It sounded like a novel idea at first, the city of Issaquah contemplating banning the use of polystyrene, better known as Styrofoam, and thereby forcing local restaurants to begin using more eco-friendly materials. But as the ball got rolling, residents got interested and even excited about the issue. The city of Issaquah is an eco-minded community with a long history of environmental conservation. The people who live in this city of about 27,000 care deeply about their water and the creatures that live in it, their trees, their land and their air. In fact, a big selling point for city officials was that because the people in this community care about the environment, they would support such forward thinking. And while restaurant owners first balked at the proposal, they began to get on board when people began writing letters to The Issaquah Press and the city, saying they would even be willing to pay more for their food and drinks to help support the establishments who were thoughtful enough to not only willingly but joyfully comply with the ban. They also began to fall inline when city officials decided to start educating them about their options, rather than just tell them what they had to do. Issaquah is the first city on the Eastside to institute such an ordinance and one of the first small cities in the country to do so. As such, we at The Press, the newspaper of record for this community, thought we needed to lead the charge in explaining this ban to readers, including business owners, and helping garner support for it. We look forward to continuing coverage to help the city get this important project done.

The county Department of Development and Environmental Services has cut the cost ofpreparing residential permit applications with an eReview process — acceptance, reviewand approval of plan submittals electronically. Electronic plan submittal for residentialprojects can now replace the requirement for submitting two paper copies of buildingplans, saving customers hundreds of dollars in printing and storage costs, and results infaster permit processing. Learn more at www.kingcounty.gov/property/permits.

Last Week’s Rainfall:(through Monday)1.08 inches

Total for 2009:30.4 inches

Total last year:(through June 22)31.03 inches

YOU SHOULD KNOW� RAIN GAIN�A&E . . . . . . . . B6

Classifieds . . . C4-5

Community . . . B1

Obituaries . . . . B3

Opinion . . . . . . A4

Police & Fire . . C5

Schools . . . . . . C6

Sports . . . . . C1-3

� �

THE ISSAQUAHPRESSTHE ISSAQUAHPRESSTHE ISSAQUAHPRESS

Summer2009Living

magazine� See insert

Musicon theStreetsreturns�See Page B6

Fancy fenders fill Front Streetfor annual classic car show�Community, Page B1

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Issaquah Silver crew wins theBattle of Bothell lacrosse title

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Wednesday, June 24, 2009 • Vol. 110, No. 25Locally owned since 1900 • 75 Cents

PHOTOS BY ADAM ESCHBACH

Workin’ on the RailroadAt top, Windermere employee Alan Berkwitt drills a set of holes to secure a new

walking plank on top of a vintage caboose at the Issaquah Train Depot Museum. Atleft, Cheryl Muromoto, a Windermere employee since 1994, pulls out weeds alongthe railroad tracks contributing to the day of community service at the museum.

At right, Jeff Kissick dusts the inside of the museum. He wears a pink cast due to adare he lost to his wife.

BY WARREN KAGARISE

Stop by XXX Rootbeer Drive-infor a to-go root beer, and the sig-nature drink will be served in aplastic foam cup — for now.Employees at the drive-in andmany other Issaquah restaurantscould be forced to swap Styrofoamand other polystyrene containersfor eco-friendly materials.

Drive-in owner Jose Enciso saidhis restaurant uses polystyreneproducts because they cost lessthan alternatives. As the CityCouncil considers a ban onStyrofoam to-go boxes and otherfood containers made from eco-unfriendly polystyrene, Enciso andother business leaders said theban could mean higher prices onthe menu.

But Enciso said he was comfort-able with the switch for environ-mental reasons.

“Whatever it takes to help outthe environment,” he said. “We’reready.”

Cityconsidersban on

Styrofoam

A planned YWCA housing devel-opment in the Issaquah Highlandshas received a $2 million stateloan, Gov. Chris Gregoireannounced June 17.

YWCA Family Village atIssaquah would include 146 rentalapartments for tenants earning 50percent or less of King County’smedian income. The state loan isearmarked for the 48-unit secondphase of the project.

YWCA of Seattle, King &Snohomish County was amongthe recipients of 35 state grantsor loans for affordable housingprojects. Five other projects inKing County received grants orloans.

Plans call for the YWCA complexto be built on about two acres atthe corner of Highlands DriveNortheast and Northeast HighStreet. YWCA officials hope tobegin construction in April 2010and open the complex the follow-ing year. Most residents will earn50 percent or less of King County’smedian income — $40,700 for afamily of four.

The complex will house about400 residents when construction iscompleted.

About one-third of the tenantswill be classified as very low-income earners, or a family of fourthat earns $24,400 annually. Otherunits will be available for tenantswho earn up to $48,840 for a fam-ily of four. Five units will be setaside for people making the transi-tion from homelessness into per-manent housing.

Plans call for a mixture of studioapartments and one-, two- andthree-bedroom units dividedamong three buildings. The designincludes a childcare facility, a com-munity center and offices forYWCA employees.

YWCA projectgets $2 million

state loan

See STYROFOAM, Page A6

BY CHANTELLE LUSEBRINK

This year’s Issaquah SchoolDistrict graduates are ahead oftheir statewide peers when itcomes to graduating on time andmeeting state requirements.

State Superintendent RandyDorn announced some preliminarygraduation information regardingstudents in the class of 2009. It isthe second year students havebeen required to pass the readingand writing WashingtonAssessment of Student Learningexams. They are also required topass the mathematics WASL examand/or take the exam and addi-tional math courses or anotherexam to fulfill the requirement.

In addition to passing the WASL,students are also required to com-plete a high school and beyondplan, a culminating high schoolproject and meet their district’scredit requirements.

This year, 93 percent of studentsfrom the class of 2009 passed the

reading and writing requirementsof the WASL, according to the statesuperintendent’s office. Otherinformation about WASL mathscores wasn’t available and won’tbe until the fall or winter.

However, the state’s on timegraduation rate in 2008 was 72percent. Students who graduate ontime are those that do so in fouryears, ninth through 12th-grade.The state’s dropout rate is nearly 6percent.

In Issaquah, district officialshanded 1,104 students in the classof 2009 their diplomas. Issaquah’son-time graduation rate has been92.6 percent and its dropout ratehas been 1.6 percent in recentyears.

Only three students districtwidedidn’t receive their diplomas.

Those three students would havegraduated if they had been able tomeet state standards for the WASL.However, two of the students are

Class of 2009:93 percent pass WASL,

graduate on timeState average is 72 percent

BY WARREN KAGARISE

A 39-year-old Issaquah womanwas killed June 12 in a head-oncollision on Interstate 90 east ofNorth Bend. Five men in anothervehicle sustained life-threateninginjuries in the crash.

Issaquah resident J. HeatherJeanblanc, 39, died at the scene,according to the King CountyMedical Examiner’s Office andWashington State Patrol.

At about 2:40 a.m. June 12, WSPreceived reports of a silver Volvoheading westbound in the I-90eastbound lanes. Jeanblanc wasthe driver of the Volvo, accordingto the state patrol.

When troopers were respondingto the call, the Volvo collided head-on with a Toyota pickup carryingfive men. The men were transport-ed to local hospitals.

Officials are investigatingwhether alcohol or drugs were afactor in the accident.

The eastbound lanes of I-90were closed for about three hoursnear Exit 42 as troopers investigat-ed the accident. Eastbound I-90was detoured to the Tinkham Roadexit and back onto eastboundlanes.

Reach Reporter Warren Kagarise at 392-6434, ext. 234, orwkagarise@isspress.com. Comment on thisstory at www.issaquahpress.com.

Issaquah woman diesin head-on I-90 crash

See WASL, Page A3

BY CHANTELLE LUSEBRINK

In a time when education fund-ing is uncertain, parent teacherassociations do more than providean extra set of swings on schoolplaygrounds.

In fact, local PTSAs have provid-ed $592,542 to the IssaquahSchool District between March2008 and April 2009.

“Basically, it expands the reachof what happens day to day, butalso supplements the instructionin the classroom,” said NancyCampi, co-council president of thedistrictwide PTSA. “Unfortunately,now what we are doing is filling inthe huge funding gap of moneythat isn’t being paid by the statefor basics, like expanded hours,

basic supplies and professionaldevelopment.”

In the face of a $5.4 millionbudget gap, district officials havealready had to increase class sizesby one child in each classroom inkindergarten through 12th grades.They’ve also reduced other opera-tional costs by about $2.2 million.The cuts are making district offi-cials realize PTSA funding is more

crucial than ever and they arebeginning to collect data on it.

PTSA funding for the district hasgrown in the past decade, saidJacob Kuper, district chief officerof finance and operations.

“There was an initial push tobuy stuff, or hard assets, like play-ground equipment or climbingwalls, then to buy curriculum andenrichment things,” Kuper said.“Now, some buildings are gettingeducational assistants’ or para-educators’ hours funded throughPTSA programs. It is crucial forsome of the enrichment programswe have.”

At Maple Hills ElementarySchool, that couldn’t be clearer.

Today’s PTSAs fund more than playgrounds“It used to be that the stateand our taxes got the cakebaked and the PTSA wouldfund the icing.”— Renee WiessMaple Hills Elementary School teacher

BY CHANTELLE LUSEBRINK

Books are set out for students at Maple Hills Elementary School in Aprilthat were purchased by the PTSA for the Eager Reader program, an incentivereading program that students do at home.See PTSA, Page A5

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A proposed ban would outlawpolystyrene food packaging — ameasure that would impactrestaurants like XXX, grocers andother food sellers. Critics said thematerial lingers in landfills longafter Styrofoam trays and cupsare tossed into the trash.Polystyrene is expensive to recy-cle, too.

Councilman Joshua Schaermodeled the legislation on poly-styrene bans in Seattle, Portlandand several California cities.

“There may be a little resistancenow, but I’m sure — given the suc-cess of this in much, much largercities than Issaquah — it seems tome that we can move in the rightdirection,” he said.

Schaer and other CouncilSustainability Committee mem-bers met June 16 to discuss theproposed ban.

Officials have questions aboutsafe alternatives to polystyreneand how the ban would impactrestaurants already grapplingwith consumers dining out less inthe down economy.

“You know, these packages areused to serve takeout or inrestaurants, and they typicallylast for a few minutes in terms ofany use,” Schaer said. “The real-ity is, while we may only seethem for a few minutes, the land-fill and the environment seesthem for tens of thousands ofyears.”

Even Schaer acknowledged notall compostable and recyclablealternatives are as durable aspolystyrene. Schaer, a lawyer,

works at a firm in downtownSeattle. He recalled buying lunchat a Pakistani restaurant near hisoffice soon after the Seattle banwent into effect.

“They were using a corn-basedcontainer that was extremely hotand the curry was starting to meltthrough the bottom of it,” Schaersaid. “That went on for a fewweeks and I think people startedcomplaining to the owner,because he’s at the counter all thetime. You know, they made aswitch.”

Schaer said the new containertype survived the several-blockwalk to his office.

Though the draft ordinancedeclared the ban would be effec-tive Jan. 1, officials said a ban —if approved — would go into effectmuch later. SustainabilityCommittee members will reviewthe measure again next month.

Josh McDonald, governmentaffairs coordinator for theWashington RestaurantAssociation, said restaurateurswould need time to prepare. Hesaid they are also reluctant to usecompostable and recyclable alter-natives, because polystyrene is

cheaper. In turn, restaurateurswould pass the cost along to din-ers.

“Anytime you take steps toincrease costs, it has a negativeeffect on us,” McDonald said.“That said, a lot of our restau-rants, a lot of our folks, are volun-tarily moving in this direction anddoing what they can and doingtheir part to move toward moresustainable [practices].”

City Resource ConservationOffice Manager David Fujimotosaid his staff planned for educa-tion and outreach efforts if theCity Council bans polystyrenepackaging. Fujimoto said 131 ofthe 800 or so businesses inIssaquah serve or sell food — 42fast food outlets, 61 full-servicerestaurants and 28 stores.

Holly Chisa, Washington lobby-ist for the Northwest GroceryAssociation, said her organizationwas working with more than 100stores impacted by the Seattle banto find products to meet the crite-ria outlined in the city’s ordi-nance.

Seattle officials outlawed poly-styrene food containers last year.The ban took effect in January;

next year, it will expand toinclude plastic containers andutensils.

Chisa said her No. 1 concernwas the polystyrene trays used topackage raw meat. Trays madefrom cardboard, and sugar andcorn derivatives pose challenges.For instance, blood and other liq-uids seep through cardboard,while sugar and corn productscould provide food sources forharmful bacteria.

“For a grocery store, the singlemost paramount concern we haveis food safety,” Chisa said.

Products like prepackagedsoups would already be exemptfrom the proposed ban. Schaerand other committee members didnot rule out additional exemptionsto the ordinance.

“For instance, if you said, ‘Hey,we own this business in Issaquahand there are simply no com-postable or recyclable lids that wecan use that are safe for our cus-tomers,’ then the city would take alook at that,” Schaer said.

Greater Issaquah Chamber ofCommerce CEO Matt Bott talkedwith Issaquah restaurateursbefore the meeting. Bott said reac-tions to the proposed ban weremixed. He said officials shouldseek input from business andrestaurant owners as they reworkthe ordinance.

“We would just ask for sometime to get the word out, to getinput and then come back withsomething that would hopefully beof value to this community,” Bottsaid.

Besides food safety, industrylobbyists raised concerns aboutwhether alternative materialscould hold up to hot food. Chisaechoed Schaer when she saidsome compostable and recyclablecontainers are not as tough as thereal deal.

“Soup will break down that con-tainer faster than anything I’veever seen,” she said.

Reach Reporter Warren Kagarise at 392-6434, ext. 234, orwkagarise@isspress.com. Comment onthis story at www.issaquahpress.com.

BY J.B. WOGAN

At the start of a recent EastsideFire & Rescue presentation, FireChief Lee Soptich put out a dis-claimer: “We are not here tonightto sell you on a boat.”

Yet, in a way, that’s exactly whatthe fire organization did.

Firefighter Dana Shutter said heacknowledged that resources werebecoming more finite and theremight not be room in the budgetfor buying a boat. Nonetheless,there are some good arguments forhaving one, he said.

Every winter there is at least onestorm that causes severe flooding.

“Our only capabilities at thistime is for techs to wade, swim oruse a boogie board,” Shutter said.

In other words, EFR rescueteams have to enter the water,raising the level of risk, heexplained.

And when it comes to rescuingvictims, “The best that we can givethem at this point is a helmet anda life vest and move them as fast aswe can,” he said, adding that bothrescuer and victim are vulnerableto hypothermia under those cir-cumstances.

In January, when the last slate offlooding hit, EFR borrowed a boatfrom a community member,Shutter said.

A boat would allow for EFR’sspecial swift water team to removevictims from the water and getthem to a hospital quickly, he said.

“The need for a real high dollar,fancy boat is not there,” he said.“We don’t need that.”

Ultimately, the boat Shutter hasin mind is a 20-foot Alumaweld flatbottom, costing $23,500. The truecost would be higher, though,because technicians’ trainingwould cost $52,300, plus an addi-tional annual training cost of$10,000-$12,000, he said.

In a later interview, Soptich elab-orated that the EFR staff had more

realistic goals for now: It hoped tofind the funding for a 14-foot raft,costing $3,500. Rafts would workfor river rescue situations.

“Particularly, it’s a timing issue.We are getting into the types ofrescues where the raft wouldwork and those hard-sided boatswould not,” Soptich said. “Theother issue, the raft requires theleast amount of training to getpeople up to speed. It doesn’tapproach the kind of overtimeand the costs that are associatedto get people to be trained to beboat operators.”

Nonetheless, the EFR board dis-cussed the larger costs of a hard-sided boat, one that could be of usein winter floods.

Ron Pedee, chairman of EFR’sBoard of Directors, asked if therewasn’t a way to rent or borrow aboat from a community member.

“It seems like there might besome short-term efficiencies thatwe might employ,” he said.

“I think the idea has merit, espe-cially if you can borrow it,” LeeFellinge, a Sammamish represen-tative on the board, said in aninterview. “Maybe there’s someother way to get a boat, other thanbuying one. The frequency forneeding it is very, very small.”

While board members hash outdetails of getting a boat, Soptichsaid his staff would put together aproposal for buying a raft. Boardapproval might not be necessaryfor the raft, though, he said.

Soptich said he had preliminarydiscussions with the local RescueVolunteer Association about it pro-viding funding for a raft. In thatcase, EFR wouldn’t have to spenda dime on it.

“If we can move on it quickly, Ithink we can see the benefit of hav-ing it this year,” he said.

Reach Reporter J.B. Wogan at 392-6434,ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.Comment on this story at www.issaquah-press.com.

EFR needs a boat

BY ADAM ESCHBACH

Jose Enciso Jr. fills Styrofoam cups at XXX Rootbeer in Issaquah.

Styrofoam:Measure

would banpackaging

FROM PAGE A1

A6 • Wednesday, June 24, 2009 The Issaquah Press

�

reduce the number of cases. “We didn’t have a lot of heat-

related incidents, but we had a lotof brush fires,” Williams said.

Customers stormed The HomeDepot, Lowe’s HomeImprovement and MM Comfort insearch of air conditioning unitsand fans.

New shipments arrived at TheHome Depot almost daily, but thestore sold out of those appliancesthe same day.

“Every morning since the week-end, 20 to 30 people line up out-side our doors every morning,”explained Eddy Wilbur, one of themanagers at Home Depot.

The story was similar at Lowe’s— air conditioning units and fanswere sold out — and people linedup at the doors before the storeopened.

Before the run of record heat,Williams met with city andcounty officials to ensure cool-ing station and heat-relatedhealth information was widelyposted.

“I think people were really pay-ing attention,” she said. “Theyweren’t exerting themselves andthey were staying out of the sun,because it was so hot.”

At the Swedish Medical Centerstandalone emergency room,emergency physician Dr. JohnMilne said the patients filing intothe waiting room had minor heat-related symptoms.

“The biggest thing we’ve beenseeing is more of the heat exhaus-tion and dehydration related toheat exhaustion,” Milne said. “It’sa simple thing where peoplearen’t keeping up on their fluidsas well as they might have, andare becoming fatigued and dehy-drated.”

Heat-related conditions canalso aggravate underlying or long-term conditions.

Heat contributed to the death ofa Seattle man last week, accord-ing to Public Health – Seattle &King County officials. Authoritiessaid the man was in his 60s andhad heart disease.

Public health officials used theincident to reiterate the dangerof heat for children, senior citi-zens and people with chronic ill-

nesses. Pet owners also sought ways to

keep their four-legged friendscool.

PetSmart’s Pet Hotel servicewas booked solid. The indoor, air-conditioned space allows for up to10 large or 15 small and mediumdogs to play together.

King County Animal Care andControl officials urged pet ownersto provide pets with plenty ofwater and avoid leaving animalsin hot vehicles.

In Issaquah, Milne said he wasthankful his team had not seensevere cases of heat stroke.

“For the most part, it seemspeople are staying out of the heatand keeping cool, but the bigthing is people aren’t drinking asmany fluids as they should,” headded.

At the Aegis Inn facility for sen-ior citizens, residents were treat-ed to massages, movies, bingoand indoor activities inside air-conditioned quarters.

“They’ve been doing the spaexperience,” said LeslieCampama, marketing director forthe facility. “Getting cold towelsaround their necks, while ourstaff has been doing hand mas-sages and putting other cold tow-els around their wrists andarms.”

Campama said Aegis managerscancelled several outdoor activi-ties, including a trip to a July 30Seattle Mariners game.Temperatures reached triple dig-its that day.

“From the elderly perspective,they should make sure to stayindoors or in shaded areas, staysomeplace that is cool,” Milnesaid. “They also need to keepthemselves well hydrated.”

Intern Hunter Deiglmeier contributed tothis report.

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BY WARREN KAGARISE

When Microsoft introduced eco-friendly utensils in company cafe-terias, there was a problem withthe new spoons: They warped incoffee, soup and other hot liquids.

Managers at the software giantsent the supplier back to the draw-ing board. Not long after thespoon meltdown, sturdier, eco-friendly spoons arrived in Mi-crosoft cafeterias.

Mark Freeman, Microsoft em-ployee services senior manager,said the switch from traditionalserving plates and utensils to“green” alternatives was calcu-lated.

“When you’re dealing with thevolumes we’re dealing with, it’s

not easy to just change,” Freemansaid.

Like Microsoft, dozens of Is-saquah restaurants and food sell-ers could make the switch to eco-friendly packaging and utensils.

As the City Council considers aban on Styrofoam takeout boxesand other polystyrene food con-tainers, city and Greater IssaquahChamber of Commerce brought to-gether business owners and citystaffers July 28 to discuss com-postable and recyclable options.

City Economic DevelopmentManager Dan Trimble said restau-rateurs raised concerns about theprice of compostable and recycla-ble products, as well as how theproducts would hold up.

Issues related to alternativepackaging will be left for city Re-source Conservation Office officials

to address.When elected officials began dis-

cussing the ban in June, city Re-source Conservation Office Man-ager David Fujimoto said his staffplanned for education and out-reach efforts. The forum, at Pick-ering Barn, was the first suchevent. City staffers said 32 peopleattended.

Fujimoto said the city was work-ing to keep restaurateurs and otherbusiness owners updated on theproposed polystyrene legislation.

A proposed ban would outlawpolystyrene food packaging. Criticssaid the material lingers in land-fills long after Styrofoam trays andcups are tossed into the trash.Polystyrene is expensive to recy-cle, too.

City officials reached out torestaurateurs and other food ven-dors when they rolled out the leg-islation in June.

Staffers could send the legisla-tion to the City Council for a deci-sion by October, Fujimoto said.

Reach Reporter Warren Kagarise at 392-6434, ext. 234, orwkagarise@isspress.com. Comment on thisstory at www.issaquahpress.com.

BY WARREN KAGARISE

Candidates in the race for theDistrict 9 County Council seat aretouting their credentials as reform-ers ahead of the Aug. 18 primaryelection.

Incumbent Councilman ReaganDunn, elected to the post inNovember 2005, will face chal-lengers Beverly Harison Tonda, aMaple Valley corporate trainer, andNewcastle playwright Mark Greeneas he seeks a second full term.

Dunn was first appointed to thepost in February 2005 to serve theremainder of outgoing CouncilmanRob McKenna’s term. McKennawas elected state attorney generalthe previous November.

District 9 includes large swathsof unincorporated King Countysouth of Issaquah, as well asBellevue, Newcastle and Renton.

Council positions are nonparti-san posts.

County officials face a $56 mil-lion shortfall in a budget of about$627 million. Metro Transit alsofaces a $200 million deficit overthe next two years.

Dunn emphasized his record asa councilman and his willingnessto slash spending to fix the budgetproblem.

“I am the No. 1 reformer in KingCounty government,” he said.

The incumbent said officialsshould consider cutting countyemployees’ salaries and benefits inorder to confront budget woes.Dunn, a former U.S. JusticeDepartment official, said the coun-ty should focus on and protectexisting services, such as courts,law enforcement and public safety.

“We need to get back to thebasics,” he added.

Dunn also emphasized his oppo-sition to raising and levying taxes.In 2007, he was the sole memberof the nine-person council to voteagainst a countywide property tax

to pay for footferries. Theplan to addferry service toL a k eWa s h i n g t o nhas since runaground in thetough budgetclimate.

“I want toensure thecounty canmanage itsbudget by liv-ing within itsmeans,” Dunnsaid.

Tonda saidshe could useher corporatebackground tom e d i a t ebetween KingCounty officialsand taxpayers.She describedherself as aneffective com-municator, andsaid her skillsas a corporaten e g o t i a t o rcould help herbridge thedivide.

“It’s time fora change inKing County,and I’m thetype of personwho can do that,” she said.

She also addressed transporta-tion issues; Tonda said KingCounty officials should focus onimproving transportation infra-structure to improve the quality oflife for residents and to make thearea more attractive to business-es.

As part of her plan to attractjobs, Tonda said the countyDepartment of Development andEnvironmental Services should be

restructured in order to streamlinethe process for businesses seekingto relocate to King County.

She highlighted a concern oflocal and state leaders seeking toretain major employers amid therecession.

“If Boeing moved out, we’d haveto entice people to come in,” Tondasaid.

Greene has campaigned unsuc-cessfully for several political posts.His most recent bid was forWashington secretary of state lastyear.

He blamed incumbent councilmembers for budget problems.

“The county is in a financialmess and this is basically the resultof the King County Council andother officials being unable tomanage the budget,” Greene said.

He suggested levying a special-ized sales tax on luxury items, suchas limousines and yachts, as a wayto generate revenue for strugglingKing County. He also proposed thecreation of a Department ofGrievances, Solutions andWhistleblowers to audit countyfinances and generate ideas toraise revenue.

“We need ways to get more rev-enue from the more affluent mem-bers of our society,” he said.

Though council posts are non-partisan, Greene is running for theseat as a member of a politicalparty he founded, the Party ofCommons. The group “is econom-ically progressive, generally cul-turally traditional, pro-Bill ofRights, non-interventionist andbelieves in common sense defense,not policing the world,” accordingto a statement on the party Website.

“I think that the public deserveschoices,” Greene said.

Reach Reporter Warren Kagarise at 392-6434, ext. 234, orwkagarise@isspress.com. Comment on thisstory at www.issaquahpress.com.

Reagan Dunn faces twochallengers in Aug. 18 primary

Reagan Dunn

Mark Greene

Beverly Harison Tonda

BY DARALD GESINGER

Rita Gesinger, an Issaquah artist, cools off in the heat by standing in Lake Sammamish, doing a little plein aire, aFrench expression, which means 'in the open air' and is particularly used to describe painting outdoors. Gesingerpunned, ‘The experience in “cooler aire” was awesome.’

“When you’re dealing with thevolumes we’re dealing with,it’s not easy to just change.”— Mark FreemanMicrosoft employee services senior manager

Officials, restaurateurs discusspolystyrene alternatives

Locally ownedsince 1900!

THE ISSAQUAHPRESS

BY ADAM ESCHBACH

A macaw housed in the World of Macaws section of the Cougar MountainZoo is hosed down during the record heat wave. Once temperatures riseabove 50 degrees, trainers bring out water features for many of the animals.

HeatFROM PAGE A1

Isac DePorter, 8,is thrown out ofthe water by his

uncle MikeDePorter at Pine

Lake Park on July29. Isac is visiting

from Switzerlandto see his uncle in

Sammamish.

BY ADAMESCHBACH

A2 • Wednesday, August 5, 2009 The Issaquah Press

�

By now you’ve probably read about the city’s initialproposal to ban the use of polystyrene — betterknown as Styrofoam — food containers in Is-saquah. This could include everything from take-out food containers to the little tray that holds

tonight’s steak.The idea was first proposed by the City Council’s Sustain-

ability Committee. The city of Issaquah has long been re-garded as being a leader in resource conservation and recy-cling, and we’re ready to see more.

If the proposed ban is implemented Jan. 1, businesseswould be required to use recyclable or compostable foodcontainers. While some business owners are concernedabout being forced to change to a more expensive container,they are not all opposed. Matt Bott, executive director of theChamber of Commerce, has surveyed businesses and heardback from about 20 so far.

While we like the idea of reducing plastic trash, we cautionthe city to take it slow. The economy is tough enough onbusinesses that are operating on reduced sales and reducedstaff — all while worrying about a possible flu epidemic. Wehope the city will create baby steps that get us to the poly-styrene ban, but maybe not until Jan. 1, 2011.

Meanwhile, the Sustainability Committee should also belooking at those darn plastic bags and what can be doneabout them — without getting into a bag tax! For a step inthe right direction, they should mandate attendance of busi-ness owners and staff at a workshop that discusses ways tocut down on the use of the bags. Is there some reason sodapop in a 2-liter plastic bottle needs to be wrapped in plastic asecond time?

Baby steps called forin Styrofoam ban

Rapid Response went to the dogs, so tospeak, this week to find out how people arefeeling about where dogs should and shouldn’tbe allowed in Issaquah.

What do you think about the city having adog park?

There already is one in Issaquah Highlandsand with 20,000 acres of open space surround-ing us it’s not like we need a dedicated park fordogs.

Ken Konigsmark, Issaquah

I think we should have a place for dogs torun free. On other streets, they should be onleash.

Barbara Extract, Issaquah

If I had a dog, I would probably want one.Geoff Carson

Dog owners should have some place to gowhere their pets will not bother others who donot appreciate their presence. This will alsokeep the dog poo on dog owners’ shoes only.

Max Pillie, Sammamish

I think a dog park is a good compromise ideabetween those who would let dogs run looseand those who would have them always on aleash. The real issues are control of aggressivedogs and cleanup after all dogs.

Hank Thomas, Issaquah

Not if it costs more. There are tons of trailsand wooded areas for dog owners to take theirpets. Perhaps apportioning current areas as“dog friendly” would be helpful.

Mark Bowers, Issaquah

That would be OK if those dogs that used it,their owners would pay for the upkeep. Thereare a number of Issaquah taxpayers who maynot believe that with the dire straights of thecity’s finances, a dog park is really the best wayto use the cities funds.

Ken Sessler, Issaquah

We already have a dog park in the IssaquahHighlands. A dog park down in the valleywould be nice, but where? Maybe we should doanother bond for citizens to fund a special dogpark, or maybe just dog owners should fundthat.

Michele Forkner, Issaquah

Issaquah really, really needs a good off leashdog park! (Not a mud hole, but shade and onethat’s interesting to dogs and people.)

Connie Marsh, Issaquah

I would applaud the city either setting up ad-ditional dog parks or relaxing the no-dog policysome. The city has encouraged large amountsof compact dwellings, such as apartmenthouses and condominiums, but refuses to pro-vide places for people with four-legged bud-

dies to be able to go to enjoy the beauty of theoutdoors around Issaquah with their buddies.

Nancy Ward, Issaquah

Good idea, but utilize some of our “passiveparks” or open space for this use. The cityowns a lot of passive park and open space land— if the public really knew about it all, theywould demand that more of it get used. Someof it is on the Issaquah Creek and would be agood swimming option for dog owners thatwant a swimming hole for their dogs. KingCounty (Marymoor) does this on the slough andyes, the dogs get along fine with the fish. Donot take an active park out of use for dogs. Wedo not have enough active parks.

Matthew Balkman, Issaquah

Yes, “downtown” Issaquah definitely needsan off-leash dog park!

Carol Baumann, Issaquah

It’s a no-brainer for a city that has so manydog owners. It would not only give dogs a safe,fun place to romp, but it would build commu-nity among dog owners across the city.

Lynn Juniel, Issaquah

What do you think about dogs beingbanned from Timberlake Park?

It’s necessary, unfortunately, when ownersfail to control their dogs properly. This is ahuge problem up on the Tradition LakePlateau, too. Despite clear signage over 50 per-cent of the people refuse to obey the rule tokeep their dogs on leashes.

Ken Konigsmark, Issaquah

It’s a real shame. If people kept their dogson leash, they wouldn’t have bothered theresidents there and we could still walkthrough with dogs. Isn’t that a simple solu-tion? Dogs allowed, but serious penalty fordogs off leash.

Barbara Extract, Issaquah

I see Timberlake Park as a nice strollthrough the woods down to the lake. If I had adog, I would take it for a walk in TimberlakePark, on a leash, with a pooper scooper. Thecity should enforce leash laws, not ban dogs.

David Bangs, Issaquah

If it is the feeling of the majority of the neigh-bors, then it’s OK. If it’s a city decision basedon a few random incidents, shame on them.

Geoff Carson, Issaquah

The dog owners who had let their pets runfree and out of control have spoiled it for alldog owners. It’s that simple.

Max Pillie, Sammamish

“Grrrr....woof woof....grrrrr!”Paul Stewart, Issaquah

I don’t think it is a good idea to ban a dogfrom any park — they need to exercise just likepeople. Keep them under appropriate controland clean up after them.

Hank Thomas, Issaquah

If the dog waste or behavior (largely the re-sponsibility of the owner) has degraded thequality of the experience in the park, it is agood thing.

Mark Bowers, Issaquah

Apparently, there were a number of dogsthat abused the “privilege” of using the park. Ifeel sorry for the dogs that are raised in theconfines of a city. Dogs need to be on a farm,where they are free to roam at their will.

Ken Sessler, Issaquah

City parks are there to offer respite and anatural setting for humans to enjoy. Dog own-ers assume that everyone loves dogs and espe-cially theirs. There are those of us who do notlike pets, dogs or otherwise, for whatever rea-sons. I resent that I am supposed to accommo-date folks who feel the rules don’t apply tothem. I have personally seen dogs take a poopon the pitching mound of Memorial Field andowners get upset when I pointed out to themthat no dogs are allowed and for that particularreason! I will walk on the Pickering Trail anddogs are off-leash and come up to me and sniffmy crotch and invade my personal space! Signsclearly are posted “no dogs off leash” and yetwhen I point that out to the dog owner, he getsall indignant and huffy! Why is that?

Michele Forkner, Issaquah

Poor public policy to make decisions withoutpossibility of public input. Un-elected staffshould not be making policy.

Fred Nystrom, Issaquah

Too radical by the Parks Department. Dog

OPINION� �

The Issaquah Press

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PRESS EDITORIAL�

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LETTERS WELCOMEThe Issaquah Press welcomes letters to the

editor on any subject, although we reserve theright to edit for space, potential libel and/orpolitical relevance. Letters addressing local newswill receive priority.

Please limit letters to 350 words and typethem, if possible. E-mail is preferred. Letters mustbe signed and have a daytime phone number toverify authorship.

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Address: P.O. Box 1328Issaquah, WA 98027

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E-mail: isspress@isspress.com

A4 • Wednesday, September 9, 2009

It was a privilege to haveseen the Griffey era

It was mid-June 1987 whenmy sports editor suggestedI drive up to Bellinghamand take a look at a 17-year-old baseball phenom.

My primary sports beat thenwas the Seattle Mariners, andwith the club out of town and ourpaper not having a travel budget,this was an opportune time tosee the club’s No. 1 draft pick.

So, I headed up to Joe MartinStadium to see Ken Griffey Jr.One of the first rules of the base-ball draft is a team never wantsto strike out on the No. 1 pick.The Mariners, in this case, hadhit a home run.

After watching Griffey hit, runand throw in pregame workouts,I knew I had never seen such atalented 17-year-old baseballplayer before. And that’s not tosay I hadn’t covered super talentin the past. I had already seenfuture Major League stars likeDarryl Strawberry, Eric Davisand Interlake High School gradu-ate John Olerud. The latter wasthe best high school hitter I’veever covered in this state.

But everything Griffey did, hedid with grace. The game justseemed to come easy to him.Later that summer, the Marinersbrought Griffey in to visit the lo-cal media and work out, just toshow off his skills. I rememberinterviewing Seattle hitting coachBob Tolan, who noted that Grif-fey had the perfect swing.

It didn’t take long for Griffey toreach the majors. At 19, he wasthe Mariners’ starting centerfielder, playing on the same teamwith his dad Ken Sr., and des-tined for a great career.

For several years, he was thebest player in the game. Watch-ing him scale outfield walls tomake sensational catches re-

minded me ofthe first timeI saw famedballet dancerMikhailBaryshnikovdo incredibleairbornemovements.There werethings thatonly Griffey andBaryshnikovcould do. Nomortals couldmatch their talents. And watch-ing Griffey’s picturesque swing,you knew when the ball was go-ing into the seats for a home run.

For most of his first 11 yearswith the Mariners, Griffeyresided in the Issaquah area.Later, when I was a substituteteacher in the Issaquah SchoolDistrict, I would have studentswho knew where Griffey lived.Often during our nonclass con-versations, after they learned Ihad been a sports writer, stu-dents wanted to know my opin-ion of Griffey. It never wavered. Ialways told the students he wasthe best player I had ever seen.

I was sorry to see him tradedto Cincinnati in 2000, but I un-derstood the reasons. He wantedto go home and give his family achance to watch him play.

I was pleased when theMariners signed Griffey lastMarch, although I realized thatinjuries and age had diminishedhis once-prolific skills. Althoughhe hasn’t hit well this season,Griffey has been a major contrib-utor for the Mariners, providingneeded leadership on a youngclub.

OFF THE PRESS�

Bob TaylorPress Sports Editor

See GRIFFEY, Page A5

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See RAPID RESPONSE, Page A5

City, county, state and federal offices and banks will close Thursday, Nov. 26,in observance of Thanksgiving. Post offices will close and mail will not bedelivered. State driver’s license offices also will be closed. Metro Transit willoperate on a Sunday schedule. The day after Thanksgiving, some Metroservice will operate on a reduced weekday schedule, and some routes arecanceled. Call 206-553-3000 or go to metro.kingcounty.gov.

Last Week’s Rainfall:(through Monday)4.3 inches

Total for 2009:53.93 inches

Total last year:(through Nov. 23)50.15 inches

YOU SHOULD KNOW� RAIN GAIN�A&E . . . . . . . . B6

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Police & Fire . . C5

Schools . . . . . . C6

Sports . . . . . C1-3

� �

THE ISSAQUAHPRESSTHE ISSAQUAHPRESSTHE ISSAQUAHPRESS

Statehonors

44 localmusicians� See Page C6

Localnovel isabout2012

�See Page B6

Three brothers celebrateearning Eagle Scout honor�Community, Page B1

�

Issaquah loses; Skyline andLiberty move on at state

�Sports, Page C1

BEST LOCAL PRICES *

�$2.77 — Costco�$2.87 — Cenex145 N.E. Gilman Blvd.

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Wednesday, November 25, 2009 • Vol. 110, No. 47Locally owned since 1900 • 75 Cents

BY GREG FARRAR

Spartans celebrate soccer titleSkyline High School teammates mob each other with glee after winning the state 4Agirls soccer championship by a shootout following a double overtime tie game againstIssaquah, held Nov. 21 at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood. See the story on Page C1.

By Warren KagariseIssaquah Press reporter

Tent City 4 will return in lateJanuary, when the homelessencampment sets up atCommunity Church of Issaquah.

Organizers announced a planlast week to welcome the encamp-ment from Jan. 23 to April 23 onthe Community Church propertywhere the community settled inlate 2007. The complex includesup to 100 homeless residents, andmoves between Eastside churches.Residents leave the camp for workduring the day. Applicants undergosex offender and warrant checks.

Elizabeth Maupin, coordinatorof the Issaquah SammamishInterfaith Coalition, recalled howIssaquah welcomed the rovingcamp then — and predicted thecommunity would do so again.

“We anticipate that even in thesevery difficult times, Tent City 4 willagain find that Issaquah is a com-munity of kind, generous peoplewho want to reach out to those indire straits,” she said.

Tent City 4 will come to Issaquahafter a stint at a Bellevue church.Maupin said organizers wouldsecure the necessary city permitsin order to host the encampment atCommunity Church, 205 MountainPark Blvd. S.W.

The church last hosted Tent City4 from August to November 2007.When the city permit was issuedthen, staffers from most citydepartments had comments.Organizers were required to main-tain the site and address securityissues.

The camp will again be requiredto adhere to local fire, health andsafety codes. Community Churchwill be responsible for electricity,sanitation and water.

“Staff throughout the city gov-ernment, from the permit depart-ment to the police departmentwere all very helpful, not only aspublic servants, but as private citi-zens who collected donations tokeep Tent City residents dry, warmand fed,” Maupin said.

Community Church representa-tive Earle Jones joined Maupin topresent the Tent City 4 plan to CityCouncil members Nov. 16.

Jones noted how the city sup-ported the church when Tent City 4last arrived in Issaquah. Becausethe Community Church congrega-tion is small — with about 50

members, most of whom are sen-iors — the church will seek helpfrom other churches and civicgroups.

Maupin said the interfaith coali-tion would raise money and organ-ize volunteers to coordinate mealsand donations for camp residents.

A committee made up of repre-sentatives from churches willorganize the Tent City 4 return.

Maupin said the encampment“provides a safe place for people tosleep and keep their belongings aslong as they are able to abide bythe camp rules.”

When the encampment last setup in Issaquah, the fenced complexincluded a food service tent, asecurity tent, community areasand a shower housed in a trailer.

Maupin recalled how Tent City 4residents volunteered at theIssaquah Salmon Hatchery and theIssaquah Food and Clothing Bankduring the 2007 stop.

“Some found employment thateventually enabled them to moveinto housing,” she said.

Despite the smooth run theencampment experienced inIssaquah, Tent City 4 has producedopposition and legal battles inother cities. The first Tent City wasestablished in Seattle in 1990.

A group of Mercer Island resi-dents attempted to halt theencampment last summer, but aKing County Superior Court judgeintervened and allowed the campto set up at a Mercer Islandchurch. Woodinville officials filed alawsuit against the encampmentrelated to damages the city saidoccurred during a 2004 visit.

During the last legislative ses-sion, state lawmakers attempted tooverride local zoning rules andprohibit cities from intervening if achurch wanted to host homelesspeople, but the bill fizzled.

The challenges contrast with thetreatment Tent City 4 organizersand residents received inIssaquah. Maupin said businessowners welcomed residents, andschools used the encampment as alearning tool for students.

“It was, in fact, such a successfulevent that I have often been askedby those who got to know theencampment how soon they wouldreturn,” Maupin said.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, orwkagarise@isspress.com. Comment atwww.issaquahpress.com.

Tent City 4 willreturn in January

FILE

Mark Tigues (right) hands a tarp from a moving van down to the Rev.Elizabeth Maupin during the construction of Tent City 4 at Community Churchof Issaquah in August 2007.

No. 1 in state

By Warren KagariseIssaquah Press reporter

Issaquah will become the firstEastside city to ban polystyrenefood containers, when Styrofoamtakeout boxes and plastic foamcups are outlawed next October.Businesses will be required toswitch to compostable or recycla-ble — and pricier — containersand utensils by May 2011.

City Council members adoptedthe ban last week despite objec-tions from business leaders, whosaid the legislation would hurtbusinesses in a tough economy.

Proponents said the measurewill cut landfill waste, and steerbusinesses away from eco-unfriendly polystyrene towardcompostable and recyclable alter-natives. Critics contend the banwill force restaurateurs to aban-don cheap, plastic foam for moreexpensive materials — and thenpass the costs along to diners.

Councilman Joshua Schaer pro-posed a bill in June modeled onpolystyrene bans in Seattle,Portland and San Francisco.

“Let me say to the business com-munity: We will work with you tomake this succeed,” Schaer said

Council holds property taxrate level amid recession

By Warren KagariseIssaquah Press reporter

City Council members decidedagainst a 2010 property taxincrease last week. With the Nov.16 decision, officials held theproperty tax rate at the 2008level. The council also nixed a 1percent increase last year onaccount of the economic down-turn.

Municipal finance officials esti-mate the city will take in almost$7 million in property tax revenuenext year. Key sources of revenuefor the city — sales tax revenueand building permit fees —waned during the recession andassessed property values dippedas well. The downturn hobbledthe city and forced officials tomake program and staff cuts.

Mayor Ava Frisinger lastmonth proposed a $29.8 milliongeneral fund budget for 2010.The proposed spending plancontained no property tax or feehikes. In a unanimous decision,the council voted last week tomaintain the property tax level.

Frisinger requested the 1 per-cent hike in past years, when theeconomy was in better shape.But she halted the practice in the2009 budget proposed in thewake of the economic meltdown.

In 2001, Washington voterspassed a measure proposed bytax foe Tim Eyman to limit annu-al property tax increases to 1percent. Courts later declaredthe measure unconstitutional,but the Legislature reinstated the1 percent cap in 2007.

Issaquah council members willshape the 2010 city budget dur-ing the next few weeks, and thenadopt a spending plan by lateDecember.

Input from taxpayers was min-imal, and council membersheard from a lone resident dur-ing the Nov. 2 public hearingahead of the property tax vote.

Before the Nov. 16 decision, for-mer Councilman Hank Thomassaid keeping the tax rate at theexisting level amounted to a taxincrease. Thomas asked the coun-cil to discuss the measure further— a directive that council mem-

bers did not follow.“We can look at it in many

ways, justify it in many ways I’msure, but when the state lawwould typically require us todecrease the property taxes andwe decide to hold them steady atlast year’s level, that represents,in my mind, a tax increase,”Thomas said.

Issaquah Highlands residentChris Hawkins also addressedthe City Council during the Nov.16 meeting. He urged membersto pass the legislation.

“This is not going to result inany property tax increase,”Hawkins said. “It’s going to keepthe property taxes level.”

He referenced moves taken bycity officials throughout 2009 totrim expenses. Officials shrunkthe size of the city staff by about10 percent — or 27 positions —through layoffs, a hiring freezeand a voluntary severance pro-gram.

“The city has already madevery considerable cuts in staffand also in programs,” Hawkinssaid.

Merry Christmas Issaquah hasbecome known as “the fund thathelps people help themselves.”

Merry Christmas Issaquah, theemergency-aid fund for familiesin the Issaquah School District, isnow open for 2009 contributions.It is expected that it will take atleast $50,000 to meet the request-ed needs in the coming year.

Last year, readers of TheIssaquah Press donated a record$57,028. The fund was started in1980 with about $1,000 in dona-tions. In the 29 years since, morethan $600,000 has been donated.

Merry Christmas Issaquah isthe only fund drive that supportsthe efforts of Issaquah Churchand Community Services, a non-profit agency run by volunteers.

A few additional checks arrive

throughout the year, but 90 per-cent of the funds come directlyfrom Merry Christmas Issaquahdonors.

Using funds from MerryChristmas Issaquah, ICCS volun-teers meet with people who findthemselves in need of assistancewith housing, prescriptions, util-ities and special dietary needs,such as infant formula.

Thanks to the work of volun-teers, 100 percent of the dona-tions go directly to families inneed.

Send donations to MerryChristmas Issaquah, c/o TheIssaquah Press, P.O. Box 1328,Issaquah, WA 98027. Donationnames, but not dollar amounts,will be published, unlessanonymity is requested.

2009 GOAL:$50,000

MerryChristmasIssaquahFund

MerryChristmasIssaquahFund

Christmas fund opens for 2009 contributions

The soon-to-be-completed round-about at Southeast 43rd Way andEast Lake Sammamish ParkwaySoutheast opened last week.

Drivers should still expect delaysduring peak commute times.

Workers completed initialpaving on the roundabout projectNov. 17 and the roundaboutopened the next day.

City officials said the initialpaving had to occur before thenorthbound and westbound direc-tions could be opened to two lanesduring peak times.

Until final paving is completedand permanent markings areadded in the next several weeks,temporary lane markings and traf-fic cones will be used.

Drivers should expect lane clo-sures as workers complete dividerislands, landscape, irrigation andillumination work.

The project will be completed inDecember.

The project was planned forconstruction in mid- to late-sum-mer, but unforeseen utility workextended the construction sched-ule by almost two months.Weather has also delayed someconstruction activity.

Weather delays created gaps inthe construction schedule. Crewsworked under a condensed sched-ule of four 10-hour days per week.

City officials also added frequent-ly asked questions about the projectto the city Web site. Find the updateat www.ci.issaquah.wa.us. Followthe link for “Roundabout: Traffic,Project Updates.”

Roundaboutopens, will be

completednext month

Homeless encampment last visitedCommunity Church in 2007

Polystyreneban will

begin nextOctober

Business groupsraise cost concerns

See BAN, Page A5

before the Nov. 16 decision.“This city has long been plagued

by the notion that those who sup-port the environment and thosewho support economic vitality aremutually exclusive groups, but thislegislation is the antidote to thatpreconceived notion,” he added. “Ifthe economy should continue tofalter, we will revisit the dead-lines.”

City Council members discussedthe bill for about an hour, and thenvoted 6-1 to approve the ground-breaking legislation.

The new law will be introducedin phases. A voluntary adoptionperiod will begin Jan. 1, and theban will become mandatory Oct. 1.Officials added exemptions toextend the deadline until May 2011in certain cases.

Businesses without adequatestorage space for recycling or com-posting containers will be exemptfrom the ban until the May dead-line, if the owner requests a waiv-er from the city. In a nod to therecession, the bill also includes ahardship exemption to extend thedeadline until May 2011 for strug-gling businesses.

Moreover, utensils and certainpackages — like polystyrene meattrays used by grocers — will beexempt from the ban until May2011. And public schools will notbe required to adhere to the banuntil the May deadline.

The ban exempts prepackagedfood — prepackaged soups, forinstance — altogether.

Unanswered questionsIssaquah Chamber of Commerce

CEO Matt Bott credited Schaer forthe deliberative way the bill wasdrafted. Schaer discussed the legis-lation with business leaders andowners in the months since the billwas proposed. But Bott said theban would arrive at a bad time forrestaurants, and asked for thecouncil to postpone a vote on themeasure until the economyimproved.

“We believe that this bill, whileits intent is good — and I think atsome point we may be in supportof it down the road — at this point,we think it’s very ill-timed,” he saidbefore the council vote.

Bott said chamber memberswere asked about food containermaterials, and the results weremixed. While some businessesalready used compostable or recy-clable containers, others preferredpolystyrene. Through the survey,Bott said he learned why business-

es were concerned about the ban:cost.

“Virtually every business wetalked to said if the prices were thesame or close to the same, theywould switch immediately — nocode, no ordinance, no penaltiesneeded,” he said in a follow-upinterview.

Bott told the council how thechamber wanted to be a partner inthe effort to improve sustainablepractices, a priority for city offi-cials.

Despite the endorsement fromthe City Council, municipal officialsremain unsure about how to payfor education and outreach to busi-ness owners, but fees added totrash bills were put forward as asuggestion during the council dis-cussion.

The city could also provide on-site employee assistance and tech-nical help to businesses, but offi-cials must first formulate a plan topay for outreach efforts. The legis-lation recommends $56,450 tohelp city officials reach out to busi-ness owners and implement theban.

City Resource ConservationOffice Manager David Fujimotosaid payment options would bediscussed in the next few weeks asthe City Council finalizes the 2010budget. The budget is scheduledfor a Dec. 21 vote.

Municipal staffers and theCouncil Sustainability Committeewill determine how the educationeffort will proceed. The pushcould include mailers sent torestaurants and other businesseswith information about the ban,and a Web site with informationabout the ordinance and require-ments.

City Code Compliance OfficerMichele Forkner said the initialfocus would be education for busi-ness owners.

But the legislation outlinespenalties for violators. A first-timeviolator would be fined $150; eachsubsequent violation carries a$300 fine. Penalties, however,“would be the absolute last, laststraw,” Forkner said.

“I can’t imagine anyone reallyrefusing to come into complianceafter May 2011,” she added.

Decisive voteThe monthslong debate about

the legislation attracted attentionfrom local, state and nationalindustry groups.

Larry McIntyre, a representativefrom the American ChemistryCouncil — the lobbying group forplastics manufacturers — said thelegislation “falls short of recogniz-ing environmental benefits of thematerial, including the fact that itcan be recycled.”

McIntyre pointed to efforts torecycle polystyrene food contain-ers, including a Tumwater drop-offrecycling facility where plasticfoam is accepted. After the materi-al is compacted and shipped to amanufacturer, the company turnsdiscarded takeout boxes and cupsinto molding and other plasticproducts, such as picture frames.

“Banning foam would just leadto a significant, negative environ-mental impact, as alternativematerials — such as coated,bleached paperboard — and com-postables generate significantlymore greenhouse gas emissions,use more energy and generatemore solids,” McIntyre said.

Councilwoman Eileen Barber,who cast the lone vote against thebill, urged her colleagues to con-sider a polystyrene recycling initia-tive. Barber attempted to send thelegislation back to the CouncilSustainability Committee for morediscussion, but other council mem-bers balked at the suggestion.

“I actually agree with the intentof this, and the strong dedication ofCouncilmember Schaer,” she said.“His dedication in his voice thisevening definitely let us know thatit’s an important issue for Issaquahand the sustainability of Issaquah.But we want to make sure that weare leaving this earth in the bestcondition, so that our children canhave a great Issaquah as they growup.”

Barber said the ban was ill timedfor restaurateurs struggling amidthe economic downturn. Othercouncil members acknowledgedflaws with the legislation, but sup-ported the bill as a way to promotesustainability.

“There is no doubt that these aretough economic times, and I couldgive you a couple of examples ofwhat small, ethnic restaurants inIssaquah have had to do to justkeep the door open,” CouncilmanFred Butler said. “But I believe thatthis agenda bill strikes the rightbalance between a reasonableapproach to implementing the banon foodservice Styrofoam, and it’sthe right thing to do.”

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, orwkagarise@isspress.com. Comment atwww.issaquahpress.com.

ON THE WEBLearn more about the ground-breaking food packaging legisla-tion passed by the City Councillast week at the city Web site,www.ci.issaquah.wa.us. Follow thelink for “Food Service Packaging:Q&A.”

BanFROM PAGE A1

The Issaquah Press Wednesday, November 25, 2009 • A5

�

President Abraham Lincolnwas so thankful of Union victoriesat Gettysburg and Vicksburg in1863, that he proclaimedThanksgiving a national holiday.Lincoln proclaimed the day beobserved on the last Thursday ofNovember.

It was a big year for Lincolnand proclamations. He abolishedslavery with the EmancipationProclamation in January thatyear, made Thanksgiving a holi-day in October and delivered theGettysburg Address in November.It seems like everyone got eman-cipated that year except theturkey. By the way, there is nohistorical proof that the Lincolnsnamed their Thanksgiving turkeyJefferson Davis.

However, I can imagine littleTad Lincoln at the table sayingsomething like, “I’m thankful forDad and Mom, and generals

Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sher-man and George Meade.”

Perhaps more meaningful isthis part from Lincoln’s Thanks-giving declaration “…implore theinterposition of the Almightyhand to heal the wounds of thenation and to restore it as soon asmay be consistent with the Divinepurposes to the full enjoyment ofpeace, harmony, tranquility andUnion.” Peace, harmony andtranquility, aren’t these thingsthis nation still strives for? Thesethings will be mentioned duringour round of thanks at the dinnertable.

Family members will givethanks for a variety of things.Topics will range from beingthankful for the efforts of ourmilitary overseas and specialblessings for the troops, beingthankful for whatever good for-tune they have attained duringthe past year, special blessingsfor our government leaders, andwe’re always thankful for thefood.

In past years, when it was myturn, I usually closed with some-

thing trite like, “and I’m thankfulthe Mariners didn’t finish last.” Icouldn’t use it in 2008, but I canthis year because the Marinershad such a miracle season.

Actually, there is much that Iam thankful for this year. I amthankful that I’ve managed tohave the strength to continue bat-tling cancer, thankful for a lovingfamily, especially my wifePauline, who has been my care-giver during this siege, and myson David, thankful for all thefriends, relatives and co-workerswho continue to pray for my re-covery, thankful for the mar-velous high school sports teamsin the area, and during this eco-nomic crisis in our country, I amvery thankful to have a job and tobe working for an understandingeditor and publisher. And likeBradford, I am thankful for theAlmighty’s many blessings.

To everyone, Happy Thanksgiv-ing!

Bob Taylor: 392-6434, ext. 236, or bob-taylor@isspress.com. Comment atwww.issaquahpress.com.

By Warren KagariseIssaquah Press reporter

City emergency planners willsoon have a new tool to monitorrising flood waters: a newIssaquah Creek flood gauge.

Though workers will install thegauge early next year, the devicewill not be calibrated and readyuntil the next flood season. CityPublic Works Operations DirectorBret Heath said the city would beable to collect data from thegauging station in the meantime.

Heath, who also serves as thecity’s emergency managementdirector, said the existing floodgauge arrangement has “a bit of ablind spot.” Heath said the newgauge should fill the gap.

City Council members approved$33,000 for the gauge Nov. 16,about a month before the expendi-ture was scheduled for a vote aspart of the 2010 city budget. Heath

had requested money for the newgauge in the proposed spendingplan, but during a presentationlast month about the Januaryflood, council members urgedHeath to present the proposal fora vote as soon as possible.

The full city budget is scheduledfor a Dec. 21 vote.

When Issaquah Creek floodedin January, the flood warning sys-tem did not reflect the magnitudeof flood waters flowing down-stream toward Issaquah, becauselarge amounts of runoff from the15 Mile Creek drainage off TigerMountain entered Issaquah Creekdownstream of the upstreamflood gauge.

Planners said the new gaugewould provide more accurateIssaquah Creek flood data, withabout 45-60 minutes’ warning ofimpending flood waters, the CityCouncil legislation states.

Readings from another flood

gauge also did not correlate withthe damage caused by floodwaters, city EmergencyManagement Coordinator SteveCampbell told the City Council lastmonth.

A U.S. Geological Survey gaugedownstream on Issaquah Creekappeared inaccurate, because thedevice indicated about 2,500 cubicfeet per second during the flood.But subsequent damage was simi-lar to the 3,500 cubic feet per sec-ond estimate from the last majorflood to hit Issaquah, in 1996.

Heath said city staffers wouldalso work with the USGS team torecalibrate the gauge.

Flood waters left behind about$1 million worth of damage whenIssaquah and Tibbetts creeksoverflowed in January.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, orwkagarise@isspress.com. Comment atwww.issaquahpress.com.

New Issaquah Creek flood gaugewill eliminate a ‘blind spot’

ThanksgivingFROM PAGE A4

Board approves new name forPacific Cascade campus

Issaquah School Board membersunanimously voted to approve thenew name for the Pacific CascadeFreshman Campus at their meet-ing Nov. 10.

The school, as of Aug. 1, 2010,will be Pacific Cascade MiddleSchool.

District officials will turn thefreshman campus into a middleschool to accommodate the grow-ing number of middle school stu-dents in the school district.

Eighth-graders at middle schoolsthis year will transfer to eitherSkyline or Issaquah high schools asfreshmen next fall. Both schoolsare undergoing significant con-struction projects to expand capac-ity in order to re-enroll freshmenat their campuses.

Sound Transit service toIssaquah will expand

Sound Transit officials said addi-tional bus service will come toIssaquah in 2011.

Mike Bergman, Sound Transit’sprogram manager of service plan-ning, said buses are scheduled toarrive every 15 minutes — asopposed to every 30 minutes —during peak hours at the IssaquahTransit Center. The new service isscheduled to start in February2011. The peak hours will stretchfrom 6-8:30 a.m. and 3-6 p.m.

Bergman said the expandedservice will not go to the IssaquahHighlands Park & Ride, in partbecause King County Metro Transitalready serves the facility thereand because a there is a greaterdemand for the Seattle-to-Issaquahcommute.

Donate coats, shoes Kiwanis Club of Issaquah will col-

lect coats and shoes through Nov.30. Children and adult sizes will becollected at seven locations to bene-fit the Issaquah Food and ClothingBank. The club collected severalhundred coats in 2008 in conjunc-tion with local business partners.

Bring new or used coats andshoes to the following businessesduring November:�The Issaquah Press, 45 Front St. S.�US Bank, 1295 N.W. GilmanBlvd.�Watts Properties, 195 Front St. S.�Foot Zone, 755 N.W. GilmanBlvd.�Key Bank, 405 N.W. GilmanBlvd.�REI, 735 N.W. Gilman Blvd.�Starbucks, 1460 N.W. GilmanBlvd.

PUBLIC MEETINGSNov. 26City offices closed in observance ofThanksgiving

Nov. 27City offices closed

Dec. 1River & Streams Board7 p.m.Pickering Room, City Hall Northwest1775 12th Ave. N.W.

Issaquah became a leader in the effort to ban difficult-to-recycle polystyrene last week. The legislation repre-sents a watershed moment as Issaquah seeks to setthe regional standard in sustainability issues. Poly-styrene, also known as Styrofoam, is tough to recycle

and can be tough on the environment.We applaud city leaders for the bold act, and extend spe-

cial recognition to Councilman Joshua Schaer, who shep-herded the bill to a vote and extended the olive branch tobusiness leaders as the bill was pieced together.

Schaer and his colleagues retooled the bill with exemp-tions friendly to wary businesses and delayed the effectivedate until Oct. 1, 2010. Businesses can begin the Styrofoamswitchover as soon as January, when a voluntary period be-gins.

Exemptions for hardship and other snags are also includedin the law. Grocers, restaurateurs and everyone else with asalad bar or a soda fountain can delay the effective date,with a good reason, until May 1, 2011.

Officials built in 45 weeks between the time the councilpassed the measure and the day the ban clicks into place.The lead time is enough for businesses to deplete stocks ofStyrofoam to-go boxes and find cost-effective compostable orrecyclable replacements.

Hiccups are bound to occur as the ban is rolled out, andthe phased approach will allow for opportunities to solveproblems along the way.

But the bill is not flawless, and we had issues with the eye-popping cost: More than $56,000 was set aside to educatebusiness owners about the law.

Although we support the education and outreach effort, wehave many questions about how the city administration in-tends to pay for the proposal, especially after enacting serv-ice cuts and layoffs through 2009. Options that shift the costto city rate- and taxpayers would be yet another burden —and not to mention a tough sell — to citizens struggling in abad economy. We hope the questions will be answered as thecouncil finalizes the 2010 city budget.

Councilwoman Eileen Barber brought up good economicand environmental questions during the council debate lastweek. Barber wants the city to consider a polystyrene-recy-cling program to haul away everything from drink cups tothe packaging that nestles TVs during shipping.

Leaders should give the request serious study. A poly-styrene-recycling program would further protect the envi-ronment — and provide Issaquah with another way to distin-guish itself as a sustainability leader.

Polystyrene ban is asolid first step

Salmon hatchery

Critic’s letter of salmon’s future afterarriving had several inaccuracies

I am writing in response to John Bonomi’sletter, published Nov. 11, regarding salmonrearing at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. Theletter contained inaccuracies that I would liketo correct.

Bonomi contends that “all the (hatchery’s)salmon were to be processed into cat food!Trapped like rats, the fish instead of spawningnaturally upstream like God intended, arekilled, canned and sold for your cat food.”

In fact, the hatchery releases a great numberof salmon into Issaquah Creek every year. Thisyear alone, hatchery staff and volunteers re-leased 847 chinook and 8,192 coho into Is-saquah Creek. Once released, the salmon canspawn naturally in the creek. In fact, we havevideo of a recent coho release online atwww.youtube.com/watch?v=CVRVBB_5eWg.

I share Bonomi’s frustration over the habitatloss that has resulted in dwindling salmonruns; the declining salmon populations in Is-saquah Creek are most likely the result of habi-tat damage and predation. The hatchery wasbuilt in part to restore salmon runs that hadvanished in Issaquah Creek. If not for thehatchery, there would not likely be salmon inthe creek today.

Also, it is true that Issaquah Creek no longerhas a kokanee population. Again, their demisewas likely caused by habitat loss and preda-tion. The hatchery is currently involved in akokanee revival project for the remaining LakeWashington kokanee runs of Ebright, Lewisand Laughing Jacobs creeks. Recently, 34,700kokanee eggs were collected and shipped to theCedar River Hatchery for rearing.

In addition to the salmon that were releasedinto Issaquah Creek, the hatchery gave 3,155coho to local food banks and 739 live cohowere taken by the Muckleshoot Tribe to trans-plant into Tibbetts Creek.

I hope this clears up any confusion; Bonomiand anyone who is interested is welcome tocheck out hatchery operations at any time – itis open to the public. And Friends of the Is-saquah Salmon Hatchery is here to answeryour questions, to provide education about thehistoric hatchery and watershed stewardship,so we are all inspired to take care of the waterwe all share.

Gestin SuttleFISH executive director

Fact is the hatchery releases thousandsof salmon back into the creek

John Bonomi’s letter of Nov. 11 was filledwith passion, but lacking in facts. Bonomipaints a picture of the hatchery as a glorifiedslaughterhouse, where all the salmon are des-tined to become pet food and nature is denieda role in their future. Nothing could be further

from the truth. As a long-term master docent atFISH and a member of its board of directors, Ifeel compelled to step forward and set therecord straight.

Fact: The hatchery can and does passsalmon upstream to spawn naturally. It is astandard hatchery practice to release fish up-stream, so that they may spawn in the wild, asnature intended. It happens without fail eachand every year, and will continue to do so inthe future. We consider every fish we pass up-stream to be an investment, not only in thespecies but in their habitat. We take great pridein this policy.

Fact: Not all salmon are destined to becomepet food. While it is true that the bodies ofhand-spawned fish are sold to a processor (azero-waste option), it is not the only fate thatawaits these fish. In 2009 alone, in additionto the thousands of fish that were sent up-stream to spawn naturally, the hatcheryarranged to have hundreds of salmon distrib-uted to local food banks. Hundreds morewere transferred to spawn naturally in Tib-betts Creek, in a joint project with the Muck-leshoot Tribe. A few select fish are distrib-uted to schools, so our youth can gain an un-derstanding of the anatomy of these amazingcreatures.

Fact: You are invited to observe all of thisyourself. Please, don’t take my word for it.Spawning salmon and passing fish upstreamare public events, and the public is welcome toobserve the process up-close and personal.Pay the hatchery a visit or, better yet, volunteerto join us in the process. What better evidencethan passing a fish upstream with your owntwo hands?

Visit us at the hatchery, and bring your ques-tions. We love answering them. Come and seefor yourself what the hatchery does (and does-n’t do) in support of the salmon. The more youlearn, the more you will appreciate theseamazing and iconic creatures of the PacificNorthwest.

Kevin D. Boze, master docentFriends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery

South Cove tree

Resident wishes Squak Mountaincottonwoods would receive attention

In response to the letter written about thecottonwood trees in South Cove: We live onSquak Mountain. Our neighborhood is littered— literally — with more than eight cotton-woods that I can see from my front window onour property or neighboring property.

In the 16 years we have lived here, I havehad the trees checked by the city for safetymore than once — the trees are alwaysdeemed safe. The branches that fall are huge;the mess the trees make is also. My childrenare not allowed to go outside during even amild wind due to the danger of fallingbranches.

We spend the spring cleaning up the cotton-

wood “snow,” which gets in every nook andcranny of the house and yard; the summercleaning up the seed pods; and the fall andwinter cleaning up leaves and branches. Origi-nally, these trees were planted for their quickgrowth to better a neighborhood with theirbeauty.

My husband has had many tree removalcompanies give us quotes on removing three ofthe cottonwoods — two on the city right of way.Always, we end up forgoing the process due tothe hoops the city requires to cut down any-thing over six inches in diameter, not to men-tion the cost.

I sure wish our neighborhood trees could getthe attention the South Cove trees have re-ceived. We would certainly have a safer andmore beautiful neighborhood, not to mentionplenty of trees left to carry on the history andhealth of Squak Mountain!

Leslie MacInnesIssaquah

Campaign signs

Ban would fix ugly blight in the city,force candidates to better explain issues

I hope the City Council will consider issuing aban on campaign signs.

They don’t really help people make a deci-sion, they cost a lot of money, but, most impor-tantly, they are an ugly blight on ourcityscape. For months, we live with this un-sightly clutter.

Candidates would do better spending theirmoney on newspaper ads and flyers mailed tohomes. That way, they can state their posi-tions and say something about what theywant to accomplish, giving voters a reason todecide for or against them. That’s one voter’sopinion!

Barbara ExtractIssaquah

OPINION� �

The Issaquah Press

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PRESS EDITORIAL�

TO THE EDITOR�

LETTERS WELCOMEThe Issaquah Press welcomes letters to the

editor on any subject, although we reserve theright to edit for space, potential libel and/orpolitical relevance. Letters addressing local newswill receive priority.

Please limit letters to 350 words and typethem, if possible. E-mail is preferred. Letters mustbe signed and have a daytime phone number toverify authorship.

Deadline for letters is noon Friday for the fol-lowing week’s paper.

Address: P.O. Box 1328Issaquah, WA 98027

Fax: 391-1541

E-mail: isspress@isspress.com

A4 • Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Don’t forget the thankspart of this holiday

Before the first slice ofturkey has been liftedoff the platter, or thefirst scoop of mashedpotatoes has plopped

on a plate, our family practices aThanksgiving tradition of givingthanks. Each member at thetable tells why they are thankfulthis year.

I’m sure this is a tradition thatfamilies across the nation, and inthe local community, also per-form each year. The tradition ofgiving thanks goes all the wayback to Pilgrims’ days. I canimagine Gov. William Bradford,so thankful that his PlymouthColony had survived the harshwinter of 1621, kneeling andsaying something like, “Almighty,we’re thankful for our friends theWampanoags for providing thedeer and lobster for this meal,otherwise, it would have beenTV dinners again.”

Well, the part about TV din-ners isn’t true, but Bradford andhis people definitely were appre-ciative of the local Native Ameri-

can tribe,who providedthe majorityof the cuisinefor that feast.The feast, bythe way,lasted threedays. Theymust havehad a lot ofleftovers.

When Presi-dent GeorgeWashington de-clared Thanksgiving a holiday in1789, he certainly had to bethankful after first leading theColonial army to victory, andthen, as president, leading thenew nation during its fledglingdays. Working with Congressback then had to be a headachefor George, just as it has been formodern day presidents. Theeconomy and defense were bigissues then, too.

OFF THE PRESS�

Bob TaylorPress sports editor

See THANKSGIVING, Page A5

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