Sammamish feeling out suggested Klahanie Park transfer
October 27, 2009
By J.B. Wogan
By J.B. Wogan
With Klahanie Park’s future still uncertain, Sammamish elected officials are mulling over the potential pitfalls of becoming its owners.
King County Executive Kurt Triplett has suggested closing it, along with 38 other parks, to help fill a county budget shortfall.
Sammamish’s discussions are preliminary in nature, as King County hasn’t officially relinquished ownership of the park yet.
Even if the county does, the city of Issaquah would have to pass on annexing the park, since it’s in Issaquah’s potential annexation area.
The King County Council is scheduled to make budget decisions affecting Klahanie Park’s fate in late November.
Sammamish City Councilman Lee Fellinge questioned whether it was a good deal for Sammamish.
He pointed to potential capital costs, in addition to annual operations and maintenance costs.
“Many of the users are not Sammamish citizens and their taxes are not supporting that park,” Fellinge said.
The park, built in the early 1990s and located between Southeast 32nd Street and Southeast Klahanie Boulevard, is 64.11 acres with one baseball field, two soccer fields and a restroom.
The fields are natural grass and are not lighted.
The park costs about $95,000 a year to operate, according to King County Parks. The transfer of ownership would not cost Sammamish anything.
City Manager Ben Yazici said he’s contacted Triplett about Sammamish taking over Klahanie Park.
“He feels that they have budget crunches, they cannot maintain this park, and he feels very fortunate that Sammamish stepped up to the plate,” Yazici told the council.
But Yazici said he has also discussed the matter with representatives from the Klahanie Homeowners Association, and they were less open to Sammamish owning the park, he said.
“I don’t think we should take them lightly,” he said.
Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger said the Issaquah City Council has not discussed a transfer of Klahanie Park, though she suspects Issaquah would be open to having someone else take it over.
“My guess is that the city might, based on discussions the city had on the whole Klahanie annexation topic,” she said.
In 2005 and 2006, Klahanie voted to annex into Issaquah, but then refused to take on new costs associated with joining Issaquah.
The annexation process fell flat and hasn’t resurfaced since.
Yazici said that if neither Sammamish nor Issaquah took over the park — assuming the King County Council does actually mothball it in the first place — the homeowners association would likely work out a lease agreement with the county.
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.
With Klahanie Park’s future still uncertain, Sammamish elected officials are mulling over the potential pitfalls of becoming its owners.
King County Executive Kurt Triplett has suggested closing it, along with 38 other parks, to help fill a county budget shortfall.
Sammamish’s discussions are preliminary in nature, as King County hasn’t officially relinquished ownership of the park yet.
Even if the county does, the city of Issaquah would have to pass on annexing the park, since it’s in Issaquah’s potential annexation area.
The King County Council is scheduled to make budget decisions affecting Klahanie Park’s fate in late November.
Sammamish City Councilman Lee Fellinge questioned whether it was a good deal for Sammamish.
He pointed to potential capital costs, in addition to annual operations and maintenance costs.
“Many of the users are not Sammamish citizens and their taxes are not supporting that park,” Fellinge said.
The park, built in the early 1990s and located between Southeast 32nd Street and Southeast Klahanie Boulevard, is 64.11 acres with one baseball field, two soccer fields and a restroom.
The fields are natural grass and are not lighted.
The park costs about $95,000 a year to operate, according to King County Parks. The transfer of ownership would not cost Sammamish anything.
City Manager Ben Yazici said he’s contacted Triplett about Sammamish taking over Klahanie Park.
“He feels that they have budget crunches, they cannot maintain this park, and he feels very fortunate that Sammamish stepped up to the plate,” Yazici told the council.
But Yazici said he has also discussed the matter with representatives from the Klahanie Homeowners Association, and they were less open to Sammamish owning the park, he said.
“I don’t think we should take them lightly,” he said.
Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger said the Issaquah City Council has not discussed a transfer of Klahanie Park, though she suspects Issaquah would be open to having someone else take it over.
“My guess is that the city might, based on discussions the city had on the whole Klahanie annexation topic,” she said.
In 2005 and 2006, Klahanie voted to annex into Issaquah, but then refused to take on new costs associated with joining Issaquah.
The annexation process fell flat and hasn’t resurfaced since.
Yazici said that if neither Sammamish nor Issaquah took over the park — assuming the King County Council does actually mothball it in the first place — the homeowners association would likely work out a lease agreement with the county.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
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