The Review’s review
December 31, 2008
A look at some of the top stories of 2008 and a bit of what’s coming up in 2009
This bald eagle flew around Lake Sammamish this year, near the area set aside for a beachfront park called Sammamish Landing. Voters rejected funding the park as part of a bond initiative. Photo by Kate Poaster.
This year will likely be remembered for changes on a national scale. America elected a black president and spun into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The federal government started nationalizing major industries, all the effects of which likely won’t be known for years to come. Read more
Is the Grinch in town?
December 31, 2008
These lights are still firmly in place, but others across the city are being vandalized. Photo by J.B. Wogan.
City sees rash of decoration thefts
Recent police reports show a spate of vandalisms targeting Santa Claus, reindeer and snowmen.
Residents are calling police about lighted holiday decorations being stolen straight out of their front yards.
“It’s just an annual problem,” Sammamish Police Department’s Sgt. Robert Baxter said.
Baxter added that high school and college students are often the culprits. In the past, college fraternities have held scavenger hunts that sent students all over King County looking for holiday yard decorations.
Occasionally, the decorations are recovered, Baxter said. Read more
Council fills positions for three advisory boards
December 31, 2008
New Planning Commissioner will take seat in January
In its Dec. 16 meeting, the City Council voted on appointments for three citizen advisory boards.
Mahbubul Islam, in a 6-0 vote, will join the Planning Commission in January. That commission offers detailed recommendations on coding, zoning and development requirements for major city projects such as the Town Center. The absent seventh vote was Councilwoman Michele Petitti, who voted for Islam in an earlier part of the appointment process Dec. 16. Read more
Sammamish landmarks could soon receive official status
December 29, 2008
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The Baker House would be a likely nominee under the new historic landmarks ordinance. File Photo
City Council took steps to protect Sammamish’s history Dec. 16. In a unanimous vote, the council approved a change in the city code that would allow for the restoration and upkeep of historic landmarks.
Any number of properties could become historic landmarks, depending on whether the land or the structures on it represent religious, artistic or architectural significance to the city’s history. Properties that are important due to their part in the city’s history can also be nominated.
Under direction from the council Nov. 4, Senior Planner Rob Garwood changed the wording to guarantee that a landmark could not be nominated unless the property owner authorized it first.
Councilwoman Nancy Whitten had voiced concern that the nomination process could catch a landowner off-guard; in a nightmare scenario, a landowner would have to pay for the restoration and upkeep of a building or landmark he didn’t nominate, she argued.
The new regulations could lead to the designation of the 100-year-old Baker House as a historic landmark. Laurels Homeowners Association owns the boarded-up building and it’s seeking funding to maintain it. Read more
Sammamish Forum
December 29, 2008
Thanks to the road crews
As a nurse who is expected to commute into Seattle, regardless of weather, I’d like to thank the cities of Sammamish and Issaquah for their efforts to make the major arterials drivable after the recent storms. I utilized information from both cities’ Web sites to plan the best route out of my neighborhood and was able to get to and from work without difficulty. Read more
Review editorial
December 29, 2008
Thank you letter writers
Sammamish Review thanks everyone who wrote us a letter in the past year. We enjoy having a vibrant and diverse opinion page. Your written voice provokes, challenges, encourages and thereby builds a stronger community for us all.
Sammamish gets salty
December 29, 2008
City uses salt sparingly when roads are slick
Trucks on 228th Avenue did not use salt, according to city officials. Photo by J.B. Wogan
Unlike Seattle, salt has been used to treat snowy streets in Sammamish.
The city of Seattle’s policy of using sand instead of salt, a measure officials say is to protect Puget Sound, has gained national scrutiny in recent weeks, with some experts questioning the rationale.
In Sammamish, Public Works Director John Cunningham said there were special circumstances when salt was the most effective and reasonable option in melting the snow and ice on the roads.
The city’s main north-south arterial, 228th Avenue, did not receive any salt.
“We try to use it very, very sparingly,” Cunningham said, citing the possible environmental impacts of salt concentrations on Sammamish’s lakes. The salt is also corrosive to cars, he said.
When salt is used, it’s part of a saltwater solution, Cunningham explained.
If a steep hill has compacted snow and ice, the trucks will lay down the saltwater. The same situation calls for steel blades — instead of rubber blades — on the fronts of the snow plows. Those blades can damage the asphalt and pop off the reflective lane markers on roads, but they are better for scooping up the ice than the rubber ones, he said.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com. To coment on this story, visit www.SammamishReview.com.
Beauty in the stillness
December 29, 2008
The snowfall took a one-day hiatus Dec. 23, but the city was already coated in white. The pond beside Pine Lake Road Southeast and Southeast Klahanie Boulevard, just outside city limits, had a pristine sheet of ice on its top. Photo by J.B. Wogan.
Public agencies banded together to keep roads clear
December 29, 2008
It took a team effort to keep the roads safe in Sammamish last week. How big was the team? Two cities, one regional fire agency, and a water and sewer district. Together, they chipped in to make sure enough snowplows and sanding trucks were up and running for more than a week of winter precipitation.
EFR handles house fire near 228th
December 29, 2008
Eastside Fire & Rescue Fire Marshal Tim Pilling consults with Lt. Kevin Jones about a house fire in the Pallas development. Photo by J.B. Wogan.
The call was alarming, but the fire was not.
Eastside Fire & Rescue received a call at 11:03 a.m. Dec. 29 about a house fire at 900 228th Avenue Northeast in the Pallas development.
The building was under construction and no one was hurt in the fire, Fire Marshal Tim Pilling said.
Lt. Kevin Jones of Station 82, one of three EFR stations in Sammamish, said the cause was a kerosene heater.
The house was under construction and workers on site tried to put it out using portable fire extinguishers. Then they called EFR.
It took a matter of minutes to kill the fire using a single hose, according to Jones.
“There was a lot of black smoke, but not much building damage,” Jones said.
Fire Chief Lee Soptich said house fires warrant a full-response team with three fire engines, a ladder company, one battalion chief and two fire marshals. Read more
