King County Council appoints citizens to redraw districts
January 30, 2011
New: Jan. 30, 11:12 a.m.
King County Council members appointed a team of community leaders last week to update the map for representation in county government.
The council appointed four members Jan. 18 to the King County Districting Committee, the citizen committee responsible for redrawing council districts based on 2010 Census data. The county is carved into nine districts, each represented by a single council member.
“Redistricting is a challenging, time-consuming process that is vital to ensuring our residents are fairly represented,” Councilman Reagan Dunn said in a statement. “We are grateful that these four highly-qualified community members are willing to provide their service to King County.” Read more
Sammamish representative tapped for County Council committee posts
January 29, 2011
New: Jan. 29, 12:16 p.m.
Kathy Lambert is the point person on the King County Council for policies related to elections, licensing and more, the council announced Jan. 18.
The longtime councilwoman continues as chairwoman of the Government Accountability and Oversight Committee through 2011. Lambert assumed the top spot last year.
The committee considers policies related to numerous — and sometimes disparate — county services. In addition to elections and licensing, the panel handles animal control, telecommunications, purchasing and wastewater treatment issues. Members also oversee the county Assessor’s Office and Boeing Field. Read more
Bill would curb use of eminent domain
January 28, 2011
New: Jan. 28, 2:53 p.m.
A bill introduced by 45th District Rep. Larry Springer would prevent the government from using economic development as an excuse for seizing private property.
Though local examples are few and far between, Springer said House Bill 1035 is a response to the 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Kelo vs. New London (Conn.), which held that the potential jobs and commerce that could be created by a given property was enough to justify a city’s use eminent domain to transfer that property from one private citizen to another.
“This bill provides citizens some safeguards against that,” Springer said. “Eminent domain is a necessary and vital tool for cities to make capital improvements like sewer systems and roads that need to be built, but this provides protections that make it a little more consumer-friendly.” Read more
Domestic violence drops, still present
January 26, 2011
New: Jan. 26, 10:44 a.m.
Ask any resident who feels free to walk the streets of the city after dark – Sammamish is almost completely free of the sorts of street crime that plagues many places.
But behind closed doors there’s an more sinister and painful form of crime that Sammamish is by no means immune to – domestic violence.
“We’re essentially a city full of families,” Sammamish Police Chief Nate Elledge said. “Any time you have a lot of families, you’re going to see domestic violence … We’re not unique. It exists here just as much as anywhere else.”
Sammamish Police responded to 110 domestic violence-related calls in 2010, fewer than the 131 calls in 2009, but about on par with previous years. Read more
Council approves program to transfer density into city
January 25, 2011
Plan is designed to preserve open space along state Route 202
Sammamish may preserve open space and potentially add to parkland north of the city, but it will likely mean more cars and people in the future Town Center.
By a 6-1 vote with Councilwoman Nancy Whitten dissenting, the council on Jan. 18 passed the Transfer of Development Rights agreement with King County. Under the agreement, as many as 75 development rights from the county could be transferred into the city, specifically in the area that will become Town Center.
Areas in brown would be preserved as open space while the pink square, part of Town Center, would see more housing. Map by Sammamish Review graphics
Homeowners turn backyards into wildlife sanctuaries
January 25, 2011
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has reached a milestone in the effort to turn backyards into urban wildlife sanctuaries.
The agency’s Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary Program has celebrated 25 years — and exceeded a goal to turn 10,000 properties into sanctuaries in the year leading to 2010. The program had enrolled 11,454 properties across the state in time for the Dec. 31, 2010, deadline. Read more
Vote yes for LWSD levy
January 25, 2011
Think back about five years. Times were good and a booming economy seemed like it would last forever. People were optimistic, and they started having babies.
Well, that surge of babies is growing up, and starting to need places to sit in kindergartens around the state and in the Lake Washington School District. The rapid expansion in student population necessitates an expansion in the number of classrooms. Read more
Sammamish Forum Jan. 26
January 25, 2011
Freed house is not historic
To those others who want to declare the house as a historical landmark, please look up the definition of “history” and “historical.” The Freed House does not qualify. Period.
No treaty was signed at the Freed House. People slept, ate, talked — in other words just lived there. Nothing significant happened at the Freed House. It is just a house just like millions like it in the United States. It is just a common, nothing, ugly house. Read more
Police Blotter Jan. 26
January 25, 2011
Civil issue
Police were called to sort out a dispute between a tenant and owner of an adult family home Jan. 15.
The owner complained that the resident had been stealing food from the pantry of the home and jewelry from other residents.
The resident complained that she was not being fed enough at meals and that the meals she was getting were “unrecognizable as food.” Read more
Jordan McCabe: basketball whiz kid
January 25, 2011
