The Sammamish Review - News, Sports, Classifieds in Sammamish, WA » Business

Sammamish rewriting home-business guidelines

Caleb Heeringa — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:24:53 +0000

New: Dec. 5, 2:23 p.m.

The Sammamish Chamber of Commerce estimates that 3,500 city residents – almost 8 percent of the population – work out of their homes in some fashion, whether that’s as a consultant, artist or dog-walker.

Though most of those existing businesses wouldn’t be affected, some business owners fear that a scheduled update of the city’s regulations on home businesses could make it more difficult for future residents to run a business from home.

The city’s Planning Commission is currently weighing changes to the code, tasked with balancing the rights of home businesses with the tranquil character of Sammamish’s residential neighborhoods. The city often fields complaints from residents about the impact of a neighboring home business, including clients and commercial delivery trucks coming and going.

“I understand what they’re trying to do, but they have to look at from the point of view of a small business,” said Jamie McKay, owner of Striking Art Studio in the Plateau Point neighborhood. “If I had to follow these rules when I opened in 2006 I wouldn’t have been able to afford to do this.”

McKay emphasized that her problem was with the original draft of the code that was presented to the commission in October. McKay and other home business owners have testified at recent commission meetings, leading to a second draft that was a bit more accommodating though still worrisome.

The code breaks up home businesses into two categories based on the level of impact on the surrounding area. “Type 1” businesses are those with little in the way of customers visiting the site – financial advisors, architects and attorneys, for example. “Type 2” businesses are those with a bit larger of a footprint on the neighborhood – wineries, nurseries and other businesses that require heavy equipment or building materials, for example. City officials determine whether a business qualifies as one or the other.

Artists with home studios, like McKay, have been the most outspoken about the regulations thus far. As written, the regulations prohibit the storage of “hazardous chemicals” at a home business, which McKay said could make it impossible to run an art studio, which often needs compressed propane or oxygen or small amounts of other chemicals.

For Type 1 business, the code also calls for no more than three business-related vehicles, including those of customers, to be parked in the vicinity of the home at one time.

The business must also do all on-site sales by appointment and no more than six appointments can be made in a 24-hour period. Tractor-trailer and semi-truck deliveries are “generally prohibited,” according to the code.

Any owner whose business plan goes beyond those regulations must apply for a Type 2 permit, which requires a conditional use permit and notification of neighbors. As written, the code requires that a Type 2 business be located on a property that is at least three-quarters of an acre and that business activity be no closer than 20 feet to property lines and “fully screened from adjacent properties and streets.”

With lots in most of the city’s neighborhoods much smaller than three-quarters of an acre, that could prohibit future businesses similar to McKay’s. McKay holds workshops with no more than four students at a time a couple times a month in her studio.

Janet Gadallah, who runs a pottery studio out of her Sammamish home, said she has been impressed with the commission’s openness to tweaking the code thus far, but she worries that the next person to try and open a home studio in Sammamish might run into problems.

“From an arts community standpoint, we’re trying to make sure the next (home studios) to come along aren’t stopped in their tracks,” Gadallah said.

The commission has extended their public comment period until their Jan. 19 meeting. The code changes will then be forwarded to the city council, which will have the final say in February or March.

Reporter Caleb Heeringa can be reached at 392-6434. ext. 247, or cheeringa@isspress.com.

Sammamish’ s Ace Hardware to close

Caleb Heeringa — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:14:32 +0000

New: Dec. 1, 12:13 p.m.

One of Sammamish’s longest-running businesses may soon be out of a home after a dispute over the lease with the company’s landlord.

Ace Hardware, which has inhabited the corner of Sammamish Highlands shopping center for nearly 20 years, will be moving out of the space by next September after owner Tim Koch could not agree to a new lease with Regency Centers, the nation-wide commercial real estate company that owns and runs both shopping centers in town.

Owner Tim Koch stands in front of the Sammamish Ace Hardware, which he has owned and operated since 2000. The store, which predates the city’s incorporation, may be out of a home due to a rent dispute with its landlord. Photo by Caleb Heeringa

Koch said Regency had been asking for much higher rent on the next lease. He said he’d been in negotiations with the company for months but in late-October received word that Regency had signed a letter of intent with a “large national chain” to take over the space.

“It’s a typical case of a large corporate business squishing the little guy,” said Koch, who has owned the store since 2000.

Ace Hardware has 37 locations around the Puget Sound area and 4,400 across the country, though Koch points out that the Sammamish Ace has always had close ties to the community. Koch lives in Samammish, as do most of his 23 employees. Koch sees the store as an “old-fahsioned hardware store.” A candy machine in the back of the store still dispenses M&Ms for a nickel.

Koch is now looking at other potential locations that would allow the store to stay in Sammamish but is low on options, with commercial property scarce inside city limits. He said he’s currently studying his options, including buying land and building a new store from scratch, but calls it an “insurmountable task.”

“My hope is that there’s someone out there that has some land that they’ve been holding on to,” Koch said.

Though commercial space is much more prevalent in Redmond or Issaquah, Koch said moving the store out of Sammamish would be a loss to the community and mean more trips off and on the plateau for local residents.

“We’ve got a loyal customer base – (Sammamish) is where we want to stay,” Koch said. “But if we can’t find any land or other space we’re going to be forced to do something else.”

Store manager Larry Rothmier said the store’s relatively small scale provides a level of customer service that you don’t get at larger retailers around the area.

“We know our customers and they know us,” Rothmier said. “Anyone can open up a ‘big box,’ but you’re not going to get the same sort of customer service as you would here.”

Regency officials declined to comment.

Reporter Caleb Heeringa can be reached at 392-6434. ext. 247, or cheeringa@isspress.com.

Farmer’s market to start May 18

Caleb Heeringa — Sun, 08 May 2011 18:18:28 +0000

New: May 8, 11:18 a.m.

It’s back and bigger than ever,

The Sammamish Farmer’s Market will kick off its fourth year May 18, featuring even more organic produce and food, handmade artwork and family-friendly events.

Organizers, including new market manager Juliana Pash, say they have 28 food producers signed up for this year’s market, which happens from 4 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday through the end of September. That’s a far cry from the market’s modest beginning, which started with about seven farmers and a handful of artists in 2008.

“It has surpassed my expectations,” said Deb Sogge, executive director of the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce. “It was tough those first couple years getting everything set up and finding farmers … Now we have farmers spreading the word for us.”

Sammamish residents and those from surrounding communities have caught on to the bounty of organic food and locally made artwork available at the market. Sogge said they used to see 250 to 300 attendees a week, but saw close to 650 a week last year. They’re hoping attendance will climb even more this year, with even more variety of items being sold and children’s events available every week instead of every other week. One planned event is the planting of seedlings in eggshells.

New vendors this year include:

One Leaf Farm, a Carnation-based organic farm.
Daring Darlings Bakery, which serves gluten-free and vegan baked goods and is a regular at the farmers market in Seattle’s U-District.
New ready-to-eat food vendors serving everything from pizza to Middle Eastern samosas to kettle corn.

The market gives preferential treatment to artists and food producers from Sammamish. At least one Sammamish-based vintner, Rock Meadow Cellars, will be on hand most weeks and vintners from neighboring cities are also getting on board.

Most weeks will also include live music. Opening day, May 18, will feature Eastlake High School’s drum line and the Essie Blue Band, which plays bluegrass and folk music.

Mayor Don Gerend will also be on hand for a ceremonial ribbon cutting to mark the start of the market’s season.

Pash is a resident of the Tree Farm neighborhood whose volunteer work was instrumental in getting the market together in its infancy. As the new manager of the event, she hopes to build on last year’s growth and continue to make the market an asset to a community starved for truly organic and local food. She said the event is a perfect opportunity to meet fellow Sammamish residents you may not otherwise run into.

“I think it’s a great chance to come and support local and regional farmers,” Pash said. “You can do all your produce shopping for the whole week there.”

Sammamish students seek work in slightly shrinking pool of opportunity

Christopher Huber — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 22:03:31 +0000

New: Feb. 21, 2:05 p.m.

It took Eastside Catholic senior Matt Wenzinger about a month to land his part-time job at Ristorante Simone in Sammamish. Many of his friends had also been applying for work, to take financial pressure off their parents, some of whom had been negatively affected by the down economy. He looked around, applying to other restaurants, but finally found the right fit at the new Italian restaurant in August.

“It didn’t come that easy for me, but when found that spot I got the job,” Wenzinger said.

The young Sammamish resident started working as a busser to save a little bit of money for college, but also to learn the value of working for his money, he said.

“My parents wanted me to learn the value of the dollar,” Wenzinger said. “I really learned how to manage my money.”

While Wenzinger lucked out when Ristorante Simone hired him part-time, other high school students haven’t always been as fortunate in the increasingly tough local job market.

Students and career specialists at Sammamish high schools said they have noticed a slight decrease in the amount employment opportunities for youth who want to work while attending school. Staple employers like Target, Michaels, Best Buy, Safeway and other larger companies still seem to have a need for local teens in the workforce, they said, but some smaller local businesses — even families with odd jobs — don’t necessarily have the same needs of late.

“It appears that, in general, there are fewer this year,” said Joanna Staikos, Skyline career specialist. “Even the requests for babysitters and tutors has decreased since I began in the Career Center three years ago.”

As has been the case in the mainstream job market, Ricky Simone, owner of Ristorante Simone, said he’s seeing significantly more applications for his job openings.

“It’s amazing how many are applying for a job,” he said.

Each school provides resources for the students and keeps them updated on summer job opportunities, local year-round job listings and even jobs like gardening and internships.

“I know the kids are in here all time looking for opportunities,” said Karen Edgar, Skyline college and career counselor. “I definitely see kids every day that are interested in pursuing summer opportunities.”

Students seem to spend the fall term establishing what their school workload demands and then start applying to jobs based on their availability, she said.

“Typically, there is an upswing in interest for finding jobs in the middle of winter throughout the spring,” Staikos said.

Although the opportunities, in general, are fewer than a few years ago, jobs for students over 18 or with a food-handler’s permit are still better, Staikos said.

“The opportunities for our 18-plus students are more abundant as they can pursue Target, Michaels and Best Buy, which typically have ongoing needs,” Staikos said. “We encourage students to be proactive and get a food-handler’s permit so that when these options become available, they are ready to strike.”

Nilofar Ganjaie, an Eastlake senior who works at Starbucks along the school’s driveway, said it took her from September 2009 to March 2010 to finally get hired as a barista.

“I basically felt bad asking my mom for money all the time,” she said.

She applied for numerous other part-time jobs in the Sammamish-Issaquah area and employers simply did not have the need for another person on staff, she said. She attributed landing her current job to knowing someone who already worked there.

“Everyone just told me that they weren’t hiring,” Ganjaie said. But, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

One thing she likes about working in high school is disengaging from the routine of school. She is able to balance her 15 to 20 hours per week on the job with the increasing rigors of school and is able to make some money, she said.

“It’s nice to like get away from just the high school stuff,” Ganjaie said. “It’s nice to be around people that aren’t just talking about things in high school.”

Ken Watrous, manager of Karate West, said Karate West has not seen a decline in need for hiring local students. The seven local high-school teachers and assistants Karate West employs provide a key link between the youngest students and their experienced adult teachers.

“Our kids, they’re like role models,” Watrous said. “They bridge the gap for the kids that are training in the classes.”

Thinking about the current state of local employment, Ganjaie said she supposes employers see the magnitude of older applicants — many of whom might have a family to feed — and hire them, rather than the youth workers.

“I feel like a manager, a lot of times, wants to hire the older people that apply there because they have more experience or need the money more than the high schoolers,” she said. “But I think it’s good to have variety.”

Simone agreed. He seeks to support the youth in his community, enabling them to use their own hard-earned money to socialize and contribute to the economy.

“It’s a great thing to have the kids. One, they’re local,” he said. “Kids have a great time here when they’re working. You teach them and they rock-and-roll.”

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.

Has Sammamish real estate hit bottom?

Caleb Heeringa — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 20:28:01 +0000

NEW: Feb. 1, 9:45 a.m.

Sammamish saw a slight improvement in real estate sales in 2010, thanks in part to a federal tax credit for first-time home-buyers in the early part of the year.

But buyers rushing to complete deals by the April deadline may have contributed to a bit of a sluggish second half of the year, which saw a 15 percent drop in home sales compared to the same period in 2009.

And the numbers still aren’t what they were a few years ago, before one of the worst recessions in decades hit the country – Sammamish included.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that we’ve turned a corner,” Sammamish Finance Director Lyman Howard said of the real estate market. “But it’s a mixed bag – Sammamish is subject to the same forces as the rest of the country.”

The tax credit, $8,000 for first-time home buyers and $6,500 for second-time buyers, led to a big uptick in sales in March (65) and April (99), compared to 30 or so sales in the same months in 2009.

April’s sales were the most in a single month since July 2007.

Sammamish also outpaced the rest of King County both by the rate and price of home sales – it saw a 10 percent increase in sales year-over-year compared to 4 percent for the county as a whole.

The county also saw the median price of sales drop from $380,000 to $375,000, whereas Sammamish, with its glut of luxury homes, saw homes sell for a bit more – from $534,500 in 2009 to $564,625 in 2010.

While most real estate agents agree that we’ve hit the bottom as far as the market goes, no one’s quite sure how long we’ll stay there.

“I wouldn’t say we’re out of the woods,” said Sam DeBord, an agent with Coldwell Banker Danforth who works across the Eastside. “I know I’m a real estate agent and I’m supposed to make that (optimistic) speech, but we could see a long slide at the bottom here. The job market will be everything. If businesses don’t start hiring … it may be another year or two.”

DeBord said the “great recession” represented a significant price correction in the market that sellers now have to come to terms with. For those that bought at the height of the boom, that often means dropping their asking price and selling at a loss if they wish to move immediately.

“There’s plenty of sellers that only a few years ago thought their home was in the $800,000 area and then saw the market drop 25 percent – that’s a big drop,” DeBord said.

Despite the down economy, Roland Fink, a local realtor with John L. Scott, said Sammamish is relatively lucky compared to some areas. Great schools, low crime and its proximity to job centers and recreation opportunities continue to help the city rank high on national “best places to live” lists.

“There’s a lot of optimism,” Fink said. “There’s been so much positive press for Sammamish in the last couple years … People are still coming here from all over the world.”

Fink said since the state widened Highway 202 he’s seen an increase in people from the Bellevue, Kirkland and Redmond areas willing to consider Sammamish as a home.

Fink said it’s a buyer’s market right now, with prices and interest rates both remaining relatively low.

Even those content with where they live should look into refinancing their homes with a lower interest rate, he said.

Nation-wide, the average 30-year, fixed rate mortgage had a 4.45 percent interest rate in the third quarter of 2010, compared to 5.16 percent during the same period in 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“Prices are down, interest rates are down – it’s a golden opportunity to buy,” Fink said.

Fink and DeBord both agree that real estate in Sammamish and the rest of the Seattle area will likely get back to the prices that were seen before the recession, but how long it will take to get there is anyone’s guess.

“It will take a long time,” DeBord said. “We’ll certainly get there, but it’s not going to be five years. By the time there’s the next boom in the tech industry … people tend to forget these sorts of (recessions.)”

Fink is a bit more optimistic.

“This is America – prices go up,” he said. “People love to own their home … it’s the American Dream.”

Reporter Caleb Heeringa can be reached at 392-6434. ext. 247, or cheeringa@isspress.com. To comment on this story, visit www.SammamishReview.com.

Busy bees abound around Sammamish

Christopher Huber — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:47:07 +0000

If you’ve started to notice healthy quantities of bees buzzing around your garden or back patio, don’t be so quick to get out the fly swatter. There’s a chance those bees belong to a neighbor, like Sammamish resident Linda Hines, or Lisa Novich, owner of Knox Cellars Native Bees.

Lisa Novich, Sammamish resident and owner of Knox Cellars Native Bees, shows the set up for raising mason bees. Photo by Christopher Huber

Among other ways Hines makes her property a wildlife habitat, she raises orchard mason bees. And this is the time of year when they’re waking up and start spreading the pollen, she said. And some, who keep honeybees, will begin filling their honey jars in late spring.

“They just thrive in the environment here,” Hines said.

Raising honey or mason bees is a growing trend around the Seattle area, according to Novich and John deGroot, caretaker of the Pacific Science Center’s observational beehive. And the cool, wet climate is ideal for people who raise mason bees, said Novich, whose Knox Cellars distributes up to 150,000 mason bees per year, as well as various bee-raising equipment. Her father literally wrote the book on raising orchard mason bees.

Mason bees differ from honeybees, which are also taking off in popularity.

“Old hands both locally and nationally have noticed that (honey) beekeeping has increased in popularity recently,” deGroot said in an e-mail. “This is attributed to, one, media reports about Colony Collapse Disorder (first reported in 2006) have focused more attention on beekeeping, and two, gardening and backyard animal husbandry usually become more popular during economically difficult times.”

DeGroot said to learn enough to raise and cultivate honeybees, one would have to take a short class on the craft, which he teaches. But it’s worth the time investment, he said.

“Ten years ago the Puget Sound Beekeepers Association had about 75 members and about 40 attended our monthly meetings,” deGroot said. “In the last two years our membership is well above 100 and we regularly have more than 70 people attend some meetings.”

The benefits

DeGroot said due to plummeting honeybee populations over the past few years, beekeepers are “being extra careful of all their procedures and extra watchful.”

Keeping honeybees takes a fair amount of time and equipment, but the hobby is rewarding, especially if you like honey, he said.

“A lot of people who keep bees love the natural environment and nature,” deGroot said. It’s not like keeping sheep, goats or horses. Bees fly free and play an active part in the natural process. “This is a little bit more closer to nature.”

For those interested in simply promoting a healthy amount of pollination in their garden, orchard mason bees are an easier alternative.

“Two hundred fifty female mason bees can pollinate as much fruit trees as 50,000 honey bees,” said Novich. “Their very lack of sophistication makes them better pollinators.”

They’re also native to Washington, Hines and Novich said.

“They don’t sting. They’re not aggressive bees,” she said. “They’re very gentle bees. They’re very easy to raise.”

Novich made sure to clear up the idea that they don’t sting. The females — males don’t have stingers — do if they have to, she said, but in her 20 years handling mason bees, she’s only been stung about three times.

“In any urban area mason bees are great,” Novich said.

How to start

Raising mason bees is simpler and less expensive than keeping honeybees, Novich and Hines said. A couple hundred bees and the basic equipment needed to house them costs only about $50-60. Whereas setting up a honeybee hive may cost a couple hundred dollars and entail more consistent equipment maintenance, deGroot said.

Mason bees are active for just a couple of months in spring and then hunker down until the next February, Novich said. Once they lay their eggs and seal off their straw-like tubes, you just put them in the refrigerator for the winter.

Honeybees work year-round in the hive and have a much more social system. They’ll produce honey in early- to mid-summer, deGroot said, so while they are higher maintenance, they do come with the sweet benefit of homemade honey.

If you’re trying to get your orchard or garden to grow better, though, mason bees will certainly help your cause.

Learn more about raising mason bees at www.knoxcellars.com. Visit www.psbees.org to plug in with the local honeybee keeping clubs and suppliers.

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.

Business to donate profits to food bank

Ari Cetron — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:26:43 +0000

Adam Gentry and Charley Lindsley were having a tough time finding work in this economy. So in August, they started a new business, Easy Oil.

“We invented jobs for ourselves,” Gentry said.

One of the pair will go to you, change your car’s oil and top off other fluids on-site, be it at your home or work.

The pair have been interested in helping the community and donated a portion of their profits to the Issaquah Food Bank, Gentry said.

But this month, they want to step up their efforts.

“We really wanted to get involved,” Gentry said.

So, through Jan. 10, they will be donating all of their profits to the Issaquah Food Bank.

“We wanted to take it to a different level,” Gentry said.

For more information about Easy Oil, visit www.easyoil.org.

Adam Gentry and Charley Lindsley were having a tough time finding work in this economy. So in August, they started a new business, Easy Oil.

“We invented jobs for ourselves,” Gentry said.

One of the pair will go to you, change your car’s oil and top off other fluids on-site, be it at your home or work.

The pair have been interested in helping the community and donated a portion of their profits to the Issaquah Food Bank, Gentry said.

But this month, they want to step up their efforts.

“We really wanted to get involved,” Gentry said.

So, through Jan. 10, they will be donating all of their profits to the Issaquah Food Bank.

“We wanted to take it to a different level,” Gentry said.

For more information about Easy Oil, visit www.easyoil.org.

New business owners brave current market

J.B. Wogan — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:43:09 +0000

Jason Schaefer, owner of Golf USA, takes a swing in his business’ indoor driving range. Photo by J.B. Wogan

Recession or no, Ray McCorkle decided to open A-Game Sports in Inglewood Plaza in August. He said he believed the presence of three high schools in Sammamish would create a steady demand for sports apparel.

So far, it’s been a struggle.

“We’re breathing. It’s short breaths, but we’re breathing. We need more business,” McCorkle said.

It might seem crazy to open a new business in today’s retail market. People aren’t buying like they did a couple of years ago. The state Department of Revenue released figures in July that said taxable retail sales in King County were down 14.4 percent from last year — about $3.5 billion.

But at least three local entrepreneurs are braving the market anyway and opening new businesses in Sammamish.

McCorkle, who calls himself a “gym rat,” said he has bought advertising in local newspapers and in high school football booster programs, but he still needs to find ways to get the word out that his store exists.

Deb Sogge, executive director of the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce, said McCorkle’s problem wasn’t unusual.

“I think the number one challenge is getting the word out that they’ve opened,” Sogge said. Sogge said new business owners often approach her about marketing strategies.“They want to know, specifically, this is my demographic that I’m attracting. How do I attract that?” she said

McCorkle’s 2,000-square-foot store, run by a three-person staff, provides general sports equipment and clothing, he said. He said he hopes to position his business to provide the team apparel for local recreational sports teams, as well as the school-sponsored programs.

While McCorkle’s store is the only new general sports store in Sammamish, all three of the plateau’s new businesses this year have fitness in common.

Amy Frank-Lewallen opened Fitness Together in February in the Pine Lake Shopping Center, in a 966-square-foot space that used to be a Blockbuster Video.

In Frank-Lewallen’s case, she said she had been waiting to open the business for two years but for permitting reasons, had to open now.

“I would never have opened at this time otherwise,” she said.

Fitness Together provides one-on-one personal training with two exercise rooms. The front lobby has three machines for a cardio-vascular workout, though the back rooms also have two functional trainer machines, dumbbells, exercise balls and latex bands. Frank-Lewallen has owned two Fitness Together businesses in the past, one in Woodinville and one in Issaquah. (She still owns half of the Woodinville business.)

“I was just worried that people were cutting back on expenses and wouldn’t see the value in fitness,” Frank-Lewallen said.

But business has been good to her; surprisingly so, she said. The Sammamish Fitness Together receives has about 50 clients a month, she said.

Jason Schaefer, manager of Golf USA, opened up his 4,000-square-foot storefront May 15. The golf-specific sports store replaced Sleep 101.

Golf USA, run by a three-person staff, has a synthetic putting green and an indoor driving range, plus golf equipment and apparel.

Schaefer said the current economy didn’t worry him.

“With good quality and good service, people will still spend money on golf equipment,” he said.

Schaefer, a Sammamish resident who lives behind Skyline High School, said he thought there was a latent demand for a golf store on the plateau. There are two golf courses in Sammamish and all three high schools field both girls and boys golf teams.

Schaefer also pointed out that the Men’s Senior U.S. Open is scheduled to take place at the Sahalee Country Club in 2010. That, too, should drum up interest in his store, he said.

Before summer ends, one more new business could grace the plateau: Galliano’s Cucina.

The Italian restaurant is scheduled to open in September according to Sogge. It would replace DC’s Grill in the Saffron shopping center, which closed this summer.

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.

Portal designed to keep an online eye on children

Lauren McLaughlin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:05:35 +0000

By Lauren McLaughlin

Not long ago, Christine Mason decided she was going to do something to make the Internet safe for children.

“My children were starting to spend more time online and my daughter wanted to get an e-mail address, so she could write to her grandparents in Arizona,” Mason said. “I did a little research and I just didn’t find anything that made sense for kids.”

So Mason,of Sammamish, created ZillaDog and ZillaMail, an Internet portal intended to provide a safe Web site and e-mail server for children. The site links to Web sites that Mason said are favored by children. There are trailers for movies rated G and PG, games, and links to other child-friendly Web sites.

“My kids are on it everyday,” Mason said. “The site’s links keep them clear of YouTube and other questionable Web sites.”

“We aren’t a net nanny or a lock down site,” Mason said. “But there’s no search engine, so it’s difficult for kids to stray from the Web site.”

Online safety expert Linda Criddle noted that, just because the Web site does not have a search engine, doesn’t mean children will not be able to connect to a site that does. Still, she said the site has value for younger children.

“It’s good for kids 10 and under,” Criddle said. “Kids those ages don’t feel particularly adventurous and are happy staying on sites they know.”

For younger children, the Web site is a safe environment, Criddle said.

“(Mason) has a nice site with great, fun content,” Criddle said. “It’s a nice playground for kids.”

According to Mason, the Web site attracts a monthly average of more than 30,000 visitors.

But parents do not choose ZillaDog just for Web browsing. ZillaMail, the Web mail service, is a big attraction.

ZillaMail is designed so parents can control the people their children connect with via e-mail. Parents can set up their child’s e-mail so they receive a blind carbon copy of each correspondence, message filtering and set preferences for the account.

ZillaMail removes profanity from the child’s e-mail. There is also a filter where the parents can customize additional words that they deem inappropriate for their children.

Criddle said ZillaMail doesn’t employ all the techniques it could to make the e-mail accounts safer for children to be on the Internet. For example, Criddle said ZillaMail should guide children to choose an alias that does not allude to their age, name or location when they create an e-mail account. Also, she thinks ZillaMail should help children select passwords that can’t easily be guessed.

The Web site and mail server are designed for children ages 6-13, Mason said.

“If they want to use it after they’re 13, we’re not going to boot them out,” Mason said. “But e-mail is something kids outgrow like everything else — they get cell phones and start texting.”

Criddle agreed that children 13 and older would not be inclined to continue their e-mail accounts with ZillaMail. The older they get, the less likely they are to be OK with their parents reading all their e-mails, Criddle said; they will go and find other e-mail address.

According to Mason, ZillaMail is close to reaching 7,000 subscribers, even though Mason has not marketed the site.

“Most of it’s word of mouth, but we have been mentioned on a few blogs,” she said. “A lot of Fort Smith schools in Arkansas are using the Web site. Even some international schools in Thailand and Australia are using the e-mail for pen-pals.”

While local schools may not use the Web site, many local children and their parents are. Justin Park, of Issaquah, has used it for about two years.

“I think it’s great. It makes me feel much more secure. I know who my daughters are e-mailing and what they’re saying, and they know I know,” Park said.

“I had an 11-year-old who wanted an e-mail address. ZillaDog was something she liked and I could control, so it worked for us.”

For more information, visit www.zilladog.com

Intern Lauren McLaughlin can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 244 or samrev@isspress.com. To comment on this story visit www.sammamishreview.com

Not long ago, Christine Mason decided she was going to do something to make the Internet safe for children.

Billy and Carle Mason play online games at Zilladog.com.