North Bend moves forward with annexation
March 31, 2009
North Bend has received enough formal petitions to move forward with its plans to annex part of its urban growth boundary.
“We are in possession of what we believe to be 64 percent of the assessed valuation of the annexation area,” City Administrator Duncan Wilson said.
Wilson said that the city was excited that the annexation process seems to be moving forward faster than expected. He is not alone. Rob Manelski, President of the Wood River
Home Owners Association, was also excited at the news that the city has received enough petitions to move the annexation forward.
Brilliant pitching effort not enough for Mount Si baseball team
March 30, 2009
Wildcat winning streak snapped at Liberty
When the Mount Si baseball team is beaten, it will typically acknowledge that it was by the opponent.
March 30 at Liberty, however, it seemed more like the Wildcats were beaten by the sport they were playing – a sport that can allow a team to dominate all but a few plays, yet still lose.
Mount Si got a one-hitter out of pitcher Frank Tassara and put runners in scoring position in four innings. None of that mattered, though, because at the end of the game, the scoreboard still read: Liberty 2, Mount Si 1.
“That’s baseball for you. You win some of these and you lose some of these,” head coach Chaz Carr said. “It’s a growing experience for us. We’re young, so we’re going to have games like this. But, we still battled.”
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak, one which had help push the Wildcats into the thick of the KingCo 3A/2A race early in the season.
Perhaps no one was more unfortunate than Tassara, who only gave up a solo home run in the fourth inning as part of an impressive pitching effort that also included three walks and nine strikeouts. Liberty’s only other run came in the sixth off two errors and a walk.
“The guy just stuck his bat out and hit Frankie’s fastball, and that’s all they got off of him,” Carr said. “If he keeps throwing like that, he’ll keep proving that he’s one of the toughest pitchers in the league.”
Mount Si put runners on base in both the second and third innings, and had runners at second and third with only one out in the fourth, yet failed to score in any of those situations. The Wildcats finally got on the board in the fifth when Tassara drew a lead-off walk and advanced home on two passed balls and an error.
Two more runners were left stranded by Mount Si in the sixth, before the Wildcats went into the top of the seventh behind 2-1. Tim Proudfoot laced a one-out double to put the tying run on second, but the next two batters were retired on a fly out and a strikeout.
North Bend Parks Foundation seeks more members
March 30, 2009
The North Bend Parks Foundation wants more members, said chief fundraising officer Tami Asars.
The organization has 15-20 members, but it needs to grow in order to continue its mission of helping the city to develop parks and promote quality of life amenities in the city.
The parks foundation is comprised of North Bend and surrounding area residents who want the city’s park system to keep up with the overall expansion of the city, according to Asars. The group formed in the middle of 2008, and incorporated as a non-profit organization that can receive tax-deductible gifts.
“We do what we can to help parks and open spaces,” Asars said.
Snoqualmie middle school students to perform French play
March 26, 2009
Cyrano de Bergerac loves Roxanne, but he hides his feelings for fear his long, protruding nose will prevent her from loving him in return. Instead, he helps his simple but handsome friend Maurice try to win over the lovely Roxanne in the midst of dealing with pirate fights and stubborn servants.
Snoqualmie Middle School students are up to the task for playing out Cyrano’s lovelorn troubles, long nose and all, in “Cyrano de Bergerac.” Many know of the famous French play from Steve Martin’s 1987 film “Roxanne.” During a dress rehearsal, students eagerly described the play’s characters and plot.
“Maurice is a klutz,” sixth-grader Nitya Chivukula said. “He doesn’t have a good vocabulary and stuff.”
Students in the love triangle of the play, “Cyrano de Bergerac,” include, from left, Ray Gallagher, Marina Zeitler and Kerry Pemberton. Notice Gallagher’s long nose.
District prepares to sell bonds
March 25, 2009
Now that voters have approved a $27.5 million school bond by 67 percent, the Snoqualmie Valley School District is beginning the behind-the-scenes work of selling its bonds.
At a March 12 school board meeting, Jon Gores of D.A. Davidson & Co. described the bond-selling process.
“The next time you see my smiling face, the bonds will have been committed to by investors,” Gores said.
The bond will tax SVSD residents $0.39 per $1,000 of assessed property value for the next 20 years. Ideally, the bonds will provide the maximum amount of revenue needed by the district for its capital facilities projects.
Community center plans back on
March 24, 2009
Snoqualmie may break ground on a community center in 2010, after all.
Mayor Matt Larson and the Snoqualmie City Council mulled over options for the center at the council retreat, March 2-3. Larson said that the consensus of the council was that the city should not attempt another bond issue to get the project started, and instead are looking at building the center in three phases.
The plan is to design the facility in a way that will allow future expansions. The first part of the facility would be a hub onto which future additions could be built. The first phase would likely include space for community meeting rooms.
Snoqualmie Valley girl sacrifices birthday gifts to help others
March 24, 2009
Annalise Jensen is the change she wants to see in the world.
For her eighth birthday party, the Opstad Elementary student asked her invited friends to bring non-perishable foods to her, in place of presents. Then, Annalise donated all of the items to the Mt Si Helping Hand Food Bank.
“Sometimes, when kids do things like this, it’s a good way for adults to think about what they’re doing,” said the food bank’s Executive Director, the Rev. Chuck Talburt.
Snoqualmie approves purchase of new police vehicles
March 24, 2009
Hybrids for police force not a viable option this time around
Snoqualmie’s council and mayor are worried about the public perception of buying five new police vehicles that are less than environmentally friendly.
A request to approve the purchase of five police vehicles came before the council March 23. The vehicle purchase was approved, but not until after the council debated whether or not to buy the cars.
The five vehicles will replace five current police cars purchased in 2004 that are at or near 100,000 miles. Two of the vehicle’s being replaced had transmission work, and all were considered nearing the end of their usefulness as police vehicles.
Valley eyes hazard mitigation grants
March 24, 2009
About 50 Snoqualmie Valley residents attended a meeting March 17 at the Mount Si High School auditorium to hear about what the city and county are doing to help residents limit the damage caused by future flooding.
Snoqualmie is applying for hazard mitigation grant funds to elevate homes out of the floodway to buy properties that are habitually inundated with floods. The city hopes that it can receive about $1.5 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The money would pay for 12-15 home elevations. A second grant could pay for buying out flood-prone properties.
Letters to the editor 3-26
March 24, 2009
Day of Silence protests are only disruptions
