Property owners hope to increase Town Center density
September 30, 2009
By J.B. Wogan
A group of property owners are seeking to increase density in the city’s plans for a Town Center development.
Kaete Kyncl, John and Petra Hansen, John and Baharudin Galvin, Robert and Cindy Houot, Christopher and Holly Moffatt, and Richard Birgh filed the application Sept. 24.
The Town Center area is about 240 acres including City Hall and the Sammamish Commons, anchored by 228th Avenue and Southeast 4th Street.
Using a bureaucratic mechanism called amending the city’s comprehensive plan, the property owners, who live east of 228th Avenue, have applied for a change to the city’s Town Center master plan document.
The change calls for added commercial units in the southeast quadrant of the Town Center area.
The applicants have drafted a concept design of what their quadrant could look like, which is available at http://www.sammamishtowncenter.com. It includes ground floor restaurants and retail space with condos and apartments.
The current Town Center Master Plan allows for no more than 600,000 square feet of commercial area in all four quadrants of Town Center.
“What we’re asking for is for them to increase that 600,000,” said Gareth Rowe, director of land-use planning for BCRA, a Tacoma-based engineering and architectural firm representing the nine Sammamish property owners.
“The property owners that I represent believe there’s a need for more commercial space than what the city has put in their Town Center plan,” Rowe said.
Rowe said his clients are asking for an increase of 250,000 to 300,000 square feet of commercial space, about 50 percent more than the Sammamish City Council voted to allow.
When the council adopted the Town Center plan, it studied the impacts of up to 675,000 square feet of commercial space (slightly more than they voted to allow).
Increasing the amount of space above that level, for this or any other project, would warrant additional study of new environmental and traffic impacts.
The added commercial space would make the properties more attractive to developers, Rowe explained.
The BCRA concept plans also call for about 300 residential units.
The lands would be mixed-use with office and retail space on the bottom floors of buildings and residential units above.
Michael Matthias, project manager for the Town Center, said the council would review the proposed changes in early 2010.
Kamuron Gurol, the city’s community development director, added that someone on his staff would give a report to the council in December about all proposed changes to the city’s comprehensive plan.
The council could refuse to study the proposal, or it could set a timetable for review at that point.
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.
New: Sept. 30, 4:36 p.m.
A group of property owners are seeking to increase density in the city’s plans for a Town Center development.
Kaete Kyncl, John and Petra Hansen, John and Baharudin Galvin, Robert and Cindy Houot, Christopher and Holly Moffatt, and Richard Birgh filed the application Sept. 24. Read more
Jack Barry gets serious with opponent Tom Odell
September 29, 2009
By J.B. Wogan
When the Municipal League of King County released its ratings of Sammamish City Council candidates in July, something caught Jack Barry’s attention.
Barry, a 10-year incumbent who hadn’t faced an opponent since 1999, was “adequate,” while his challenger, Tom Odell, was “good.”
“I was embarrassed,” Barry said. “But it was I who led them to that decision.”
Red and white signs for Odell litter the main thoroughfares of Sammamish. In addition to doorbelling, Odell handed out red helium balloons to children at every summer event at the Sammamish Commons. Meanwhile nothing, not a sign or flier, listed Barry’s name until September.
Barry said a friend took him aside one day and told him the signs matter – people don’t know that you’re serious about this, that you care, Jack.
Last week, Barry changed his reporting status with the state Public Disclosure Commission because he now plans to spend more than $5,000 on his campaign. He has fliers and signs that have popped up along 228th Avenue and elsewhere. He has a Web site now, too (so does Odell).
So yes, Jack Barry knows about the Municipal League ratings, and no, he’s not bitter.
“I didn’t tell them who I am. I still have time to do that,” he said.
Fiscal management
Both Barry and Odell agree that raising taxes or adding a new tax should be the last possible option.
The question of future financial management has been a recurring theme on the election trail because the city projects a point in the next six years, if not sooner, when its expenses would outstrip revenues.
Barry said the council should continue its strategy of using consultants to pay for one-time expenses.
The city should seek out as many partnership opportunities with nearby public agencies as well, he said.
Odell said he would look for capital projects that need to be delayed like the planned operations and maintenance facility on 244th Avenue or the planned waterfront park on the northern end of East Lake Sammamish Parkway.
Odell also said he would like the council to research whether the city’s traditional use of consultants is still the most efficient way to go. In some cases, the city might save money by hiring talent in-house, he said.
Public outreach
Odell said he liked the creation of council office hours at 5 p.m. Wednesdays and wanted to see those continue.
“I think Don (Gerend) hit on something with the council opens,” he said.
Odell suggested the council open up a booth at the Sammamish Farmers Market during the summer, which might allow the general public to interact with its council more.
Both men are concerned that the office hours have become an opportunity for specific interest groups to have extra face time with the council.
Odell also said he would like to see the City Council study sessions and other city public meetings televised. Currently, only the City Council meetings (where the council takes votes) are on television.
Barry said he would like the council to create more citizen-led focus groups on sensitive issues.
He said that when citizens play a role in making policy decisions that affect them personally, the result is better policy.
He said he would consider focus groups for planning the future recreation center, for developing criteria for barricade removal, and for identifying financial solutions to the city’s budget problems.
Parkway
The single biggest difference between Barry and Odell might be their ideas about East Lake Sammamish Parkway.
They both agree that this summer’s construction at the intersection of Inglewood Hill Road and East Lake Sammamish Parkway was necessary.
The rest of the project, which doesn’t show up on city planning documents before 2015, could cost an estimated $32.7 million.
Odell said he would oppose further wholesale reconstruction on the parkway but might be open to some spot improvements. He would favor using that money for other infrastructure needs.
Barry voted to approve a concept design of 2.5 miles of road construction along the parkway. He points out that most of the project is still not funded, and he says unfunded projects are the equivalent of nonentities.
“I never thought that if you put something on paper, somebody would take it literal,” he said.
He said that if and when the other parts of the planned parkway construction came before the council, he would have a hard time justifying the funding for them.
He also points out that the council has approved a six-year transportation plan with no parkway construction, making the parkway a non-issue for the next term.
“I don’t believe it’s going to happen in four years,” Barry said.
Recreation Center
Odell said he considers the recreation center in the library building to be a good interim step, but he wants to see a larger recreation center in the Town Center area with an aquatic facility.
“I would put it up for a vote,” Odell said
Barry said a comprehensive recreation center with an aquatic facility in the Town Center area is “wishful thinking.”
He said he supports the council’s decision to buy the Sammamish Public Library building — scheduled to be vacated in 2010 — for the purpose of establishing a teen-focused recreation center.
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.
When the Municipal League of King County released its ratings of Sammamish City Council candidates in July, something caught Jack Barry’s attention.
Barry, a 10-year incumbent who hadn’t faced an opponent since 1999, was “adequate,” while his challenger, Tom Odell, was “good.”
“I was embarrassed,” Barry said. “But it was I who led them to that decision.” Read more
Beaver Lake Community Club hosts candidate forum for all Oct. 5
September 29, 2009
By J.B. Wogan
All eight Sammamish City Council candidates have accepted a third candidate forum invitation.
The Beaver Lake Community Club is hosting a forum at the Beaver Lake Lodge from 7-9 p.m. Oct. 5.
Ari Cetron, editor of the Sammamish Review, will be the moderator.
The club decided to have a forum to address issues specific to the Beaver Lake area, according to Tom Melling, the club’s president.
“One of the questions we care about the most is the barricades,” Melling said. Melling said that the possible removal of barricades in the Beaver Lake area is a safety issue.
The other issue dear to the club’s heart is the Beaver Lake Master Plan, he said. (The city’s Parks Department is working on a concept plan for changing Beaver Lake Park. Some of the designs show lights and synthetic turf on the park’s athletic fields, as well as a swim beach area and added parking.)
The club plans to send its questions about barricades and Beaver Lake Park to the candidates ahead of time, but the forum’s overall discussion will have a broader focus. Audience members will have a chance to ask questions, as will the moderator. At the end of the forum, each candidate will have a chance to ask his or her opponent one question. None of those questions are required to be specific to Beaver Lake issues. In each case, the candidates will have one minute to respond.
The candidates have agreed to two other forums in October as well. The Sammamish Chamber of Commerce, Sammamish Kiwanis Club and Sammamish Rotary Club are hosting a forum at Sammamish Hills Lutheran Church, 22818 S.E. 8th St., 7-9 p.m. Oct. 7.
The Sammamish Chamber of Commerce is also hosting an event from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Plateau Club, 25625 E. Plateau Dr.
All eight Sammamish City Council candidates have accepted a third candidate forum invitation.
The Beaver Lake Community Club is hosting a forum at the Beaver Lake Lodge from 7-9 p.m. Oct. 5.
Ari Cetron, editor of the Sammamish Review, will be the moderator.
The club decided to have a forum to address issues specific to the Beaver Lake area, according to Tom Melling, the club’s president. Read more
Two vie for Issaquah School Board seat in Nov. 3 election
September 29, 2009
Two candidates — Marnie Maraldo and Wright Noel — are running for Issaquah School Board Director District No. 2.
It is the first time in 16 years the seat has been open; longtime board member Connie Fletcher isn’t seeking re-election.
The candidates are largely new to districtwide service, but both are active at their children’s schools and in the greater community.
Marnie Maraldo
u Education: Bachelor of Science in applied mathematics, Liberty University, Va.
u Occupation: Formerly a project manager at Cisco Systems; is a stay-at-home mother of two, Andrew, 10, and Madeline, 6, and part-time employee of Janie and Jack, a children’s clothing store
u Volunteer work: 2009-10 Newcastle Elementary School Parents, Teachers and Students Association co-president; 2008-09 Newcastle Elementary PTSA secretary and legislative representative; Stand For Children team leader; Committee Chair for Cub Scout Pack 738; volunteer for a kindergarten class at City Church in Kirkland
u Wants to be a board member because: “I believe education is the key for future growth of our community. I really want to see change, and as an advocate at the state level, I can help change come into our district. Some of the items in the bill signed last year for education reform won’t go into effect until 2018. I would like to see us get some of those reforms in our district as soon as possible.”
u What is your view of the role of public education in our society?
“To provide an equitable education for all students. It is the responsibility of the state, because the state benefits. If we are going to compete globally in future generations, we have to fix what we are doing now. If we don’t have children graduating from high school that can help our society succeed, those children fall into the people we have to support later.”
u What do you believe the school board’s role is within the school district?
“To provide processes and policies to the school district and basically act as the entity that holds it accountable to its goals.”
u How do you believe your leadership and qualifications will be an asset to the district?
“I come in already knowing a lot about the district because of my volunteer work. I know about our goals for all of our students, how we have been underfunded for a long time and how we are financed by levies and need levy equalization. But I am also a quick learner.”
u What experience in your background has prepared you for this position and how will you use it if elected?
“I would definitely pinpoint my advocacy work. It shows I have a passion for education. I also have experience in leadership and managing experience in innovative industries. I not only see the problems, but I can develop solutions.”
Wright Noel
u Education: Associate degree, Ricks College (now Brigham Young University), Idaho; Bachelor of Science managerial economics, Brigham Young University, Utah; juris doctorate, University of Washington
u Occupation: Founding attorney at Carson & Noel PLLC
u Volunteer work: Former Renton bishop and current Issaquah youth leader for The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints; SCORE soccer coach; 5 Star baseball coach; Liberty High School wrestling coach; assistant district commissioner for Boy Scouts; member of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society and the state bar association
u Wants to be a board member because:
“I believe in public education, the good it can do and the importance of it to our society. Because of public education someone can wake up and decide they want to be a CEO or a politician. That is vital to our society and I want to live in that society, so I want to help maintain that.”
u What is your view of the role of public education in our society?
“We are a democratic society and we rely on people to make rational and educated decisions for it to work. The most important things for our kids to learn in today’s complex society are to learn to gather information and weed through it.”
u What do you believe the school board’s role is within the school district?
“One, it reflects and provides information about schools, so the school district can reflect the goals, attributes and desires of the community. Two, it should be evaluating how well the school district is doing according to its goals and determining whether those goals are appropriate ones. Three, by law, it does other things, like approve curriculum and evaluates and hires the superintendent.”
u How do you believe your leadership and qualifications will be an asset to the district? “I have kids from kindergarten to a senior in high school, so I have a perspective that spans the entire education system and how it effects people. I also bring the attribute of being a critical thinker, being a litigation attorney. I would use those skills to evaluate information presented by the school district, and look at it critically and see whether they are accomplishing what they say they are accomplishing.”
u What experience in your background has prepared you for this position and how will you use it if elected? “I have sat on boards and commissions. I understand how to work within them and understand the collaborative process that needs to take place.”
Also up for election is Issaquah School Board member Chad Magendanz for District Director No. 4 representative. He is running unopposed.
Two candidates — Marnie Maraldo and Wright Noel — are running for Issaquah School Board Director District No. 2.
It is the first time in 16 years the seat has been open; longtime board member Connie Fletcher isn’t seeking re-election.
The candidates are largely new to districtwide service, but both are active at their children’s schools and in the greater community. Read more
Dozens dash for Kenya schools partnership
September 29, 2009
By Christopher Huber
After Eastside Catholic cross country runner Alex Kampp crossed the finish line of the second annual Bamba Dash Sept. 27, he caught his breath and took a drink. He had finished a long weekend of races and had good reasons to feel good about running this one.
Eastside Catholic held the Bamba Dash 5K Run/Walk to benefit a growing partnership with its two sister schools in Bamba, Kenya.
“It’s a lot more fun than a usual meet,” Kampp said. It’s a good day, a good race, a good way to finish off the weekend.”
Approximately 100 runners from the Eastside Catholic community participated in the growing annual run, which took people up 228th Avenue Southeast, to Discovery Elementary and back. And they raised around $2,500, according to organizers. The top four finishers won Brooks running shoes.
“It’s a great endurance course,” said organizer Robyn Bachesta, as upbeat Kenyan music played over the loudspeaker.
The Bamba Dash isn’t only about raising money to help schools in Africa, said Eastside Catholic president Jim Kubacki. It’s about building long-term relationships with the residents and students in Bamba.
The funds certainly help bring more students to Godona High School and the nearby elementary school, he said. But it’s more than that.
It’s about raising awareness, as well as using the relationships school administrators developed on recent trips there to educate Eastside Catholic students about life for children with much less material wealth. He said they don’t have much, but are some of the warmest people you’ll meet.
“It’s really about global solidarity,” Kubacki said. “We want to learn as much from them as they do from us, if not more.”
An educational opportunity came last Thanksgiving, when ECHS principal Greg Marsh traveled with his wife and others to the schools in Bamba. With him, he took letters from Eastside Catholic sixth graders. The Kenyan students were thrilled about the letters, which told of life in America, Kubacki said.
“It’s a way to connect two cultures in a very human way,” Marsh said after he crossed the finish line.
About three years into the partnership, numerous Eastside Catholic administrators and members of the Seattle Archdiocese have visited the schools in Bamba. In 2007, five representatives from the Kenyan schools came to Seattle, Marsh said.
“They have a lot to teach us,” Marsh said.
They said various other Catholic schools around Seattle have begun supporting the cause.
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.sammamishreview.com.
After Eastside Catholic cross country runner Alex Kampp crossed the finish line of the second annual Bamba Dash Sept. 27, he caught his breath and took a drink. He had finished a long weekend of races and had good reasons to feel good about running this one.
Eastside Catholic held the Bamba Dash 5K Run/Walk to benefit a growing partnership with its two sister schools in Bamba, Kenya.
Participants get ready to bolt from the starting line during the Bamba Dash 5K Run/Walk at Eastside Catholic School Sept. 27. Photo by Christopher Huber
Science students study wood ducks at Hazel Wolf
September 29, 2009
By Christopher Huber
Ted Burris still remembers the time his high school biology teacher took his class out into the wilderness for a lesson. That experience stuck with the Sammamish resident and Ducks Unlimited Snoqualmie chapter member and led him to study science at the University of Washington.
Now, in partnership with science teacher Joelle Nelson and the Cascade Land Conservancy, he is leading a group of Skyline High School International Baccalaureate students in a periodic study of native wood duck nesting behaviors in Sammamish.
Thus, for about eight Skyline students, homework for their environmental systems in societies class took on a whole new meaning Sept. 27 at Hazel Wolf Wetlands.
“There’s something about students experiencing something they can really relate to,” Burris said. “This is the way to go.”
The students, mostly juniors and seniors, spent Sunday afternoon tromping through the forest and wetlands of Sammamish collecting data from 11 nest-boxes fastened to trees around the wetlands area.
“I think it’s cool because, like, we get to be involved with what we’re learning about,” said junior Katherine Parra. “We don’t just get to learn it from our textbooks. We actually get to go out and experience it.”
Their hope was to find empty nests, meaning all the area wood ducks would have produced successful clutches in the spring.
However, the students found numerous nests full of dead, un-hatched eggs. That means a mother duck abandoned her eggs after being scared off, or another, less experienced mother duck dumped her eggs in the nest and left them, Nelson said.
With help from Burris, Nelson and a couple other advisers, the students climbed ladders to reach the “duck boxes” high in trees and cleared them out. Upon securing the nests — empty or full of eggs — to return to the classroom, they stapled camouflage cloth to the outside and refilled the nesting material.
They noted the conditions of the eggs, the box’s host tree and any other pertinent environmental observations.
“It’s a new class and I think that a lot of people that are taking, like, physics and biology and chemistry don’t realize that we’re actually, like, really going out there,” said junior Katie Mincin. “And a lot of our class is really going out into the woods. This isn’t necessarily something new — what we get to do in class — but this is really cool because we get to collect data so they can improve it next year.”
This year, the researchers added camouflage to make the boxes look smaller and less prominent to area water foul, Burris said. This could possibly lead to less frequent nest dumping and more successful clutches next year, he said.
The wetlands has turned into a kind of outdoor classroom for science students at Skyline, Nelson said. It creates an authentic learning experience.
“It’s fun to be able to take the kids outside,” she said. Students don’t think about how much they’ll like it. They actually want to go into environmental science (because of the class). Teaching this is easy because they love it.”
Technically, the real-world experiment was extra credit for those who attended, but the student-researchers had more incentive than just a better grade.
Their research in the Hazel Wolf Wetlands is the only project of its kind on the Eastside and may affect the way water-foul biologists around the Puget Sound region study nesting behaviors, Burris said. He said Ducks Unlimited researchers are conducting similar research along the Snoqualmie River, but this project could prove to be much more than an outdoor class research project.
“I’m going off to college next year and I want to go into some field of science and this is a good experience for me to look into environmental science and the possibilities,” senior Zach Oseran said.
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.sammamishreview.com.
Ted Burris still remembers the time his high school biology teacher took his class out into the wilderness for a lesson. That experience stuck with the Sammamish resident and Ducks Unlimited Snoqualmie chapter member and led him to study science at the University of Washington.
Now, in partnership with science teacher Joelle Nelson and the Cascade Land Conservancy, he is leading a group of Skyline High School International Baccalaureate students in a periodic study of native wood duck nesting behaviors in Sammamish.
Skyline junior environmental science students Brittany Hogan, left, and Katie Mincin, open a duck box to collect data. Photo by Christopher Huber
Local students get to practice with rocket sciences
September 29, 2009
By Christopher Huber
David Pedroni loves math and physics. He tries to get his hands on anything related to aerospace and outer space. The Skyline High School senior took a physics of outer space class as a junior and has been interested in space exploration since he was little, he said.
That’s why he thought it was so cool to get the chance, over the summer, to work with a team of 40 Washington students to simulate a human mission to Mars.
Pedroni, along with Skyline classmate Taylor Chin and Eastlake senior Erick Lo, spent an entire week with the Washington Aerospace Scholars program at the Museum of Flight in July.
“My brain kind of works in a math-physics kind of way,” Pedroni said. “And I’ve always wanted to be an astronaut since I was a little kid.”
The weeklong residency is a competitive educational program for high school juniors. Its purpose is to immerse young students in science-, technology-, engineering- and math-related fields of study and to expose them to working professionals at NASA, Boeing and other aerospace companies and organizations, said program administrator Melissa Edwards.
“They see some amazing things and it really gets them connected with what’s going on in the real world,” Edwards said.
During the residency, held at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, the students worked in groups to plan, finance, build and execute their own simulated mission to Mars, Edwards and Pedroni said. Pedroni, Lo and Chin received guidance from scientists and astronauts such as Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, a retired NASA astronaut and current CEO of the Museum of Flight.
“Many of them come through and are extremely motivated,” Edwards said.
Pedroni said he helped administer a payload test for the Mars rover and built model rockets, among other things.
“(Building) rovers with robot kits was a lot of fun,” he said.
The boys also toured Boeing’s Everett airplane assembly plant and engineering laboratories at the University of Washington.
“I thought it was a lot of fun and I definitely learned a lot about aerospace and outer space,” Pedroni said.
At the Boeing plant, the students stood under a 777 engine, Edwards said.
“It’s like a work of art,” she said. “It was really inspiring for the students. It reaffirms for them that there are many other things that are happening with Boeing.”
Washington Aerospace Scholars began in 2006 and saw its first graduating class in 2007, Edwards said. She said it was formed in response to a growing 20-year trend of waning enrollment in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.
It’s based on the 10-year-old Texas Aerospace Scholars program and is funded by the Washington Aerospace Scholars Foundation. Students attend free of charge, according to the organization’s Web site.
Pedroni, Chin and Lo were three of approximately 150 students from around the state to be selected for the residency, Edwards said. Program officials selected them out of 260 applicants, who completed 10 weeks of NASA- and aerospace-related reading and math tests last fall.
Of the 242 program graduates who are in college now, 70 percent of them are in related fields of study, she said.
“Even though it’s only the fourth year, we’ve seen pretty good success,” Edwards said.
The program is still accepting applications for the 2009-2010 school year. To apply, a student must be a Washington high school junior and maintain a 3.0 grade-point average.
Phase one of the program begins at the end of December and cumulative weekly test scores determine a student’s spot in the summer residency.
Download an application at www.museumofflight.org/washingtonaerospacescholars.
“I had never done anything like it,” Pedroni said. “It was all really exciting stuff.”
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.sammamishreview.com.
David Pedroni loves math and physics. He tries to get his hands on anything related to aerospace and outer space. The Skyline High School senior took a physics of outer space class as a junior and has been interested in space exploration since he was little, he said.
That’s why he thought it was so cool to get the chance, over the summer, to work with a team of 40 Washington students to simulate a human mission to Mars.
Pedroni, along with Skyline classmate Taylor Chin and Eastlake senior Erick Lo, spent an entire week with the Washington Aerospace Scholars program at the Museum of Flight in July. Read more
Skyline soccer tops Eastlake in cross-town duel
September 29, 2009
By Christopher Huber
When Skyline forward Jackie Wilson broke open the 0-0 tie in the 53rd minute against the Eastlake Wolves Sept. 24, the home crowd and her teammates went wild.
The two Sammamish teams had played a physical game of cat-and-mouse all evening and Eastlake had not given the Lady Spartans any real chances to score.
As Wilson, a sophomore, set up in the middle of the box and tussled with Eastlake defender Savannah Gunning, her teammate, Maddie Christ, dribbled up the right side of the field and fed it to the center. Wilson got the ball, fended off the ensuing Eastlake defense and somehow tipped the ball in the right side of the goal as she fell.
“It kind of just worked out. Two of them (defenders) came from behind me and I just kind of fell forward and hit it,” Wilson said after the game. “It was pretty lucky. It was kind of like a golf putt.”
In the end, Skyline came out with a 2-1 victory over Eastlake at Spartan Stadium.
Both teams duked it out for 80 minutes of aggressive but measured play. Eastlake controlled the tempo early and had a few opportunities offensively.
“We were pushing it down their throats,” said Eastlake senior captain Allie Beahan. “The only two chances they had were those two and they scored off of them.”
But the second half saw a rejuvenated Skyline, which scored when it counted, maintain a tight defense and beat the swift Wolves in the air.
“They are very good in the air. They were winning a majority of the header balls,” Beahan said. “And we know we need to work on that, but we’ll see ‘em again.”
After the Wilson goal, Eastlake got lucky in the 67th minute when Skyline’s Dom Randle accidentally headed the ball into her own goal on an Eastlake shot from 40 yards out. The ball careened off the back of her head right past Skyline goalkeeper Jill Stika.
“Certainly it’s unfortunate to stick one in your own net, but none of the girls dropped their heads and they were ready to just get back to work and continue to push for another goal,” Skyline head coach Don Braman said after the match.
Eastlake seemed re-energized with a tie game.
But Skyline had been working on finishing strong all season and this game was no exception.
“We’ve learned by playing against the best teams. And tonight, the quality of our opponent was not a shock,” Braman said. “Eastlake’s a great team and we were ready to match their level of play. In the first half we matched them and we really started to bring it in the second half.”
The final and go-ahead goal came in the 74th minute off the foot of Skyline senior midfielder Coral Anderson.
After taking an Anna Morgan pass from the left side, Anderson nailed the ball, over Eastlake’s Bryce Kennedy’s head, center goal, from 10 yards out.
“It kind of just bounced right in front of me and I hit it first time. It was a half-volley and it was a lefty, so I’m kind of proud of myself. I thought it was going to hit the post or go over,” Anderson said. “It could have gone either way and we just ended up pulling out with the win.”
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.sammamishreview.com.
When Skyline forward Jackie Wilson broke open the 0-0 tie in the 53rd minute against the Eastlake Wolves Sept. 24, the home crowd and her teammates went wild.
The two Sammamish teams had played a physical game of cat-and-mouse all evening and Eastlake had not given the Lady Spartans any real chances to score.
As Wilson, a sophomore, set up in the middle of the box and tussled with Eastlake defender Savannah Gunning, her teammate, Maddie Christ, dribbled up the right side of the field and fed it to the center. Wilson got the ball, fended off the ensuing Eastlake defense and somehow tipped the ball in the right side of the goal as she fell.
Skyline midfielder Madi Barney jostles with Eastlake defender Jamie Marzano to control the ball in the first half Sept. 24. Photo by Christopher Huber
Eastlake golfers edge out Skyline after tough finish
September 29, 2009
By Christopher Huber
Through the first seven holes of Sahalee’s South 9, the Skyline boys golf team held its own against Eastlake Sept. 22.
But Cole Clearman and Nathan Stephenson, Skyline’s top two golfers, had averaged 40-stroke finishes through the first four matches of the season and were looking good.
The Spartans had kept pace with Eastlake and looked to make it a close game.
“Then the eighth and ninth holes happened,” said Skyline coach Mike Fleming.
Suffice it to say Eastlake continues its hunt for the KingCo title after it beat Skyline 205-213.
Eastlake freshman Li Wang was the medalist against Skyline, finishing with an even 36.
Teammate Evan Alston had a 38 and Skyline’s Jordan Windsor had a 40-stroke finish on the par-36 course. A.J. Taylor, of Skyline came in with a 42.
“I think our team never gave up,” Wang said. “Even though they lost to their guys, they never gave up. They kept grinding it out.”
He said the win was nice and helps in the pursuit of a KingCo title, but Eastlake could have played better, considering Sahalee is its home course.
“It really pays off to have played the course before,” Wang said.
Wang, who seems particularly familiar with the course, added that the Skyline match was a bit tougher Sept. 22 because the groundskeepers had kept the Sahalee South 9 grass a little longer in the rough.
The 444-yard, par-4 hole No. 8 is a challenge for many, but for Skyline players, who are accustomed to the wider and more open Plateau Club fairways, it proved too challenging.
It doglegs right, with a forest of trees to the right and three bunkers on the left side of a fairway that slopes to the left.
Two more bunkers sit at the opening to the green, which slopes up from front to back.
Clearman and Stephenson finished with 45 strokes each, well off their averages, Fleming said.
“In my opinion, the No. 8 south is the toughest of the 27 at Sahalee,” said Eastlake coach Pat Bangasser. He said the ninth hole isn’t much easier.
“No. 9, you have to have a positive approach to that hole,” Bangasser said.
Wang, who finished with seven pars and a birdie, hit his only bogey of the day on the eighth hole.
“They have a pretty deep team, too … every one of their guys can post up a good number when playing well,” Wang said.
Eastlake improved to 4-1 after beating Liberty 182-221 Sept. 23 at Maplewood Golf Course. Chris Kobak medaled for the Wolves with a 34 on the par-36 course. Wang and Jack Strickland finished with 35 strokes each.
“Our goal is to get into the 170s this year,” Bangasser said.
At 2-2 after the Eastlake match, Skyline sits at a tipping point for the season, Fleming said.
With five matches remaining until playoffs, the Spartans look to do more than just focus better on the course.
The team has resorted to practicing six days a week.
“The whole season is kind of in the balance right now,” Fleming said. “We feel the need to step up our intensity level. We’ll see.”
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.sammamishreview.com.
Through the first seven holes of Sahalee’s South 9, the Skyline boys golf team held its own against Eastlake Sept. 22.
But Cole Clearman and Nathan Stephenson, Skyline’s top two golfers, had averaged 40-stroke finishes through the first four matches of the season and were looking good.
The Spartans had kept pace with Eastlake and looked to make it a close game.
A.J. Taylor, senior, hits out of the sand trap. Photo by Greg Farrar
Suzi Robertson named new vicar
September 29, 2009
By Ari Cetron
Like a lot of things these days, the Rev. Dr. Suzi Robertson’s tenure at Good Samaritan Episcopal Church began with a chat on Facebook.
Robertson had been friends with Bishop Gregory Rickel, who oversees the Diocese of Olympia, from the time when both served in churches in Texas.
Good Samaritan was in need of a new vicar, and Rickel thought Robertson would be a good fit.
A few months ago, he sent her a message on Facebook that he needed to talk to her about something, and as of Oct. 1, Robertson is taking over at Good Samaritan.
“I love it here,” said Robertson. “I want to be very active in the community beyond the church.
Good Samaritan is 19 years old but has only been in its building on 244th Avenue for about five years, said Colin Elder, the church’s senior warden. It has not been fully established within the Episcopal Church for very long, so it is considered a mission church.
As a result, Robertson will serve as a vicar, meaning she was appointed by the bishop, as is the practice for mission churches. More established churches select their own clergy, known as a rector. She will be the congregation’s fifth vicar.
The congregation, however, did have a chance to weigh in, Elder said. Some of the church leadership had a chance to meet with Robertson before she was appointed and came away impressed, he said.
Robertson specializes in working with children, which Elder said would serve her well in a community like Sammamish, which has so many young families.
“She has a lot of energy,” Elder said. “She very much wants to be active in the community.”
Robertson comes from Texas, where she was born and spent most of her life. She has traveled extensively throughout North America, Europe and Africa, before returning to her home state. She and her husband, the Rev. Nolen Holcomb, have three grown children who have lives of their own in Texas.
“They’re mostly off the payroll,” she said.
Robertson, her husband and their Boston terrier, Rosie, now make their home in Sammamish.
Having come from a rural spot in west Texas, the couple has had to adjust to things like mountains, trees and of course, traffic, Holcomb said.
Robertson is eager to jump into her new ministry here, particularly because of the number of children in the area. She has focused much of her career on studying spirituality in children.
She plans to let children drive the worship service to a degree.
“I prefer to have children in worship – not tucked away in babysitting. I like to have them up close so they can see and experience” the service, she said.
She also hopes to start a children’s choir.Robertson says she hopes to have a shared ministry by working with the congregation to develop the church.
“In 10 years, if I retire or leave, they will own what we have done,” she said.
Holcomb agreed. He said his wife likes to solve problems and come up with ideas about how to improve things in the future, for both the church and the community.
“She has a strong commitment to making the world a better place for other people,” he said.
Robertson is eager to get started working with the congregation.
“This thing we are about to do together will be a lot of work and a lot of fun,” she said.
Editor Ari Cetron can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 233 or samrev@isspress.com.
Like a lot of things these days, the Rev. Dr. Suzi Robertson’s tenure at Good Samaritan Episcopal Church began with a chat on Facebook.
Robertson had been friends with Bishop Gregory Rickel, who oversees the Diocese of Olympia, from the time when both served in churches in Texas.
Good Samaritan was in need of a new vicar, and Rickel thought Robertson would be a good fit. Read more
