‘Snoqualmie Dave’ retiring from police force
January 26, 2011
Officer Dave Johnson, directing a traffic scene at 380th Avenue Southeast and Southeast Cedar Street, retires at the end of January after 23 years on the job. By Snoqualmie Police Department
On Jan. 31, Officer Dave Johnson will turn in his badge after 23 years of service with the Snoqualmie Police Department.
“I figured 20 years was enough,” he explained.
Audit: City’s failure to monitor contractor resulted in excessive developer charges
January 26, 2011
Snoqualmie city government failed to thoroughly monitor contractors’ work during development of Snoqualmie Ridge I, which resulted in the city passing along excessive charges to developers, according to a Washington State Auditor’s Office report published in November.
The report addresses four assertions of mismanagement by the city that came from an anonymous complaint to the auditor’s office. Auditors upheld two of the claims, dismissed one and passed the final one to a state board that handles professional conduct issues for engineers.
City officials said policy issues raised by the report have been addressed. But they dispute the report’s most dramatic claim: that the city could have hired six full-time engineers for the amount it paid its engineering contractor, Perteet, from 2003 to 2009.
During those years, Snoqualmie paid nearly $5,360,000 to Perteet for reviewing and monitoring work by developers on the Ridge. Based on the average annual salaries of city engineers in 13 comparable King County cities, Snoqualmie could have hired six full-time engineers for that amount of money, according to the report.
City officials told auditors they never considered hiring even one engineer to oversee Perteet’s work, save money and avoid any conflict of interest by the contractor.
In a response to the report, the city disputed the report’s finding that it could have hired six engineers for the same amount of money.
Bond and the voters: three viewpoints
January 26, 2011
With the vote a week away, Snoqualmie Valley residents are keeping a close eye on the election, and opinions are as varied as the schools’ mascots.
Some criticized the district, and others hedged their bets a little bit, while others professed their support for the bond.
“I feel fine about it,” said Linda Young, of North Bend.
Young was equally open to the idea of freshmen moving to their own separate campus, if perhaps a little less enthusiastically.
“My preference would be one high school for all kids,” she said. “But we couldn’t fund that.”
The ninth-graders’ campus may not make everyone happy, but it seems like the right choice to battle school crowding, Young added.
A differing viewpoint came from the other end of the Valley, in Fall City, where John Hunt, the father of a freshman at Mount Si High, wrote in an e-mail that the rest of the district was being asked to subsidize a Snoqualmie Ridge development.
Required high school credits may jump from 19 to 24
January 26, 2011
Before earning a high school diploma, it’s no secret that students have to pass a number of required courses — 19 mandated by the state and a few others required by their school.
After a three-year study of high school credits, the Washington State Board of Education has recommended that the number of mandatory credits increase from 19 to 24. Such an endeavor would cost the state an estimated $188 million between 2011 and 2016, and would need financial approval from the state Legislature.
Most of the money would pay for teacher and counselor salaries. The state pays for five high school periods now, and it would have to fund six if the bill passed. About $28 million would pay for facility costs, since some schools would need extra science and art classrooms so their students could meet the new recommended requirements.
With a gaping state budget deficit estimated at $4.6 billion, some educators aren’t holding their breath while waiting for the bill to pass.
Improved fire rating could lower insurance premiums
January 26, 2011
Snoqualmie residents could save some money on their property insurance premiums thanks to the city’s fire-protection class rating.
The city’s rating has been upgraded from Class 6 to Class 4, by the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau. The change is effective April 1.
The system gives ratings from 1 to 10 with 10 meaning an area has no credible fire protection service.
The bureau evaluates all Washington communities on their fire protection and suppression capabilities, and makes classification recommendations to insurance companies. Some companies use their own evaluations to establish premiums.
Residents can contact their insurance agents to determine if the change will lower their own premiums. Protection class ratings for individual properties outside of city limits are available by calling the bureau’s customer service department at 206-217-0101.
Vote yes for bond to build middle school
January 26, 2011
The importance of one item on the Feb. 8 ballot towers above the rest: the Snoqualmie Valley School District’s $56.2 million bond request to build a new middle school and make timely improvements to other schools.
The yes vote should come easy. A new middle school is the solution voters wanted.
The school district previously sent three major construction bonds to voters, and each times voters said no. One of the primary reasons cited for rejecting the bond? Valley residents made it clear that they did not want a second high school in the district. Cost was certainly a factor, but the pride of the Mount Si Wildcats runs strong and true.
Voters weren’t saying they accepted an overcrowded high school, they just believed there were better alternatives.
Letters to the editor
January 26, 2011
Please vote yes on the new fire station!
The elected officials of the city of North Bend and Fire District 38 (unincorporated area surrounding North Bend and Snoqualmie) have placed a ballot issue, Proposition 1, to authorize the sale of bonds to replace the existing fire station serving both jurisdictions on the Feb. 8 election ballot.
Our current station, Fire Station 87, dates to 1941. It was built for our community’s volunteer firefighters and their apparatus, and it served as a focal point for numerous community events. Much has changed since 1941. The station has been remodeled, refitted and expanded several times as our area has grown over the decades. Now, 70 years later, the station is no longer adequate for current needs; it is a mishmash of cobbled-together short-term remedies and is no longer adaptable to future growth.
Vote yes on fire station to keep North Bend area residents safe
January 26, 2011
Many North Bend-area residents may not know it, but we are currently at risk of being left without local help in the event of a fire, medical emergency or accident. Fortunately, you can help correct this risky situation by voting yes on Proposition 1 — Fire Station on Feb. 8.
Prop. 1 will allow us to replace North Bend’s dilapidated, unhealthy and unsafe fire house, and help ensure our local fire department can respond to us in emergencies.
Built in 1939 and updated in 1970, the building housing our firefighters and their lifesaving equipment could be severely compromised by even a small earthquake or flood — stranding firefighters and their emergency apparatus and preventing them from assisting residents in need. Indeed, engineers recently found that at least one-third of the station could collapse in an earthquake the size of the 2001 Nisqually quake.
Valley residents can file for conservation district
January 26, 2011
King Conservation District voters elect a board member in March, and candidates must file to run for the seat by Feb. 1.
The district includes the Snoqualmie Valley and most of King County. The agency promotes sustainable use of natural resources, and provides information and voluntary technical-assistance programs to landowners.
The election is open to most registered King County voters, except Enumclaw, Federal Way, Milton, Pacific and Skykomish residents.
Candidates must complete a nomination petition form and gather at least 25 signatures of registered voters residing in the district. The petition must be delivered to the district office, 1107 S.W. Grady Way, Suite 130, Renton, by Feb. 1. Call Susan Wermus at 282-1900 or e-mail susan.wermus@kingcd.org to learn more.
The online election runs from Feb. 15 to March 15. The district has enlisted Election Trust and Scytl Secure Electronic Voting USA to introduce online balloting. The step is a contrast to the in-person polling locations the district has used in low-turnout elections in the past.
The board of supervisors — five residents from inside district boundaries — oversees the district. The board includes three members elected by district residents. The state Conservation Commission appoints the other members.
Police Blotter
January 26, 2011
Snoqualmie blotter
No driving just yet
About 8:15 p.m. Jan. 14, police saw an Isuzu Rodeo with no working taillights in the 9300 block of Stone Quarry Road. A check showed the driver’s license was suspended for an unpaid ticket. The driver said she had been making payments on the ticket, but police told her she couldn’t drive until the matter was settled. She left her car off the roadway and called a friend to come get her.
