Food bank lunch

Join us in feeding the hungry —a fulfilling, joyful experience

Thank you for the story a few weeks agoabout the lunch we provide for folks outsidethe Issaquah Food Bank on Thursdays. We’reglad you shared it with readers.

Our hope, though, isn’t that people knowwhat we’re doing for its own sake, but thatsome other groups of friends and neighborsmight join in the joy of serving a lunch on otherdays of the week.

We cannot fully express the gratitude andsense of community we experience each weekin our hour with those who come for lunch.We’ve gotten to know most folks by name, andnow can greet each other happily as we seeeach other around town. It is no longer “us”who have food and “them” who don’t, but sim-ply folks sharing some abundance with one an-other.

We cannot encourage strongly enough folksto form their own groups to offer a lunch onone of the other days of the week. It’s mostly amatter of tossing something extra into the cartwhile at the store, spending a few minutesmaking sandwiches or a pot of chili, and afew folks bringing it down and sharing itaround.

The reward is so much greater than the cost.If you want to see for yourself, just come downany Thursday between 11.45 a.m. and 1 p.m.and join in the fun!

Wes Howard-BrookIssaquah

Freedom of religion

There are many facets and opinionsregarding religion

I feel compelled to respond to the letter byBecky Wilder in the July 1 issue.

My first reaction to Wilder’s disjointed rantwas disappointment that it was published atall. The Press should apply at least a sem-blance of its dedication to accuracy to its edito-rial page.

My thought immediately following was re-sentment of the apparent misappropriation ofthe term “Christian” to describe evangelistic(read “megachurch”) groups to the exclusion ofthe multitude of religions devoted primarily toworship of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah ofthe New Testament (and sharing the Old Testa-ment with Judaism).

Wilder needs to be reminded that most ad-verse reaction to the so-called “Christian” con-servative evangelist movement stems from theintolerance displayed on its behalf by groupssuch as the Westboro Baptist Church, sponsorof www.godhatesfags.com.

The abominations of such self-righteoussplinter groups could be discussed ad nau-seum. Instead, we need to bear in mind thatmost residents of the U.S. are religious,

kind, tolerant and hesitant to condemn oth-ers.

Reality is in fact in direct opposition toWilder’s assessment.

Steve ScottIssaquah

Boy Scouts

Youth organization discriminates,so city shouldn’t commend it

In a recent City Council meeting, Mayor AvaFrisinger announced that she had sent a letterof commendation to a boy for reaching therank of Eagle Scout. It is offensive that our citygovernment is officially recognizing the activi-ties of a discriminatory group, such as the BoyScouts of America.

The BSA prohibits homosexuals and atheists(both boys and parent volunteers) from partici-pating.

For example, a few years ago, the BSA ex-pelled an Eagle Scout in Port Orchard, be-cause he was an atheist. Thus, many Issaquahresidents “need not apply” for BSA member-ship and can never receive a letter of com-mendation from the mayor for being an EagleScout.

In 2002, the City Council passed a resolu-tion that proclaimed Issaquah a hate-freezone. The resolution stated, “We unequivo-cally condemn all discrimination.” And yet,city officials applaud when a residentreaches the highest rank of a discriminatorygroup?

Yes, the BSA is a private group and is there-fore legally allowed to discriminate. But thatdoesn’t mean our government officials shouldpraise success in a group that ostracizes cer-tain Issaquah residents.

And someone will be tempted to respondthat failing to acknowledge such accomplish-ments will punish youth. However, many enti-ties — including dozens of United Way chap-ters, many corporations, the state of Californiaand cities such as Chicago — have stoppedsupporting the BSA. It’s not because they don’tlike kids. It’s because they don’t want to aidand abet discrimination.

The city of Issaquah should abide by its ownanti-discrimination resolution and condemndiscrimination, not commend it.

Matthew J. BarryIssaquah

Issaquah Alps

Thank you to volunteers who improvedhiking the trails on Squak Mountain

I recently hiked up Squak Mountain to breakin a new pair of boots, and was pleasantly sur-prised at what I found.

The Mountains to Sound Greenway hasdone some major trail renovations. No moresquishy mud holes, no more creeks running

down the trail, fewer ankle twisting rocksand, best of all, better signage — no more get-ting lost.

Many thanks to the greenway and its volun-teers for their great work. And while I’m at it,thanks to all who maintain trails in our area,including the Issaquah Alps Trails Club, theWashington Trails Association, and especiallyto the individuals who donate their time andmoney.

I’ve always thought of Squak Mountain asone of Issaquah’s crown jewels. The improvedtrails have added to her luster, and now shetruly shines.

Go take a hike!

Sandy NygaardIssaquah

Opinionated? The Press wants you!

Join our e-mail group — Rapid Re-sponse. You give us your name ande-mail address. We send you ques-tions regarding the news. You tell uswhat you think. What could be eas-ier?

We’ll e-mail you a variety of ques-tions. Answer one or all of them! Re-spond by the deadline in the e-mailand we’ll get your thoughts into thenewspaper.

We’ll edit for clarity, space and po-tential libel, then select a variety of re-sponses and run them on a space-available basis.

Send your name and e-mail addressto editor@isspress.com. Put Rapid Re-sponse in the subject line.

ALL DEPARTMENTS CAN BE REACHED AT 392-6434fax: 391-1541 e-mail: isspress@isspress.com web site: www.issaquahpress.com

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR THE CITY OF ISSAQUAH

Postmaster:Send address changes to:Issaquah Press, PO Box 1328Issaquah, WA 98027

Twelve years ago, as King County voters preparedto elect a new executive, a big issue was all aboutthe need for more ball fields. And rural residentswere threatening to form their own county inprotest of land regulations imposed on property

rights. Ron Sims promised a lot of ball fields and a little ofeverything else. He won the election.

My, how times have changed. The county has encouragedcities to take over many of the parks and ball fields it builtbut couldn’t afford to maintain. A court ruling rescindedmuch of the county’s critical areas ordinance, putting ruralland use issues in limbo. The economy has tanked, leavinglocal governments scrambling and King County in a world offinancial hurt. Audit reports show the county’s accountingsystem to be untrustworthy. Heck, the county can barely op-erate decent animal shelters.

This year, voters will be looking for a county CEO that un-derstands fiscal management — and how to get the countyto a balanced budget.

We also need a new executive that has a vision, not justmore of the same. He or she will need to know how to bringdifferent viewpoints together to create goals for transporta-tion, natural resources, solid waste, human services andmore — and then outline the steps needed to get us there.

As the summer primary election among the eight candi-dates (six considered serious) heats up, voters should listencarefully. Which one best understands how to create a busi-ness environment that will help create more jobs? Who willbe best at creating dialogue that leads to solutions and com-promise? Will we continue to have an executive who acceptsthe multiple complex layers of a bus/rail/ferry system or willhe/she have the know-how to get us to one transportationagency?

The King County executive election gives us a chance forchange. Ballots will be arriving in the mail the first few daysof August, narrowing the field to two candidates while mostvoters are still layering on the sunscreen.

Let this year be the exception. Voters, start paying atten-tion now. Look beyond the sound bites to be sure your fa-vored candidates know what they are talking about, not just“connecting” with you to get a knee jerk vote. Then, be deci-sive, and tell your neighbors and family of your choice.

The first step to a better county government starts on Elec-tion Day.

County executiveelection is critical

OPINION� �

The Issaquah Press

�

THE ISSAQUAHPRESSPUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY

SINCE 1900

45 FRONT ST. S. • P.O. BOX 1328 • ISSAQUAH, KING COUNTY, WA 98027

$30 PER YEAR / $55 TWO YEARS / $18 PER YEAR FOR SENIORSADD $15 OUTSIDE KING COUNTY / $20 OUTSIDE STATE

DEBORAH BERTO . . . . . . . . PUBLISHER

JILL GREEN . . . . . . ADVERTISING MGR.VICKIE SINGSAAS . . . . . . ADVERTISING

ANN LANDRY . . . . . . . . . ADVERTISING

JODY TURNER . . . . . . . . ADVERTISING

MARIANA SKAKIE . . . . . . CLASSIFIEDS

KATHLEEN R. MERRILL . . . . . . EDITOR

CHANTELLE LUSEBRINK . . . REPORTER

DAVID HAYES . . . . . . . . . . . REPORTER

WARREN KAGARISE . . . . . . . REPORTER

GREG FARRAR . . . . . . PHOTOGRAPHER

DONA MOKIN . . . . . . ART DESIGN DIR.BREANN GETTY . PROD. COORDINATOR

SCOTT SPUNG . . . . . . . . . ACCOUNTING

KELLY BEZDZIETNY . . . . . . . CIRC MGR.

PRESS EDITORIAL�

TO THE EDITOR�

LETTERS WELCOME

The Issaquah Press welcomes letters to theeditor 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, July 15, 2009

Things I learned at therecord skinny-dip attempt

Question: What do youwear when you go to of-ficially count naked peo-ple who are trying to set

a world record?Answer: It really doesn’t mat-

ter what you wear when every-one else is naked.

That’s one thing I discoveredlast weekend when organizerDawnzella Gearhart invited me toFraternity Snoqualmie to be anofficial witness to the group tryingto set a Guinness Book of Recordsrecord for the number of peopleskinny-dipping. (There were 186there and many of them werethrilled to bare all for the certifi-cate they got at the end of thedip.)

Among the other things Ilearned were:�It might be embarrassing foryou to encounter someone youalready know from a profes-sional setting in the buff on theweekend. (I worried about thisbefore going there.)�It is far more embarrassing forthe other person than it is foryou, as I learned while he lookedat me with huge, astonished eyesand I did my best to look awaywhile saying hello.

�People getreally com-fortable inthis environ-ment quickly.So much sothat they willscratch anddo all mannerof things (thatyou wouldn’tdo whileclothed) whilelooking you inthe eye andtalking to you.�You can’t tell who drives anew Mercedes or a rusted outFord.�You can’t tell the doctors fromthe homeless.�People at Fraternity Sno-qualmie are really friendly.�Entire families were there,with every member in the buff.�You’d make a lot of money ifyou could set up a sunscreenbooth out there.

Seriously, everyone seemed tobe happy and having fun. Therewas music and dancing, swim-

OFF THE PRESS�

KathleenR. Merrill

Press Editor

See DIPPING, Page A5

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Locally Owned

ming and hot tubbing, cookingout, and reading and lounging inthe sun.

For many people there, beingnaked is a way of life that makesthem feel better about themselvesand other human beings. I wasthe one being shy and awkward.And as anyone who knows mecan tell you, I am never either ofthose things.

Other interesting anecdotes

that I’m allowed to put in a familynewspaper:�“I’d be more likely to get badlooks on a regular beach than anudist beach,” a full-figuredKaren Lahey told me. “It’s socomfortable, being nude. Peopleare so open. It’s an equalizer.You’re just a person.” She alsomentioned that being a nudistmade packing for a vacation re-ally easy. I bet you don’t getcharged for an extra carry on.�A photographer from anothernewspaper was approached by atall man wearing only a ban-danna on his head and a pair ofmirrored sunglasses.

“You ever photograph a nakedman on a Harley before?” heasked.

The photographer replied thatif the man ever “laid his bikedown,” he’d have a heck of aroad rash.

The man replied, “I don’t planto lay my bike down. You wantthe photo or not?” Off they

went. I did not get to see the re-sults.

If you’re just dying to try thisway of life, Nudestock is comingup at Fraternity Snoqualmie onSaturday, Aug. 29. Live music isthe order of the day. Massage andcraft vendors will be available,too.

First-time visitors always re-ceive a complimentary one-daymembership.

I kind of doubt that FraternitySnoqualmie folks set the Guin-ness record that day, since clubsacross the country were vying forit. But they get an A+ in my bookfor bravery.

And no, Dawnzella, I am stillnot ready to join.

Learn more about the camp atwww.fraternitysnoqualmie.comor call 392-NUDE.

Reach Editor Kathleen R. Merrill at 392-6434, ext. 227, or editor@isspress.com.Comment on this story at www.issaquah-press.com.

Dipping:A way oflife fornudists FROM PAGE A4

July 16Council Services & OperationsCommittee5 p.m.Eagle Room, City Hall130 E. Sunset Way

July 20City Council regular meetingAgenda: U.S. Postal Serviceright-of-way agreement7:30 p.m.Council Chambers, City Hall South135 E. Sunset Way

July 21Council Sustainability Committee5:30 p.m.Baxter Room, City Hall Northwest

1775 12th Ave. N.W.

River & Streams Board7-9 p.m.Pickering Room, City Hall Northwest1775 12th Ave. N.W.

July 22Human Services Commission7-9 p.m.Coho Room, City Hall130 E. Sunset Way

School officials discuss 2009session with state legislators

Issaquah School District officialsmet with state legislators to discussthe 2009 session at a meeting June17.

Sen. Fred Jarrett and Reps. RossHunter and Marcie Maxwell metwith school board members torecap information about basic edu-

cation reform and competition forstate funding with other initiatives,like health insurance.

They also talked about the spe-cial legislative session in fall,which is aimed to secure a vote forincreasing levy capacity for schooldistricts across the state.

If the bill passes, district officialscould ask voters to approve 4 per-cent more for their Maintenance

and Operations Levy. Hunter warned district officials

to not vote on the ballot measurelanguage before the Legislaturemeets and there is resolution aboutlevy increases.

Legislators also spoke brieflyabout state funding and the econo-my, which they said would contin-ue to struggle through at least theend of the year.

The Issaquah Press Wednesday, July 15, 2009 • A5

�

PUBLIC MEETINGS�

Don’t let last week’s rain and cooler weather — or theBack to School section in today’s paper —take your thoughtsto fall. There is still plenty of fun to come this summer!

If you haven’t been to Saturday’s Issaquah Farmers Marketyet this year, check it out. The best of local produce is justpeaking now, and the flowers, breads and pastries, and spe-cialty food items are worth taste-testing and buying to sharewith summer guests.

The market is also just fun. There is live music every Sat-urday, and a special event theme. Customer appreciation dayis coming up, followed by Kids Day (kids can sell their hand-made items, pony rides, etc.) Aug. 29. The market continuesfrom 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. every Saturday at Pickering Farmthrough Oct. 10.

There is still one Concerts on the Green left, at 7 p.m. Aug.25 on the lawn in front of the Community Center. If youcould only attend one this summer, this is the one, featuringthe fun of Shelley and the Curves. Come sing along anddance to all your favorite rock ‘n’ roll songs.

Of course, a summer visit to the Cougar Mountain Zoo(with four tigers now!), a hike in the Issaquah Alps or a tourof Boehm’s Candy Kitchen is always worth the trip.

If you’re looking for something different, check out the cal-endar on Page B2 each week. Here, you’ll find the date andtime for a weekly community campfire, an ice cream socialfor pets, a Cajun cooking demonstration and a family cul-tural celebration of the stars — and that’s just this week!

Looking for something a little less structured? Bring yourFrisbee, your fishing pole, your swimsuit or just your walk-ing shoes to a nearby city park or Lake Sammamish StatePark. Enjoy the summer while you can!

This is a great placeto spend your summer

Highlands gas station

Other letters in favor of proposal arefull of falsehoods, misrepresentations

Sandy Rock described the best argumentagainst the proposed Issaquah Highlands gasstation as follows: “Most importantly [sic], thepresence of four stations readily and easilyavailable within just two or three minutes ofthe proposed location.”

This is a blatant (and absurd) falsehood.First, there are no gas stations within a two-minute drive of the proposed station. Second,you might be able to get to one station withinthree minutes, if you speed and experience notraffic and no red lights. But under no stretchof the imagination are there four stationswithin three minutes.

Regardless, the hundreds of Issaquah High-lands’ residents who go to and return fromwork on Interstate 90 must detour into down-town Issaquah to get gas, increasing conges-tion on roads that are already clogged. It wouldmake much more sense for them to get gas di-rectly on the way along Highlands Drive. Thatwould be the greener and more efficient op-tion.

By the way, why did The Issaquah Press putDr. in front of Rock’s name? How is that rele-vant? Do you do that for everyone with a li-cense? For example, if a massage practitionersends a letter to the editor, does The Press addLMP after the name? The clear implication isthat Rock’s opinion is more valuable than oth-ers, because of an advanced degree. As we cansee, that pretentious assumption is not valid inthis particular case.

Gene ZhangIssaquah Highlands

I-90 undercrossing

Environmentalists argue against planwithout having seen area in question

The “Environmental Religion Group” hasagain come to the forefront to delay another Is-saquah road project. It was successful with theSoutheast Bypass and now it is continuing itsorganized tactics on the Interstate 90 Under-crossing project.

I watched some of the anti-road people ad-dressing the City Council on Channel 21. Onelady said she had not seen the area in ques-tion, but believed the plan presented to thecouncil for a vote was not environmentallyhelpful for the area.

If one has not walked the area in question,then how can his or her comments carry anyweight? It appears that the well-organizedgroup’s plan is to just get in front of the counciland promote its anti-road agenda. Maybe thesaddest thing is the council gave it its re-quested delay.

Try getting down Front Street during themorning/evening rush hours. Traffic is delayedand people are wasting gas while sitting in the

slow traffic.In addition, the anti-bypass people indicated

that if the bypass were completed, there wouldbe a lot of empty properties on Front Street. Ifyou notice, the bypass was scrapped by thecouncil and there have been a number of va-cant properties created without the bypass.

Ken Sessler Issaquah

Timberlake Park

Dog owners can blame themselvesAt first, I was upset about the dog ban from

Timberlake Park. But then, I realized that it’sthe dog owners who frequent the park who areto blame. I believe part of the problem is thatpeople thought this was an off-leash dog park,when in fact it has always been a park that al-lowed dogs — on a leash.

It’s just that King County, and now the city ofIssaquah, have chosen not to enforce this ruleunless problems presented themselves. Thoseproblems evidently have manifested in theform of oblivious and discourteous dog owners.

I have taken my dog there to go swimmingnumerous times this summer and I was ap-palled at what some dog owners let their dogsdo while off leash. In one instance, when I waswalking up to the beach with my dog, I was ap-proached by a handful of dogs. I asked theowners to call their dogs off, but the ownersdid not seem to care what their dogs were do-ing.

This is classic off-leash dog park behavior ofowners and it infuriates me all the time. Bychoosing to let your dog off leash, it is your re-sponsibility to know where your dog is, what itis doing and have voice control of your dog atall times.

If dog owners want dogs allowed in Timber-lake Park again, please, do your part and con-trol your dog! Don’t let your dog or yourself bethe reason dogs are permanently banned!

Brad RobertsonIssaquah

Humans have caused more damageto park’s reputation than dogs have

Concerning the closing of Timberlake Park todogs: I am a homeowner who has lived next tothe park for more than 20 years. In that time, Ihave seen probably five dogs run through myyard who were eventually corralled by theirowners. This has not bothered anyone.

During that time, I have also seen homelessmen asleep in the park; drug dealers in theparking lot; vandalism caused by drunken, ma-rauding, young people; and beer cans strewnaround the beach. I have seen the evidence ofarson, heard bombs go off and have been toldabout people openly having sex on the beachand in the grass. My neighbor was robbedthere at knifepoint.

In recent years, as more dog owners havebrought their dogs, I have felt safer whenever Iam in and near the park.

I request that the Issaquah City Councilamend its ordinance in the following manneras a compromise: Prohibit dogs only in thebeach area during daylight hours (from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.) from June through August.

This is the only time small children are likelyto swim at the beach, and I do not want themto get hurt by dogs. However, during the rest ofthe year, dogs should be allowed free access tothe park. I believe this will continue to keep thepark free from the kind of street crime thatused to be so common, but has diminished asthe park became more popular with dog own-ers.

Final thought: Families that don’t have dogshave dozens of parks to choose from. Familieswith small children and dogs don’t have thosechoices. Here, they can use the park together.Marymoor Park is not an option for that.

A petition is available to sign atipetition.com. People who are interested shoulddefinitely redress the grievances imposed uponus by lawmakers who have no consent fromthe governed.

Deborah MohnIssaquah

No-dog rule is just another law enactedwithout any input from citizens

Do not prohibit dogs in Timberlake Park. Ilive here and have for years. No one that Iknow of will enforce the current “dog-restric-tion law” the city of Issaquah has legislatedwithout any input from local voters or propertyowners.

These kinds of enactments are bringing afeeling of a police state to this community. How

OPINION� �

The Issaquah Press

�

THE ISSAQUAHPRESSPUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY

SINCE 1900

45 FRONT ST. S. • P.O. BOX 1328 • ISSAQUAH, KING COUNTY, WA 98027

$30 PER YEAR / $55 TWO YEARS / $18 PER YEAR FOR SENIORSADD $15 OUTSIDE KING COUNTY / $20 OUTSIDE STATE

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, August 19, 2009

‘Quality’ applicantscan make hiring fun

Ahh, the joys of hiring.Sure, jobs are hard tocome by, but if you’veseen some of the ré-sumés I get here

when a position is open, youmight not be surprised whysome people are out of work.

I have laughed hard and some-times just shaken my head whenreading a cover letter or résuméI’ve received. I often share thesestories with my co-workers. Afterall, who doesn’t like a goodlaugh?

So, in the spirit of passing thaton to you, dear reader, I am writ-ing about a few of my favoriteapplicants, in a manner ofspeaking, from the past fewyears. Names have been left outto protect the guilty. However,the bad grammar and spellingsactually belong to those who ap-plied.

One of my all-time best laughsmight be this one:

“I have never written for anewspaper befour, but I think itwould be neat.” Yeah? Well, I’venever performed brain surgerybefore, but I think it’s really cool.Still, I won’t ever send my ré-sumé to any of the local hospitalstelling them other “neat” reasonsthey should hire me as a brainsurgeon anyway. Although every-one thinks he or she can write, ittakes skill and training to be anewspaper reporter. Really.

I love the people who read thead, which always says what ex-perience is necessary and oftenwhat is preferred, who then de-cide they’ll apply anyway, eventhough they have nothing the adasked for.

A perfect example was a youngman who applied for the positionof city reporter. Experience incovering city government was re-quired, with the preference being

two years’worth. Yet hehad workedat the BrownBear carwash, RedRobin restau-rant, Rite Aidand HomeDepot. Em-ployees atthose busi-nesses covercity govern-ment? I had noidea.

Salutations just do me in. Weput whom to contact in any adwe run, yet I often get thingssuch as, “Dear editor,” “To whomit may concern” and “Dear sir.”First, you can’t cut and paste myname or retype it? Or look it up ifit’s not in the ad? And in whatlanguage is Kathleen a guy’sname?

How about this guy? The adsaid a reporter was needed im-mediately, and that he or sheneeded two years’ newspaperexperience. “I won’t finish col-lege until June.” (This was inJanuary.) “But I am worth wait-ing for, so will you please?” Um,no.

Or this gal? “I don’t have anyrighting experience, but I am re-ally looking forwards to broaden-ing my horizons.” Yeah, OK. Justdon’t think you’re going to do ithere.

Then, there was the guy who Isent two reply e-mails to, askinghim for more information. Afterseveral days of not hearing fromhim, he sent me this reply: “I ap-preciate you taking the time tooffer me a chance to apply forthe city reporter job. However, I

OFF THE PRESS�

KathleenMerrill

Press Editor

See WRITING, Page A5

See LETTERS, Page A5

ALL DEPARTMENTS CAN BE REACHED AT 392-6434fax: 391-1541 e-mail: isspress@isspress.com web site: www.issaquahpress.com

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR THE CITY OF ISSAQUAH

Postmaster:Send address changes to:Issaquah Press, PO Box 1328Issaquah, WA 98027

DEBORAH BERTO . . . . . . . . PUBLISHER

JILL GREEN . . . . . . ADVERTISING MGR.VICKIE SINGSAAS . . . . . . ADVERTISING

ANN LANDRY . . . . . . . . . ADVERTISING

JODY TURNER . . . . . . . . ADVERTISING

MARIANA SKAKIE . . . . . . CLASSIFIEDS

KATHLEEN R. MERRILL . . . . . . EDITOR

CHANTELLE LUSEBRINK . . . REPORTER

DAVID HAYES . . . . . . . . . . . REPORTER

WARREN KAGARISE . . . . . . . REPORTER

TIM PFARR . . . . . . . . . . . . . REPORTER

GREG FARRAR . . . . . . PHOTOGRAPHER

DONA MOKIN . . . . . . ART DESIGN DIR.BREANN GETTY . PROD. COORDINATOR

SCOTT SPUNG . . . . . . . . . ACCOUNTING

KELLY BEZDZIETNY . . . . . . . CIRC MGR.

Times are Tough...We’re all in this together

• We belong to the following PPO organizations: Premera, Cigna. WDS, Delta, Aetna, United Concordia. Met Life, Regence, United Healthcare, Assurant

• PPO prices for non-insured patients

• Flexible payment plans available

• Prices you can afford (I have always kept our prices and fees the most affordable in the area)

• A beautiful and friendly office with long term staff, as always, will be here to make your visits

enjoyable. Please visit our website at www.drronsherman.com to see why our patients

“love it here”!

• 50% off in office LASER WHITENING

We will work with you and your family to provide the best dental care you have ever had while working within your family’s budget.

Remember...teeth problems get worse and more expensive when left untreated. Our motto at First Impressions is...

I know you want the best dental care for you and your family and that qualityand guarantee is something that should not have to change. So I’ve come upwith a way to work with you when everything seems to be working against us. I’ve been serving Issaquah families and their friends for 15 years, and I’m notabout to let you down now. Here’s what I can do:

“No lectures, no guilt”

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First Impressions Dental Care 5825 221st Place #100 • Issaquah, WA 98027

425-391-4964Dr. Ronald Sherman

Dentistry for people who love to smile.

GUEST COLUMN�Is flushable convenience

‘wiping out’ the sewer system?BY KATHY LAMBERT AND

CHRISTIE TRUE

Most people are busy and needto fit their housework into crowdedschedules. It’s no surprise thatcleaning products are increasinglymarketed to consumers eager toget the job done as quickly as pos-sible. A new product has becomewildly popular in the past fewyears — disposable cleaningwipes.

According to a recent report,North American consumers boughtnearly 83,000 tons of disposablewipes in 2004, enough to fill about9,000 semi trailers.MarketResearch.com reports that60 percent of adults have usedhousehold cleaning wipes, andsales are expected to reach the $2billion mark by 2010.

However, convenience has itsprice.

While some products boast theadded convenience of being flush-able and safe for sewers and sep-

tic systems, the people who main-tain and operate our local andregional wastewater utilities dis-agree.

King County operates a regionalsewer utility that provides waste-water treatment services for 34local sewer agencies. The localagencies collect wastewater fromhomes and businesses, and send itto the county’s regional system fortreatment.

Sewer utility crews for the localand regional agencies are increas-ingly being called out to do battlewith great balls of “flushable”cleaning wipes, pads, facial tis-sues, baby wipes and femininehygiene products that havebecome tangled in pumping equip-ment.

In a worst-case scenario,jammed up pumps can lead to rawsewage overflows into homes,businesses and waterways, whichthreatens public health and theenvironment. At best, these prob-lems are making the treatment

process more expensive forratepayers. In 2008, King Countyspent well over $100,000 just tohaul and dispose of sewer systemtrash in a landfill.

It’s important to clarify that KingCounty has not conducted tests onany particular brand or type ofdisposable or flushable product.Neither does the county discour-age people from buying and usingcleaning wipes.

King County does urge con-sumers who choose these productsto dispose of them in the trashinstead of flushing them down thetoilet. In fact, like most sewer util-ities, King County and its customeragencies recommend flushing onlybodily waste and toilet paper —that’s it.

So, in the quest to reduce costsand keep things tidy — frombathroom to baby — please don’tflush items that may cause trou-ble. Please help protect publichealth, the environment andwater quality and put used clean-ing wipes, pads, swabs and any-thing else besides human wasteand toilet paper in the trash, notin the toilet.

King County Councilwoman KathyLambert represents District 3, whichincludes Issaquah, and is a member of theRegional Water Quality Committee andthe King County Board of Health. ChristieTrue is the division director of KingCounty’s Wastewater Treatment Division.

does the City Council come upwith concluding that it has thiskind of power?

We who live along the east bor-der of Timberlake Park find jog-gers, runners, folks in oblivion lis-tening to iPods, pedestrians, dog-walkers and so on, trespassing onour privately owned road, 184thAvenue Southeast, before this

“law” was passed. We have kindly allowed folks to

use our road, even though someof these folks have, at times,been unimaginably rude to us.We never have trouble with dogs,as they seem to pay better atten-tion than people and they let usdrive by, no problem, no barking.There is no sidewalk, path or thelike for people to use on this nar-row, private exclusive easementroad.

Now that the city of Issaquahhas banned dogs from TimberlakePark, guess what? Now, droves oftrespassers are now traipsing up

and down 184th Avenue South-east and obstructing our only ac-cess to our private property; nu-merous folks with dogs who canno longer use the park are over-whelming our private lane be-cause of the city’s new “dog re-striction” law.

We ask the city to come to ouraid and extinguish this law. Other-wise, we may be forced to restrict184th Avenue Southeast to every-one except dogs.

Thank you.

Jeff MohnIssaquah

LettersFROM PAGE A4

have to respectfully decline as Ihave accepted an offer from an-other paper.” OK. Good luck withthat.

Then, there are people like this

guy with skills I just can’t under-stand. “I have exstensive photog-raphy knowledge.” If you can’tproofread your own cover letter,what makes you think I’m going tohire you?

I loved the cover letter, printedand mailed, no less, that startedwith, “Good mourning.” Yeah,some days in this job I do despaira little bit, but do you have topoint it out?

Or how about people who aretoo lazy to actually apply whenthey’re applying? I loved this guy.“You can Google me and find myclips on the Internet.” Yeah, Icould, but I have work to do.Would I have to write your sto-ries for you after you got here,too?

I guess it takes all types of peo-ple. Thank goodness I don’t haveto take them here.

PUBLIC MEETINGSAug. 19Development CommissionAgenda: SpringHill Suites by Marriottpublic hearing, Delta Inn subdivisioncommunity conference7-9 p.m.Council Chambers, City Hall South135 E. Sunset Way

Human Services CommissionAgenda: 2010 grant applicationsevaluations7-9 p.m.Coho Room, City Hall130 E. Sunset Way

Skippers site — and ARCO effortswere in the hands of developers.Permits for both sites have beenissued, though work has been slow.

“It’s no secret that we’re in aneconomic downturn,” said FrontStreet Crossing developer MarkSandler, president of BenchmarkDevelopment Corp., of Bellevue.

“Due to circumstances, we havean unavoidable delay,” he added.

City Senior Planner Jerry Lind,who worked on the Front StreetCrossing effort, offered a similarassessment.

“I think the recession has

slowed down construction on thatbuilding,” Lind said.

Sandler has time to launch hisdevelopment: Building permitsremain active for three years.

In the meantime, however, cityofficials worry about the aesthet-ics of a defunct gas station andempty lot along a main street thatpeople use when they come intotown.

City Code Compliance OfficerMichele Forkner asked owners ofthe ARCO property to sweepdebris from around the buildingand remove the old sign thatadvertised gas prices. Forknersaid she has not received anycomplaints related to the oldSkippers property.

City Senior Planner MarkPywell, who worked on the ARCOproject, said he was unsure about

when work would begin inearnest at the gas station site.Plans call for construction of aconvenience store inside the sta-tion and a refurbished canopyabove the gas pumps.

Sandler said the recessionmade it difficult to find takers forthe ground-floor retail andupstairs office space he plans tobuild at Front Street Crossing. Hedescribed the location, near theInterstate 90 interchange and thebusy Northwest Gilman Boulevardintersection, as the “gateway toIssaquah.”

“We could start just about any-time,” Sandler said.

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

BY ADAM ESCHBACH

A sign has been posted at 607 Front St. N. for two years while the property remains undeveloped.

Middle-, high-school parentsasked to take survey

Issaquah School District offi-cials are asking parents of middleand high school students to take asurvey about their child’s schoolexperiences before Aug. 29.

The annual parent survey isonline and asks them to evaluate

their oldest child’s experiences,including how information isrelated about the school to par-ents and students, grading theirschool and the district as well asgiving suggestions for improve-ment.

District officials will use thecomments to continue efforts andprograms that reinforce positive

student experiences and improvein others.

The survey is confidential and isopen until 4 p.m. Aug. 28.

Take the survey atwww.issaquah.wednet.edu; clickon “Annual middle and highschool parent survey” under theAugust links on the right of yourscreen.

Empty lotsFROM PAGE A1

county voters two years ago cannotbe used for the parks on the clo-sure list.

Issaquah city spokeswomanAutumn Monahan said the poten-tial closures presented an opportu-nity for community groups andhomeowners associations to workwith the county to secure the

parks. She said city officials wouldwork to facilitate bridge buildingbetween county officials and thoseinterested in parks.

Triplett said county officials arewilling to work with others to keepthe parks open.

“Taxpayers have paid for theseparks, and I am open to any pro-posal from the cities or others totransfer ownership for free,” hesaid. “As part of the effort toencourage annexations, the statehas given these cities tax optionsthe county does not have.”

Issaquah officials have no plansto close city parks as a cost-savingmeasure, Monahan said. Issaquahfaces a $3.6 million budget deficitand deeper cuts are likely in 2010.City officials will use reserve dollarsto close the gap. Employee layoffs,furloughs and program cuts couldbe enacted to prevent anothershortfall next year.

Reach Reporter Warren Kagarise at 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com.Comment on this story at www.issaquah-press.com.

ParksFROM PAGE A1

WritingFROM PAGE A4

The Issaquah Press Wednesday, August 19, 2009 • A5

�

Traffic will be limited to a singlelane during road restriping

City crews will restripeSoutheast Issaquah-Fall City Roadfrom East Lake SammamishParkway Southeast to Southeast58th Street.

Work will last from 9 p.m. - 5a.m. through Aug. 20, weatherpermitting. During the restriping,traffic will be limited to a singlelane in each direction.

CONTRIBUTED

Cancer rideAbove, Climb for a Cure cyclists line up Aug. 2 for

their time-trial starts up Zoo Hill, behind Cougar Moun-tain Zoo. Cyclists for the two-mile course were encour-aged to make a donation to the Fred Hutchinson Can-cer Research Center, The Seattle Cancer Care Allianceor any other organization of their choice. Below, cy-clists reach the finish line where their times were

recorded to determine the order of finish.

Order color prints ofIssaquah Press photos!

www.issaquahpress.com

In the weeks since King County voters picked Dow Con-stantine as next county executive, the leader-in-wait-ing has taken several steps to include Issaquah andEastside voices in the transition. We applaud these ef-forts.

With little time to prepare for the daunting executive post,Constantine wasted no time as he assembled a 30-membertransition team during the 21-day sprint from Election Dayto Nov. 24, when the next executive will take office.

Constantine will become the third county leader since May,and the challenges before him are daunting. In addition tocrippling county and Metro Transit budget shortfalls, Constan-tine must reassure anxious taxpayers as county leaders weighservice cuts and other painful, albeit money-saving, measures.

As Constantine prepares to take the reins, we were heart-ened by his decision to include longtime Issaquah Council-man Fred Butler and state Sen. Fred Jarrett as members ofthe transition team. Jarrett will stick around after the transi-tion is complete; Constantine appointed the lawmaker to theNo. 2 spot in county government.

Republican-turned-Democrat Jarrett served in the stateHouse until he was elected to the Senate last year. The expe-rience he gained at the state level, as well as the skills hegained as a Boeing executive and Mercer Island mayor, willmake him a steady presence as Constantine and the CountyCouncil are forced to grapple with tough decisions. He repre-sents a slice of Issaquah in the Senate.

Butler is a seasoned hand and the City Council’s residentexpert on regional transportation issues. As a member of theSound Transit board, Butler could provide valuable insightabout critical transit issues as Constantine readies for thetask ahead. And, as a voice for Issaquah, Butler will ensurethe concerns of Issaquah residents reach the highest tier ofcounty government.

Constantine, meanwhile, should make the effort to seek in-put from Issaquah and Eastside residents after the transitionis complete. The next executive should also mend fenceswith rural residents hurt by the way the county handled theCritical Areas Ordinance.

We endorsed Constantine because he committed to keepingurban county parks — like Klahanie Park — open until newowners could be found, as well as the plan he floated for a staffperson assigned to work with the small cities and rural areas.

We remain encouraged by the actions Constantine hastaken thus far.

Early signs from countyexec are encouraging

Bicycling

Road improvement projects forgot tofactor in safety for two wheelers

When I moved to Issaquah from Virginia inJuly 2003, one of the main attractions was thebike-friendly roads. I have been a road cyclist(“roadie”) for almost 30 years, and have riddenall kinds of roads in California, Illinois, Vir-ginia, Maryland, Washington (D.C.), Oklahoma,Arkansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming,Idaho, Montana, Oregon, British Columbia andWashington state.

Both East Lake Sammamish Parkway andNewport Way were once very bike-friendlyroads with wide, smooth shoulders. However,in recent months, “road improvements” havebeen done that have actually made both roadsmore hazardous for bikes.

In particular, the east-bound lane of NewportWay between Lakemont and state Route 900has become very tricky for bikes. The shoulderhas been greatly narrowed and grates havebeen placed in the middle of the shoulder,which bikes must ride over. These are verybumpy and can cause unattentive cyclists topossibly lose control.

In addition, the lanes at the entrance to theMontreaux development have been redesignedand bikes have a very narrow lane to ride. Rid-ers also now have to deal with a concrete trafficisland that has been installed at the entranceand are forced to almost ride in the road.

Also, changes are being done just to the eastof Cougar Mountain, near the new condo devel-opment, the final effects of which have yet tobe determined. The last half-mile to state Route900 has also become a very fast and narrowstrip of shoulder for bikes to ride, leaving verylittle room for maneuvering.

I feel quite competent on my bike, but the“new” Newport Way makes me a bit trepida-tious. I work in Seattle and commute homeduring summer. I used to really enjoy the ride,but now, the last few miles are a real bear.

Bicycles are vehicles under Washington lawand are entitled to ride as far right as is safe,which includes riding in a lane of traffic. Thenewly designed roads may move bikes off theshoulder and into the lane.

I don’t think the city or the Department ofTransportation consulted cyclists or gave cy-clists much consideration in the new designs.

Let’s keep Issaquah bike friendly for every-one, riders and drivers alike.

Tyler TaborIssaquah

Flooding

Contingency plans should includebuilder of homes for the displaced

How are state and county authorities re-sponding and preparing for possible floodingfrom the Howard Hanson Dam?

What is planned for housing for a year or

more until government and insurance claimsallow permanent housing?

A ready-made solution is available with Re-sponse Ability Builders — a nonprofit educa-tion organization located on Tiger Mountain.

The director, the Rev. Eddy Fowler-Linder,responded to Hurricane Andrew in 1992 inHomestead, Fla., by training personnel to buildsmall houses of two sizes. The buildings can betransported by small trucks.

Fowler has experience and can train noncar-penters to build their own houses. (He and hisfamily live in a house he built.)

Reach him at 765-2269 or danafl@comcast.net.He has contacted United Way for funds for

building materials, but he has no funding avail-able presently.

Please explore this possible problem solver.

Catherine SwadleyIssaquah

Veterans

Too many returning from action are notreceiving counseling they need

Nov. 11 was a day for honoring our veterans,and paying them our due respect for their sacri-fice, patriotism and willing defense of our nation.

Yet, the veterans of the most recent conflictsneed more than our appreciation; they needour support and our commitment to upholdtheir rights to dignified lives as civilians, and tothe provision of whatever support is necessaryto achieve this goal.

It is a national disgrace to allow these braveAmericans to be ill treated by the very systemthey swore to protect. Few returning service-men and women receive adequate counselingthey deserve; thus, more and more find them-selves divorced, bankrupted by court costs anddenied access to their children.

There is also an alarming trend to confusePTSD (or post traumatic stress disorder) with do-mestic violence offenses, as returning veteransoften experience feelings of alienation, guilt, frus-tration and anger; and with so few resourcesavailable to assist reintegration, they become vic-tims of our overzealous criminal justice system.

It is all too easy to confuse the systems de-scribed above as criminal under current legalguidelines, when the real crime is the treat-ment they receive from those who should beproviding sympathy and support.

Locally, a recent case involving an ex-Marineresulted in a conviction for felony domestic vio-lence harassment, after being accused by hisown parents, who claimed they found his PTSDtoo difficult and embarrassing, and that theymade the accusation to get help for him.

Unfortunately, in Washington state, five outof six mentally ill convicts are in prison, nothospital, and receive no psychiatric counselingor treatment whatsoever. Furthermore, oncereleased, those convicted of domestic violencefind themselves prohibited from working withthe public, denied rented housing, banned forlife from owning a firearm, unable to vote and

with no guaranteed restoration of these rights. There are no statistics available as to how

many veterans are currently incarcerated, norof those, how many suffer from PTSD, butsurely we all agree that each one of them de-serves a chance to lead a dignified civilian life.It is the moral responsibility of each of us toensure that they get that chance.

Jane MorganIssaquah

Express your gratitude for the militaryDear veteran,You are in my thoughts and I’m sure many

Americans join with me to say thank you foryour service.

This Veterans Day was colored with the sad-ness for our fallen comrades at Fort Hood andFort Lewis. At those places, the pain of loss isat its greatest. Gen. George Casey Jr. told us,“Mourn with us ... not for us.”

But I’m sure you share my great sadness atthe taking of our soldiers’ lives and are keepingtheir survivors in your thoughts and prayers.Many thousands continue to serve worldwideand they, too, are to be honored.

Veterans Day is the day set aside to honorthe accomplishments of this country’s militaryveterans. It is fitting we do so. Dating back tothe 18th century, members of America’s mili-tary have answered the call and risked thegreatest of selfless sacrifices. For those of youwho faced combat, I offer my deepest appreci-ation and respect.

For those like me, who never experiencedthe challenges of war, I offer my gratitude andrespect. Through all of your service, you likelyfelt the pain of losing a comrade. You undoubt-edly served with those who will remain in yourlifelong memories. Through it all, you contin-ued to serve your nation with a willingness topreserve our freedoms and privileges.

Take the opportunity to say thanks to a fel-low veteran.

Mark Bowers, IssaquahCWO-4, USN (retired)

OPINION� �

The Issaquah Press

�

THE ISSAQUAHPRESSPUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY

SINCE 1900

45 FRONT ST. S. • P.O. BOX 1328 • ISSAQUAH, KING COUNTY, WA 98027

$30 PER YEAR / $55 TWO YEARS / $20 PER YEAR FOR SENIORSADD $15 OUTSIDE KING COUNTY / $20 OUTSIDE STATE

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 350words and type them, if possible. E-mail is pre-ferred. Letters must be signed and have a day-time phone number to verify 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 18, 2009

Come see the tigersand their new home

Last week, I decided to drop byCougar Mountain Zoo to checkon Taj and Almos, the elder ofour local, rare Bengal tigers. I’veseen them grow up, like many ofyou have done.

I knew they were moving intotheir new, larger, adult habitat atsome point. (Taj had been in therefor nearly three weeks. Almos, alittle shyer about the move, maybebecause he heard people talkabout the horrors of packing andmoving, had entered the enclo-sure only three days before.)

The over an acre setting is gor-geous, well-designed and yetprimitive at the same time. It’sall natural, rock, rain-fed water-falls and grasses, and includestoys, like a 50-pound ball that Al-mos pounced on and slammedinto the fence creating a terrificcrashing sound.

“If you’re a tiger, it’s ideal,”said Robyn Barfoot, general cu-rator of the zoo.

There’s a public part wherepeople can watch these guysfrom several excellent vantagepoints, either behind glass orspecial fencing.

But there’s also a private part,where Taj kept wandering, ap-

pearing to bestalkingsomethingthat keptcatching hiseye. It’s im-portant forthe big cats tohave someprivacy.

And theseare big catsnow. Almos,one of about400 royal whiteBengal tigers in the world,weighed in at 374 last week,while Taj, one of only 102 goldenBengal tigers in the world,weighed in at 394.

There’s a pump house, lockedto the public, that runs big andsmall waterfalls and the pond.The rushing of the water almostmakes you feel you’re in the wildand if you close your eyes for amoment when Taj is “talking,”you almost feel like you’re in thejungle with the big cats.

The water feature was impor-tant to the cats and zoo officials.The boys have loved to be in wa-

OFF THE PRESS�

KathleenR. Merrill

Press editor

See TIGERS, Page A5

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR THE

CITY OF ISSAQUAH

Postmaster:Send address changes to:

Issaquah Press, PO Box 1328Issaquah, WA 98027

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PHONE: 392-6434FAX: 391-1541

WWW.ISSAQUAHPRESS.COM

“We plan to use this schoolyear to do our investigativework,” Murphy said, adding thegroup will study other creativeoptions used throughout thestate and nation. After the inves-tigation and review, “We’ll lookto see how we can adapt whatwe find out and create some-thing that will help our studentsreach the goals set out in ourguiding beliefs.

“Our one fear, though, is thatpeople hear the word flexibleschedule and they think we’rejust talking about bell schedule,”he added. “This is not solelyabout bell schedules.”

“Flexible scheduling toucheson so many aspects of the educa-tional experience. This couldinvolve, as an example — dailyschedules, online learning, seattime, use of facilities,” Phelps,Issaquah High School principal,wrote in an e-mail. “In the past,we would have viewed each ofthese issues individually. Now,we will look at them as a wholethrough the lens of the OptimalExperience. The work this yeararound flexible scheduling willbe exciting and, ultimately, hasthe potential to be very reward-ing for our students.”

During the coming year,Murphy and the principals willlook more closely to developworking solutions for students,which could include before andafter school courses and onlinecourse work similar to the dis-trict’s new online health course.Something else they are lookingat is offering districtwide highschool courses. For example,Liberty has a culinary program,unlike the other two schools;principals may look into offeringthose classes so students acrossthe district may be able to takethem.

During their investigation,they’ll design a model for how itmay be done in Issaquah and howto appropriately fund it.

Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext.241 or clusebrink@isspress.com.Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

The Issaquah Press Wednesday, November 18, 2009 • A5

�

Nov. 18Council Land Use Committee5-8 p.m.Baxter Room, City Hall Northwest1775 12th Ave. N.W.

Nov. 19Council Services & OperationsCommitteeAgenda: 2010 human services grants,2009 budget adjustments5 p.m.Eagle Room, City Hall130 E. Sunset Way

City Council 2010 budget delibera-tions6-9:30 p.m.Cougar Room, City Hall130 E. Sunset Way

Nov. 23Park BoardAgenda: parks projects update, KingCounty Animal Care and Controlupdate, Heritage Trees7-9 p.m.Issaquah Trails House110 Bush St.

Nov. 24Human Services Commission7-9 p.m.Cougar Room, City Hall130 E. Sunset Way

PUBLIC MEETINGS�

Executive Ron Sims, the next leaderwill take office Nov. 24, after theelection results are certified, insteadof the traditional Jan. 1. Simsstepped down in May for the No. 2job in the federal Department ofHousing and Urban Development.

Constantine, a Democrat andformer state lawmaker, serves aschairman of the King County

Council. He will resign from thecouncil to succeed interimExecutive Kurt Triplett.

When Jarrett resigns from theSenate, the County Council willpick a successor from a list of can-didates submitted by localDemocratic Party leaders. The nextsenator will serve until next fall,when 41st District voters will electa replacement to fill the seat until2012, when the term ends.

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

JarrettFROM PAGE A1

New tool helps track countygovernment effectiveness

King County Superior Courtresolved 91 percent of criminalcases within the state-recommend-ed guideline of nine months, Metrobuses were on time 76 percent lastyear — better than in 2007, butbelow the 80 percent target — and85 percent of county roads havepavement in satisfactory condition.

County leaders learned the statsfrom new tools now available toresidents. The programs enabletaxpayers to track county propos-als and see whether the effortsmeet performance targets.

The county unveiled a pair ofWeb-based tools: the County GrowthReport and King County BenchmarkProgram. The reports examinehousing, economic, demographic,land-use and transportation trendsto help the public and decision-mak-ers better understand the growthmanagement efforts in the region.

Find the tools at www.kingcoun-ty.gov/accountable.

Besides the Web sites, the coun-ty Office of Strategic Planning andPerformance Management hasproduced the second annual KingCounty AIMs High PerformanceScorecard, a downloadable, four-page document with highlightsfrom AIMs High: AnnualIndicators and Measures, a Web-based report on the state of thecounty and county governmentperformance.

The tools are designed to make it

easier for residents and policymak-ers to measure progress on beingefficient, effective and accountableby comparing year-to-year bench-marks for several programs.

The scorecard uses a red-yellow-green results format to help read-ers answer the question: Howeffective are county services? Thesystem compares performance for19 programs with targets set bycounty leaders. The measureswere included based on feedbackfrom a group of county residents.

School board approves group’slegislative platform

Issaquah School Board membersunanimously voted to approve theOlympian Coalition’s 2009-10 leg-islative platform at their Nov. 10meeting.

The Olympian Coalition is a lob-bying group made up of IssaquahSchool District officials and boardmembers; union members;Parents, Teachers and StudentsAssociation representatives; andStand for Children representatives.

“Our goal is to make sure that allstudents in our district — high per-forming, struggling and those inbetween — are getting an educa-tional system that provides themwith the academic rigor, the sup-port, the opportunity for personalexpression and the resources theyneed to be successful in our 21stcentury global economy,” a docu-ment from the group said.

This year, coalition members

adopted these goals:�Support efforts to achieve equityin levy lids. �Support efforts to protect fullyfunded voter Initiatives 728 and732 as part of the levy base. �Adopt prototype school fundingmodel in this legislative session. �Review and examine currentmandates in the Revised Code ofWashington to see what could beeliminated or made less proscriptive.�Provide for regional labor mar-ket differences when setting com-pensation for all employees. �Invest in early learning as anessential requirement to preparestudents for a successful schoolexperience. �In the current financial crisis, dono harm.

Local student wants your votefor national contest

Jordan Lederman, a 13-year-oldeighth grader at Pine Lake MiddleSchool, has been selected as a top10 finalist in the federalDepartment of Education’s I AmWhat I Learn contest.

Jordan’s self-made videoexplains what she likes most aboutchickens, what she’s learned andwhy she wants to rule the coop asqueen of the chickens later.

To help her win, go towww.ed.gov/iamwhatilearn/index.html. There, you can watch her videoand cast your vote until Dec. 4.

If Jordan lands in the top 3,she’ll win a $1,000 prize.

By Chantelle LusebrinkIssaquah Press reporter

Issaquah School District offi-cials and high school principalsare investigating a flexible highschool schedule option this yearas part of their Optimal HighSchool Experience project.

“It is a very broad topic, butsomething we believe may helpour students,” said PatrickMurphy, the district’s executivedirector of secondary education.“It has to do with looking at ourclass offerings in schools andonline, the time of day they’reoffered, like zero-hour or afterschool, having educational expe-riences on and off campus, theflexibility to share staff across thedistrict and in different buildings.Basically, things that will helpstudents balance their sched-ules.”

Flexible scheduling options willgive students greater access andcontrol of their academic career,according to the group made up ofMurphy and the district’s highschool principals — Dana Bailey,Mike Deletis, Lisa Hechtman, EdMarcoe and Paula Phelps.

The group was formed in sum-mer 2008 to discover what typesof experiences students are hav-ing in the high schools, what ismissing and what can be added tomake their experiences better.

Our mission talks about “howstudents live in a dynamic globalcommunity,” Murphy said of theproject’s importance. “Our princi-pals believe they have the ethicalresponsibility to prepare studentsfor that dynamic global worldthey will be going into.”

The project grew out of a sug-gestion in spring 2008 to create auniform high school schedulingsystem, since Liberty High Schoolhad a different schedule than bothIssaquah and Skyline highschools. However, the move to auniform schedule was delayedafter community concerns sur-faced. It also grew from changes

to the minimum number of cred-its high school students need tograduate, from 19 credits to 24.

The group evaluates the highschool experience using five guid-ing beliefs:�Access: Students must havemaximum academic access tocourses, programs and instruc-tion that best meet the needs ofthose students.�Connectivity: Students mustfeel connected to their schoolthrough relationships with facultyand peers.�Citizenship: Students musthave learning opportunities forservice that allows them to thinkbeyond themselves and buildscompassion and respect for oth-ers.�Resiliency: Students need a safeenvironment that allows them tomove out of their comfort zonesand take informed risks that allowthem to grow while experiencingsuccess and failure.�Expression: Students musthave multiple opportunities forself-expression in the classroomand during extracurricular activi-ties.

Last year, the group gatheredcommunity, student and employeeinformation about the experi-ences offered at Pacific CascadeFreshman Campus; Issaquah,Liberty and Skyline high schools;and the district’s alternative highschool, Tiger MountainCommunity High School.

Nearly 200 parents, studentsand school employees comment-ed, offered suggestions and theirexperiences from which the ideaof investigating flexible schedul-ing came from.

Next steps in school district’slong-term project are under way

ON THE WEBGo to www.issaquah.wednet.eduand click on “Optimal HighSchool Experience.”

ter since their days in small- andmid-sized kiddie pools.

“They love the water, they loveto swim, and this way, the publiccan view them safely while they’relounging and swimming,” Barfootsaid.

The hilltop home gives them agreat view of the Cascades, thehighlands, the plateau and LakeSammamish. You can sense thatthey think all that land is theirsas they stalk around the enclo-sure.

“This makes them feel more likethey’re in the wild,” Barfoot said.

Zoo officials wanted to keep theenclosure predator friendly, part ofthe reason for that view, which

also helps the cats not really seemto notice the fences much whenthey’re stalking around.

Because of this set-up, no run-ning is allowed, and a docent ispresent at all times to enforcegood behavior, so children won’tantagonize the cats, and answerquestions from the public. Andthere are tons of them.

“How much does he eat?”“What does he weigh?”“What kind of tigers are they?”“Where do they sleep?”Barfoot has been trying to thank

all of the donors and members ofthe zoo.

“We couldn’t expand or buildhabitats, or acquire animals, with-out donations,” she said.

The zoo could always use moredonations. Landscaping still needsto be done, including adding tallgrasses for the big cats to stalkthrough.

You can donate any amount,even putting change in boxesaround the zoo. But a really sweetdeal in donating is the $98 brick.(I’m getting ready to order mine.)Donate that amount and ask for abrick. You get one on the walkwayto the habitat with the engraving(up to 30 letters) of your choice.(You can pay more and get moreletters.)

Make your brick a memorial to afriend or loved one and do some-thing good for these big guys whileyou’re at it. (Go to www.cougar-mountainzoo.org, and then clickon “Join Us,” and then click on“Engraved Paving Stone.”)

Then, come and sit with themfor a while and watch how the re-gal animals live their lives. I guar-antee you’ll come away from theexperience filled with joy, awe andpeace. And you just might get intouch with your inner tiger.

TigersFROM PAGE A4