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By Christopher Huber
Skyline High School graduate Jared Lemke spent most of his second term in school breathing a sigh of relief. While many of his friends pored over the tantalizing decision of which college to attend, Lemke knew he was headed for Central Washington University in the fall.
He recently signed his national letter of intent to play for the Wildcats.
“I felt like it was the place for me,” he said about the good feeling he had after a visit to Ellensburg with his parents. “I really like it over there.”
Lemke, a 6-6, 230-pound pitcher for the Spartans, considered playing for other colleges, like Washington State University and Western Oregon University. But Central’s athletic department helped him with his decision when it offered him a full-tuition scholarship to play for them, he said.
“I’ve known for while and I think it was really relieving on me,” Lemke said. “All my friends were kind of freaking out saying, ‘I don’t know.’”
He said he won’t know his role as a freshman until the season begins in the fall, but for now he just has to concentrate on playing summer ball for the Lakeside Senior American Legion team.
“As far as I know, they might be looking for me to pitch this year,” Lemke said in speculation.
Lemke spent four years on the Spartan varsity roster and is in his third season for the American Legion club.
He went 3-2 as a starter for Skyline in the spring and estimated his total record was 13-5 in high school.
He said he is considering entering in the construction management program at Central.
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.sammamishreview.com.
Skyline High School graduate Jared Lemke spent most of his second term in school breathing a sigh of relief. While many of his friends pored over the tantalizing decision of which college to attend, Lemke knew he was headed for Central Washington University in the fall.
He recently signed his national letter of intent to play for the Wildcats. Read more
New, June 21, 3:15 p.m.
Developers and residents owe the city $272,907 for building permit fees, according to Finance Director Lyman Howard.
The city’s current policy doesn’t require permit applicants to pay some fees until the end of the permitting process. In the past, that policy hasn’t created any major issues, but as of June 10, a slate of permit applicants are more than 120 days late in paying the city, Howard said at the City Council’s June 15 meeting.
Since 2001, the city has collected $18.4 million in application fees. The $272,907 in unpaid fees constitutes about 1.5 percent of those total revenues. Read more
New, June 20 11:14 a.m.
Sammamish’s Interstate 90 commuters face the possibility of worse than normal congestion and delays in July as a section of the I-90 floating bridge will be closed for repairs.
The westbound lanes of I-90 over the floating bridge will be closed beginning July 5 Closures could last until July 28. Westbound Traffic will be routed to the center, carpool, lanes.
Officials warn of the potential for hour-long delays during that time as what is normally five lanes of morning rush hour traffic is condensed into two. Read more
New June 19, 1:11 p.m.
City Manager Ben Yazici could hardly contain his glee: Once again, the city was getting a bargain price on a construction project.
“I love this bidding environment. It’s some sort of blessing,” Yazici said.
City engineers had estimated road repairs would cost $1.62 million. Watson Asphalt was the apparent low bidder June 16 for the 2009 work program, offering to do the road repairs for $1.29 million. Even if background checks prove that Watson Asphalt is not the true low bidder, the worst-case scenario would be that Lakeside Industries, the high bigger, would do the work for $1.39 million. Read more
Sammamish resident Tamara DePorter recently participated in the Mrs. Washington Pageant, although she didn’t finish in the top eight she did receive the Beth Kovacevich award, which is awarded to the person who represented the true spirit of pageantry by thoroughly being involved in the pageant and helping others, DePorter said.
DePorter plans to participate in next year’s pageant.
“I keep telling people that it would have been a really boring reality TV show,” DePorter said. “Everyone was just really nice and really helpful.”
“I looked at it as more of a challenge for myself,” DePorter said. “It wasn’t about one-upping the other contestants.”
DePorter formed a close friendship with her fellow contestants and she still often talks to her new friends.
DePorter recommends that women participate in the pageant.
“I never thought I would be in a pageant,” DePorter said. “It was a challenge to grow, and a chance to get the word out about my cause.”
The women were judged on their interview skills, physical fitness and poise.
DePorter’s platform during the competition was the Chris Elliott Fund.
The Chris Elliott Fund is a local charity that provides patient advocacy and raises money for research of glioblastoma brain cancer.
The Chris Elliott Fund works with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Swedish Medical Center to support research and patients with glioblastoma brain cancer.
Visit www.chriselliottfund.org.
Sammamish resident Tamara DePorter recently participated in the Mrs. Washington Pageant, although she didn’t finish in the top eight she did receive the Beth Kovacevich award, which is awarded to the person who represented the true spirit of pageantry by thoroughly being involved in the pageant and helping others, DePorter said.
DePorter plans to participate in next year’s pageant. Read more
New: June 18, 2:23 p.m.
Susan Hutchinson will be joining other candidates at the King County Executive candidates’ forum June 25 at Twin Falls Middle School.
“This forum will be the only one east of Seattle that she will be attending,” said Gary Fancher, an organizer of the candidates’ forum.
Hutchinson, who is the frontrunner in the race according to some polls, will join five other candidates at the forum. The other candidates are: King County Councilman Dow Constantine, King County Councilman Larry Phillips, State Sen. Fred Jarrett, State Rep. Ross Hunter, and Alan E. Lobdell are scheduled to attend the candidates’ forum. Read more
New: June 17 2:45 p.m.
City Councilwoman Michele Petitti made one last effort to convince her fellow council members to fund the 114-year-old Freed house’s relocation.
“You’ve essentially pulled the rug out from any fundraising plan that could have gone forward,” she said. “If it doesn’t go forward, this is the end of the Freed House.”
But neither Petitti, nor roughly $6,000 in community-pledged donations, nor impassioned pleas from the Sammamish Heritage Society was enough to acquire the decisive fourth vote. The City Council voted 4-3 against funding to move the Freed House to the lower Sammamish Commons. Read more
There are numerous government agency programs the public has come to depend on, but budget cuts have put them on hold or dropped them altogether.
The King County Sheriff’s Party Patrol Task Force is one of them. The program aimed at preventing underage drinking and driving is the latest to fall victim to the budget ax.
Local police officers have historically been part of that task force. Only a few weeks ago, Issaquah police broke up a party in a Squak Mountain neighborhood that resulted in citations for 34 teens and adults under age 21.
According to a spokesman for the sheriff’s department, underage drinking citations generally go to high school students. The real concern, of course, is that drinking and driving will lead to someone’s death. It happens annually this time of year as the weather warms up, teens have more free time to enjoy themselves, and graduation parties abound.
Will Sammamish youth spend the summer mourning the death of one of their own? We pray not.
The fact is that we shouldn’t need the Party Patrol to prevent underage drinking and driving. That’s what parents are for. A parent patrol of adults watching out for their own teens, their teen’s friends, their neighboring teens or any other teens could effectively limit minors from the alcohol consumption in the first place.
Unfortunately, some parents think a good approach is to let teens use their home to enjoy a beer or two with their friends. “Better than having them drink and drive” is how they justify it. But teaching kids that breaking the law as long as they don’t hurt anyone is not acceptable. Let’s not forget that parents who allow the drinking are also breaking the law and open themselves up to all kinds of liability issues.
With the Party Patrol gone, we hope parents will step up, partner with other parents and keep their youth safe — while teaching them to respect the law. There are plenty of special summer activities to keep them busy without a beer buzz.
There are numerous government agency programs the public has come to depend on, but budget cuts have put them on hold or dropped them altogether.
The King County Sheriff’s Party Patrol Task Force is one of them. The program aimed at preventing underage drinking and driving is the latest to fall victim to the budget ax.
Local police officers have historically been part of that task force. Only a few weeks ago, Issaquah police broke up a party in a Squak Mountain neighborhood that resulted in citations for 34 teens and adults under age 21.
According to a spokesman for the sheriff’s department, underage drinking citations generally go to high school students. The real concern, of course, is that drinking and driving will lead to someone’s death. It happens annually this time of year as the weather warms up, teens have more free time to enjoy themselves, and graduation parties abound.
Will Sammamish youth spend the summer mourning the death of one of their own? We pray not.
The fact is that we shouldn’t need the Party Patrol to prevent underage drinking and driving. That’s what parents are for. A parent patrol of adults watching out for their own teens, their teen’s friends, their neighboring teens or any other teens could effectively limit minors from the alcohol consumption in the first place.
Unfortunately, some parents think a good approach is to let teens use their home to enjoy a beer or two with their friends. “Better than having them drink and drive” is how they justify it. But teaching kids that breaking the law as long as they don’t hurt anyone is not acceptable. Let’s not forget that parents who allow the drinking are also breaking the law and open themselves up to all kinds of liability issues.
With the Party Patrol gone, we hope parents will step up, partner with other parents and keep their youth safe — while teaching them to respect the law. There are plenty of special summer activities to keep them busy without a beer buzz.
Bad time for a clock
Please don’t get me wrong: I really have nothing against clocks, per se.
Indeed, as I sit here at the South Sammamish Park and Ride waiting for my bus to Seattle, in the all-too-small (but nice) bus shelter, writing this on my laptop, I have an analog watch on my wrist, a digital clock in my cell phone, and a digital clock on my computer’s taskbar. And I just got out of my truck, which also has a clock on the dash.
On the other hand, have we fully funded the parks program, so our teens have places to go this summer? Do we have more than enough money for a free shuttle up and down 228th Avenue, so people can go shopping, to the library, churches, and parks, etc. without using their cars? Are our seniors and less fortunate all taken care of?
Anyway, I believe that we have far more important uses for our increasingly scarce tax revenues in these very tight and uncertain times.
James Jordan
Sammamish
Fields needed at
Beaver Lake Park
I’m writing in response to Ed Steenman’s comments June 3 regarding options for improving Beaver Lake Park. Although his concerns about improvements impacting the peacefulness of the surrounding neighborhood are valid, I think the positive influence such upgrades will have, will far outreach any negative impact.
Sammamish is an energetic community of families raising children that are involved in activities that use parks and fields.
There is a shortage of fields available for our youth, and space is at a premium. If we have the opportunity to take existing fields that are being used for a single purpose, and upgrade them so they can be used for multi-purpose, then it should be done.
Parks are an investment in our community and our children. If Mr. Steenman can focus on the constructive effect of kids participating in athletics and using our parks, I’m sure he’ll agree.
The kids on our fields are living active, healthy lives by participating in sports. In addition to fitness, they’re learning teamwork and leadership skills, developing confidence and a work ethic. Because of their involvement, their families are joining together to socialize and connect.
These are things that will translate to our children growing up to be productive and healthy adults. So although there may be more cars in your neighborhood, or lights on in the evening, it means good things are happening!
When I see the lights on at the high school and community fields and hear the PA systems and cheering from my home, it’s a sign that kids are staying active; families are spending time together, and bonding as a community.
Yes, there are challenges in developing our parks responsibly, and the city does need to be clear about a plan for management of these facilities, especially keeping parking areas secure, but please try and be positive about impending upgrades to the park, as they will truly benefit the community as a whole.
Peggy Schmidt
Sammamish
Clean up after dogs
Walking my dog out of the west entrance to Bill Reams Park this morning, I encountered two unscooped piles of dog feces.
One of our responsibilities as dog owners is making sure dog poop isn’t left where it shouldn’t be; for example, public spaces like city parks.
Now, some dog owners might ask, “Why should I scoop it? It’s biodegradable.” Those dog owners need to remember that many park users are children, and children don’t always look where they stand, sit, or kneel.
One time having to clean someone else’s dog’s poop off your child’s pants or shoes is all it takes to make one religious about scooping your own dog’s poop (ask me how I know).
Bags to pick up poop come free wrapped around newspapers, and can often be found at park entrances.
Most pet stores sell handy containers and refill bags to keep on your dog’s leash, so you’re never without a bag. Scooping is a hassle — but not as much of a hassle as scraping dog poop off your shoes.
Owning a dog entails many responsibilities. If you can’t be responsible, do yourself and the rest of us a favor and don’t own a dog.
Catherine Rollosson Halbhuber
Sammamish
A farm? Here?
I am completely confused as to how Sammamish as a city has been awarded for its planning and permitting. I live in a residential neighborhood, and a neighbor of mine has been permitted by the city to turn their property into a mini farm.
It comes complete with barn, paddocks, manure retention container and an animal pen for their front yard measuring 80 feet by 43 feet.
The city permitted this without any site visits. As a taxpayer, I am curious as to why the impact of this project on my property value isn’t a consideration. Imagine driving home daily in your residential neighborhood and having to see an entire front yard that is taken up by an animal pen for chicken, goats and sheep.
Imagine inviting friends over to sit on your deck (in this case my friends and my deck) and looking onto those animals, currently four goats, two sheep and many chickens, and contending with not only their noise but their smell and the smell from a city approved 6-foot by 14-foot manure retention container.
Please, don’t get me wrong, farms are beautiful and my family enjoys driving through our picturesque neighboring farm communities.
However, we chose to live in a residential neighborhood. In doing so, we assumed the city would keep that fact in mind prior to allowing dozens of mature trees to come down and approving buildings and pens to be placed on a property that does not have the land to sustain them.
Kristi Calvert Lee
Sammamish
The department of education spends about $16 million per year to print and mail curriculum catalogs to every residence in Washington. Four times per year I get catalogs from 3 different community colleges, the U of W, and Renton technical college. It would be fully effective to replace these catalogs with a two part postcard. A person, who is not inclined to access the catalogs via the WEB, would return ane part of the postcard, requesting a catalog. This would reduce the cost to less than half a million per year.
J NEIL BUTCHART
Issaquah
Bad time for a clock
Please don’t get me wrong: I really have nothing against clocks, per se.
Indeed, as I sit here at the South Sammamish Park and Ride waiting for my bus to Seattle, in the all-too-small (but nice) bus shelter, writing this on my laptop, I have an analog watch on my wrist, a digital clock in my cell phone, and a digital clock on my computer’s taskbar. And I just got out of my truck, which also has a clock on the dash.
On the other hand, have we fully funded the parks program, so our teens have places to go this summer? Do we have more than enough money for a free shuttle up and down 228th Avenue, so people can go shopping, to the library, churches, and parks, etc. without using their cars? Are our seniors and less fortunate all taken care of?
Anyway, I believe that we have far more important uses for our increasingly scarce tax revenues in these very tight and uncertain times.
James Jordan
Sammamish
Fields needed at Beaver Lake Park
I’m writing in response to Ed Steenman’s comments June 3 regarding options for improving Beaver Lake Park. Although his concerns about improvements impacting the peacefulness of the surrounding neighborhood are valid, I think the positive influence such upgrades will have, will far outreach any negative impact.
Sammamish is an energetic community of families raising children that are involved in activities that use parks and fields.
There is a shortage of fields available for our youth, and space is at a premium. If we have the opportunity to take existing fields that are being used for a single purpose, and upgrade them so they can be used for multi-purpose, then it should be done.
Parks are an investment in our community and our children. If Mr. Steenman can focus on the constructive effect of kids participating in athletics and using our parks, I’m sure he’ll agree.
The kids on our fields are living active, healthy lives by participating in sports. In addition to fitness, they’re learning teamwork and leadership skills, developing confidence and a work ethic. Because of their involvement, their families are joining together to socialize and connect.
These are things that will translate to our children growing up to be productive and healthy adults. So although there may be more cars in your neighborhood, or lights on in the evening, it means good things are happening!
When I see the lights on at the high school and community fields and hear the PA systems and cheering from my home, it’s a sign that kids are staying active; families are spending time together, and bonding as a community.
Yes, there are challenges in developing our parks responsibly, and the city does need to be clear about a plan for management of these facilities, especially keeping parking areas secure, but please try and be positive about impending upgrades to the park, as they will truly benefit the community as a whole.
Peggy Schmidt
Sammamish
Clean up after dogs
Walking my dog out of the west entrance to Bill Reams Park this morning, I encountered two unscooped piles of dog feces.
One of our responsibilities as dog owners is making sure dog poop isn’t left where it shouldn’t be; for example, public spaces like city parks.
Now, some dog owners might ask, “Why should I scoop it? It’s biodegradable.” Those dog owners need to remember that many park users are children, and children don’t always look where they stand, sit, or kneel.
One time having to clean someone else’s dog’s poop off your child’s pants or shoes is all it takes to make one religious about scooping your own dog’s poop (ask me how I know).
Bags to pick up poop come free wrapped around newspapers, and can often be found at park entrances.
Most pet stores sell handy containers and refill bags to keep on your dog’s leash, so you’re never without a bag. Scooping is a hassle — but not as much of a hassle as scraping dog poop off your shoes.
Owning a dog entails many responsibilities. If you can’t be responsible, do yourself and the rest of us a favor and don’t own a dog.
Catherine Rollosson Halbhuber
Sammamish
A farm? Here?
I am completely confused as to how Sammamish as a city has been awarded for its planning and permitting. I live in a residential neighborhood, and a neighbor of mine has been permitted by the city to turn their property into a mini farm.
It comes complete with barn, paddocks, manure retention container and an animal pen for their front yard measuring 80 feet by 43 feet.
The city permitted this without any site visits. As a taxpayer, I am curious as to why the impact of this project on my property value isn’t a consideration. Imagine driving home daily in your residential neighborhood and having to see an entire front yard that is taken up by an animal pen for chicken, goats and sheep.
Imagine inviting friends over to sit on your deck (in this case my friends and my deck) and looking onto those animals, currently four goats, two sheep and many chickens, and contending with not only their noise but their smell and the smell from a city approved 6-foot by 14-foot manure retention container.
Please, don’t get me wrong, farms are beautiful and my family enjoys driving through our picturesque neighboring farm communities.
However, we chose to live in a residential neighborhood. In doing so, we assumed the city would keep that fact in mind prior to allowing dozens of mature trees to come down and approving buildings and pens to be placed on a property that does not have the land to sustain them.
Kristi Calvert Lee
Sammamish
By J.B. Wogan
At the start of the Eastside Fire & Rescue presentation, Fire Chief Lee Soptich put out a disclaimer: “We are not here tonight to sell you on a boat.”
Yet, in a way, that’s exactly what the fire organization did.
Firefighter Dana Shutter said he acknowledged that resources were becoming more finite and there might not be room in the budget for buying a boat. None-theless, there are some good arguments for having one, he said.
Every winter there is at least one storm that causes severe flooding.
“Our only capabilities at this time is for techs to wade, swim or use a boogie board,” Shutter said. In other words, EFR rescue teams have to enter the water, raising the level of risk, he explained.
And when it comes to rescuing victims, “The best that we can give them at this point is a helmet and a life vest and move them as fast as we can.”
Both the rescuer and the victim are vulnerable to hypothermia under those circumstances, Shutter said.
In January, when the last slate of flooding hit, EFR borrowed a boat from a community member, Shutter said.
A boat would allow for the EFR’s special swiftwater team to remove victims from the water and get them to a hospital quickly, he said.
“The need for a real high dollar, fancy boat is not there. We don’t need that,” Shutter added.
Ultimately, the boat Shutter has in mind is a 20-foot Alumaweld flat bottom, costing $23,500. The true cost would be higher though, because technicians’ training would cost $52,300, plus an additional annual training cost of $10,000-$12,000, he said.
In a later interview, Soptich elaborated that the EFR staff had more realistic goals for now: It hoped to buy a 14-foot raft, costing $3,500.
Rafts would work for river rescue situations.
“Particularly, it’s a timing issue. We are getting into the types of rescues where the raft would work and those hard-sided boats would not,” Soptich said. Rafts also requires the least training, he said.
Nonetheless, the EFR board discussed the larger costs of a hard-sided boat, one that could be of use in winter floods.
Ron Pedee, chair of EFR’s board of directors, asked if there wasn’t a way to rent or borrow a boat from a community member.
EFR Board member Lee Fellinge, a Sammamish representative on the EFR Board, agreed.
“Maybe there’s some other way to get a boat other than buying one. The frequency for needing it is very, very small.”
While the board hashes out the details of getting a boat, Soptich said his staff would put together a proposal for buying the raft. Board approval might not be necessary for the raft though, he added.
Soptich said he had preliminary discussions with the local Rescue Volunteer Association about their providing funding for the raft. In that case, EFR wouldn’t have to spend a dime on the raft.
“If we can move on it quickly, I think we can see the benefit of having it this year,” Soptich said.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com. To comment on this story, visit www.SammamishReview.com.
At the start of the Eastside Fire & Rescue presentation, Fire Chief Lee Soptich put out a disclaimer: “We are not here tonight to sell you on a boat.”
Yet, in a way, that’s exactly what the fire organization did.
Firefighter Dana Shutter said he acknowledged that resources were becoming more finite and there might not be room in the budget for buying a boat. None-theless, there are some good arguments for having one, he said. Read more
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