Olympia legislation could impact Valley
February 28, 2009
Several pieces of legislation being discussed in Olympia may benefit Snoqualmie Valley cities, and two North Bend city leaders attended a legislative conference in the state capital last week.
North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing and City Administrator Duncan Wilson drove to Olympia Feb. 18 to attend the Association of Washington Cities Legislative Conference, an event that allows local leaders to learn more about what the state’s legislature is up to and gives them a chance to lobby for legislative action.
Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson did not attend the event, but he does have two pieces of legislation that he wants to see the legislature pass.
Wildcats clipped in final seconds by Seattle Prep
February 27, 2009
The Mount Si boys basketball team isn’t out of it yet, but the Wildcats were painfully close to setting themselves up for a state tournament berth Thursday night at Bellevue Community College.
After forcing three ties in the final two minutes, Mount Si fell to Seattle Prep 60-58 in a Class 3A Sea-King District playoff contest. The loss drops the Wildcats into the loser’s bracket, where they’ll meet O’Dea at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday at Ingraham High School in an elimination game.
Mount Si had one last chance to tie the game, as junior Lucas Zupan was fouled with less than one second to play. However, his first of two free throws came up short, before he intentionally missed the second on the game’s final play.
Lucas Zupan, right, and Taylor Campbell surround an opponent during a regular-season game.
Floods washing away Sandy Cove Park in Snoqualmie
February 27, 2009
Mother nature has taken her toll on Sandy Cove Park, next to the Snoqualmie River. The January floods have caused significant erosion along the riverbanks.
Snoqualmie’s GIS coordinator Mel Soares has put together some information the city can use as a reference to tell just how much stream bank was lost due to flooding during the last decade. GIS stands for Geographic Information System. GIS integrates information from global positioning systems with aerial and other maps to gain information on an area’s geographic features.
Soares took a GPS unit to Sandy Cove in December 2008 after the November floods, and he went back to the park after the January 2009 floods. His GPS unit is not capable of producing survey grade readings, but it can determine a position within an accuracy of plus or minus one foot.
The banks of Sandy Cove Park have lost as much as 17 feet of ground.
School officials could face tough decisions soon
February 26, 2009
This is the third in a three-part series describing the items on Resolution 727, a Snoqualmie Valley school bond set to be voted on March 10.
As registered Snoqualmie Valley voters fill out their ballots for a March 10 bond measure, school district staff are simultaneously working on a No Fund Plan — a plan B road map they may have to follow if the bond fails to garner 60 percent of the vote.
If approved, the $27.5 million bond would fund $22.1 million for repairs across the school district, including leaking roofs and broken heating and ventilation systems, finance a $3.6 million ninth-grade academy of portables at Mount Si and spend $1.8 million relocating the high school’s six tennis courts across Meadowbrook Way.
If voters decline the bond, the district will turn to its No Fund Plan.
School officials like Superintendent Joel Aune, left, and board member Caroline Loudenback, right, could have to make difficult decisions in the near future.
North Bend mayor addresses state of city
February 26, 2009
During an annual state of the city address, North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing said that, despite an economic downturn nationwide, the city is in good shape financially and excited about its centennial celebration.
“You only turn 100 once, and we intend to throw quite a party that will be talked about over the next 100 years. Special parades, music, block parties and fireworks are just some of the events we intend to promote,” Hearing said.
He stressed the need to revitalize North Bend’s downtown area and to bring new businesses to the community. He also noted that this year will see the end of North Bend’s decade-long ban on residential development, which was self-imposed because the city lacked the necessary water rights for residential growth. One goal the city hopes to make progress on this year is attracting a first-class hotel to the city, Hearing said. Read more
Basic education gets fresh start after bill rejection
February 26, 2009
Hopes for education reform in the state were partially dashed Feb. 18 when both legislative bodies rejected further discussion on House Bill 1410 and Senate Bill 5444.
“In terms of what is coming out of the Legislature, the education reform proposals are still alive,” said Rep. Glenn Anderson. “The challenge we have is coming to the best of our abilities to a broad agreement.
“The devil is always in the details,” he said.
The two bills were the result of several years of studies, ideas and recommendations from two groups, the Joint Task Force on Basic Education Finance, and its predecessor, the Washington Learns Steering Committee. Read more
EFR firefighters get 7 percent increase
February 26, 2009
Local firefighters just received some good news: they’re getting a raise.
Based on a collective bargaining agreement for Eastside Fire & Rescue, firefighters will get a 7.55 percent boost to their salaries in 2009.
The coverage area of EFR includes Sammamish, Issaquah, North Bend, Carnation and portions of unincorporated King County.
The size of the salary increase caught some EFR commissioners by surprise.
Firefighter’s pay increase out of line with reality
February 26, 2009
Editorial:
We certainly wouldn’t want to deny our firefighters their due, but a 7.55 percent pay increase couldn’t come at a worse time for Eastside Fire & Rescue. Read more
Letters 2-26
February 26, 2009
Thankful for the help of the school district
Mount Si senior cherishes Honduras trip
February 26, 2009
Mount Si High School senior Amanda Orcutt originally wanted to take American Sign Language her freshman year, but upon learning it was not offered, ended up taking Spanish.
She immediately put her skills to use. Orcutt practiced her Spanish with an exchange student at Mount Si High School from Columbia. Her mother, Joy Orcutt, a kindergarten teacher at Snoqualmie Elementary School, also had two Spanish-speaking students.
“I got to go and talk to them,” Orcutt said. “We would have little secret conversations about their favorite colors.”
Amanda Orcutt helps do some cooking in Honduras.
