King County, YWCA to hold meeting about Passage Point
June 21, 2011
Safety is on the minds of community members neighboring the future Passage Point facility.
The YWCA will provide housing at Passage Point for men and women recently released from incarceration who wish to reunite with their children. The residents of Passage Point, who would otherwise be homeless, will have access to housing, employment and counseling services. It’s slated to open its doors next month.
A half-dozen community leaders met with representatives from King County and the YWCA, as well as King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Andrea Alexander at Evergreen Community Church during a May 24 meeting about safety procedures.
Passage Point, in the southern part of the Issaquah School District, has long been a hot topic for the area. Students living at Passage Point will attend Maple Hills Elementary School, Maywood Middle School or Liberty High School.
FISH hires new executive director
May 31, 2011
Jane Kuechle spent many hours as a girl on family road trips to out-of-the-way Oregon places.
Jane Kuechle
“Wherever we went, we would stop whenever we saw a salmon hatchery,” she recalled.
Kuechle, a longtime leader in local nonprofit organizations, is about to spend more time at a salmon hatchery. The expert in fundraising and nonprofit management is the next executive director of Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, the nonprofit group responsible for education and tours at the downtown hatchery.
YWCA construction prompts street closure
May 31, 2011
Prepare for a nighttime street closure as crews install a pedestrian bridge from the YWCA Family Village at Issaquah to the Issaquah Highlands Park & Ride.
The project is scheduled to take place at 12:30 a.m. June 8. The installation is not expected to last more than two hours.
Due to the detour of Highlands Drive Northeast onto Ninth Avenue Northeast between Northeast High Street and the north end of Ninth Avenue, work must take place at night. In addition, crews and King County Metro Transit had to coordinate around bus schedules.
The contractor plans to notify residents within 500 feet of the project site.
Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery selects leader
May 26, 2011
NEW — 3:30 p.m. May 26, 2011
Jane Kuechle
Jane Kuechle spent many hours as a girl on family road trips to out-of-the-way Oregon places.
“Wherever we went, we would stop whenever we saw a salmon hatchery,” she recalled.
Kuechle, a longtime leader in local nonprofit organizations, is about to spend more time at a salmon hatchery. The expert in fundraising and nonprofit management is the next executive director of Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, the nonprofit group responsible for education and tours at the downtown hatchery.
Mayor Ava Frisinger, FISH board president, said members selected Kuechle from more than 30 applicants.
“The board went through a very long and rigorous process of selecting people,” Frisinger said after announcing the appointment Thursday.
YWCA leasing office opens
May 17, 2011
The permanent leasing office for YWCA Family Village at Issaquah has opened as construction continues on the residential project.
The office, 930 N.E. High St., is near the construction site. The nonprofit organization previously set up a temporary office at Blakely Hall last month.
The highlands complex includes 146 units and residents could start moving in by July.
Find driving directions and learn more at the local YWCA organization’s website, www.ywcaworks.org.
Issaquah environmentalists receive Green Globe Awards
May 10, 2011
Every two years, King County awards its best environmentalists with the Green Globe Awards at the Earth Day Expo.
Of the 16 awards given to individuals, schools districts, cities and businesses that won the 2011 Green Globe Awards, three award-winners are from Issaquah — two people behind the Issaquah Zero Energy Village and Dr. Jessica Saepoff, a dentist with Natural Dental Health Associates in Issaquah.
County Executive Dow Constantine praised the finalists for their work toward helping “green” their communities.
“Award winners are leaders, innovators and are truly dedicated to making King County and the greater Puget Sound region such a tremendous place to live, work and play,” Constantine said in a news release. “I want to thank all of our winners for proving that commitment and dedication makes a positive difference in the community.”
Linda Hall, with the YWCA, and Brad Liljequist, with zHome Issaquah Zero Energy, both received the award for Community Leadership in Green Building.
Their projects, the YWCA Family Village at Issaquah and zHome, required years of planning, forethought and persistence on behalf of the YWCA and Issaquah to incorporate housing for Eastside working families.
YWCA seeks goodie baskets for needy children
April 15, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. April 15, 2011
Spring is in the air, and the local YWCA organization is asking people to help provide 1,000 spring baskets for homeless and low-income children living in YWCA shelter and housing programs.
YWCA shelters provide a safe haven to families working hard to move forward and build a better future.
People can donate personally created or store-bought baskets filled with fun items, such as toys, games, learning supplies or candy. The organization is also accepting cash donations to purchase baskets. Donate baskets at various locations by Monday.
Contact Brenda McCallon at mccallon@ywcaworks.org or 556-1354 to participate or to learn more. Find sign-up forms and drop off locations at the YWCA website.
The organization is in the midst of construction on YWCA Family Village in the Issaquah Highlands. Families should start settling in the residences during the summer.
FISH executive director to step down March 31
March 15, 2011
Some details about salmon eluded Gestin Suttle in April 2003, as she settled in as the Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery executive director.
“I knew some basic things about salmon, but I would not have called myself an expert by any means,” she recalled. “There was a sharp learning curve for me.”
Gestin Suttle
Now, eight years and countless coho later, Suttle is a sought-after source for salmon information.
“Every day, I learn something new,” she said.
Suttle plans to resign from the salmon-centric organization March 31. The former journalist and Sammamish resident accepted a position as a public relations coordinator for the local YWCA.
FISH executive director to step down March 31
March 13, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. March 13, 2011
Gestin Suttle, executive director of the Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery since 2003, has announced plans to resign from the organization at the end of the month.
Suttle, a Sammamish resident and a former journalist, has accepted a position as the public relations coordinator for the local YWCA organization.
“I am confident that I am leaving at an optimum time for FISH because it is on firm financial footing (in spite of the down economy), and this is a period of stability, with the extremely talented Celina Steiger about to celebrate her fourth year as our education coordinator and the very skilled Beverly Lee firmly beside her in the volunteer coordinator role,” Suttle wrote in a message to FISH members and donors Saturday.
Schools prepare for children of Passage Point residents
February 22, 2011
With the YWCA’s Passage Point scheduled to open in June, its neighbors in the southern part of the Issaquah School District are working to learn as much as they can about the facility before its inaugural day.
About 10 people came to the YWCA Passage Point Community Open House Feb. 9 at Maple Hills Elementary School, some carrying lists of questions they could ask YWCA representatives, King County project managers and school district administrators.
YWCA Case Manager Miesha Phillips (left) answers questions from Deena Rataezyk, Debra Hawkins and Joanna Hodgson at the Passage Point community open house. By Laura Geggel
Passage Point allows the YWCA to provide housing for men and women recently released from incarceration who wish to reunite with their children. The residents of Passage Point will have access to housing, employment and counseling services.
“It’s going to be geared toward a certain population that wants to change,” YWCA Case Manager Miesha Phillips said.
She and other administrators answered questions about Passage Point’s rules and services.
Deena Rataezyk learned that any Passage Point residents who register to volunteer with the district will have to go through a standard Washington State Patrol background check.
Nick LaCaze asked if teachers were ready to teach children living at Passage Point, given that some of them might need extra support at school, and Rataezyk asked if the schools would have additional mental health resources.
