Compromise legislation worked; more needed
August 23, 2011
Last week, government worked, and it was an amazing thing to behold.
The King County Council worked together to create bipartisan, compromise legislation to impose a $20 car tab fee to keep Metro bus service at its current level of service.
This is the way our elected leaders are supposed to work. We in this state and region have become accustomed to holding a referendum on just about everything, sending every little tax to the voters. Fear of voters blaming state legislators and County Council members keeps them from making the tough decisions.
For all our throwing around of the word democracy, we don’t live in one. This is a republic. The citizens are supposed to elect leaders to actually lead. Leaders are supposed to make grand decisions about what to do, and then do it. Don’t like what they did? That’s what elections are for.
In this case, the County Council actually managed to pass the fee increase, using old-fashioned bipartisan compromise politics and a lot of creativity. County Executive Dow Constantine (D) and County Councilwoman Kathy Lambert (a Republican in a nonpartisan office), both of whom represent Sammamish, and the rest of the council are to be congratulated. They showed that they are not mere ideologues but are willing to work for what they believe are in the best interests of their constituents and the county.
We were opposed to the $20 fee, and still are, but the compromises worked out in the deal — an end to the Seattle free ride area and free bus passes for everyone who pays the car tab fee — certainly improve the bill and make it better public policy. And that’s really the whole idea. Bipartisan compromise leads to better policy pretty much every time.
We hope our state and federal officials are watching. Sure, in the grand scheme of things $20 to save some bus routes isn’t exactly as challenging as figuring out how to save Social Security. But working across the aisle to get something done is a lesson all politicians should model.
City rated 15th best small town
August 23, 2011
Good schools, natural beauty and close proximity to major employers were among the reasons cited by Money Magazine in ranking Sammamish as the 15th best “small town” in the country.
“If you’re looking for the Pacific Northwest ideal – snow-capped mountains and scenic lakes – Sammamish might be for you,” the magazine wrote about the city.
The magazine releases a list every two years based on a variety of metrics – from median incomes and home values, to crime levels to proximity to amenities.
The list includes only towns with a population of fewer than 50,000 people – something Sammamish may soon no longer be able to claim. The city grew to 45,780 people in the 2010 census and continues to expand.
As far as Washington cities go, Sammamish was topped by only Mukilteo, which ranked ninth place. Newcastle placed 18th on the list. Louisville, Colo., just outside of Boulder, garnered the title of “best small town in America,” according to the magazine’s calculations.
Sammamish’s school’s test scores well outpaced the averages for the rest of the cities on the magazine’s list, as did the air quality index and the amount of movie theaters, restaurants, libraries and bars within 15 miles.
Sammamish also benefited from a miniscule crime rate – seven property crime incidents per 1,000 residents over a year compared to an average of 16 for the rest of the cities on the list. The list also shows a higher than normal percentage of married and college-educated residents and a more racially diverse populace than the average city on the list.
But Sammamish residents do spend more time in their cars than residents of the average city on the list. The magazine projects that the average Sammamish resident has a 30-minute commute, compared to a 23 minute average. Seventeen percent of Sammamish drivers have a commute of 45 minutes or longer, according to the magazine.
Though still high ranking, Sammamish actually dropped on the list, from 12th place in 2009 and 11th in 2007. The editors cite the city’s current lack of community offerings, but acknowledge the Town Center plan, in their blurb on Sammamish.
“Sammamish still doesn’t have a real center where the community can gather,” the editors write. “But local officials are working on a new downtown with retail, recreation and town services.”
Teen Center could be open by October
August 23, 2011
$100,000 donation from Mary Pigott will help project
Sammamish’s teen center is inching closer to reality.
Boys and Girls Club of King County officials are aiming for an early October opening for the 10,000 square foot facility, which will include a computer lab, performance stage, teaching kitchen and game space with ping pong and pool tables. Read more
Work on Evans Creek Preserve nears end
August 23, 2011
As soon as October, Sammamish residents will be able get a taste of the plateau in its natural state.
Construction crews will spend September putting the finishing touches on Evans Creek Preserve, the newest addition to the city’s park system. Project Manager Kellye Hilde said users of the 179-acre park will be able to walk between varying types of ecological settings via two and a half miles of trails.
“It goes from woodlands to upland meadows to creeks and wetlands,” Hilde said. “The goal is get people through all different types of habitat.”
Hilde said the park is the product of an outpouring of support by the community – more than 6,000 volunteer hours went into the park’s trail system, which includes a half-mile gravel loop and two more miles of side trails. Symetra Financial and Starbucks were among the corporate sponsors that contributed work crews, along with the Washington Trail Association and hundreds of local residents.
“The park really was community-built,” Hilde said.
Volunteers work on one of the gravel trails at Evans Creek Preserve.
The main loop includes a 375-foot boardwalk that brings users through part of the park’s wetland, where they may get views of the birds, beavers and frogs that often call it home. Hilde said the city is working on a series of educational plaques that will teach park users about the flora and fauna of the area. The Washington Native Plant Society is hoping to give guided tours in the park.
The park will also feature state-of-the-art toilet technology. The city is paying $66,000 for a “waterless” restroom, which uses solar-powered ventilation to cut down on odors and remove the moisture from human waste. The toilet only has to be pumped once every two years, as compared to three times a year for the average pit toilet.
But getting to the park, which is located just north of city limits, will likely require driving for most Sammamish residents. The only current access to the park is a 10-stall parking lot off of Redmond-Fall City Road. A second phase of development calls for an additional 40 stalls to be added, though the city council has yet to fund that project.
“We’re going to get people down there first and see what the demand is like,” Hilde said.
The city is also working on possibly obtaining a parcel of land owned by King County on Sahalee Way near Northeast 36th Street that could be used as a second entrance point for the park. The land overlooks the preserve and a trail down to the park would likely be steep.
But Hilde said she is confident that once the park opens it is going to be popular enough to overcome any access issues.
“It’s going to be really great,” she said. “I think people are going to find the park breathtaking.”
Patty Murray visits Sammamish
August 23, 2011
Sammamish city leaders had the ear of arguably one of the 12 most important people in the country for an hour Aug. 17.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, on August recess, stopped by Sammamish City Hall to give her thoughts on the recent last-minute debt ceiling deal in Congress and her role as co-chair of a bipartisan “super-committee” of 12 representatives and senators tasked with cutting the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion over 10 years. Read more
Valderrama, Wasnick move on to general election
August 22, 2011
Updated Monday, Aug. 22 at 1:20 p.m.
Ramiro Valderrama cruised to a first round victory in the City Council primary Aug. 16 and will likely face political newcomer Jim Wasnick in the general election. Read more
Water went in, but will it come out
August 18, 2011
Water district, tribe at odds over storing water in the ground
New: Aug. 18, 11:48 a.m.
For the past five years, Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District has been injecting extra drinking water into a local aquifer in hopes of insuring a healthy water supply if the region ever sees another summer drought.
But the district has not been allowed to withdraw that water from the aquifer due to concerns from the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe that the extra water hasn’t been staying in the ground. They fear the district would overdraw its water supply and potentially harm nearby salmon-bearing streams and lakes. Read more
Sammamish really does go green
August 17, 2011
The Review’s “Sammamish goes green” series over the last several weeks has chronicled some of the large and small efforts of city residents, each effort making large and small differences.
Let’s face it, a suburban bedroom community like Sammamish has a lot working against it in terms of being ecologically friendly. Sprawling cul-de sacs with segregated retail areas and no major employment centers to speak of mean almost every trip requires a car. Read more
Sammamish Forum August 17
August 17, 2011
Community center needs a vote
County Council implements $20 car tab fee for Metro
August 17, 2011
King County Council members, after listening to more than 1,000 people urge against reduced bus service, enacted a $20 vehicle-tab fee Aug. 15 to forestall a 17-percent reduction to mass transit countywide. Metro Transit planners considered eliminating Sammamish route 927 in the proposed cutback.
In addition to enacting the vehicle-tab fee, the agreement calls for Metro Transit to phase out the free-ride zone in downtown Seattle in October 2012 and use smaller buses on less-popular routes as cost-saving measures. Metro Transit estimates eliminating the downtown Seattle free-ride zone should save $2.2 million. Read more
