
Crews started work Aug. 22 to repave several Squak Mountain roads.
Expect to see crews grinding roads to prepare for paving in the days ahead. Paving is scheduled to occur through Aug. 31, weather permitting.
Crews plan to work from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Homeowners can still access their properties during the roadwork.
King County approves cell tower additions near Issaquah
August 28, 2012
King County approved a permit Aug. 23 for AT&T to add antennae and equipment to a cell tower near the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill.
The county issued a permit for the telecommunications giant to modify the existing cell tower at 14237 228th Ave. S.E. The tower is on Squak Mountain, just outside the landfill site.
AT&T applied to the King County Department of Development and Environmental Services to add three antennae, six remote radio heads and a surge protector to the cabinet on each tower.
Roadwork could impact Squak Mountain traffic
August 22, 2012
NEW — 1 p.m. Aug. 22, 2012
Crews started work Wednesday to repave several Squak Mountain roads.
Expect to see crews grinding roads to prepare for paving in the days ahead. Paving is scheduled to occur from Aug. 27-31, weather permitting.
Crews plan to work from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Homeowners can still access their properties during the roadwork.
The affected roads include Mount Quay Drive Northwest from Mount Olympus Drive Northwest to Mount Si Place Northwest, Mount Si Place Northwest, Mount Rainier Place Northwest, Mount Olympus Drive Northwest from 12th Avenue Northwest to Mount Olympus Drive Southwest, Mount Olympus Drive Southwest from Mount Olympus Drive Northwest to Mountain Park Boulevard Southwest, and Mountain Park Boulevard Southwest from Mount Olympus Drive Southwest to Mountainside Drive Southwest.
Washington Conservation Corps seeks members
August 21, 2012
The teams maintaining the trails on state and King County lands near Issaquah often include members of the Washington Conservation Corps — a fresh-out-of-college bunch eager to earn experience in the environmental field.
Like the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps, the 21st-century equivalent enlists young adults to tackle habitat and infrastructure projects.
The state Department of Ecology needs applicants to fill 300 service positions in 16 counties throughout the state.
Lindbergh High School’s Max Ferguson wins Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series
August 14, 2012
Skyline High School’s Keegan Symmes finishes second
Marlene Farrell, of Leavenworth, runs toward the finish line to post her winning time for women on the 13-mile course with a time of 1 hour, 56 minutes, 9 seconds. By Greg Farrar
People take interest in running for a lot of reasons. They do it for the health benefits, the stress relief and even the runner’s high. But for Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series 13 Mile winner Max Ferguson, he had only one thing in mind.
The ladies.
“I guess I started in eighth grade because I wanted to be better at the mile in P.E.,” Ferguson said. “I thought that me being better at the P.E. mile would help me do better with the ladies than I was doing at the time.”
Ferguson attended Lindbergh High School where he ran as a member of the cross-country team. After going to college on the East Coast, Ferguson returned home and, like a certain Tom Hanks character, kept running.
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.
King County considers cell tower proposal
August 7, 2012
King County is considering a proposal from AT&T to add antennae and equipment to the existing cell tower at 14327 228th Ave. S.E., on Squak Mountain near the Trinity Tree Farm.
AT&T applied to the King County Department of Development and Environmental Services to add three antennae, six remote radio heads and a surge protector to the tower.
The tower is about a mile west uphill from the Tiger Mountain Country Store at Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast and Cedar Grove Road Southeast.
Residents can send comments about the proposal to DDES — Building and Fire Services Division, 900 Oakesdale Ave. S.W., Renton, WA 98057-5212. The public comment period ends Aug. 16.
Citizens can also review the application at the Renton office.
